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Whole Foods Confirms It Will Come to JP, Will Replace Hi-Lo Foods
The organic supermarket announced it will employ 100 people at its fourth store serving the Boston area.
Whole Foods confirmed Wednesday that it will open a market in Hyde Square.
The national organic food chain announced the store, which will take the place of Hi-Lo Foods at 415 Centre St., would employ about 100 people, according to a press release.
Public opinion appears to be mixed on the change. The popular Latin American grocery store, which will close within weeks, has served immigrant populations for nearly five decades.
Some Hi-Lo shoppers decried the change.
"Where are we going to shop now? The bodegas? It's a big mistake," said Jacqueline Battista.
Whole Foods addressed this criticism in their press release.
"Each Whole Foods Market store is designed to fit the community it serves," the release read, "so no two stores are ever identical. In keeping with the company’s mission, Whole Foods Market plans to source a wide variety of products that meet its strict quality standards as well as the diverse needs of their shoppers."
However, there has also been joyful response from commenters here on JP Patch and at Neighbors For Neighbors.
The Hi-Lo store manager, Bill Jordan, said the store has been very successful. But the size of the offer and the timing, given the age of the management team, was something "they couldn't refuse."
Whole Foods said there will be several months of "renovations and capital investments" by the company. The store will be the fourth Whole Foods serving the Boston area.
The property is owned by Newton-based Knapp Foods Inc., which put the property up for lease.
“We couldn’t be happier that Whole Foods Market, with their deeply-rooted commitment to supporting their stores' communities, has signed on," said Knapp Foods president, Stephen Knapp, in the press release. "We are confident that the store will be a positive addition to the Jamaica Plain neighborhood.”
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josh
9:25 pm on Wednesday, January 19, 2011
If I want to overpay for my groceries, I'll just walk down to City Feed. At least then my money will go into local pockets, rather than corporate coffers.
Erin Rosenbaum
8:08 pm on Thursday, January 20, 2011
This makes me sad. Where will I buy all the things that I love, especially Tapatio.
ed
3:17 am on Friday, January 21, 2011
i will miss hi-lo, as i still miss the original milky way. WF is so snooty & just overpriced hippie food; i guess i'll go to america's food basket to get my latin staples on HP ave. JP has been over-gentrified to the point that long-time townies are priced out. if anyone messes w/my galway house i will dress up as a sad clown & picket . i may have to picket WF if they get all snooty on us, maybe as an angry latino townie clown throwing tofu @ all the newbies ...
Ira Sass
11:26 am on Tuesday, February 1, 2011
@Here I am:
Who's the arrogant one? And what makes a need essential?
You are rationalizing your hostility/xenophobia towards immigrants and Latinos by claiming that they are demanding of "this society" - assuming that U.S. society really means white society. In order to be welcome, you're saying, Latinos just need to assimilate, leaving behind their culture and identity.
In addition, you're assuming that Latinos are all immigrants and should "go back to where they came from" - when many of them were born here in the States. Not to mention the centuries-long history of colonialism, US-backed dictators, and free-trade-destroyed economies that stretches across so much of Latin America.
I am incredibly glad you're not moving to JP. We don't need attitudes like yours in this community.
Joseph
5:29 am on Friday, January 21, 2011
Just about every site is attempting to hammer Whole Foods. Of course, every large company has their good points (100 jobs for JP has to be positive) and their bad points (removing some of the community). To my way of thinking, and one of the most balanced views I've read is:
http://www.organicguide.com/organic/news/whole-foods-controversy-at-jamaica-plain/
Ultimately, not everyone will be happy about progress. And that's what's happening. Increased land values and healthier people. Is that really a problem?
Ira Sass
11:34 am on Tuesday, February 1, 2011
@Joseph:
I am glad that 100 jobs are coming to JP. However, it's also important to look at who those jobs will be going to. Hi-Lo has traditionally hired a lot of Latina teenage girls from the neighborhood. Most Whole Foods I've been to have hired mostly white/college-educated/vegan/foodie types. Especially with the youth violence happening in JP and Boston, jobs for teens are incredibly important right now.
Pat Roberts
5:30 pm on Friday, January 21, 2011
Here I am: Happily, the people who want to make everyone live like they do, and follow the rules they decide, are diminishing in number and influence. Reconsider living in JP--it's much more normal and less of a PC enclave than it used to be.
Todd
11:37 am on Saturday, January 22, 2011
Do a price comparison before you assume Whole Foods will price out the neighborhood. For the same items (or as close you can get), Whole Foods is surprisingly competitive. It just seems a lot more expensive because they have a large selection of "high end" items.
And it's not like Stop & Shop doesn't sell a ton of latino groceries. There's also Tropical Foods along Melnea Cass. And don't forget all of the latino convenience stores in the neighborhood.
City Feed is a souped up convenience store and I don't find it suitable for everyday grocery shopping.
Whole Foods has a really good reputation for engaging the community. Stop & Shop and Hi Lo have no such history, so I'm surprised that Whole Foods is being held to such a double standard.
People in JP deserve good quality organic food too!
Bill Ellegood
9:16 am on Monday, January 24, 2011
Certainly in the short term, Hi Lo shoppers may have difficulty finding or traveling to area grocers offering a product mix similiar to Hi Lo at a competitive price. However, isnt fair competition good? Doesn't this create many new jobs for people living in JP or surrounding areas. Does this create a new business opportunity for established area grocers or new entrepeuners to serve a market and grow a business?
Lolita
8:53 pm on Tuesday, February 1, 2011
@Here I am:
I'm a, proudly Latin American emigrant and I have to say that you are definitely right: I should back to my country. I have been thinking that I was in a diverse city where people was very cool about respecting different traditions and cultures from several places in the world. But no... So I´m going to get back, because racist, classiest and ignorant people like you makes me scared. Your passive- agressive attitude is close to the opinions of the guys that kill undocumented folks in the border. So, yeah...I´m going to get back and while I´m doing it, please you go back to your suburb- cemetery where nothing happens and everything is the same.
And other think: Do the people here super obsessed with healthy and organic food know that there are other local stores in JP to get these kind of products as Harvest and City Feed? ¿Are you really concern about health or are you just snobs? Oh yeah. I forgot you want just improve this "sketchy" part of the neighborhood (or taking away all the Latin american and afro american population that lives there, as Ira said before)
I better go. I don"t want the KKK so next to me...
kd
5:26 pm on Saturday, February 5, 2011
i think this could be such a win win situation not only for a diverse community but for local businesses and the surrounding neighborhoods. if i was management at s & s i would be all over this development and increase the number of hispanic food items by at least 100 percent. no, make that 200%. (i've always wondered why they never carry banana leaves for example or pimientos de padron.) those of us who do shop at wf normally have to drive to get to one esp if we wish to purchase wine or beer. with one so close by we'll easily be able to walk or bike cutting down a bit on carbon emissions and get exercise to boot. the 40 employees that worked at hi lo should easily be re-assimilated into the work force either at s & s or wf. s & s and wf should both increase the diversity of the produce, fruit and baked items they carry in addition to meat and fish to show the community they give a damn. make fergus henderson proud!