In the modern evolution of Charlestown — as young professionals have ingrained themselves alongside the natives who are proud to call themselves “Townies” — the arrival of a Whole Foods Market may be more than just a milestone. It may be a tipping point.
It’s not just the fact that the high-end symbol of yuppie America is coming to town; it’s that it will be the only supermarket in the neighborhood, replacing Johnnie’s Foodmaster.
Comments
The times they are a changing it is not the fault of Whole Foods that Johnnies went out of business. The people of Charlston should be grateful that Whole Foods chose to revamp the site and put a store in that location. It would have been much worse for the Townies had there been no supermarket left in town
Yea it was much better when they were selling herion out in the open down there
This gnashing of teeth..lamenting the loss of a crime ridden poverty stricken neighborhood is laughable. Like southie..same crumbling infrastructure inhabited by criminals and vulnerable seniors gradually replaced by young professionals who don't just see it as hunting grounds. Just exactly what is it that is being lost? And what is the terrible thing being gained?
I think the Globe overstates the degree to which working class people prefer to shop at a place like Foodmaster. Whole Foods did not achieve massive, nationwide success by appealing only to the wealthy. They realized something a long time ago that places like Foodmaster and Shaws have long been in denial about: Shopping experience matters.
It turns out that while the price of goods does matter, it may not be the *most* important thing. Many people of modest means will only shop at places like Foodmaster and Shaws out of necessity, whereas Whole Foods gives people a way to feel wealthy for a premium that is actually quite modest.
For years Johnnie's has been banking on the race-to-the-bottom Wal-Mart model that low prices must always be the top priority. The inevitable result is that many people will only shop there because they have to. It's a very tenuous position for any business to put itself in.
I generally agree with you - price is only one consideration and I think a lot of folks of modest means care about good food, healthy food, and the overall experience of shopping, which is definitely better at Whole Foods. Their stores are clean, intelligently configured, and the lines at checkout tend to be much shorter (for some reason). But the thing about Whole Foods is, they're stuff is too damn expensive...all their stuff, not just organic produce and free range chicken but everything. Packaged goods which should be the same price as the stuff at Market Basket is like 25 or 30% higher. A half-gallon of Simply Orange orange juice, for example, costs around $4 at Whole Foods and around $3 at Stop n Shop or Market Basket - I could site a hundred examples like that. It's a rip-off, plain and simple...And it's why Whole Foods being the only market in town is a terrible circumstance for people of modest means.
"Whole Foods gives people a way to feel wealthy for a premium that is actually quite modest." LOLOLOLOL! If you don't already work for the Whole Foods PR department, you should definitely apply, Don Draper. "I may be starving, but I feel wealthy in a whole new way, now that Whole Foods has come to town."
If your customer base are all over 70 things don't bode well for your survival.
I think they were hoping (like I was in Medford) for a comparable supermarket like Market Basket...not everyone can pay $4 for fresh bread or $3 a pound for fruit...Johnnie's also had excellent meat and meat cutters...
We need more "Bobby Powers" in the neighborhood and less overpriced wine and cheese.
I recall an 'icon' of Charlestown...Butchie something or other - who was part of a long-standing Charlestown thug family. He got shot in the head and survived - mostly because it didn't come near any vital organ.
Change is always hard to accept, especially when it is a long established business that is passing away. This sounds much like the situation in JP when HiLo sold out to Whole Foods. the neighborhood was in an uproar about WF ripping the soul out of the neighborhood by taking over the the long established store that catered to the Latino population. At the same time it seemd that those who were crying the loudest didn't really shop at the HiLo. Now that it is gone and Whole Foods has moved in, the place is packed. I am not a big fan of WF, I do occasionally shop there when I am looking for something specific, I will give them credit for hiring from the neighborhood however, and the staff reflects the many colors and cultures of the neighborhood.
I lived in Cambridge last year, the same distance to a Whole Foods as to a Foodmaster. Sure, Whole Foods could be expensive, but I didn't find Foodmaster cheap either. I'd constantly be amazed at how high the prices were, and I felt like I was getting ripped off on basics, like crackers, a loaf of bread, or cookies, all to shop in what was a dingy store. I don't think Foodmaster was a good deal for anyone, yuppie or working-class.
And also - I disagree that yuppies are more likely to own cars. If anything, it's them who are more likely to try to live car-free.
Maybe Whole Foods will try to cater to the likes of Townies and offer many varietys of fresh potatoes as well as a large selection of imported whiskys from Ireland!
Personally, I've always found Foodmaster's prices to be on the high side, while the stores (and produce) were grungy. I actually upped my travel time to head go to Trader Joe's and Shaw's, but the savings and shopping experiences were worth it.
This was as a student, so I had very little money to spare. I make more money now, and have moved a little west, but I still avoid Whole Foods. My sense of thrift forbids it, and the chain's pretension is more than a little grating.