Changes at Grove Gate Shopping Center
Looks like The Home Depot bust in the Grove is good for neighbors. Since The Home Depot doesn't get much business (thanks to everyone boycotting them and using Shell Lumber), they have no plans to expand. It appears that most of the cars in The Home Depot lot are those of the employees and not shoppers.
Guess their nasty threats to overtake the whole shopping center and throw Milam's out was a lie. Typical of Home Depot -- big bully, worse neighbor.
Anyway, so now Milam's has plans to expand into the Walgreen's spot next door. Walgreen's is moving to the closed oil change place on US1 and Bird Ave, you know, across from the car wash. So now Milam's is free to expand and make a decent store on that spot. Good deal!
Let's put this into the Universe, a la, "The Secret" -- Home Depot folds in the Grove and a Khol's moves in. Originally I thought a Barnes and Noble would be good, but since we have a new bookstore coming, no need for Barnes and Noble.
Guess their nasty threats to overtake the whole shopping center and throw Milam's out was a lie. Typical of Home Depot -- big bully, worse neighbor.
Anyway, so now Milam's has plans to expand into the Walgreen's spot next door. Walgreen's is moving to the closed oil change place on US1 and Bird Ave, you know, across from the car wash. So now Milam's is free to expand and make a decent store on that spot. Good deal!
Let's put this into the Universe, a la, "The Secret" -- Home Depot folds in the Grove and a Khol's moves in. Originally I thought a Barnes and Noble would be good, but since we have a new bookstore coming, no need for Barnes and Noble.
posted by Tom Falco at 9:03 AM
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22 Comments:
and the 'moral to the story'...all of our efforts to fight Home Depot were worth it. We would have had a monstrosity and instead we have a smaller and unsuccessful HD store and a larger grocery store on the horizon. We could have something more appropriate in our retail future. Working together works!
I'm with you. However, I'm not a Kohl's fan. It certainly isn't any better than KMart! Another big department store (and poor quality to boot) is not what I see there. A mini Target perhaps (says she with stars in her eyes!) Any other suggestions?
where is bookstore coming in the old location of Banana Republic or somewhere else?
thank you
What about "the container store"? or better yet, one i have been pushing forever is REI. Yes they the best outdoor sporting good store in the country, and they are the nations largest retail Co-op. They have yet to open a store in florida. I miss their free clinics.
http://www.rei.com/aboutus
Just wanted to make note of the fact that not everyone who reads your blog agrees with you. I shop at the HD in the Grove and enjoy it. It's clean, handy, employees are helpful and other than the fact that they don't have a gardening area, it's unbelievably convenient. Last weekend their parking lot was full - and it was not just employees' cars - the store was packed.
Man you sure must read a lot to want all these bookstores...
I like the HD too. It is convenient and, surprisingly, most employees there actually speak English!
Its nice to ehar that Milams will be staying put and expanding even though I wish that Walgreens would stay there. Does this mean the Walgreens liquor store is also gonzo?
what is so wrong with HD? I love the store and the employees for once are very helpful. When was the last time you tried to go to Shell Lumber on a Sunday afternoon? Their hours are simply not convenient. Enough said.
until shell lumber opens for more than 5 hours on a weekend looks like my home improvement funds are headed to the HD. also, not sure about the "victory" spin on the whole HD thing, did you see the renderings of the proposed HD and new Milams...?
For those of you so proud to shop in Home Depot, how about you sign your name here?
Better yet, smile -- we are starting a new feature -- we will have a photographer at the Home Depot taking pics of folks entering the store to shop and we will post them here.
We want to show off all the proud sell outs.
I still can't go to Milam's. First I thought I was boycotting them, but now I realize I can't get that huge poster of Linda Haskins out of my mind. Maybe a little therapy will help me forget......
A Home Depot without a garden section in Coconut Grove is like a Grocery Store without an organic section in Northern California. I'd prefer if HD expanded than Milam's. Of maybe Milam's can start selling plants!
Now c'mon Grapey... Insulting people for shopping at HD is a tad extreme, dont you think? Everyone has the right to choose where to get their home supplies, whether its Shell or HD. There is plenty of pie for everyone.
All great comments. I dont care for HD and would prefer them to leave, but this particular store has the most friendly staff of all their stores in South Florida. So credit to them for that.
Also Shell needs to extend their Hrs, multiple times I would want to go buy something and its too late. I end up at the HD.
Now I dont care, but whose the sharp tool that approves 2 walgreens 2 blocks off each other on US1.
I shop at Home Depot 30 times a year. I shop at three of the Miami Home Depots. I have never set foot in the Grove Home Depot. I refuse to step foot in the Grove HD because I found the behavior of the Home Depot lobbyists and attorneys to be disgusting. If Marc Sarnoff and the Grove First people had not fought Home Depot would have cut down every tree in the parking lot.
Kudos to the people who fought Home Depot, they scaled down the store by 50%, they saved over 100 trees (you can still park your car in the shade), and the grocery store was saved. Remember these are the people who chose to pay a $20,000 fine for cutting down trees than replace them.Walgreens is moving across the street to where the Oil Can was so they can have a drive through pharmacy. This Home Depot has little impact on the Grove, fewer trucks, fewer cars, no lumber, and no outdoor nursery with fertilizers and pesticides for the people on Bridgeport. Of course they are friendly, they don't see many people every day. And Kudos to all the true Grovites who boycott the store.
Ideally, let's hope when Home Depot gets tired of operating in the red they get out of Dodge and make room for a Marshalls Home Goods store that carries men's and women's clothes, baby items, shoes, household and accessories and serves everyone's needs.
If anyone sees Marc Sarnoff and Sue McConnell and any of the Grove First people thank them for saving the trees and for helping to improve the quality of life in the Grove.
If they have done such a good job improving quality of life in the Grove,then why is Sarnoff carrying around a gun around the Grove?
Hi All:
I am gratified to see that most of the response is in support of the efforts to "Say No to HD". Please remember that the original plans were for a big orange box with no grocery, then an architecturally appealing but way to oversized store, and finally a retrofit of the Kmart space...Does anyone think HD did this of their own volition? It was because of the efforts of numerous people and I solute them…Now, in a larger sense, regardless of your hatred or fondness of HD, what we are really talking about is protection of Your zoning rights. We have zoning laws; these belong to US, the people. If a large, powerful, well-moneyed group wants/needs to change zoning laws to fit their purposes then they should get it done legally, usually requiring a public forum (e.g. Related Group). But be very careful of entities that try to fit an improperly sized/inappropriate use in your neighborhood. Especially if they try to do it by making backroom deals with local governments. Why should we subsidize the HD Corporation by allowing them into C1 space with an industrial use? Does HD need this type of charity from the community? I think not…And we stopped them!!! Now they move into the old Kmart space without seeking a special exemption like the law requires…again sneaking through the back door. Therefore a group of citizens and the GroveFirst need to and are continuing the vigilance and fight against HD in the Grove. If not just for the HD issue for all the similar future issues to come. I’m not against progress etc. Changes just need to be fair and open….Thanks for the Soap box. Len Scinto
What's that?!?!?!
Its Len Scinto's entrance music! (crowd goes wild)
I think you made a good point Len. I really dont mind HD being where it is. Theyve been there for months and you hardly even know that they are there. Whether that has to do with the smaller store size or the fact that there is direct competition in the immediate area, I dont know. But I do know that the store has not inconvenienced me, or anyone else for that matter, at all. In fact, its been a convenience at times.
I do like the point that you make about zoning though. While I dont mind HD in the Grove, I do mind the willingness to all of a sudden "bend the rules". Whats done is done though and hopefully it doesnt happen again.
I do not believe rules and/or laws should be bent. I believe laws should treat everyone equally. I believe there is a lawsuit. If that is true and a Judge rules the City and Home Depot broke a law or several laws then I hope Home Depot is forced to close. Or they both pay severe penalities. Otherwise someone else will ask to put an "Industrial Use" in a commercially zoned area. Or maybe someone will want to put three ugly 1.2 Mil sq ft condo towers in a residential area zoned single family? Imagine that?
Boy we sure do have some articulate people wanting to share their thoughts!
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