Proponent of a Jamaica Plain Whole Foods Starts Web Site

The debate over gentrification in Jamaica Plain has spurred a Hyde Square man to launch a pro-Whole Foods Web site, "JP For All."

But as public affairs professional Rick Stockwood is quick to point out, the site is not just in favor of Whole Foods. It is also in favor of bringing a Latin grocer or co-op to fill the void left by Hi-Lo Foods closing.

The site asks people to sign a petition. It says, in part, "We support the arrival of Whole Foods Market at 415 Centre Street in Jamaica Plain and we advocate for the opening of a Latin grocer or co-op in this neighborhood that will be able to serve the needs of those JP residents and others who shopped at Hi-Lo."

Stockwood, who said his public relations clients have included Worcester Academy, the Foundation for MetroWest and the Children's Museum, said he spent about 12 hours doing the HTML markup for the site. He is hosting it via Fat Cow Web Hosting of Burlington. He said he is paying for all the costs of hosting the site and receives no support from Whole Foods.

"I'm excited for the arrival of Whole Foods, but also for the overall health of the neighborhood," said Stockwood, who moved to JP in 2006 and bought property here in 2008.

Whole Foods' plans to open a store at the former location of Hi-Lo Foods, which for the last several decades served a mostly Latin American clientele, have galvanized some residents to try to stop the Texas-based chain. Perhaps the most visible effort is the "Whose Foods? Coalition," which has a Web site in Spanish and English at whosefoods.org. Organizers say a petition at that site, which has also circulated at public meetings held on the subject, has more than 500 signatures.

Stockwood's petition had 85 signatures as of Tuesday evening. While most of the signatures appear to be from JP residents, several are from outside the state.

Stockwood's site lacks the videos, testimonies of whosefoods.org. It also is not bilingual, though he would like to get his site translated, he said.

Stockwood said he would like to see Whole Foods' opponents "use their energies to support the businesses that are here."

He said he would in particular like for a local coffee shop to open in Hyde Square and pre-empt any potential Starbucks from moving in.

The Whole Foods controversy has also launched at least four Facebook pages: "We Are Whole Foods," had 159 "likes" on Tuesday evening.  The anti-Whole Foods group "Whose Foods?" also has a Facebook page, which had 440 "likes" on Tuesday evening. There is a third Facebook page that seems to take an approach somewhere between the other two, called "Whole Foods: Listen to JP." It had 52 "likes" as of Tuesday evening. JP For All's Facebook page had 23 "likes" as of that same time.

While there has been heavy coverage of the issue here on JP Patch,  in the Jamaica Plain Gazette (which broke the story), in the Boston Globe and elsewhere, another grassroots Web effort worth mentioning is the reporting by Julio Ricard Varela.

Here is the wording of the petition Stockwood is asking people to sign:

We the undersigned advocate for a strong and welcoming Jamaica Plain that includes a Hyde/Jackson Square residential and retail district that reflects the full diversity of the community.

We support retail businesses that serve all of the people of JP and help make JP a destination for peoples of every culture and background.    

We support the arrival of Whole Foods Market at 415 Centre Street in Jamaica Plain and we advocate for the opening of a Latin grocer or co-op in this neighborhood that will be able to serve the needs of those JP residents and others who shopped at Hi-Lo. 

We believe that Whole Foods and a Latin grocer are not mutually exclusive ventures, but businesses that can co-exist and benefit each other in a neighborhood as diverse as Hyde/Jackson Square. 

We believe that businesses in and of themselves do not define a neighborhood but instead reflect the community they serve, particularly a community as unique as JP.   

We expect all businesses in Hyde/Jackson Square and in JP to show that their doors are open to all, not just those who agree with them, look like them, or speak their language. 

We know that the only way to ensure a strong future for this community we love is to ensure a Jamaica Plain for All!