It’s old news to many of you that Dominick’s announced Friday that it’s closing 14 stores in the Chicago area, including 3 in the city: 3300 W. Belmont, 6623 N. Damen, and 5829 S. Archer.
I’ll miss the one on Belmont, since I often stop there just before hitting the Kennedy on my way home. This store was threatened with closing once before, but brought in an entirely new staff. Under the new management it offered the best, friendliest service I’ve experienced at any chain supermarket in the city. Great service, however, doesn’t appear to have been enough to keep it alive.
What, if anything, do these closings have to say about the health of the neighborhoods they’re located in? Is Dominick’s, for example, betting against continued growth in Avondale?
I’m not sure it says anything about the health of the neighborhood in which any particular Dominick’s happens to reside.
I think it says more about the availability of other shopping choices. Especially CostCo.
Just 1.9 miles southeast of the 3300 W Belmont Dominicks is a Chicago’s one and only CostCo store.
Perhaps Dominick’s neighborhood had gone to hell, but more likely, people head to the CostCo instead.
I go to the Dominicks regularly in my neighborhood, but if there were a CostCo in the Schaumburg by the Lake, then I would go there instead.
If my memory is correct, it may not be, when they talked about closing the Belmont Dominicks a few years ago the main issue was the competition from Mexican and Polish specialty grocers nearby.
I believe Dominicks put millions into renovating that store but just couldn’t drum up the necessary business.
Twenty years from now maybe there will be a market there for a major grocer. Right now there doesn’t appear to be.
When my daughter started college, I started Costco.
From my limited experience, Costco and the Dominick’s on Belmont have a substantially different clientele. I’d say that Dominick’s is more impacted by Belmont Produce, which is just east of it than by the Costco several miles away.
The West Ridge store is going to create a big hole; I can’t think of a major chain grocery store within a mile of there (the B’way Dominick’s is just over a mile) and the Dominick’s at the Gateway Center too far and “unsafe”.. ‘Course the West Ridge store is ALWAYS a ghost town; even at Thanksgiving, so it’s no surprise.
dn said: …”unsafe”…
Okay…So why the quotation marks?
I’m just sayin’!
Iny hoo,
It’s a small number of closings compared to the amount of stores they have. The chain isn’t in trouble because they’ve been announcing a new Lifestyle (“”) format since 2004 and as fars as I’ve read it’s ready to go. So it has to be a business strategy of some sort.
This is interesting from the Suntimes version of the story (http://www.suntimes.com/business/241207,CST-FIN-dom03.article):
“Shoppers may still get to buy groceries in their neighborhoods because Dominick’s will consider “all viable options” as replacement tenants or buyers at the stores to be closed, including other grocery stores, Dominick’s spokeswoman Wynona Redmond said after the announcement Friday.”
That was always the worst part of these store closings – the deed restrictions that the seller would put on the property preventing someone more… talented… from opening a grocery store on the site, basically screwing the nieghborhood.
I’m somewhat familiar with the Belmont Dominick’s and consider its closing more evidence of Dominick’s inability to compete than a poor relection on the neighborhood (similar to the closing of the Lawrence and Pulaski store a couple of years ago).
I live at the belmonts lofts and I can’t think of any other grocery store that’s close to us. Guess I’ll have to look into CostCo. I hope they open up a trader joes or whole foods soon in that neighborhood.
I used to go to the North Riverside Dominicks, and I couldn’t believe that they were able to stay open as long as they did. The store was like a ghost town.
Everyone in the neighborhood would either shopt at the Jewel nearby which had cheaper prices, or drive a few miles west to the Super Target, which has even cheaper prices than the Jewel. It’s all about prices.
Wow, we’ve lost Eagle, then Cub, now Dominick’s is downsizing. (And don’t get me started on such venerable names as A&P and National!) Pretty soon it will be all Jewel, all the time…except for such niche “upscale” places like Treasure Island and Whole Foods. BTW why did Dominick’s get rid of its “Omni” super-stores in the late 1990s?
And of course there’s the Hyde Park Co-op…in the opinion of many (including north siders) the BEST grocery store in Chicagoland, for reasons in addition to the quality of goods.
that Dominick’s is dumpy & the Jewel right up the street at Addison and Kedzie is much more modern, that’s why it gets no business – and it doesn’t help that they have 8 check out lanes, of which no more than 3 are ever open.
this may not be such a bad thing, the Walgreens next to the Dominick’s will be moving to a stand-alone in the old plating factory lots just west of Kimball, so that might result in enough available square footage to attract a better supermarket.
or, they might tear the whole place down, who knows.
what I do know is that land with those kinds of transit hubs surrounding it (the blue line stop and 2 expressway exits) is going to be used productively by somebody.
Carter,
The Dominick’s is dumpy, but it was convenient for me.
An employee at the store told me yesterday that the closing was long planned, was part of larger corporate objectives, and was due – in part – to the rent being too high. For whatever that’s worth.
You’re correct that this is a great location for the right use.
Looking at what the Bank of America has done with its new branch, perhaps this could be turned into a giant sign farm. Rent 500 square foot storefronts with signage visible from the Kennedy jutting high into the sky.
shoot, I live right down the street, it’s been a godsend for me.
but, they are also notorious for carrying food past its shelf-life, and again, the issue with the check-out lanes is just beyond ridiculous, instead of having 6 lanes closed, and 2 lanes open ideal for bulemic runway-model-sized people, they could have simply had 4 normal sized lanes…
Carter,
I always check “sell by” dates at this store before buying.
The check-out lanes get wider as you get toward the north end of the store, although those aren’t always staffed.
What’s your take on Belmont Produce? Have you ever shopped there? I’ve heard mixed reviews.
Nicolas:
Explore your neighborhood!
There are plenty of grocers around Belmont Lofts, most closer than the Belmont Dominicks:
* two Aldi’s (Wrightwood/Pulaski and Milwaukee/Belmont)
* Tony’s Finer Foods (4608 w belmont)
* Wally’s Intl Market (3256 N Milwaukee)
* Windy City Produce (3340 N Pulaski Rd)
* etc.
and you gotta love that vacant Jewel at Belmont/Pulaski. What an eyesore.
There is also the A&G which is at Belmont & Central, which isn’t in the immediate neighborhood, but it’s definitely well worth the 1.8 mile drive.
That place has lots of good stuff for good prices, and it’s an independent grocery that seems like a Dominicks or Jewel. The deli counter is awesome, since they have tons of fresh Polish meats/sausages. Also a rather large Hispanic goods section as well. Check it out.
Belmont Produce, aka the “Bel-Pro,” (add “Bel” to anything and it sounds more fun is my motto) is OK, it’s like Stanley’s in that the produce is decent, but you need to eat it pretty quickly.
we’ll miss the Dominick’s, warts and all, it was always best for us as it’s on our way home from the L, but, maybe something better will come from it.
the problem with most of the alternatives suggested is nobody who lives east of Kimball wants to drive west on Belmont, Cub Foods was the best place ever, now we’ll likely just go north to Jewel.
regarding the empty jewel, that is criminal, and apparently is the result of some Jewel policy where they won’t sell the land to another supermarket – maybe all the new folks in the Shoemaker loft building will spur a new grocery.