Comment

Comment by Steve Riden on January 19, 2011 at 4:59pm

I'll miss Hi-Lo Foods. It's a unique spot that helps give Hyde Square real character. At the same time, I'm happy to hear that Whole Foods is coming in. It would, of course, be ideal if they could co-exist. But JP's history reveals that it has long been a neighborhood in flux -- this is the latest iteration.

 

So long as the good folks at City Feed keep up the great work, JP will be fine. 

Comment by Rodney Singleton on January 19, 2011 at 4:59pm

I live in Roxbury and the only food market choice is Tropical Foods. If they don’t have what’s needed, we must leave the  neighborhood.

 

Look at it this way: JP could lack choice and diversity., like have here in Roxbury. Be thankful!

Comment by Gretchen on January 19, 2011 at 4:55pm

I teach at a music conservatory, and a few of my students have worked at WF after graduation and said they were thrilled to have very flexible hours and full health insurance from the get go.  I've also talked with a few checkout people who have worked at WF for up to 15 years and feel very well treated.  I would hope that WF would hire some of the people who have worked at Hi-Lo, and would try to keep the connections to sources of produce and products that are hard to find.

Comment by Jennie P on January 19, 2011 at 4:54pm

Speak for yourself Whit. This is not just about Hi-Lo leaving, it's about serving the community. And Whole Foods is hardly a "sapling"! It is a corporate giant. My friend was priced out of her neighborhood in Oakland within two years of Whole Foods moving in up the street. Whole Foods drastically alters communities very quickly. This is about caring about your neighbors and the diversity of the neighborhood. And this means not only shoppers, but workers as well. Reed Miller has some important points here (see link).

What impacts should be considered and what should the community pro...

Comment by Steffani Bennett on January 19, 2011 at 4:53pm

Wow, good for our Hyde Square property values, sad for the latin community.

Comment by Carol T on January 19, 2011 at 4:51pm

I agree with Penny P. Whole foods is an expensive market. I hope this is not the beginning of high end stores replacing affordable stores in Jamaica Plain.

Comment by Robert on January 19, 2011 at 4:49pm

What products, exactly, do you anticipate being unavailable to community members that they can't buy at corner stores or Stop 'n Shop?

Comment by Whit on January 19, 2011 at 4:37pm

This is great news!  It is also an opportunity for someone else to fill the need for a store that sells the products that were sold by Hi-Lo in a smaller location and those places already have a toe-hold.  That's the way it works--a big diseased tree falls so the little saplings can have sun light.  Seriously, you're complaining about a grocery store moving in?  I thought we were all concerned about food deserts and childhood obesity?  I won't be able to afford to do all my shopping at Whole Foods but it will be great to have a place to pick up a few things.  Traffic?  Meh.  Everything causes traffic if you're lame enough to have to drive everywhere.

 

Hi-Lo wasn't really for the people who are commenting on these comment threads.  They made you feel like you lived in a "funky" neighborhood, and that isn't really enough of a reason for a business to exsist.  All ya'll, a condo is in you future, so enjoy feeling morally superior while you still can.  I remember it being kind of fun but also rather tiring and tiresome.

Comment by Sarah on January 19, 2011 at 4:32pm

I'm excited too, and just to be clear--there's not an either-or choice here. I shop at WF now, as well as at the Harvest, Cityfeed, an array of farmers markets, my local bodegas and the occasional long-distance trek to Russo's or the shops in Roslindale. I don't think most of us are one-stop shoppers and having WF there isn't going to change that. I think that other businesses will quickly step in to fill the niche that Hi-Lo's departure will leave open, but I also suspect that WF's appeal will be broader than some of you are assuming and that they will make an effort to serve the community where they' setting up shop.

Comment by Jennie P on January 19, 2011 at 4:25pm

@Amanda: Glad you are excited, it's nice to be excited about things. Until the Milky Way moved, I was there multiple nights weekly and I miss it dearly, especially its cultural diversity. But I have to ask: how are your many neighbors who live in Hyde Square (and have for many years) but cannot afford to shop at such an expensive market going to benefit? Or those who got all their food at Hi-Lo and will no longer be able to find those items in their neighborhood? There are better ways to "revive" a neighborhood than driving out cultures and/or income levels it can no longer support.

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• …
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• Next ›
• Page