Though a new Whole Foods Market on 97th Street has brought more organic goat cheeses and Pinot Grigio wines to the neighborhood, not everyone is cheering.
A host of newly constructed stores on the Upper West Side have been opening their doors since the summer, as part of the three-year Columbus Square housing and retail development project of Stellar Management.
Whole Foods opened in August, and Michael’s Arts and Crafts and TJ Maxx followed in the fall.
The avenue used to have a small supermarket, a 99 cent store, and a corner diner. With 14 new retail spaces and five residential towers between 97th and 100th Street near completion, some residents in the neighboring Frederick Douglass Houses between 100th and 104th Street say they are not happy with the neighborhood transformation.
This17-building public housing complex, owned and operated by the New York City Housing Authority, is composed of over 2,000 apartments, housing primarily low-income residents. Forgoing shopping at what they consider overpriced businesses of the new development, some residents said that they are taking their wallets several blocks north to the independents that have long been affordable and familiar to them.
“They feel that we don’t need to be in the area,” said Jane Wisdom, Frederick Douglass Tenants Association president, referring to the influx of newer, wealthier residents. “I guess as time goes by, people are going to have to deal with it because they’re here. We can’t just get rid of Whole Foods—they’re here now,” she said, adding, “We’ve been here and we’re not going nowhere.’”
“That development as a whole is indicative of practices where lots of landlords disregard community needs, disregard the sort of affordability needs of even existing tenants,” said Emily Goldstein, Tenants and Neighbors subsidized housing organizer. “It becomes a situation where there’s a whole neighborhood geared towards rich people,” she said.
Despite such assertions, Whole Foods has claimed to have taken the diverse demographics of the neighborhood into consideration. It offers store specials, volume discounts when items are purchased by the case, and “Shop for 365 Everyday Value” offers, which allows for ways to save on items on a daily basis.
“We want to sell food to anyone who eats,” Fred Shank, Whole Foods spokesperson, said in the spring, “whether you are on a budget or not.” Another spokesperson, Michael Sinatra, said recently, “We’ve done a lot of things to reach out and partner with organizations in the community. Since we opened in August it’s been very good and consumer response has been positive.”
Sheldon Fine, a Community Board 7 member and previous chair, attested to Whole Foods’ commitment to affordable prices.
“Whole Foods made it clear that they would try to accommodate the neighborhood residents and that would include everyone,” Fine said, suggesting that the community board could facilitate a meeting between Whole Foods and NYCHA tenant leaders.
But many Frederick Douglass tenants believe that Whole Foods, the soon-to-be-opened Sephora, and other chain stores are targeting an exclusive clientele. “That’s for the rich people,” Frederick Douglass resident Gertrude Romero said, pointing to the fledgling stores several blocks south of her building. “The others take up everything, and it bothers me.”
Frederick Douglass resident Ivan Santell agreed, saying, “They put that Whole Foods there because they know the rich people are moving here, and they’re demanding.”
But some local residents said they appreciate some of the new stores.
“They built TJ Maxx which is a good thing—now I don’t have to go all the way down to 23rd Street,” Paul Smith, a neighborhood resident, said.
And TJ Maxx manager Yolanda Martinez said, “We offer 50 percent off the original store prices all year ‘round.”
Next door to TJ Maxx, a Michaels Arts and Crafts manager said that they also offer good deals.
“We have weekly sale ads that appear in the local newspapers,” said Catherine, a store manager who declined to give her last name due to company protocol.
Some nearby businesses appreciate the development. “Those new places are no problem—now there’s more white people coming to shop around here, and then they come to eat here,” Wendy Zheng, an employee at Benny’s Chinese Food on 104th Street, said.
Other food markets on the block said that despite the recent opening of Whole Foods, their usual customers have remained loyal. “We’ve been here a long time, this is a cheaper store than those other places down there,” said Tonny Sammy, an employee at Sammy Deli and Grocery on 104th Street and Columbus. “The same clients keep coming back here,” he added, as one customer in his store chimed in, “those other stores are bullshit.”
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