New Haven is losing its only inner city supermarket! Shaw's is pulling out of CT.

[CTyankee]

All but two of its stores have been sold to other supermarkets.

This Shaw's opened 12 years ago and was a shining accomplishment, helped along by activists at Yale Law School. The supermarket served a poor community's food needs and offered employment to local residents.

An effort is underway to get another supermarket in this space. Here is info from the activist group at Yale working on this issue:

The Community Alliance for Research and Engagement (CARE) has been working to combat chronic diseases in New Haven – diseases that take a heavy toll on our residents.


The closing of Shaw’s Supermarket impacts access to healthy food. Access to affordable fresh fruits and vegetables is essential for health. Without a major supermarket, New Haven residents will be left without reliable and affordable healthy food options.


This past summer, CARE mapped six neighborhoods in New Haven, including the West River/Dwight neighborhoods where Shaw’s is most easily accessible. CARE took an inventory of places that sell food, including supermarkets, convenience stores, and restaurants. CARE also conducted health surveys with 1205 city residents.


The mapping project revealed that New Haven has an alarming lack of grocery stores and supermarkets. Of the 88 stores CARE mapped, two-thirds were convenience stores (corner stores, bodegas, mini-marts, etc) – stores that mostly sell junk food. One in five stores was a package store. Shaw’s is the only major supermarket. Only one store, located in Fair Haven, sold mostly fruits and vegetables. New Haven already lacks access to fresh produce. The closing of Shaw’s adds to this void.


Despite overall limited access to healthy food in New Haven, CARE’s health surveys indicate that Shaw’s enhanced access among nearby residents in the Dwight and West River neighborhoods. Residents in these neighborhoods were more likely to report better access to and quality of fruits and vegetables and that there are stores within easy walking distance of their homes – particularly important for people who do not have cars. CARE surveys suggest that residents in the neighborhood surrounding Shaw’s benefited from access to this supermarket.


These results support the importance of sustaining a supermarket in New Haven. Like many urban areas, New Haven can be characterized as a “food desert” where healthy food is non-existent or too expensive – yet there is an abundance of junk food. There is clear consumer demand, and we believe that this translates to considerable economic viability of a supermarket. The health of our children and families depend, in part, on a thriving food environment. CARE has come together with diverse members of our community to demand a new supermarket to replace Shaw’s.

I used to shop at this store since it was on my way to and from work. Since retirement I haven't used it as much, since I have a Stop and Shop closer.

This store has been a success. There must be a way to attract an investor to open in its space. People spend money there, after all...

[Ian David]

1. Maybe people can live on smoked salmon and lingonberries from Ikea? n/t

[CTyankee]

2. The neighborhood already has a health foods market but not everyone is a vegan or

a vegetarian. Some people want meat and fish. This Shaw's was really nice. I think there was only one incident of a shooting in the parking lot over the entire 12 period it's been there.

Our mayor is too corrupt and incompetent to do anything. That leaves Yale as the only Bigfoot in play and I'm not sure of its involvment outside of the activists.

It's sad...

[Ian David]

4. Yes, it is. And supermarkets are an economic anchor for other businesses. n/t

[Cal Carpenter]

3. Welcome to 'urban food desert' status

:(

[CTyankee]

7. We had such hope and pride when it opened in 1998! It was heralded in the NY Times.

I'm trying to find out more information about what is going on. My guess is that investor nervousness about the neighborhood is the reason why this Shaw's wasn't snapped up like the others in CT (the other one not bought is in another depressed community).

It's not like the store was poorly run and didn't make money.

What a terrible waste of a good opportunity and a ready to operate space already there...

[On the Road]

5. When I Lived There Long Ago,

there was a local chain with a location at York St & George, but that was pretty much it for downtown. Looking at Google Maps, it appears to have been replaced by a Walgreen's. Too bad -- this should be a goal of city government.

[CTyankee]

6. I remember that store! I thought it was too bad that it was replaced by a Walgreen's.

What is it about these big chain drugstores in inner city neighborhoods? do they really need a Walgreens AND a CVS?

As for city government, lotsa luck getting Mayor DeStefano to do anything on behalf of the poor residents of New Haven. He has laid off staff in City Hall departments who deal with homeless, families, elderly and inner city communities. The most vulnerable people in our city are getting the least help...

[Cirque du So-What]

8. Yet some who scoff at the term 'class warfare'

I realize these corporate decisions are made based on economic considerations, but it's proof that pure capitalism is not conducive to livable communities. The worm will one day turn, and the capitalistas will find themselves roasting over coals on a spit.

[CTyankee]

9. But this store did well! So it isn't an "economic consideration." If anything it is the opposite!

It would be understandable if the store did not make money. But it did. I have to conclude it is simply prejudice, blind, unreasoning prejudice.

[Cirque du So-What]

10. Despite this closing occurring exactly as you say

who among the corporate executroids would admit such a thing? If pressed, they'll cite margins & ROIs, but they won't admit a scintilla of racism. We can only hope that one of them 'gets religion' and coughs up some names or turns over some e-mails, but that's not likely. People who exhibit altruistic tendencies aren't typically chosen for high corporate office.

[CTyankee]

11. Glad you said this. It is exactly what I feel happened.

I cannot for the life of me think of another reason.

The fact is that ALL of the Shaw's were closed in CT. All but this one and the one in Waterbury were bought by other stores. There is a reason and a prejudice against them both and it is evident, that they do not have a buyer.

It is not really rational. This store made money, so what's the deal? I don't understand...

[Kat45]

12. Did one supermarket company buy all the Shaw's stores, or were they all separate purchases?

[CTyankee]

14. I am pretty sure they were separate...I'l research that, though...nt

[KittyWampus]

13. IMO, the only answer is to find a way for communities to do it for themselves. Listen, in university

days a bunch of us got together and had a vegetarian cooperative.

Out here, there is also a food cooperative, or there was. It's been a while since I was in the loop.

Various towns around here have organized farmers markets.

This means instead of being a victim, you and your neighbors ORGANIZE and set up a cooperative. With the internet, it's got to be easier than it was before.

Since corporate America doesn't give a hoot about being good citizens, I sincerely think we need to start figuring out how to come together as communities and backing each other up as neighbors.

[CTyankee]

15. We have CitySeed which is a Farmer's Market with several locations.

There have been a variety of ideas discussed for the site to become one of several markets enclosed in the former supermarket, selling food but also other goods. The thing is, this store is closing at the end of March and the empty space can deteriorate into an eyesore and a wasteland very quickly. We hope that won't happen. The fastest way to keep that from happening is just to find another supermarket chain to open up there but I haven't heard that our two biggest remaining chains, Big Y and Stop and Shop, haven't "bitten" yet so I am not optimistic...