Neighborhood’s Long Wait For A Grocery Store Ends –
It was hard to believe yesterday as we waited through lines and crowds that many had doubted that this day would ever come. City leaders had abandoned all hope of a new store. The owner of the plaza had tried to rezone the space to put in a convenience store. But all of that was forgotten.
The Vanguard checked back into the store a few times during the day before purchasing dinner and calling it a night. The store was packed all day.
Spokespeople for the store told the Vanguard yesterday evening that even they were overwhelmed by the community response as they now have had to order emergency supplies for day two.
Customers we talked to were all blown away by the quality and also the quantity of food. The fresh deli was a hugely popular section that ran out of fresh food selections and had long lines all day long. Also popular was a good supply of organic and other produce.
This was not a recast of the previous stores that had empty shelves and old produce. This is a grocery that had spent several months finding out from the community what they wanted in their grocery store.
The nice thing was to see all the UC Davis students there, many excited about the beer and alcohol selection but others just happy to finally have a grocery store that they could walk or bike to.
For me there are several memories that have been seared in my memory in the past years as I have lived next door to the complex throughout the vacancy. I remember the day that Food Fair, which was a horrendous store, never stocking its food, old produce, non-existent deli section, closed down. At the time, I both never realized how much I would miss the store being there, even the crappy one, and I never realized how long this process would be.
I remember in frustration in November of 2008 I listed in an article before Thanksgiving council goals for 2009 and bringing a store to West Davis was at the top of the list.
I remember the multiple articles we ran last year after opportunities seemed to slip through everyone’s hands.
Throughout it all the work of the neighborhood DANG just set a precedence, they fought tooth and nail and would not back down, would not take no for answer. That relentlessness would pay off. The Vanguard did its part too, one of the key turning points was a Vanguard article, one of the simplest I have ever written where I walked around the facility and showed pictures.
The pictures showed a store that was empty, holes in the ground, filled in cargo bay, cracks in the ceiling, a broken storefront window boarded up, etc. Quite simply it was blight and the city had done nothing about it until we ran these pictures and suddenly they were embarrassed and they began using the city nuisance and other code to fine the owners. From this point on, the momentum began towards a store getting there. And approval only took a few months from the April 1 article.
All of this was long forgotten yesterday as we saw a specular state of the art new store. One customer as they were leaving remarked to the owner, Harley DeLano, that they had never seen so many customers leave a grocery store with smiles on their face.
For Mr. DeLano it was a relief, there were long lines and his employees were learning the job on the spot. But the employees while short on experience, were exceptionally pleasant and nice to deal with. The customer service and public relations aspect was nailed. They will learn the nuances of the job, having a good disposition is a great.
So for one day, the news in Davis was good all the way around. West Davis has its grocery store. Check one off for the good guys.
—David M. Greenwald reporting
In all respects, the new Westlake IGA Market has exceeded my wildest expectations. The groundswell of community support has been inspiring, the response of our city leaders and staff nible, and the right-sized store is a jewel of the community. Opening Day reminded me of Saturday Farmers’ Market, with lots people bumping into old friends and neighbors they haven’t seen in a while. What a great community gathering place! Of course I expected the store to be crazy-busy on the first day, but I was very pleased to see the place hopping Saturday morning. Even more interesting — there were WAY more people in the store than cars in the parking lot. It’s obvious that most people are walking or biking over. It’s a clear validation of the Davis planning principle of compact, walkable neighborhoods that reduce car trips and the burning of fossil fuels. Congratulations to all!
My son stopped by the new Westlake IGA Market, and purchased a freshly made deli sandwhich and said it was delicious. He was particularly impressed that everything looked so fresh. Mr. Delano got it exactly right – exceptionally fresh food, good customer service, convenient location – the creation of a good community atmosphere.
Kudos to the Davis Vanguard and DANG for not giving up on the idea of insisting the city stick to its plan of having neighborhood grocery stores. It is obvious the neighborhood will support this new grocery business, and my hope is that its success will bring other businesses into this mall, and make it a new busy neighborhood center where folks can hang out and be, well, just be good neighbors!!!
Triple Congrats!!!
I like what I saw yesterday. It was grand opening, so time will tell, but the selection more in line with my interests than the old Food Market. I would like to talk to the store manager about a few items that I hope they would consider carrying. I used to spend ~$20-$40/week at Food Market. I can see spending at least that much, and likely more.
“The Vanguard did its part too,”
“one of the key turning points was a Vanguard article… the momentum began towards a store getting there.”
“All of this was long forgotten yesterday”
…until you reminded everyone today. Good gosh, how self-serving can one writer get? No doubt you were a prime mover on getting a store, David. But don’t you think all readers of this blog are already well aware of your contribution? Your stories would be better served by foregoing unseemly exhibitions of breast-beating.
BTW — As I entered the store at 9:30 last night, I noticed between 20-25 customers perusing the wares. If that level of patronage is sustainable, the fresh produce will remain fresh, the meat counter will remain well-stocked, and the “Farmtown Shopping Center problem” will be permanently solved.
For West Davis this is the year of Mi Vida Local.
Thanks to a number of efforts a Neighborhood Store has returned to West Davis. Hats off to my fellow Directors of DANG (Davis Advocates for Neighborhood Grocers)! We believed when others did not that we would find someone to bring a Neighborhood Grocery Store to West Davis. DANG met for months on end for nearly two years on what to do next to achieve our goal. DANG protested vehemently at City Council and Commissions. DANG collected over a thousand signatures and we persevered.
They said it could not be done. They said no grocer will come. They said it could not be financed. They said turn it into offices. But DANG said yes we can and got ready to jump the next fence.
I want to thank the board members of DANG for believing that West Davis deserved a Neighborhood Grocery store, that a store would revitalize the center and be a community center for the thousands of people who live in West Davis. I want to thank the Vanguard for covering the efforts and I want to thank the Council for upholding the requirement that there be a grocery store there.
Last year in Britain, 300 village stores closed. However, 40 of them reopened as community supported stores. This is now an opportunity for the Villagers of West Davis to have their own village store.
The opening shows great neighborhood support and a community spirit not seen in Davis in a long time.
The DANG efforts are an important measure of La Vida Local; an investment of about two million dollars in a new store, equipment and inventory; 40 new jobs in the West Davis Community (after Sutter Hospital the second biggest employer?), a revitalized shopping center and Delano’s corporate HQ (seven stores) moving to Davis.
This is a year when Local means so much more. So put your money where your mouth is.
And if your mouth lives in West Davis take it shopping locally.
The photo of Maynard Skinner reaching into his wallet is my vote for “photo of the year”.
westof113: These days I have to take my victories when I can get them, they don’t come often.
Based on my first shopping experience at the new Westlake Market Friday morning, my family will be spending 70-80% of our grocery budget there. The Delanos seem to have nailed it perfectly. My only concern is that it will be too busy and they will struggle keeping some of the more popular fresh products stocked.
Not that I plan to move out of the Stonegate neighborhood any time soon, but I think I just felt my property values jump a bit!
So I tried the new store. It’s definitely nice for some things. The bicycle trip is more pleasant than the trip to Safeway. The fish is fresh (or was this time) and the produce is fresh. I snapped up a jar of Kimchi. On the other hand, many items are more expensive than Safeway, and the selection is much smaller.
And, for a store that’s supposed to be local, they didn’t do a whole lot for bike parking. They should have a lightning bolt rack to the left of the store entrance. Instead, there are just a few bike slots right next to the store entrance, and you have to send a cart over the curb to get to them. There is a larger lightning bolt rack past half of the car parking spaces.
I was hoping for something a little more like Nugget or Kim’s Mart, a little less like Safeway, and with better bike parking. But hey, they store is it at least okay, and if they succeed, more power to them.
David, if you could only turn your attention to the low-income neighborhood of east davis. There used to be a store, now there is a dollar store. It is tragic. Tell us what to do. I mean that sincerely.
[quote]I was hoping for something a little more like Nugget or Kim’s Mart, a little less like Safeway, and with better bike parking. [/quote] Any time I am shopping for an amount small enough to fit in my (large) book backpack, I bike to the Safeway on West Covell, a half mile from my house. However, the bike parking there is lousy. There are a few spaces just left of the Starbucks’ entrance and none near the Deli entrance. I often will lock my bike next to the water feature in the corner, where I can also tie up my dog (who likes to come along).
Keep in mind that Westlake IGA Market has been open for only two days. They are working out the kinks (and have very few, if you ask me). Specifically, I’m told that more bike parking is on the way, as well as better lighting for the front. They have a cool dog watering station right by the front door. If they don’t carry something, speak to the Store Director, Denice. She will move Heaven and Earth to get it for you, even if you’re the only one in town who buys it. Where else can you get that kind of commitment to customer service? And I say go ahead and pat yourself on the back, Vanguard. The fact is, the Vanguard was the only one (besides DANG) who kept this issue on the front burner for the past three years. Now that we have a good outcome there’s lots of other people stepping forward to claim credit, and I say the more the merrier. The important thing is we got a good outcome for West Davis residents. By the way, you can read a full report on the store opening, with additional photos, on the DANG website:[url]http://www.davisdang.org[/url]
[i]Any time I am shopping for an amount small enough to fit in my (large) book backpack, I bike to the Safeway on West Covell, a half mile from my house. However, the bike parking there is lousy.[/i]
It’s true that it’s not very good at all. The best rack is the one around the corner on the side of CVS, and even that one is a crummy, old-fashioned style. This would be a very good issue for city activists, to improve the bike parking in this shopping center.
On the other hand, the bike parking at Nugget on Covell is very good. The only trick is that it’s better to get to the rack the back way, from Claremont Drive. There is a curb cut at close to the right spot.
[i]Where else can you get that kind of commitment to customer service?[/i]
To be honest, I might prefer a little less commitment to customer service and a little more commitment to controlling labor costs. For instance, the carts are pretty small and they don’t really need to bag the groceries for me.
As for the selection, it’s just generally not all that upscale. I don’t need to go there for elbow macaroni, because it’s cheaper and more convenient at Safeway. For instance, if the fish counter looked like the one at Nugget, that would be convincing. I don’t know if it would be profitable, or even if I’d make due use of it, but I’d like it. Denice may be a great gal, but it would be too imperious to ask her to carry tuna and sablefish all the time.
Testing 1,2,3
Congrats to West Davis residents, DANG and the Vanguard for your various roles in bringing the new IGA market to West Davis. What a great success story; and the Vanguard photos told the story beautifully.
Now, the “locals” will need to support the new market by shopping there on a regular basis, and the owners will need to interact with the customers to determine how to consistently provide the desired products. It will take ongoing work & dedication by all to ensure long-term viability of the new grocery, but it can be done. Good Luck!
As for the naysayers, who were already criticizing our newest neighborhood grocery after barely two days of operation, I have two suggestions: (1) Get a Life; and (2) When riding your bicycle in search of a big rack, please stay out of East Davis; elitist snobs are unwelcome.
[i]When riding your bicycle in search of a big rack, please stay out of East Davis; elitist snobs are unwelcome.[/i]
Don’t worry, Rick, when I go to East Davis, I’ll drive my Ford F-250 Lariat Super Cab ([url]http://www.customautosbytim.com/goldsixdoor.html[/url]). I wouldn’t want to be seen as an elitist who rides a bicycle.
Hey Rick, when I go to East Davis looking for a big rack I usually drive my vette. The bike thing didn’t work out so well. Is that ok?
When riding your bicycle in search of a big rack
Are we talkin’ lamb?
Change in a new store is immense. You have over 1,000 new customers a day coming in and telling you what they want and where they want it.
I led the efforts to get the Council to require that a neighborhood grocery store had to be part of the new Davis Food Co-op site. Eventually, Pavey’s moved in (about 11,000 sq ft). When Pavey’s closed down, the Davis Food Co-op membership voted to move there.
Being on the Co-op board at the time I remember how much change we had to bring about to meet the needs of the neighborhood and our members. The Co-op was not ready for the changes in items wanted,and the level of suggestions that came to us about where customers thought things should be. Any retailer worth their salt, will listen to the customers and make the changes and the store will be the better for it.
Westlake is a great victory for Davis neighborhoods.
The Co-op was the first victory of keeping grocery stores in neighborhoods. We applied for $45,000 in Community Development Block Grants to get other businesses into the center.
To this day I argue that was the best use ever of city funds. It led to the Co-op buying the property, investing millions of dollars in remodels, now employing over 150 people and and being the highest volume store in downtown Davis.
Please support your local neighborhood stores. Keep your money local.
Constructive criticism is good, criticism for the sake of having something to gripe about is nonproductive. I, for one, am thrilled to have a neighborhood grocery store back in Westlake, in West Davis where I live. It is clear the neighborhood is committed to supporting it, based on the huge turnout the first few days. Why anyone would complain about too much customer service I cannot understand. Both the Davis Vanguard and DANG are to be commended for hanging in there, through thick and thin, to make this store a reality. And I don’t mind one bit for either of them to toot their own horn at their accomplishment. They both deserve our heartfelt praise at their tenacity and willingness to fight the good fight.
My fervent hope is this new grocery store at Westlake will serve as an anchor, to bring in more businesses, so that Westlake becomes a destination for folks to meet and greet each other, sit outside and enjoy the community feel that has been generated. Why the pessimism? Based on the initial turnout, I am optimistically looking forward to bigger and better things. Gloom and doom is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Sunshine just found its way to the Westlake mall, that had become a blight on the community from so many empty stores and a boarded up broken window among other things. Congrats to Delano’s success, and here’s a toast to a bright future for Westlake mall!!!
Elaine: [i]Why anyone would complain about too much customer service I cannot understand.[/i]
When you buy gas, do you use self service or full service?
[i]”When riding your bicycle in search of a big rack, please stay out of East Davis; elitist snobs are unwelcome.”[/i]
Not every bike rack is as good as the next. This model is excellent:
[img]http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2325/1702400165_0f8b9e5182.jpg?v=0[/img]
I don’t have any idea what the point of this model is. It takes up much more space for no good reason:
[img]http://greatlakeschutes.com/images/rack.jpg[/img]
And some models don’t stop your bike from falling over:
[img]http://www.aci.az.gov/images/parks_rec/low_bike_rack.jpg[/img]
Agree bike rack comments. Campus version (the best) secures bike w/o damage. Red version is sooo “cute” but not terribly useful. Silver version is an anti bike device known as a “wheel bender”. I ride daily. Hope to see more campus style racks to encourage use.
Cheers for Westlake. Looks like a real success after years of effort.