you'd think they'd be all hands on deck. this place is going to print money. its the one thing everyone talks about in the neighborhood.
Yeah, part of me fears its going to be a classic example of "We demand/need XYZ..." and then "No, not like that".
It does feel kinda boutiquey, BUT they did take over the Kitchen Table space in Atrium On Bay, so maybe thats indicative of something? I dunno. Their website is not great.
I worry that with escalating food prices, that folks just aren't going to be able to support a small chain who don't have the bulk buying power of a Loblaws. I also think about how Fresh & Wild (which feels similar to these guys) could not last in the early Distillery days, despite having 100% of the newer and older buildings nearby (yeah, I know- there wasn't the population for it)
So when this finally comes through, how will people use it? Weekly grocery shop or just late night snacks and hot table items? Marche Leo's IS supposedly putting their "Supercentre" over in Queen's Quay near Sherbourne Commons, so perhaps they have more knowledge on demographics and see opportunity in the impending No Frills and Loblaws shut downs.
Anecdotally, I remember talking to someone a few years back who lived in the Distillery, and I was a bit taken aback that they had never been to No Frills, or the Sobey's (When it was on Front) and rarely done Loblaws on Jarvis- and their reasoning was they always stopped by one of the larger chain stores on their way home from work (Free parking, large stock, convenient). They could have had a grocery chain in their building, and I don't think they would have broken this habit for anything more than a bag of chips or tonic water/ice- which isn't enough to sustain a full grocer. We'll see. Fingers crossed.
I DO think that if Longos had taken the foundry space and transformed it like they did the heritage space in Leaside, that would have been a slam dunk.
