What Should Replace Local Sweetbay Supermarkets?
The large grocery store closed its doors this week. What would you like to see take its place?
Now that two local Carrollwood and Northdale Sweetbay stores have closed, attention has turned to what to do with the large, empty retail spaces left behind.
On the Carrollwood Patch Facebook page, users lamented the closing of the stores.
"It is sad. very sad," said Dee Castaneda-Early.
"It saddens me every time I see another business close down. Our community is looking dreadful with all these empty locations," wrote Emily Hernandez Mitchell. "And even more sad is all of the people losing their jobs."
In all, about 2,000 people in Florida lost jobs due to the closures.
What would you like to see move in to the space left by Sweetbay? Is there a larget retailer that you think would do well in the Carrollwood and Northdale area? Tell us in the comments section below.
More on the closing
Several local Sweetbay Supermarkets were among 33 under-performing stores in Florida scheduled to close in February.
Many stores begain liquidation sales in the last 2 weeks, with some stores offering as much as 50 percent off.
The store at 4519 Gunn Highway was scheduled to close on Wednesday, Feb. 6. The other Carrollwood area location at 4519 Gunn Highway, was also scheduled to close on Wednesday.
Ed Noponen
11:02 am on Thursday, February 7, 2013
How about a Trader Joe's?
Nancy Stearns
11:28 am on Thursday, February 7, 2013
There is a huge Sam's type store out on west Hillsborough in Town & Country..perhaps that would be a fit for the SweetBay on Gunn Highway....sorry can't come up with the name at the moment. Nancy Stearns
Nancy Stearns
11:32 am on Thursday, February 7, 2013
BJ's is the name of the store in T & C on West Hillsborough.
jill adoniz
11:41 am on Thursday, February 7, 2013
Love the trader Joe idea!
Maggie
11:47 am on Thursday, February 7, 2013
How about a Winn Dixie store, we need another market or Publix will get all the business so there is no where else to go.
MM
Leah Wooten
12:11 pm on Thursday, February 7, 2013
Given that Walmart is determined to drop grocery stores in our area the Casey Rd/Gunn Hwy and Anderson/Ehrlich locations are good options for their grocery concept. That is what I'd prefer to see happen versus the recently declined request to build a store at Floyd Rd./Dale Mabry Hwy. with all its related downfalls. While Walmart has become a 'four letter word' in these parts those two shopping centers are already designed to handle the traffic and are ideal for them to utilize without extensive community disruption.
Katy
12:46 pm on Thursday, February 7, 2013
I would like to see a Trader Joe's in either location or a Costco. Both of those would round out the food/grocery shopping experiences that are found elsewhere in the bay area. I know I'm not driving to Brandon for Costco or Sarasota for Trader Joe's. I would pass on the Walmart idea just because each location has a Walmart within a mile of the empty stores. I do hope we start filling in the "holes" in the area. When we first moved in to Carrollwood, we had the eyesore of the Kmart and surrounding empty sores which looked horrible and have gotten past that, but now we are seeming to have holes spread out more in the area.
Kathy Hemann
2:04 pm on Thursday, February 7, 2013
Aldi would be wonderful, they need something on this end of town!
Chris Taylor
4:44 pm on Thursday, February 7, 2013
Good suggestions. I see a lot of people talk about Trader Joe's on other local Patch sites. Can some of you tell what makes people so excited to get one nearby?
Leah Wooten
10:51 pm on Thursday, February 7, 2013
Hi Chris - I regularly visit Trader Joe's when I go to St. Louis to visit family. It's hard to really explain what makes it so great other than the fact that it's like Whole Foods, only a bit cheaper. They have a smaller footprint but the products they carry are of good quality. It is something you have to experience for yourself and then you are hooked.
Beej64
7:28 am on Friday, February 8, 2013
Hi Chris! We moved from Baltimore, MD, and use to shop at Trader Joe's - great prices, great food, and their store brand is tremendous! Would be wonderful to have one close by. I would shop there all the time! Check it out! http://www.traderjoes.com/
Dianne
6:29 pm on Thursday, February 7, 2013
Trader Joe's..or the northern store Fairway...either would be a wonderful addition to shopping in the Tampa Bay area.
Chris Taylor
2:57 pm on Friday, February 8, 2013
Thanks for letting me know about Trader Joe's. I know there's one in Sarasota. I'll try and stop in next time I visit. Any other local business stories or ideas you all think we should track down for Patch?
Lorrie Escobar
10:03 am on Sunday, February 10, 2013
How about putting in the Walmart store that we were fighting to keep off DaleMabry and Hudson?
Karen Tillson
6:45 pm on Monday, February 11, 2013
I worked at one of the Sweetbay store that closed. It was so hard on the last day, we were mostly walking in a daze while at work cleaning the store to leave. We are sad.
I had thought of Trader Joes and emailed them matter of fact a couple of months ago as there is an empty store which used to be a Publix on W. Hillsborough. They said they are scouting areas. I know Kroger used to be in Florida in the 1980's and there is only a rumor that they are coming back. I know that Delhaize and Kroger have had connections in the past with Kash N Karry, Looking for work is no fun. Bills have to be paid and food is needed as many others have been through this in other job layoffs. So what happens to those who are in an apartment? They don't make enough on Unemployment to stay there, and then what? They are out on the street? This is just a scenario. Prayer is the key
RD
11:35 pm on Sunday, February 17, 2013
I'd like to see a Trader Joe's or a Costco.