RSS FeedWhere Did Balducci’s Go?
You may have walked by the storefront on the east side of 7th Street between D Street and E Street, NW, and seen the black signs. Or, maybe you overheard someone in real estate talk about it. Was it the press coverage that caught your eye? The eagerly awaited “it” is (but now was) a Penn Quarter installment of Balducci’s, a nationwide gourmet grocer with four stores in the Washington metro area.
PQResident talked with a Balducci’s representative in the DC area corporate office who indicated that construction on the Penn Quarter 7th Street store that was supposed to open in the May/June 2006 timeframe has been halted and the project has been aborted. A recent change in corporate strategy now has the company focusing on the New York metro area kicking off with the December 2005 reopening of a new Balducci’s flagship store on Eighth Avenue at 14th Street in Greenwich Village (OK, maybe it’s Chelsea). The black banners announcing the DC store are now gone, the construction office removed and the architectural drawings that could once be seen from the street are nowhere to be seen. Balducci’s added that there are no plans in the foreseeable future to resume construction on 7th Street leaving the Penn Quarter without a much awaited and needed neighborhood grocery store.
For now, PQResident will have to continue patronizing the nearest Safeway (4th and M, SW at the Waterfront Metro) and Whole Foods (14th and P, NW) to keep his kitchen stocked.
Maybe this is an opportunity for Wild Oats (Natural Marketplace) to get a toehold in DC?
Edit: Link to WaPo’s article a day later.
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Comments
Wow! You all are fantastic with getting information out. It is much appreciated. Hopefully another market will take its place.
I’m all for a Trader Joe’s in that space. It’s the perfect size for the offbeat grocer. Balducci’s is crazy to give up on that store. This neighborhood is growing by the hour. In addition, the vast number of tourists who stroll up and down 7th Street make that that a perfect location to introduce their brand to people from across the country. It’s a bad strategic move…
Let’s start an effort to bring in a new market. We desperately need a place to shop for food (and wine).
Wild Oats, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, I don’t care as long as its a grocery store. Here’s a sample letter to Trader Joe’s asking them to move into an urban neighborhood. TJ’s just opened last month in Manhattan, so why not here in PQ, within a couple blocks of every metro line?
Does anyone know who the property management company is? I’m tempted to write them a letter as well begging for another grocery store project.
PS to previous post with sample TJ’s letter, this is the company’s Customer Relations address for the East Coast:
Trader Joe’s Customer Relations
117 Kendrick Street
Suite 700
Needham, MA 02494
It worked in Foggy Bottom!
The developer of the Clara Barton is JPI. I believe they are the lease holders of all retail space around the building. I’ll see if I can get some info. from people in the building…
This SUCKS. However, I think this move *might reflect* some money issues with Balducci’s and not anything about the PQ area.
even a “yes” organic market will do…needed couple of lemons for seafood last night…had to change plans.
I know it’s not the same as a full grocery store, and we all know we need a place to shop after business hours, but don’t forget to stop by the farmers market on Thursdays (today). On 8th Street, between D and E.
Maybe some entrepreneur will take over the space in Clara Barton and set up booths for organic food vendors ala Eastern Market or the market in Bethesda. Anybody out there got some time and money?
Although not ideal, there is also the Giant at 7th & O streets. And the Safeway in the old Hechinger mall in NE.
new to the site. love it. do people on here talk about living at GP? Or what is going on there? thank you.
I feel you all. A grocery store is so needed in PQ/GP. Thanks for the template letter. Maybe we should start a viral letter writing campaign…a yahoo free Web site or something, I can see the URL now….www.grocerystoresareinsane4notcoming togalleryplace_pennqtr.com, okay maybe a bit overzealous, but you get my point.
I was so looking forward to this place opening on the block! I’m getting very sick of Peapod. Any news on whats going in there?
Trader Joe’s and “organic” grocery store are not good alternatives. The area needs a REAL grocery store for real people — that means a good ol’ Giant or Safeway with fresh meats, fruits and produce. PLEASE let’s get the word out and start activating this effort as a community to make the area even more attractive than it already is. It really needs more indication of a real LIFE – and not just over-stylized commercial establishments.
How about support in the neighborhood for a all-american diner? That could be another much needed alternative.
I’m all in favor of a Trader Joe’s. I can hop on a bus and get mediocre products at Giant or Safeway. Most importantly, I need someplace to buy GOOD, INEXPENSIVE wine! The closest place I can find to buy wine is Central Liquor and that place is DREADFUL. They carry 4 or 5 wines under $10 (all of which sell for $5-7 at other stores around town). By the way, TJ’s does carry produce in addition to an incredible array of products.
I think a Trader Joe will be a perfect addition to the neighborhood. No offense KJD222, but there is no point putting another Giant or Safeway in the area. I believe a Safeway is being built on 5th & K.
I do like the diner idea though.
No offense to KJD222, either, but Balducci’s certainly wasn’t going to be a run-of-the-mill Safeway or Giant. 21,000 square feet is too small for a Giant, and Safeway is already planning on a store at 5th & K (not ideal for those of us about a mile away in PQ).
TJ’s sells fresh produce and fresh meats, although their selection is limited on fresh items. Their overall selection is also more limited than that of a “regular” grocery store. You won’t find six brands and ten sizes of canned tomatoes, for instance, just a couple.
That said, I certainly wasn’t planning on doing my weekly groceries at Balducci’s. Maybe a loaf of bread or a couple limes in a pinch, but the NYC Balducci’s $50 artichokes are a bit rich for my blood. It would just be nice to have SOMETHING. And TJ’s wine, as pointed out earlier, is cheap and fab. Central Liquor is a joke.
Re: a diner, what a shame Cort Furniture Rentals has the ground-level retail in the former Greyhound terminal at 11th & New York. Perfect for a diner. But there’s lots of diner-ready space right in GP and PQ for some enterprising soul.
I am so disappointed about Balducci’s pulling out – we desperately need a grocery store in GP/PQ. I am from London and all over the city of London we have Tesco, Sainsbury and Safeway express stores which are down scaled versions of the big suburban grocery stores, they are brilliant for city living. I don’t get it, can you imagine how much money these stores will make!
TJ’s would be great and probably the most suited for the space which is only 5,000 sq ft. As I understand it, the master development plan requires that space to be utilized for some type of grocery store. The neighborhood could also really use a good diner, not to mention a good Italian restaurant and maybe another sushi spot as well. Miss the 1/2 price nt at Signatures.
According to the WaPo article, the Jefferson space is 21,000 sq. ft.
When the Columbia Heights people talked to Whole Foods, they were told that Whole Foods would like 45,000 sq. ft. minimum.
So, that should give us an idea of what the space is like: 1/2 of a normal grocery store.
IMHO, GP/PQ *needs* a grocery store before a restaurant.
How about a local green grocer for Gallery Place like McGruders, which is open in Woodley Park and Chevy Chase (DC)
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Maybe it’s time to email Whole Foods for a New Store Suggestion:
newstore.requests@wholefoods.com