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Trust me, I too would love to have one, and know that the community needs it. Convincing the corporate person representing them who works out of state is another. Not giving up, we would build it in a heart beat if they would commit. More updates to follow soon.
Thanks for the information, I can second the grocery store, I know it's doubtful but a Home Depot would be awesome as well instead of having to go to Uniontown or Clarksburg.
Yes a grocery store I think would be most people's first choice. Kroger is the most logical but anything nice would do well there. I wish Wegmans could be lured to Morgantown but a Giant Eagle Marketplace could also start giving Morgantown competition for walmart and Krogers. Aldi is fairly close by so I doubt they would build there but a Trader Joe's would be nice. I can't believe with Whole Foods being owned by Amazon that they aren't trying to have a descent presence in all states. A fresh market would be nice also.Bj's wholesale club would be nice also. A couple nice chain restaurants not in the area would also be nice.
A grocery store is probably everyone's first choice but I would love to see an upscale bar/gastropub/brew pub up there. I am sure there are some decent views from the top pad. The back of Med Express looks like a great place to hang out and chill. I could imagine a place similar to Tin 202, the Wine Bar, or some sort of brew pub would do well there if it had a nice outdoor area with a fire pit and appropriate atmosphere. Throw in some TVs for sporting events and good bar food. We are pretty limited with options on this side of Cheat Lake so anything that keeps me from driving into Morgantown or all the way to University Town Center would be nice. We even find ourselves up in Uniontown looking for something new. We eat out at least once a week and sometimes 2-3 times if my kids have a lot of sports commitments.
A good quick food service place (not a cheap fast food place) would be nice as well.
I am surprised that a BFS is going there with the other one right down the road. I guess they will be closing that place? It looks they are putting in a Subway in the old place so why do all that work to just move the BFS up the street?
Yes a grocery store I think would be most people's first choice. Kroger is the most logical but anything nice would do well there. I wish Wegmans could be lured to Morgantown but a Giant Eagle Marketplace could also start giving Morgantown competition for walmart and Krogers. Aldi is fairly close by so I doubt they would build there but a Trader Joe's would be nice. I can't believe with Whole Foods being owned by Amazon that they aren't trying to have a descent presence in all states. A fresh market would be nice also.Bj's wholesale club would be nice also. A couple nice chain restaurants not in the area would also be nice.
Would love to see a Trader Joe's, but the way they do their market research will never let it happen, so we get Aldi's (same company). Basically they draw too wide of a circle around the proposed store and once the circle gets so big the average income goes from the Trader Joe's bracket to the Aldi's bracket, or so I'm told.
I just don't think there are enough high-income people who would actually shop at Whole Foods in the area.
Really anything but another Kroger, they have gone so far down hill recently I can't stand to go there.
Would love to see a Trader Joe's, but the way they do their market research will never let it happen, so we get Aldi's (same company). Basically they draw too wide of a circle around the proposed store and once the circle gets so big the average income goes from the Trader Joe's bracket to the Aldi's bracket, or so I'm told.
I just don't think there are enough high-income people who would actually shop at Whole Foods in the area.
Really anything but another Kroger, they have gone so far down hill recently I can't stand to go there.
Being a college town area, we are penalized in that situation by the strange way the government does it's statistics. We have tons of big money earners in our area … professors with major research profiles, thousands of physicians, government workers in numerous agencies, Mylan executives, and so forth. The problem is we also have tens of thousands of college students working part time jobs at low wages, and those wages draw down the averages. Then you throw in the fact that the census only counts "permanent residents" and those low wages are attributed to the permanent residents and not the students. Actual resident wages are at least 20% higher on average than what is stated in the statistics.
Being a college town area, we are penalized in that situation by the strange way the government does it's statistics. We have tons of big money earners in our area … professors with major research profiles, thousands of physicians, government workers in numerous agencies, Mylan executives, and so forth. The problem is we also have tens of thousands of college students working part time jobs at low wages, and those wages draw down the averages. Then you throw in the fact that the census only counts "permanent residents" and those low wages are attributed to the permanent residents and not the students. Actual resident wages are at least 20% higher on average than what is stated in the statistics.
Agreed. My wife and are (not saying this to brag) in the income bracket that Whole Foods or Trader Joe's looks for and we're just professional staff at some of the employers you mentioned. As far as WF goes though, of all the people in the right income bracket, how many would go there. Obviously not 100%. I can see Morgantown being able to support TJ's but maybe not WF but I could be wrong.
What I was also referring to though is that I was told that internal market research at Trader Joe's parent company essentially draw a big enough radius that around the proposed store that it reaches out into the lower income communities in our area (east of Sabraton, West of Star City out route 7) plus the college student thing and
The thing companies don't realize is that for a 100 miles around people will come to anything nice because they don't have it in their town. The hospitals and WVU also attracts many times a year people looking for something new. Most towns in northern West Virginia have crappy grocery stores. The Krogers in Morgantown are ten time better than most their stores in West Virginia. Most were built long ago and they're small and haven't been remodeled in many years. In Monongalia,Marion ,Harrison,Preston,Taylor,Barbour, Randolph, Upshur,Lewis,Doddridge except Monongalia or Harrison you have few options for shopping or dining. That's about 330,000 people that most go to either Clarksburg or Morgantown for major shopping.We go to both Bridgeport and Morgantown about once a week for shopping and dining and I live in Elkins . Pittsburgh we go to about 6 times a year for even more options.There are so many options still not in any part of this state and we can only hope Westridge brings many new things. We always go to the suncrest Krogers because it has so many more options than our Krogers has.We go to Whole Foods and Trader Joe's in other cities a couple times a year. Costco or Bj's would draw from a big area also since there are none close by.cI would think even for a grocery store they would realize that part of Preston would shop there and even western Maryland and southern PA also. A brewery or any good restaurants would do well. A home improvement would also be nice.
The thing companies don't realize is that for a 100 miles around people will come to anything nice because they don't have it in their town. The hospitals and WVU also attracts many times a year people looking for something new. Most towns in northern West Virginia have crappy grocery stores. The Krogers in Morgantown are ten time better than most their stores in West Virginia. Most were built long ago and they're small and haven't been remodeled in many years. In Monongalia,Marion ,Harrison,Preston,Taylor,Barbour, Randolph, Upshur,Lewis,Doddridge except Monongalia or Harrison you have few options for shopping or dining. That's about 330,000 people that most go to either Clarksburg or Morgantown for major shopping.We go to both Bridgeport and Morgantown about once a week for shopping and dining and I live in Elkins . Pittsburgh we go to about 6 times a year for even more options.There are so many options still not in any part of this state and we can only hope Westridge brings many new things. We always go to the suncrest Krogers because it has so many more options than our Krogers has.We go to Whole Foods and Trader Joe's in other cities a couple times a year. Costco or Bj's would draw from a big area also since there are none close by.cI would think even for a grocery store they would realize that part of Preston would shop there and even western Maryland and southern PA also. A brewery or any good restaurants would do well. A home improvement would also be nice.
All true. Helps to think of things in a relative way. Living in Morgantown we head to Pittsburgh a couple times per month because we sometimes get board with what Morgantown offers.
Being a college town area, we are penalized in that situation by the strange way the government does it's statistics. We have tons of big money earners in our area … professors with major research profiles, thousands of physicians, government workers in numerous agencies, Mylan executives, and so forth. The problem is we also have tens of thousands of college students working part time jobs at low wages, and those wages draw down the averages. Then you throw in the fact that the census only counts "permanent residents" and those low wages are attributed to the permanent residents and not the students. Actual resident wages are at least 20% higher on average than what is stated in the statistics.
I don't think it has anything to do with college students- there's a Trader Joe's in State College, PA which is largely a college town similar to Morgantown. There is either not enough population/ income levels (yet) or they are looking at other dynamics such as Morgantown being 70 miles from locations in Pittsburgh. I'd be surprised if a TJ's didn't locate in Morgantown in the next five years if growth continues and the right site catches their attention.
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