The internet is abuzz about a Fairway grocery opening in the South End in early 2010. Clearly, I am not from this area, because I have no idea why that's a big deal! I vaguely knew Fairway was a grocery, but I figured it was just a regular New York grocery like Gristedes, but maybe bigger. In researching this post, I gather that Fairway is a grocery store based in NYC that is known for its produce and wide selection of cool food stuff. Read a bunch of the rave reviews on Yelp and you'll get the idea.
According to readers on Chowhound, the new store will be in the Yale and Towne property on the corner of Canal and Market. That's sort of near where the UHaul rental place is. I hate to be a traffic alarmist, but that corner is a mess as it is. I assume they'll fix up the traffic flow for us.
I'm not quite sure what to make of the location. (See google map.) There are no other stores around there. Is the location near where Antares is putting up their new apartments/office complexes? Is that why they are putting it there? And are they planning more fancy stores? Rather than a one-stop grocery, if we're going to have a slice of traffic hell, we might as well have a few stores to hit before we head back out and block the paths of the other people who are trying to get in. (I'm thinking of the Summer St. Bed Bath Beyond mess, which I suppose is not that bad... unless it's Christmas time... which is coming soon, BTW. I'm already starting my Stamford Talk gift guide.)
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Fancy Grocery Coming to the South End
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ST - I have not been to the Fairway in Harlem (the closest one) but I've been to the one in Brooklyn a couple times. It is closer to a Stew Leonard's than a classic grocery - only with better quality everything, and more variety.
Take a cooler with some icepacks in it, they always have something on sale in the meat department, great fish, huge coffee and tea selection, an olive oil selection that puts stores near here to shame - and they have many olive oil samples out with bread at all times - oh, and you can pause your shopping and park your cart in the back of the store where you can order from a multitude of sandwiches and such that you can take outside and eat under a canopy as you look out toward the Statue of Liberty.
If you're a foodie, it would be worth it to you to try it out one day.
Road trip?
It is expected to be at the corner of Canal right before you hit Eclisse. U-Haul is up off Jefferson. The biggest hurdle Fairway may face on that corner is Rubino's - the scrap metal yard across the street. They are one of the biggest causes of traffic congestion going down Canal. They have NO regard for anyone travelling down Jefferson and just line trucks up along the street dropping off dilapidated cars...and the idiot flagman who thinks he can stop traffic as he pleases...don't get me started on him. I do know that Antares is trying to get Rubino's to move their site elsewhere, coincidentally over by U-Haul. But it remains to be seen if they'll actually go... From what I understand, that area will soon have the Fairway, loft apartments, & retail shopping. It's hard to see a means to an end right now as it stands.
It will be interesting to see how traffic flow changes when the new road opens up, but it doesn't sound like they'll be able to pave it until the spring.
Yes this is part of the Antares plan, and yes traffic will be an issue. That being said the owner's of Fairway are requiring that Canal be cleaned up as much as possible before they open. This street will be one of the gatways into the new south end, so it should be nice, that the plan at least.
Very cool! I hear you on traffic, but consider this ST. Harbor Pt is being built as a high density walkable community. You will have 4,000 new units of housing all within walking distance of this place. These people need some place to shop, the bigger traffic nightmare is them all getting into cars and driving to a market off in some peice of suburban sprawl. Big picture - this is the type of thing that cuts down on traffic.
2010 is a long way away!
When it comes to that construction project, 2010 is probably optimistic...
K- I am down in the city with grandpa, as usual, and coincidentally, yesterday while I was doing alternate side of the street parking hell, I decided to drive up to Fairway and pick up a few things. Im on 89th st so 125th is not bad.
Fairway is a great specialty store. The meat department is a huge refrigerator so they offer coats outside the swinging doors, and the fresh soups and fish are wonderful....it is not inexpensive by any means and the sales are crappy compared to shoprite or even stop and shop, but you go there not for the sales but the great produce and premade foods. I got grandpa a chicken pot pie that is much better than zabars...and a shepherds pie as well, which we havent had yet. It was around $6 and was good for 2 people and full of white meat chicken.
The coffee selection is fantastic but I prefer zabars if there is a choice, and they have a good vitamin section.
The cakes and pastry are great.
125th street doesnt have a cafe but they have a good sized parking lot, even being right under the Henry Hudson parkway, 125th st exit. I pop in there on the way down here all the time. Ive never had trouble with traffic.
The neighborhood there has one very old famous and cool BBQ joint, and Ive noticed in the past years that now there are fancy restaurants all around with valet parking, and, even though its not positioned as a "fancy" market by any means, it has brought the neighborhood up incredibly!
As long as the parking lot is big enough, they like these right off the highway locales...its not only for stamford folks but will draw commuter traffic on 95 passing by. It could be a traffic nightmare during rush hours as that part of 95 slows anyway during rush hours (and whenever anything happens, like a cop pulls someone over or there is a light sprinkle...its just sorta natural for people to go slow past the city, it seems) but there is probably no stopping the south end plan (with the long fabled high speed ferry to the city)...and then there will be no poor people anywhere in stamford....Id like to know what they're gonna do about that.
2010 is closer than it looks from here...let me tell you...time goes faster and faster as you get older and its already like, 2009...
its the differing time zone that contractors enter when they start the process in the government building of riding the elevators up and down in the permitting process, and then theres the community groups, businesses, and zoning, that makes time slooowwww....so we'll see.
I would have been much happier with the whole foods at bulls head or if they were putting fairway there....but maybe someday CVS will be finished and we can find out what will become of Lord and Taylor and that meaty spot of land....
Fairways off the highway are only good for local business and downtown profits...but traffic...yes, a problem. And the way things are going, I would predict that its gonna be a long haul if it happens at all.
Id like to see some more jobs in that area.
Fairway is very nice - I'd call it a cross between Whole Foods and Trader Joe's (and certainly a step up from Stop & Shop and ShopRite).
As for the location, I think that corner is presently home to some antique shops.
The best thing that can happen to this area is Harbor Point, Fairway, new lofts, high end buildings etc. The TRAFFIC is a NIGHTMARE so let's hope that Antares throws its weight around to clean up this overpriced pigstye we live in called the SouthEnd/Shippan. Shippan is so expensive and offers nothing today. The parks are a mess and the beaches are filthy. Magee Avenue looks like Toledo Ohio, on a bad day - Used Car lots, crappy old run down buildings, car wash, the DUMP, the Recycle plant, Landfill, a funeral home, dirty ugle "restaurants" not fit for human consumption - and bodegas....what happened to gentrification at least??! There is NOTHING to offer but high priced real estate...I don't get it but I'm stuck here unfortunately... I have always wished for a Starbucks or some level of quality commercialism here - but all we get is exhoribitantly high taxes (where's the waterfront again??? Can't see it - but can smell it) and ShopRite where no one speaks English as a primary languge. I won't shop there. So hip hip horay for the builders and developers - let the people eat cake - and hopefully drive the riff raff back to Bridgeport or Norwalk. Quick note: If you need a cop around here, don't bother to call 911 or the dispatcher at the Stamford Police station - OH, NO....you can ALWAYS find a lazy old and young Stamford Cop in the Dunkin donuts or Donut delight parking lot. They EAT, Drink, Sleep and Breath Donuts in this City - EVERY Donut shop in Stamford has a cop in the parking lot or gorging him or herself on Tax payer dollars and time. Truly the worst cops I have ever seen. The women are even worse than the men. I would love to see them all fired - they do nothing and they are useless. completely USELESS!!!!!!! The new police Chief is worse than the previous guy - he has no control over his rude staff. I would love to tell him that the police are not only abusive to the minorites but to women too. It's dispicable!
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