Grocery stores as social spaces
People’s Grocery is striving to create a food retail business that offers a place for community to gather and for social interactions to take place. One reason why people in West Oakland frequent local stores is because it’s a social experience and part of the local culture. A common image in West Oakland lots of folks hanging out in front of the stores. It’s a social thing. So going to the store frequently is one way that people meet up and socialize.
Supermarkets, on the other hand, are not able to create a desirable social spaces. The reason is that most supermarkets in suburban areas attract people who only go to the supermarket once in a while. As a result, they do not tend to build a relationship with the store and its shoppers. Most shoppers at big supermarkets are also faced with an anxiety producing dichotomy: 1) they want to purchase a week’s worth of food and 2) they want to still get out somewhat quickly. Because it takes so long to shop for everything one wants, by the time a person is finished shopping at a supermarket they are tired, possibly irritated and/or frustrated and just want to leave and go home. Hanging out at the store any longer than necessary is not even remotely on their agenda.
Understanding this, People’s Grocery Market will be adapted to the existing social cultures in West Oakland to enable a real social environment. We will design our store to offer social experiences through community events, family dinners, free classes and workshops, art installations, and tours to farms. Also, we will design our store to be an appropriate size that can energize and enable social interaction. Another key element is creating a more relaxing shopping experience that minimizes stress, so that people aren’t in such a rush to leave. Finally, our store will build itself around the cultures that are prominent in West Oakland so that people from the neighborhood can identify with and be inspired by the cultural images and traditions that are honored.
But, of course, our store won’ be like liquor stores in any other aspect other than the social gathering that they facilitate in the community.
November 4th, 2007 at 12:02 pm
Agree with this. I was in a chinese restaurant in south bay yesterday and it was jam packed, not one table left. There were also 5 versions of menu posted on the wall, including photos, which was pretty confusing. But if the place were one table bigger, or had a simple menu, it wouldn’t be Chinese!
When I lived in Japan, there were big supermarkets with not much interaction, smaller groceries, and then small shops where I knew the owner and she’d hook me up with deals on fruit, or whatever. I went more often in Japan, having a smaller fridge, and it was convenient b/c all the stores were on one main street leading out from a train station, so I could bike and hit them all up at once.
Good luck with your WO store! I bet after you put it in, property values will go up and outsiders will start wanting to move in more. Not necessarily bad. Now, to get rid of the smelly cancerous auto-sewers! (”free”ways)
November 4th, 2007 at 4:49 pm
[…] The corner grocery: The driving force behind People’s Grocery says the food-justice group (which we heart bigtime) plans to make its new West Oakland food market more like the local liquor stores than a suburban supermarket. (Brahm’s Blog) […]
November 5th, 2007 at 12:18 pm
Ken, your experience at the smaller, locally-owned stores in Japan is exactly the kind of business model that we’re promoting as the best for supporting an active and connected community experience. It’s become a rare opportunity to actually know the owner of a business first hand and even more rare to have a real relationship with them. The big box stores that dominant the retail landscape are relatively anonymous and void of much real personal connection. As consumers we’ve traded in the relationships, the social experiences and integrity of small businesses in order to have access to lots of cheap and convenient products. I think many people are know beginning to question this and are desiring a more meaningful experience that offers a sense of community and caring. We want to bring these qualities back through the People’s Grocery Market.