January 18, 2008

Sunny Supermarket closes

Sometime in the past few weeks and just shy of their 3rd year, Sunny Supermarket closed their doors.

Posted at 6:15AM under community, redevelopment

70 Responses to “Sunny Supermarket closes”

posted by Eric at January 18, 2008 9:00 am :

Let’s hope there is better use with the property.
posted by Amy at January 18, 2008 1:49 pm :

Cooperative Grocery, anyone?
posted by Michael at January 18, 2008 2:56 pm :

I had heard a rumor that Ellwood Thompson had “bought” this property, shortly before seeing Sunny’s closed sign. Obviously, this does not appear to be true.
Could this location support a co-op or ET type grocery?
A quick co-op search yeilded “Fare Share” on W. Main but there was no answer.
Are they a food co-op?
Do they exist?
Dare I ask about Church Hill Grocery?
posted by Daniel at January 18, 2008 5:46 pm :

I have thought about what would be involved in a cooperative grocery for a while. I’d definitely be interested. Anyone else?
posted by john_m at January 18, 2008 8:17 pm :

I’d be very interested, though I know very little about this type of thing.
posted by Anne at January 19, 2008 4:41 pm :

Does Fare Share still exist? I remember them from the late 1970s, early 1980s, at maybe Rowland and Main? With the feminist bookstore in the basement that was on the honor system (take a book, leave the money in the box). Man, I feel old.

I think the Circle School folks in Oregon Hill do, or did, also run a food coop.
posted by Amy_NB at January 19, 2008 9:53 pm :

Would love a co-op grocery, but feel like an Ellwood Thompson’s would fit our market better.
posted by Kristin at January 19, 2008 10:51 pm :

Wow! A co-op or an Ellwood Thompsons?! Either way I’d be in heaven. I was just complaining about how sick I am of Kroger, and I just can’t go to Ukrops. Fresh Market is terribly overpriced… and what else is there in the city? A decent grocer or co-op would be a fantastic addition to the neighborhood.
posted by Kristin at January 19, 2008 10:53 pm :

Sorry, I meant “Farm Fresh” (i.e. The Market), not “Fresh Market”.
posted by Eric at January 20, 2008 10:15 pm :

I just emailed a representative of Ellwood Thompson to take a look at the building and the area. Although it would be nice to do a co-op grocery store, I don’t know if we have the time to get the property and build a plan before another deadbeat business takes the place.
Any other thoughts on this?
posted by william at January 20, 2008 10:21 pm :

Was the Sunny Supermarket considered a “deadbeat business”?
posted by Jim at January 21, 2008 10:24 am :

What is a “deadbeat buisness?”
posted by JES at January 21, 2008 11:08 am :

It appears that any business that caters to black people is considered to be a “deadbeat business” by the fine folks on CHPN.
posted by cagitate at January 21, 2008 11:18 am :

A deadbeat business is one where white people don’t shop.
posted by Sam at January 21, 2008 11:38 am :

if that is the definition of a “deadbeat” business, then exclude sunny markey cuz I went there a few times for beer and other items, and I’m a white boy.
posted by john_m at January 21, 2008 12:09 pm :

cagitate - I shopped there some. Be careful with your flip answers.

JES - Try not to lump everyone together.
posted by Eric at January 21, 2008 5:28 pm :

Sorry for the wrong term, didn’t mean to ruffle feathers. There were no racial connotations in that message. I went into Sunny Market for various items myself, and enjoyed their business. I meant to say that I would rather a more established grocer take the building.
posted by elphaba at January 21, 2008 7:02 pm :

ellwood’s would be so sweet. i have talked to several people in the area what feel the same way.
posted by JES at January 22, 2008 9:57 am :

I apologize John - you are correct.

It just seems that there are many CHPN posters who hate black-oriented businesses on the hill and it frustrates me to no end.
posted by jc at January 22, 2008 10:14 am :

There were rumors a few years ago that Ellwood Thompson had purchased the Chimbo (500 block of Chimborazo Blvd) and were planning to open an east side grocery. I contacted the GM of Ellwoods and was told that they continue to look for new opportunities but have no plans to open an east side store. I think the rumors grew out of confusion over the Church Hill Market which was in the works.

In addition I spoke to a realtor last summer who said that developers had attempted to purchase the Chimbo with the desire to turn it into an upscale grocery, but the owners of the Chimbo wouldn’t accept the offer.
posted by cagitate at January 22, 2008 10:22 am :

John M- I’m also a white person who shopped at Sunny. I was guessing (provocatively, I admit) at the definition. I didn’t see JES’ post, or I wouldn’t have submitted mine.
posted by Lora at January 22, 2008 4:45 pm :

If you’re interested in learning more about the ins and outs of attracting grocery stores to neighborhoods in cities, especially lower-income neighborhoods in cities, check out The Food Trust (http://www.thefoodtrust.org/), which has done awesome work in Philadelphia.

Sadly, Fair Share is gone, but there are a number of co-ops in town that order directly from natural foods suppliers.
posted by Barbara on Marshall St at January 22, 2008 9:47 pm :

What about a Trader Joe’s. Cheaper than Ellwood Thompson and offers a lot of the same kinds of health foods and related items. Not prepared foods but that way they keep the costs down. People who move here and know them would find the store no matter where it is located. Could it be that Ukrops is keeping them out of town? Closest one is Newport News and the drive down there is worth it.
posted by Kelly at January 23, 2008 10:48 am :

Trader Joe’s would be great! Didn’t The Market (before Johnny Johnson) have some problems getting started due to Ukrops?
posted by Crystal at January 23, 2008 11:12 am :

Trader Joe’s would not be in keeping w the local mom-n-pop kind of businesses that typically open in neighborhoods like Church Hill. I would prefer to see an Ellwood’s or co-op myself as that will keep it local, VA farmers and distributors will be used and so forth.
posted by David at January 23, 2008 11:38 am :

Trader Joe’s is entering the Richmond market. Its first store to be located in Short Pump across from Best Buy.
posted by the other mike at January 23, 2008 11:51 am :

Kelly:

Exactly the opposite. The Ukrops helped him out considerably…
posted by tiny at January 23, 2008 12:07 pm :

Whatever locates there, I hope they offer services the whole community can use, such as fair-priced baby formula and acceptance of foodstamps and WIC. A lot of folks don’t have transportation. I think a smart marketer could appeal to the diverse needs of our neighborhood.
posted by Kristin at January 23, 2008 12:26 pm :

I think the new store coming to Short Pump is a Whole Foods, not a Trader Joe’s.
posted by JES at January 23, 2008 1:56 pm :

Tiny - BRILLIANT!! I totally agree.
posted by william at January 23, 2008 2:19 pm :

Wow folks….those are some pretty lofty wishes for the area. Don’t expect retailers the likes of Trader’s or Whole Foods to look at an area like North 25th Street or anywhere in the Hill anytime soon. If Ukrops has no interest in the area, it is doubtful that even higher end brands mentioned would even put a City location on the radar screen. ET’s will have a formidable competitor in Whole Foods. It would be very unlikely for them to expend any capital looking beyond their current turf. ET’s will never be able to compete with Whole Foods on price and depth of selection. Whole Foods caters to a niche market that people will travel to. ET’s has historically owned that market That’s not welcome news for ET’s. Whole Foods will certainly take a bite out of the Ukrops locations operating in that area. Tiny’s comment makes alot of sense for the 25th St. location. The trick will be to add higher margin items into the mix to generate profits…possibly prepared foods. There is no money to be made by a Mom and Pop for selling groceries alone.
posted by Daniel at January 23, 2008 3:59 pm :

I would love to gather people interested in a coop up on the hill and see what comes of it. If you are interested drop me a line at danielfarrell76@gmail.com and I’ll take the lead on it.
posted by Amy_NB at January 23, 2008 10:11 pm :

What about trying to lure Kroger? Yes it’s a chain and all, but it would serve the multiple markets on the Hill. Having some nice prepared foods, decent beverage selection, fresh fruits and veggies, baby formula could serve a lot of niches.

I also agree that racism (veiled and unveiled) too often rears its ugly head on the CHPN. I know this belongs on a different thread, but I’ve been going out of my way to buy my beer at the Blue Wheeler as a way to support their increased selection of 6 packs/imports. I’ve noticed that the BW is looking really good. If we want to transform the types of goods and services available in our neighborhood, we should support local businesses and make changes from within.
posted by william at January 23, 2008 10:50 pm :

Traditional pantry items are what you are looking for to fill a need in the marketplace…Right? If you see very, very few independent grocers around, there is a very good reason for it. There is no money to be made by selling groceries alone. Retail grocery is a brutal business that requires a great deal of overhead, tremendous waste, a lot of labor, and razor thin margins. There is a formula that all national grocers use in order to work their business plan.
The first thing that jumps out with the 25th Street space is …the lack of space. The store is only large enough to stock the basics of what is offered in a grocery store. None of these items are profit drivers. If you look at a Kroger, for example, the profit drivers are the following; beer and wine, general merchandise (dishes, small appliances, cookware, etc), PHARMACY, bakery,private label product, prepared foods, gasoline, floral, Starbucks, etc.
There simply is not enough space at any existing location in Church Hill to support a national/regional chain. Demographics and density would be two other huge concerns…a whole other topic. A small space like the former Sunny location requires a non-traditional , specialty grocer (think Joe’s Market on Libbey). The concept would work but the demographics are all wrong. I’d bet on convenience grocery, w/ beer and wine and a heavy emphasis on prepared foods.
posted by john_m at January 24, 2008 6:24 am :

Keep in mind also that the plans for the big blank lot at 9 Mile and 25th are for a grocery store, though I haven’t heard anything about this in a little while. THAT space would be bof enough for a *real* grocery store.
posted by tiny at January 24, 2008 9:39 am :

Amy_NB - I agree with you. One poster claimed that they would not give the owner their money. But I say, let’s all us give them our business! They are going to market to whomever is going give them money.

As long as there is no lawlessness going on, we should support our local businesses.
posted by David at January 24, 2008 9:44 am :

Both Whole Foods AND Trader Joe’s are coming to Short Pump…
posted by elphaba at January 24, 2008 9:57 am :

good grief. who wants to go to short pump to go to whole foods OR trader joes? with the money you spend on gas it totally kills the point. i personally shop the triad of ellwood’s, ukrops, and kroger however, some sort of specialty market in church hill would rule. even if it is just prepared foods with beer and wine, that could work really well! i would love to see a miniature verson of the church hill market. like the beer and wine with the hot and salad bar, PLUS the starbucks (yeah i know, throw the stones, starbucks is evil, whatever.) how cool would it be to have a place like that to stop on your morning or evening comute without having to drive to the bottom??
posted by Kelly at January 24, 2008 10:19 am :

other mike-I know Ukrops helped Johnny Johnson w/ the Market…I was referring to before he/they got involved.

It would be nice to have a sort of indoor farmer’s market with local goods…is that how a coop would work?
posted by Eric at January 24, 2008 1:08 pm :

If it were to be too difficult for a grocer to take the place of the Sunny Market, is there anything else that could fit that space and be of good use for the community?
posted by Dave at January 24, 2008 2:15 pm :

Who wants to bet it turns into another church…?
posted by JES at January 24, 2008 4:26 pm :

A community outreach center would be nice - to provide GED classes, counseling, and what-not.
posted by JES at January 24, 2008 4:30 pm :

Fulton has a community outreach center and I hear it’s fairly successful. Check it out:
http://greaterfultonnews.org/2007/11/28/neig...
posted by Nacho at January 24, 2008 4:43 pm :

Don’t we have enough community outreach? How about a for profit business that employs people and pays property taxes?
posted by Clay Street at January 27, 2008 10:47 am :

I think something like a Caravatti’s/recycled building material/supply center would be cool–Portland has a great one, and the site on 25th would be ideal. Plus, it would be fantastic to have a place where people could donate and exchange material, which could also be sold for profit.
http://www.rebuildingcenter.org

“The ReBuilding Center is a popular destination for homeowners, do-it-yourselfers, contractors, artists, and enthusiasts interested in building with affordable, environmentally low impact materials. With an inventory that changes by the hour, The ReBuilding Center is the largest non-profit used building materials resource in North America.”
posted by V at January 27, 2008 1:36 pm :

WHOA..weird.. is there another eco exPortlander living on Clay street?!?

We lived there before moving to Richmond a few years ago. The Rebuilding Center was amazing– great finds and WAY cheaper than Caravatti’s. It even included another recycling organization called SCRAP where you could get funky arty supplies like sheets of vinyl, teddy bear eyes, balls of wire and string.. a cup of coffee and that place made for the best Saturday afternoons.
posted by Union Hill RVA at January 27, 2008 1:41 pm :

OMG! What a GREAT IDEA for the old Sunny Mkg (the Rebuilding Center). Clay St and V…since you have perspective, do you think this could really happen here in Richmond?
posted by Union Hill RVA at January 27, 2008 1:47 pm :

JES, we already have an neighborhood outreach center for this area: The Family Resource Center. It’s around the corner from Sunny’s on Jefferson Avenue at Leigh/24th. You can’t miss it with the fabulous Art180 murals.

Come by and check it out…great things happening everyday; a dedicated staff and a wonderful asset to our community.
posted by Clay Street at January 27, 2008 1:55 pm :

Dunno–but it could put people to work on many levels, starting with sorting and intake of materials, as well as the design, fabrication and retail of specialty products such as furniture and home goods, etc.
Unfortunately, the problem with something like that happening in Richmond is that it would take imagination, organization, money, and consensus, all of which Richmond sometimes lacks. (I’m going to get creamed for that one).
posted by john_m at January 27, 2008 1:58 pm :

Unfortunately, the problem with something like that happening in Richmond is that it would take imagination, organization, money, and consensus, all of which Richmond sometimes lacks. (I’m going to get creamed for that one).

I’d expect more a chorus of agreement, actually.
posted by Nikki at January 27, 2008 4:25 pm :

Ukrop helped Johnny Johnson along in exchange for him leaving one of the Urkop family females alone. That whole thing was a payoff and a closely guarded secret.
posted by cagitate at January 27, 2008 4:56 pm :

“That whole thing was a payoff and a closely guarded secret.”
Until now… Thanks for enlightening us. Care to share your sources? I know a few news outlets that would probably pay your for that juicy secret.
posted by V at January 27, 2008 5:01 pm :

My understanding of how the Rebuilding Center ran was as an income generating arm of another human services based nonprofit. The Rebuilding center bid out on decon jobs and just took the time to reclaim materials– from bricks,lumber cabinets, fixtures etc. Similar to Cox down the hill but more stuff :) An outfit like Cox could expand their reclaim percentages and open up a more formal shop…. I have heard the Habitat Restore is similar but I haven’t been there…
posted by stephen at January 27, 2008 6:29 pm :

I’ve been the the Habitat Restore, and it’s great! But it’s kind of hidden and a little out of the way. It’s always nice to have a more local and visible option.
posted by stephen at January 27, 2008 6:38 pm :

Also, perhaps one of the things some of the employees of a restore could do would be to go dumpster diving around neighborhood. That would make me feel so much better about a lot of the waste I see going on outside some renovations.
posted by cagitate at January 27, 2008 11:03 pm :

The Habitat Restore is great- but the one off Chamberlayne is actually not as good as others around the state. I recently went to the one in Charlottesville, and it was amazing. Clean, well-lit, and extremely well stocked with all sorts of building products, from cast-iron tubs, to tile, to molding. The one here’s worth a visit, but since seeing others I’m hoping ours will give itself a facelift.
posted by Dave at January 28, 2008 8:35 am :

Where is the Habitat Restore in Richmond?
posted by stephen at January 28, 2008 9:25 am :

http://www.richmondhabitat.org/restore.html

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=1901+Roane+St,+Richmond,+VA+23222,+USA&sa=X&oi=map&ct=title
posted by Kelly at January 28, 2008 9:28 am :

http://www.richmondhabitat.org/restore.html
posted by Kelly at January 28, 2008 9:30 am :

Ha Ha! Jinx
posted by beth at January 28, 2008 12:12 pm :

“That whole thing was a payoff and a closely guarded secret.”

I heard about it - Johnny Johnson was dating one of the Ukrop daughters.
posted by Bill Hartsock at January 28, 2008 5:27 pm :

I love the idea of a store for building parts and as a place to buy, sell and exchange. It would do well in Richmond. Here is the reality check: the sale price for the property is $850,000 and the monthly rent amount is $7864/month. The agent said that a grocery chain is looking at the building, but nothing is serious at this point. Anybody have a trust fund we could tap? Or do we start buying lottery tickets?
posted by Nikki at January 28, 2008 6:20 pm :

There is no way a source could ever be named in the Ukrop/Johnson payoff but it seems likely the way he “just exploded” onto the scene. He then managed to show his colors and get arrested a couple of times and things went downhill from there.
posted by Bill Hartsock at January 28, 2008 9:30 pm :

Sorry, but I really can’t imagine anyone being interested in Johnny Johnson’s sex life. Or a Ukrop daughter’s sex life for that matter.
posted by Anne at January 29, 2008 2:24 pm :

I heard about it - Johnny Johnson was dating one of the Ukrop daughters.

That urban myth has been around as long as Mikey and the Pop Rocks. It’s not true, but everyone loves to believe that it is.
posted by beth at January 29, 2008 4:28 pm :

Perhaps this is the truth: http://www.ccc.unc.edu/documents/CC_innerCity_Supermarkets.pdf
posted by Cadeho at January 29, 2008 6:20 pm :

The building should be demolished… and replaced with something much better.
posted by john_m at January 29, 2008 6:32 pm :

How about more BHC houses?
posted by Eric at February 2, 2008 10:50 am :

John M, I would be okay with that. I think the houses look beautiful and go nicely with the area.
posted by Church Hill People’s News » Sunny Market now even more gross - Richmond, Virginia at April 13, 2008 2:26 pm :

[...] old Sunny Market is a bad neighbor for the new homes on the 800 block of 26th Street. Standing water several feet [...]

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