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Trader Joe's
Thanks for the link to the Trader Joe's "request a location" form. I filled it out and said we need one in Davis Square, too. A building is currently going up here that will have a CVS on the first floor. We have absolutely no need for a CVS here. Perhaps Trader Joe's can try to outbid CVS for this space before the building is finished?
oh yes. a trader joe's
oh yes. a trader joe's would be so trendy, chic, and hip. it would really make the "locals" and the "new comers" so happy. thank God for the yuppies. if not for them, the neighborhood would fall apart.
What makes you think locals wouldn't shop at Trader Joe's?
Surely they do not survive solely on the tourist trade.
I don't really understand
I don't really understand your argument. I guess Trader Joe's is "trendy," but I would use that complaint more against Whole Foods. I shop at Trader Joe's because I can get better food at cheaper prices. The produce, for example, is far cheaper than the produce at Shaws. And usually much fresher. And I would imagine that there have to be some "locals" left in the Davis Square area that would appreciate a grocery store in the square. It would certainly be more useful than a CVS. Not everything new is bad, or a threat.
darn right. before i had a
darn right. before i had a local Trader Joes i thought they were pretty much one of those expensive hippy-chic stores. then i started shopping there and realized i could nearly cut my grocery bill in half. between Trader Joes for good cheap food, and The Harvest Coop for cheap bulk staples, i hardly ever have to go to a regular grocery store.
Darn right
I wish I had a Trader Joe's closer to me. Good food and affordable prices. What's the downside about this? This is absolutely an intersection between hip and sensible. The only possible objection to a Trader Joe's would be whether the infrastructure can handle the business traffic it would generate. Now if only the can bring a Trader Joe's to Malden Center. One would think that might help revitalize the city center.
There is no Ashmont "Square"
There is no Ashmont "Square" in Dorchester.
There's Peabody Square, right next to Ashmont station.
Is this another attempt to change the place by changing the place name, like "lower" Dot? Or like changing Columbia Point to Harbor Point, like Dorchester folks won't notice.
The fact is that the Peabody Square area-and all of Ashmont- is getting a major facelift right now, long overdue. And its happened with a lot of input from the neighbors who live around there, none of whom were interested in playing name games- just getting the improvements made in a way that is respectful and equitable.
New help and business is welcome, including from Trader Joes, but respect the tradition and history of the place.
Mea culpa
No sinister Yuppie plot here. That was all the fault of this Rozzie resident who clearly doesn't know his Dot from a hole in the wall and who got Ashmont and Peabody Square mixed up. Fixed.
but why not make it Ashmont Square?
Once it becomes more of a real "place", it makes sense for it to take on the name of the subway station.
This is exactly how Kenmore Square got its name -- it was Governors Square until the Green Line arrived underground.
Squares and Streets
But if the name is changed to Ashmont Square, then what will happen to The Peabody, the residential apartment building which sits on Peabody Square? I say leave the name alone.
why not make it ashmont
why not make it ashmont square? because that's not it's name. one thing people resent about the yuppie invasion is that they always feel the need to change things and brand them with their own cute name (not that ashmont sq is cute). SoWa, SoBo, Roslindale "Village" etc. there are others, though they escape me now.
Peabody Square- Ashmont station
The area is often referred to as Ashmont: Ashmont Hill is right next door. Ashmont Street cuts right through... and Ashmont Grill is now a popular destination. People who live and work in Dorchester frequently just call the area Ashmont. Ashmont is well represented in the local tongue.
But, the name of the "square" -which is home to a beautifully restored clock thanks to the work of many in the Ashmont area- has never been in contention, as far as I know. And the idea of obliderating local place names like Peabody Square - named for the philanthropist family that left us the beautiful All Saints Church according to http:www/dorchesteratheneum.org- is ridiculous.
If Trader Joe's- by some miracle- opens up in the area somewhere- it probably won't be at Peabody Square anyway.
Slightly off-topic, but...
I lived in Lower Mills for 37 years; Caddy Road, near Central Avenue and River Street. It was always my thought that the Carney was more-or-less the dividing line between Lower Mills and Ashmont; maybe Gallivan Blvd. makes more sense.
In any case, since there are so many Ashmont residents on hand here, what would you say are the boundaries of your neighborhood? I mean, as regards Lower Mills and also others.
No sly ulterior motive - just interested in seeing how your ideas jibe with mine.
Neighborhoods
My sense of where Lower Mills is pretty much matches yours. "Ashmont," however, doesn't seem to be a defined neighborhood, though. At least I never hear folks mentioning an Ashmont neighborhood (with the exception of the handful of streets in Ashmont Hill).
Some Kind of Market Would Be Great
A Trader Joes, another Lambert's branch, a small Whole Foods, a Co-op or a Farmers' Market. The area definitely needs a small, good quality market - NOT a convenience store. The area around the Ashmont T is, as another poster stated, getting a major facelift, and thousands of travelers pass through the area on a daily basis. A good quality market would help in the mayor's commercial redevelopment of Dorchester Avenue as well...
Area Demographics
I'd love some quality outlets around Ashmont station, too. I suspect, though, that most any venture would fail unless they are price competitive (Whole Foods most definitely is not). Most of the folks piling out of the subway each day are probably more concerned with paying the electric bill, than dreaming about organically grown Belgian endives.