From the Daily News:A group of Astoria residents wants Trader Joe’s to peddle its arugula pizza and mini chicken tacos — as well as its cheap, fresh produce — closer to home.
Ran Craycroft, founder of the Why Leave Astoria? blog, asked readers last week to fill out an online form on the company’s website requesting to bring the food emporium, known for its low prices and high-quality products, to the neighborhood.
Craycroft says he has received thousands of responses through Facebook, emails and comments on the blog, many in favor of the grocery franchise.
“It’s something people can really get behind and are very passionate about,” he said.
THIS people can get behind? Ask them to come out to a rally for or against any civic cause and they're home watching American Idol and dreaming of fancy lettuce from a big box store. Pretty pathetic, eh?
27 comments:
I've shopped at Trader Joe's on Metropolitan Avenue. It's overrated, overpriced fancy-schmancy crap.
Well OBVIOUSLY Astoria needs a Trader Joe's. If there is one thing Astoria is seriously lacking, it's places to eat. DUHHH.
Trader Joes? The upscale Aldis? They can have Trader Joe and this sounds like Trader Joe itself promoting itself. A lot of the stuff they sell is overpriced and caters to the Whole-foods concept of customers. When it comes to food shopping Mnahattanittes are the stupidest people to follow as they in recent years only had a proliferation of food stores open - expensive ones at that and now Astoria sees that and they want one? Astoria used to be a food shopping destination for specialty food years ago? SO what happened - these stores closed due to competition and eventually people moving out and away from Astoria.
Ooo, oooo, Trader Joes. My life is not complete without Trader Joes. People, get a life! There's
more to life than an overrated, supermarket for snobs!
Trader Joe's is great - before we got Fairway, I would drive to the TJ's on Metropolitan Ave.
Look at the shitty supermarkets in FluShing. Path-mark with its crack whores next to the recycling machines. Waldbaum's and Key Food with their two feet of extremely overpriced organic produce?
BTW - TJ's is not overpriced compared to WB and KF. It's rumored that they were kept out of Bay Terrace at Waldbaum's command. I so hope that Fairway kicks WB's ass. Their stores are filthy and primarily stocked with processed garbage food. Check out the one at 35th Ave and Francis Lewis.
It might seem trivial but at least they joined forces for something!
The only thing people care about in North FluShing are the bocce courts.
Astoria used to be a food shopping destination for specialty food years ago? SO what happened -
ASTORIA'S BUSINESS LEADERSHIP IS INTO REAL ESTATE. THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED.
My family shops at TJ because for many things it is cheaper. I wouldn't say what they have is fancy. They don't carry very much variety, so you have to go there for basics, staples. There are things to be concerned about, and I'm not a huge fan of TJ for other reasons, but elitism is not one of them.
You must cater to the immigrants, in this case its the hipsters, first and foremost, then the transplanters and vegans.
I like TJ's and what they have to offer.
But I hate where it is located on Metro! The parking sucks and it takes forever to get in a get out! I have a hard time getting to home depot behind it too!
Why must you tools always have to sit in the front of the store waiting for a parking spot by the door. You block traffic all over the place! You are a bunch of lazy AS#$%^&!!!!! Get off your fat lazy asses and maybe walk a bit. It will do you some good!!!!!
Also you freaking hoverers with the samples hanging out like it's an effin cocktail party. Get your shit and get the F outta my way. I don't feel like spending my afternoon in TJ's because you want to hang out!
Jack Asses!
"..in FluShing. Pathmark with its crack whores next to the recycling machines."
But that's the charm. You're film noir experience.
BTW. I buy all my vegetables and the freshest fish at the Chinese Great Wall supermarkets.
The Great Wall supermarket on Queens
Blvd is always packed, but a new "Sky Foods" opened up on the other side of QB on Albion Ave, I have been there a couple of times and I am impressed.
Because the Chinese are really the ones you can trust to bring you safe quality food products *rolls eyes*.
Crappy clearly you don't live in astoria, and frankly, there's nothing snooty about TJs.
Supermarkets over here are absolutely miserable. I drive to TJs on metro because the prices are good and the quality significantly better than what our local cesspools offer. If I need stuff TJs doesn't carry I often stop by the Key Food on Guinness in greenpoint. That's right: Greenpoint.
Around Ditmars, all you have is key food. Trade fair is OK for basics, and much cheaper than key food, but neither are all that good. There's some local veg stands, but some frankly aren't the cleanest.
There's that dumpy Associated on 21st and 21st, but you couldn't pay me to go near the place. Best Yet over on 20th and 36th is ok, but it's far out of the way for most people. if you have a lot to carry, you're driving.
Down along 30th and Bway, you've got more of the same. trade fair, c-town, another not-quite-as-shabby-as-it-was associated... 36th ave? Forget it. Pathmark? Kinda ok, at 2AM.
I go to some of the mom and pop places, the ethnic italian and greek shops around here, but they're not supermarkets. They carry stuff that the supermarkets (TJs included) don't, and wouldn't be impacted.
A Trader Joes around here would really give these places a good run for their money and force them to improve the quality of what they sell. It would also stop people like me from having to drive halfway across the boro (or to a different boro) to get some decent groceries.
Now multiply that by everyone complaining about the supermarkets around here and driving to other areas to do their shopping. That's a lot of waste right there, and more congestion down woodhaven blvd where no one wants it.
If you still tell me having a TJ's in NW Queens is a bad idea, come try our shitty supermarkets for awhile...
Also, for the commentor saying astoria's specialty shops have closed... uhm... ?? When was the last time you were around here? Rosarios right at ditmars subway stop? the greek place around the corner? The entire greek supermarket on 31st btw 28th and astoria blvd? You know these and a boatload more still exist right?
Trader Joe's elitist? Arugula fancy? You guys need to get out more.
Perhaps I'm not understanding the issue. What exactly is so bad about the current supermarkets? They are reflective of the populations they serve. Transplants need their own supermarkets because they don't like the clientele or the selection? Hmm...
TJ's is a great store. You've got to get out sometimes Crappy.
Try to understand something... the guy's first name is RAN. Unless they misspelled Ron or Ray, he's an out of towner who doesn't remember Scatturos or other no frills supermarkets that DON'T carry "Creme Freshe"... This is just another hipster who's proud to be living in Astoria, but secretly wishes he could afford to live in Brooklyn or Manhattan. This is the same yutz who will cry about the "mom and pop shops" (hate that term) when they close, but rejoice when a 7-11 opens in the neighborhood.
And once again, you all failed to see the point. People cream their jeans over the thought of a Trader Joe's in their neighborhood, but can't come out to a rally against an important quality of life issue. That was the point, not whether or not Trader Joe's has a great produce dept.
Dear Crappy: I hate to be the one to break the news to you, but most of the people in Queens could care less about the quality of life in their neighborhoods.
Oh, they do when the problem is next door or across the street.
The writer of the Daily News article also made the following errors:
There is no Ditmars Avenue in Astoria. It is Ditmars Blvd.
There is no intersection of 36th Avenue and Ditmars. Check your maps.
Key Food is on 31st Street, not 31st Avenue.
And once again, you all failed to see the point. People cream their jeans over the thought of a Trader Joe's in their neighborhood, but can't come out to a rally against an important quality of life issue. That was the point, not whether or not Trader Joe's has a great produce dept.
WE LIVE IN A SAD WORLD.
Crappy et al, getting good food affordably IS a quality of life issue. Caring about individuals at the Queens Civic Congress or Community Board or whatever is just fun for shut-ins- like following a sport only for the old and/or insane. Food matters to normal folks.
Funny, I didn't mention Queens Civic Congress or community boards. Most grassroots movements in the borough have nothing to do with either of them. I suppose I am missing the part about where the bad food is and what makes it bad. These stores stay in business because people are patronizing them.
Ah Queens Crapper you make the error of overgeneralization. Have you really investigated the Why Leave Astoria site? The website was encouraging people to come out for Vallone's Night Out Against Crime in response to the sudden increase in car vandalism and spurts of street robberies in Astoria ( and honestly the robberies may have arisen due in part to the influx of more affluent people). The website though is supported much by local advertising and assisting small businesses and highlighting local residents and their contributions to the area.
But I get your point and though overblown, that when it comes to zoning and local politics New Yorkers get complacent. It is easier to get involved in national issues or broad causes. Gets a bit more complicated when say as a resident you think of how nice it would be for more areas of Queens to be landmarked or how unfortunate insane developments occur ( the strange hotel spurt in Dutch Kills) while the business people fight against landmarking and are glad to see the hotels, condos and tall business offices be built in Dutch Kills - Queens Pl;azaq (and honestly I have to say some of the office buildings are for the better for Queens Plaza) it for the sake of profitability - and the fact they have been left alone and Bloomberg is quite pro-business.
Nevertheless, there are a ton of people who are active in civic affairs in Queens - Gay Lesbian issues, gerrymandering of congressional districts in Queens, immigration law. It is outside your blog's predominant focus.
It would have been best to have not bothered posting this rant from you - I have read far better entries from you (for example the Oracle Club and the lack of proper building permissions for what they are doing was great).
Vallone's night out against crime? How many came out for that?
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