Weekend Tidbits
Considering that I started my Friday needing a big Dr. Pepper to counteract last night's shenanigans, I was a bit late scaring up a post. Here are a few tidbits, scraped together to hold you over until next week.
The New Guy at Mo's: Ah, it's spring and change is in the air. Dan, the bartender, shaved his head, and there's a new manager in town. If his welcoming round of drinks -- including the chambourd kamikazi -- is any indication, PK is going to fit right in!
Girly-tini Night is Alive and Well: Nothing says Thursday like half-price martini night at Scholar's Inn. We had a seat at the upstairs bar for all the action -- crazy busy bartenders and lots of cut throat elbowing, and that's just to get a cocktail! It's still one of the best bar nights in town.
Police Nab Gin-and-Tonic Bandit: So, a guy walks into a bar, at a Bloomington O'Charleys', has two gin and tonics and a steak (total $25.96), then walks the check -- every Wednesday for four weeks in a row! On his last visit, servers decided to take matters into their own hands. He was nabbed by police as he tried to leave. Oh, so many questions. If you were going to dine and ditch a steak dinner, wouldn't you at least try Outback?
Ghetto Kroger Rehab Stalls: Rumor has it that the renovation of the ghetto Kroger on 16th Street is stalled for a while. (The word I heard was "abandoned.") Kroger, rightly so, refuses to bow to neighborhood pressure for a large, mixed use redevelopment. Sadly, it's an example of Center Township politicians trying to hold a large corporation hostage for ridiculous demands without regard for what their constituents really need which is a new, renovated grocery store.
7 comments:
Ah, yes, we Bloomingtonians are such class acts. I am especially pleased to know that we made the International Herald Tribune with that one.
I'm not going to get up on my soap box other than to say that I don't think a neighborhood should take it in the you-know-what and let a megastore put in whatever they want.
I think there's a difference between a company like Kroger wanting to put in a large, new grocery store and the neighborhood association (legitimately or questionably backed by ulterior motives) wanting a development that's not a good idea. It smacks of greed. Local officials say they want a big mixed use building with a parking structure, additional retail space etc. Why should Kroger be responsible for all that when they really just want to renovate and put a bigger, nicer store in the area? Opponents say the area can't handle a "suburban-style" grocery store. I disagree.
Mainly, those of us who live here just want a new grocery store! That ghetto Kroger is *scary*. And the downtown O'Malia's gets worse by the week.
Honestly, that Kroger is not that scary -- believe me, I shopped there a lot when I lived at 17th and Central -- it's just a bit old. Its selection is pretty pedestrian, but that's mostly because the people that would request more interesting options on the shelves think it's too scary to walk in the door.
That store is a case study in race relations in Indy. A predominantly African-American clientele automatically makes a store scary.
I can practically guarantee that if residents of the Old Northside got off their high horse and started shopping there, Kroger would immediately change the available selections and would certainly be more willing to listen to requests from the neighborhood about the design of a new store.
I'm sure you're not implying that near Northsiders avoid the 16th St. Kroger merely because most of its customers are black. I think you also have to take into account the litter and unkept parking lot, broken carts, limited selection, lack of security, and somewhat uncooperative staff. With the Fall Creek development, that whole part of town is full of young people, new families, and professionals -- certainly not all snooty old northside folks. And if they're still not going to the 16th St. Kroger, it's for good reason.
C'mon don't play the race card here. If near Northsiders didn't want to be around blacks, they wouldn't be living in that area in the first place.
The whole issue with that Kroger is circular. You feel that Kroger should be catering to the people that currently aren't walking in the door while I think the people living in the neighborhoods around that store should walk in the door and tell them what they want. We could probably go round and round on this topic and never get anywhere.
All I'm saying is that the current policy of calling the store scary and complaining to local newspapers while not going anywhere near the store certainly hasn't been very successful. (perhaps not you -- it sounds like you at least occasionally shop there)
If your post is correct and the new construction plans have been abandoned, maybe it's time to work with what we have.
(btw, I very much want a new urban-style Kroger at that corner. Whether the building itself is mixed-use doesn't concern me too much -- especially if that's a make or break point for Kroger -- I just don't want you to get the impression that I'm satisfied with their current building!)
Post a Comment