Dwight Mourns, Looks Beyond Shaw's "Divorce"

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Dwight Mourns, Looks Beyond Shaw’s “Divorce”

by zak stone | Mar 3, 2010 12:28 pm

(28) Comments | Commenting has been closed | E-mail the Author

Posted to: Business/Labor/ Economic Development, Food, Dwight, Whalley

Zak Stone Photo Dwight is going through an “unexpected, horrible divorce”—with a supermarket. So Linda Townsend-Maier told neighbors at a standing-room-only gathering. It was clear that she will not make this “emotional journey” alone.

Some 70 citizens and representatives from a wide array of organizations packed into the Edgewood Avenue police substation Tuesday evening for a meeting of the Dwight Community Management Team. Attendees aired their concerns about life in the neighborhod after central New Haven’s only supermarket—and Dwight’s economic anchor—closes at the end of the month.

Townsend-Maier (at right in photo), executive director of the the Greater Dwight Development Corporation (GDDC), took the chance to set the record straight about the closing of Shaw’s supermarket, which has fueled a considerable rumor mill. Concrete details of a strategy for finding a replacement market will have to wait until next week’s meeting with the GDDC’s consultants.

In mid-February, Shaw’s corporate parent SuperValu announced plans to close all 18 Connecticut Shaw’s stores. New Haven’s store was one of only two supermarkets passed over for buy-outs by chains like Stop & Shop. Shaw’s demise will eliminate more than 100 jobs and leave the central city without a single large food retailer, as early as late March. Click here to read a back story.

Townsend-Maier said that the GDDC will work with the community to do “whatever it takes” to keep a grocery store in the Dwight Place shopping center. Even though the GDDC owns the shopping center, Shaw’s controls the space until 2019, when its 20-year lease will expire. The GDDC was among the original collaborators who brought the market to Whalley Avenue in 1998, a project hailed by The New York Times as the ‘“first inner-city store” for Shaw’s.

Townsend-Maier said that Shaw’s has several options: It could abandon the space and keep paying rent while it remains vacant. It could find a full service supermarket or several smaller entities to take over. Or it could get the GDDC to buy out the rest of the lease.

An official from the Shaw’s real estate division did not return a call for comment Tuesday.

Dwight Management Team Chair Florita Gillespie said the neighborhood needs to organize to try to steer the center’s destiny. “Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass; it’s about learning to dance in the rain,” she said. The Community Economic Development Clinic at the Yale Law School, the Whalley Avenue Special Services District (WASSD), the Greater New Haven Central Labor Council (GHCLC), the New Haven Food Policy Council (NHFPC), the CT Food Bank (CFB), and many other offices have already joined in the “dance” by pledging their support.

Townsend-Maier said that the GDDC was devastated by news of the closing, which caught them entirely off-guard with only weeks to “identify a new operator.” She compared her level of shock to the feeling brought on by being part of an “unexpected, horrible divorce,” during which your husband sends nothing more than a “text message” to say, “I’m leaving town ... Don’t try to find me.” GCCD was among the groups (along with City Hall, the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, and Yale) that helped put together the deal that brought Shaw’s and the shopping center around it to town.
Sheila Masterson (pictured), head of the (WASSD), vouched for Townsend-Maier that the GCCD has been working on the problem since the “very moment” it found out in mid-February. “Linda was on the phone with brokers” immediately, said Masterson.

Attendees at the meeting Tuesday night wanted to know why their Shaw’s was not bought up by another retail chain as most other Connecticut Shaw’s were. Although Townsend-Maier said that she did not want to speculate, she suggested that supermarket execs are hesitant to take on an urban neighborhood.

“Perceptions of what urban areas are all about still linger on,” Townsend-Maier. Corporate decisionmakers probably assumed that they would not turn a profit given the socioeconomics of the Dwight neighborhood, she said, although market research would show that the store’s clientele extends way beyond Dwight to shoppers throughout the New Haven area, given its central location. Masterson agreed that the supermarket’s site, on a bus line in a high-density neighborhood, is among the market’s greatest strengths.

Community Concern

Food Bank Programs Director Kate Walton worried aloud about the lack of “food security” that neighbors will face when Shaw’s closes. For many car-less residents of Dwight and downtown, Shaw’s is the only affordable option for fresh food, she said. The “impact is going to be felt within days” of the store’s closing, transforming the area in to a “food desert” once more. The shelves at Shaw’s are already gradually going bare in the run-up to the closing.

Others attendees, like Jeffrey Boyd (pictured above) from the GHCLC, expressed concern about the future of Shaw’s employees, who will most likely struggle to find new work in a dreary economic climate. He said that the “super-majority of Shaw’s workers” hail from the immediate low-income neighborhood. He pledged his organization’s best efforts to help find a replacement store to provide employment for the displaced workers.

One such worker, Lossie Gorham (pictured above in blue jacket), spoke up at the meeting. She said that her co-workers at Shaw’s “are devastated that they might not find anything” in the way of new work. She said that current employees know “the exact type of store” that’s needed as a replacement, and ought to be “grandfathered into what is coming.”

Several participants were eager to see Shaw’s replacement challenge the corporate status quo. Tagan Engel from the NHFPC asked if the GDDC had considered other models around the country like co-ops in Philadelphia or Boston that carry everything form local food to generic brands. Such a store “would reach everybody in New Haven.”

Another neighbor agreed that the GDDC ought to consider something other than “a large corporation” that will regard New Haven’s store as “just a number on a sheet.” He cited the recent pull-outs of Staples and Rite Aid down the block as evidence of the failure of corporate development on Whalley. Townsend-Maier said her group would discuss different grocery store models at next week’s meeting.

Dispelling the Rumors

Townsend-Maier spent much of the meeting dispelling rumors generated in the absence of hard facts about Shaw’s closing. For example, she’s heard many people making false comparisons between the respective closings of Shaw’s and Staples. In reality, Staples did not have the option of renewing its lease and did not leave on its own accord, she said.

And the rumors that discount grocer Save-a-Lot is what’s coming next? Townsend-Maier said while she would not be in favor of that store “as a shopper,” the GDDC would not “be able to do a thing” about it should SuperValu make a deal with Save-A-Lot. “This is business,” she added, and SuperValu could very well “leave the story black” if it wishes. (SuperValu owns both Shaw’s and Save-A-Lot.)

While many are hoping that Stop & Shop or ShopRite will come to Whalley, Townsend-Maier called those scenarios improbable, since those chains most likely were offered New Haven’s Shaw’s and declined. Transitioning a supermarket is not something that large companies rush into, and it’s probable that the new owners of the 16 Connecticut Shaw’s have been planning the change for “six months or longer,” Townsend-Maier said.

While rumor has it that the rent was too high for Shaw’s on Whalley to get by, she said that the management never approached her about lowering rents, which could have been arranged.

One piece of good news is that the New Haven Shaw’s wasn’t the only one closed, said Townsend-Maier, which would make the location appear particularly flawed to potential replacements. Furthermore, the GDDC and its partners have experience in luring a major grocery store to town, after going through the process in the late 1990s.

“And we’re better at it than we were 10 years ago,” Townsend-Maier added.

Comments

posted by: peapod on March 3, 2010 1:18pm

just go to http://www.peapod.com its not that big a deal that supermarket was nasty anyway anyone with a car drives to woodbridge or new haven.

posted by: DavidK on March 3, 2010 1:22pm

I feel terrible about this loss. As a white homeowner in Beaver Hills I have a passing relationship with my black and white neighbors..except for my visits to Shaw’s. The staff and cashiers are hard workers but will comment, make eye to eye contact and smile even when tired. I have never been in a more integrated environment. I wish the staff all the luck in finding new jobs and hope some smart business person will see the light and reopen a market at that location. After all it did have the traffic and can be run profitably.

posted by: Pedro on March 3, 2010 1:38pm

While I thought that this was never the best run grocery store in the area, I think that this is a pretty significant loss for the city.

I do think that Ms. Masterson’s and others outright dismissal of Sav A Lot now comes across as pretty much a horrendous idea. Better to have at least a discount retailer operating than nothing. It’s also pretty clear that this was Shaw’s endgame- keep the higher growth value stores in CT and sell of the larger shops.

Hopefully Shaw’s will just walk away from this lease, as it would destroy all of the forward progress in this area to have that grocery space chopped up into cell phone stores and other suboptimal uses.
GDC dropped the ball on Save-A-Lot, hopefully they will at least manage to maneuver this mess so that there is no permanent damage. Losing that space for grocery really would set Whalley back years, if not more.

posted by: anon on March 3, 2010 4:15pm

Why didn’t they see this coming when the Sav-a-Lot proposal came out?

I know at the time they made the public argument that if they let the Sav-a-Lot open, it would potentially force Shaws out, but the writing was on the wall given that it is the same company.

Anyhow, maybe it is for the best, if Edge of the Woods starts doing better and can pressure whoever owns that abandoned building at the end of their parking lot to fix it up.

posted by: Threefifths on March 3, 2010 5:08pm

Community wake up.You are being sold snakeoil.
The store is gone just like the jobs are gone for ever. The store is now poltricks.Then new for years that this was going down.Rember this store was made of the back’s of politics.

Read what they are telling you.

Attendees at the meeting Tuesday night wanted to know why their Shaw�s was not bought up by another retail chain as most other Conencticut Shaw�s were. Although Townsend-Maier said that she did not �want to speculate,� she suggested that supermarket execs are hesitant to take on an urban neighborhood.

�Perceptions of what urban areas are all about still linger on,� Townsend-Maier. Corporate decisionmakers probably assumed that they would not turn a profit given the socioeconomics of the Dwight neighborhood, she said, although market research would show that the store�s clientele extends way beyond Dwight to shoppers throughout the New Haven area, given its central location. Masterson agreed that the supermarket�s site, on a bus line in a high-density neighborhood, is among the market�s greatest strengths.

What she says’s is true. I know it to be true because There was a African American by the name of Sam Chapman who was the owner of shoprite in West Haven.He sold the store to the owner of the shoprite in milford. I know this owner personal and He told me that he now is the owner of the shaws in Stratford and Hamden. I said how about the one in New Haven. He said no comment,But I could tell he did not want to touch it. Also who is going to pay the high taxes that are going to come with this site which she is not telling you.

Several participants were eager to see Shaw�s replacement challenge the corporate status quo. Tagan Engel from the NHFPC asked if the GDDC had considered other models around the country like co-ops in Philadelphia or Boston that carry everything form local food to generic brands. Such a store �would reach everybody in New Haven,�

This is a good idea,Buy it will not give you paying jobs.Foodcoops are run by people who put in free time a week to keep over head down.

The Park Slope Food Coop, located in the heart of the Park Slope section of Brooklyn, New York, was founded in 1973 by a small group of committed neighbors who wanted to make healthy, affordable food available to everyone who wanted it. PSFC has more than 12,000 members, most of whom work once every four weeks in exchange for a 20 � 40% savings on groceries. Only members may shop at the PSFC, and membership is open to all.

The Coop carries a wide variety of products, including local, organic and conventionally grown produce; pasture-raised and grass-fed meat; free-range, organic and kosher poultry; fair-traded chocolate and coffee; wild and sustainably farmed fish; supplements and vitamins; imported and artisan cheese; freshly baked bread; bulk grains and spices; environmentally safe cleaning supplies, and much more. All of this, plus a large selection of standard supermarket items, makes the Coop a one-stop shopping destination. Sales are brisk at the PSFC and our inventory is replenished more than once every week, ensuring that the products we sell are as fresh as possible.

As a member of the Coop you share ownership of the Coop with 14,000+ fellow Coop members. You have a voice in the decision-making process and can participate in planning and discussions of the organization’s future. Work, shop, learn, participate � be a part of a unique and rewarding community here in Brooklyn.

Would you like to know where your fruits and vegetables come from and how they are grown?

Would you like to buy nutritious food for much less than you’re spending now?

Would you like access to foods from all over the world?

How would you like cooking classes where you can learn how to prepare these foods?

Would you like to learn about and participate in the growth and direction of this dynamic organization?

As a member of the Park Slope Food Coop, you’ll be able to do all this and more.

this is still a good idea.

Bottom line is this.Wake up community kick out the politician and get your money together
and buy the store!!!!

posted by: JR on March 3, 2010 6:12pm

This is just devastating.

What I don’t understand, and would like to know, is this: how profitable is the store now?

In the 1990s, when we fought to get Shaw’s (and by “we” I mean not only GDDC but also Yale’s ONHSA and many, many other people), it was hard to overcome the false perception that this neighborhood was just a crime-ridden, bad place where no supermarket could thrive. Since then, it seems to me, Shaw’s has really disproved those fears—the store has thrived! None of the somewhat crazy fears materialized (e.g. muggings in the parking lot, rampant theft of goods, etc.) All that stuff turned out to be a bunch of racist, classist baloney.

But while I see the parking lot full and the store attracting customers from a wide area of New Haven, what I don’t know is how much money it’s actually been making. That seems relevant to the question of attracting a new supermarket. Anyone have any idea of how the store has done, financially, in the last 10 years?

posted by: Yaakov on March 3, 2010 6:18pm

“Bottom line is this.Wake up community kick out the politician and get your money together
and buy the store!!!!”

If I recall correctly, Lossie Gorham, a Shaw’s employee (pictured above) who was at last night’s meeting said this very thing. I think she mentioned how she wished the employees had been given the opportunity to take over the store.

What about some sort of an IGA or something? Could a coalition of individuals come together to start an independent grocery store, owned by the employees and other interested parties?

Perhaps such a worker-owned cooperative could be a feasible alternative; something between another corporate big-box grocery store and a full-blown food coop.

posted by: Bill Saunders on March 3, 2010 6:48pm

New Haven, a city of 120,000 people that don’t need to eat.

posted by: gyuri on March 3, 2010 6:50pm

This all about dirty politics. To be honest about solving the problem, it has to be divided into two.
Perhaps both parts cannot be solved.

Part one: The neighborhood and New Haven need affordable, accessible, fresh food. This should be the primary objective and must be solved even if Part Two cannot! Read Threefifths comments below.

Part Two: Find jobs for Shaw’s unfortunately displaced workers, but not at the expense of the public.

posted by: Staurt Little on March 3, 2010 6:59pm

A few random comments about this story. Firstly although I did not read the story carefully, the Mayor of NH was no where mentioned. What exactly does leadership mean and do. A real leader who is concerned would carry some weight and also get publically involved.Shaws got away without any serious negative publicity.
Next as a reader mentioned all the community activists seemd to have no idea that Shaws was moving when they wanted to bring in Save A Lot. A seasoned mercahnt would have smelled something.These peopel were more concerned with bringing in a Banana Republic shop to the Rite Aid site than thinking in real economic terms what a Save a Lot really means.
A few suggestions. Lets work to make sure Edge of the Woods survives as they too are under “attack” by Whole Foods.
Also a small food coop would be a fine idea.Start with some basic products and see how it goes. The talk of local produce and other New Age stuff is not real , its as real as talk of opening a Trader Joes here. People’s memory is short , there was a large food coop on Whalley Ave where Minores is now and after strugling it too failed.
Good luck

posted by: Catch 22 on March 3, 2010 7:33pm

Rumor has it that the WASSD group had a meeting this AM about some “details” regarding Shaws Supermarket and the community players were all in attendance.

posted by: Dr. Nick on March 3, 2010 9:08pm

That was a surprisingly nice store- it’s been redone in the last few years and had a lot of space in there along with very high class food displays. Shame it’s going. Like the Staples, it’s probably just a LITTLE too far west of Yale, That neigborhood may be ok, but I wouldn’t want to have to walk between Elm and Brodway and that Shaw’s at night. If it was where the Shell station is on Broadway, I bet it would have done better. Same goes for Staples, I think.

posted by: Threefifths on March 3, 2010 9:12pm

Here�s how the mayor�s budget would affect the average city tax bill for each type of property, according to mayoral spokeswoman Jessica Mayorga:

Commercial: 9.7 percent increase
1-3 family home: 8.8 percent increase
Condo: 15.1 percent increase
Motor vehicle: 11.9 percent decrease

Notice Commercial tax bill.Like I said it is going to be hard press to find someone to come in and buy this store.I wonder how many in the community vote for King John.

posted by: lance on March 3, 2010 9:19pm

You know you’re in a bad area when a store neeeds a cop at the door in addition to a store detective or four at all times. That costs money. And I bet the store still had high shrink numbers anyway.

“Urban” grocers are busy for a day or two when the food stamp cards get recharged, but then it drops off. It makes more sense for a chain or store owner to put their money somewhere other than the ghetto. And that store was in the ghetto.

posted by: DavidK on March 4, 2010 12:28am

Dear Lance

I’m from Chicago and you don’t know what a ghetto is. Whaley ave is a cake walk. My wife walks to Shaw’s twice a week. The trouble with you liberals is, you talk the talk but you don’t walk the walk.

posted by: whatthehell on March 4, 2010 1:25am

WHERE ... is Alderwoman Calder? Why is this a surprise…the city is small…no one knew this was going down until a month or so ago? Packing the substation out to give people a chance to speak or better yet grieve the loss…is ridiculous! One more example of how the residents in this city are merely;looked at as pawns! Will our city government ever informed us before the crap hits the fan? Maybe a Rubber Boot Factory is what we need!

posted by: HewNaven?? on March 4, 2010 10:27am

Given their mission, it seems like the New Haven Food Policy Council should be a bigger presence in this situation, no? With all the good work they’ve done, I’d like to see some more of their ideas.

“A food policy council works to strengthen the local food system by connecting its various sectors. The local food system is the network of entities that encompasses everything about the production and consumption of food, including farms, distributors, retail stores, and emergency service providers. Since access to and distribution of food is an important part of the food system, the public sector, including such transportation systems and schools, also play an important role. A food policy council encourages networking between these sectors and develops methods for greater collaboration on projects and programs related to food issues.

Food policy councils are made up of a diverse group of people representing different sectors of the community food system. Membership often includes grocers, restaurant owners, chefs, anti-hunger advocates, farmers, wholesalers and distributors, food processors, government employees, environmentalists, school system representatives, non-profit employees, community and religious leaders, scholars and concerned citizens. Prior to the creation of the New Haven Food Policy Council, there was no single locus of activity to connect these efforts and encourage collaborative, far-reaching problem solving.

What are the advantages of having such a council be a part of city government?

“City government can be an important ally in strengthening our local food system. Local governments command significant resources, have mandates to address social and environmental issues, and provide opportunities for citizen involvement. City policies profoundly shape local food production and distribution, in ways that include the locations of supermarkets, the availability of land for urban agriculture and the delivery of nutrition education.3�

Creating a food policy council as part of local government has the advantage of leveraging additional resources and gaining audience with local policy makers by formalizing a mechanism of communication between them and the council, and demonstrating the commitment of the city to tackle these critical issues.

Structure and Goals of the Council

The Council was created by City Ordinance on May 12, 2005 and is defined in � 14-41 of the Municipal Code.”

(from CityofNewHaven.com)

posted by: STYLENE on March 4, 2010 10:34am

@LANCE

TELL’EM HOW U REALLY FEEL!!! GEEZ

posted by: asdf on March 4, 2010 10:53am

DavidK

Lance is not a liberal.

posted by: DavidK on March 4, 2010 11:39am

Dear asdf

It was a Joke!

posted by: asdf on March 4, 2010 9:25pm

DavidK—
Sorry—sometimes it is hard to tell who is joking and who is just plain delusional.

posted by: Anon on March 4, 2010 11:12pm

It was clear when the NHI ran the story about the Sav-a-lot going before the zoning board for the staples location that Supevalue was pulling shaws out and replacing it with Sav-a-lot, which it tends to do in urban areas.

What was wierd was econ dev people arguing agaisnt it at that zoning meeting as competition that would hurt shaws. It is hard to believe they could be that unknowledgeable about the ownership and strategies of Supervalu. Surely they knew too. It was obvious.

Supervalu’s strategy of rolling out sav-alots was publicly reported in the press.

Anyway, what is confirmed for me from this story is that Staples did not willingly leave. I had been wondering that forever.

Is Supervalu paying the owner of the staples property now? pending approval from zoning for its sav-a-lot? Or what?

Did Supervalu kill shaws AND staples? Thanks a lot if so.

And what about property taxes? They are going to rise to service New Haven’s bloating debt.

Not a great picture.

Anyway, the grocery situation is really not good except on the high end - grocers in East Rock and Edge of the Woods on Whalley.

We need an office supply [also no other in town] and we need a grocery. We get a lousy sav-a-lot instead, not even a price rite, which is really good.

Can the store pull off employee ownership? What about Lloyd Parchment, I wonder if he could be persuaded to get into it, despite the difficulties moving his coffee-roasting business to new haven caused him.

Maybe Dwight econ. and wassd can recruit a store. they seem willing, confident and they are experienced in just that, so here’s hoping and good luck. We are behind you.

posted by: Threefifths on March 5, 2010 10:43am

I am saying it again. As long as you have these
Charlatan politician,Judas Goat’s sell out leaders you are doom. Let me tell you a story. The Dominican community had this problem of not
having a supermarket. So this is what they did.

Bravo! Spanish supermarket chain expands on Long Island
By Solnik, Claude

Bravo, a chain of independently owned supermarkets targeting Hispanic customers, has opened a store in Central Islip, and more could be on the way.

The Central Islip supermarket with is red, green, yellow and white rainbow logo, opened in late October in a 27,000-square-foot space that Jose Tores, the owner of the Central Islip Bravo, said he hopes to open others in Hempstead, Brentwood and Middle Island.

The Bravo chain has already enjoyed success in New York City and Florida, where there are 43 locations in all.

We’ve been expanding as the Hispanic market expands itself, said Robert Gewelb, executive vice president for White Plains-based Alpha 1, which is operated by Krasdale Foods Inc. and licenses the Bravo as well as the C-Town names to independent store operators and supplies and helps market the stores.

Gewelb said an independent supermarket operator briefly ran another Bravo store in Farmingdale, but shifted to the Compare nameplate, leaving Central Islip as the sole Bravo in Nassau or Suffolk.

The Bravo group does a terrific job of offering a supermarket operator a specific advertising and marketing program which skews heavily to the Hispanic clientele, said Kevin Gallagher, executive vice president at Hackensack, N.J.-based GC Publishing, which publishes the trade magazine Modern Grocer.

When you put up a Bravo, it’s recognized very favorably from the Hispanic population.

Bravo’s slogan on the front of the store and on circulars proudly proclaims la tiendona del pueblo or the town store.

If you want something Spanish, it’s here, said Angie Duran, whose parents were born in the Dominican Republic, as she pushed a cart through an aisle.

Duran said that in addition to the Spanish flavor of the supermarket’s products, she is attracted to the low prices.

Sales, Duran said, noting an offer for plantains. They’re six for a dollar (at some other stores). Here you get 10. I like the price.
They also had c-town which closed down on dixwell. You have bravo in hartford and waterbury. They are growing across this country.

Hispanic Chain Launches New Freshco Banner in Florida
Oct 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By CHRISTINE BLANK

By: By CHRISTINE BLANK
ORANGE CITY, Fla. � The Bravo Supermarkets chain has opened a new format here that it hopes will appeal to a broad consumer base with its emphasis on perishables and low prices.

Bravo, a Hispanic-focused format that has its roots in the New York area, debuted the Freshco International Supermarket concept here at the end of August, and already the chain’s owners want to expand the banner.

Also they are in control of the hair salon.

Women say ‘adios’ to black hair salons in favor of Dominicans
By Myranda Stephens

Janis Boatwright doesn’t speak Spanish. “Buenos dias. That’s all I can tell you,” Boatwright chuckles.

Yet, she’s part of a growing number of African-American women who are saying “adios” to black hair salons and “hola” to Dominican hair salons. “I like the fullness you get in your hair,” said Boatwright, 49, of Baltimore. “You don’t have to have a relaxer; you can get your hair blown out with the brush.”

According to Jennifer Drew, creator of roundbrushhair.com, a Website that tracks and promotes Dominican hair salons nationwide, African-American women make up an estimated 95 percent of the clientele at Dominican hair shops. Dominican salons are known for their signature hair styling that includes roller setting the hair and using a round brush and blow dryer to finish the look. Drew said the technique, along with their fast walk-in service and low prices makes them more appealing to black women. In Maryland, the average cost for basic service is $35, compared to $50 at black salons.

“You can afford to go back weekly, whereas if you’re spending $50 to $55 [at a black hair salon], maybe you’ll go once a month,” explained Drew.

Based in Jessup, Maryland, Drew is a liaison and translator for stylists and clients who face a language barrier. She’s also African-American. “Everybody’s always surprised,” Drew laughs.

The 27-year-old Washington, D.C. native became an “honorary Dominican” in 2003, when she spent months in the Dominican Republic learning the language and culture of the people. She loved the Dominican hair experience so much that she donated all of her clothes just to fill her suitcase with their products on the return home. Trying to replicate her experience in D.C., however, proved difficult. “I couldn’t find [any Dominican salons]” says Drew. “The ones I did find, I didn’t care for.”

In 2006, Drew launched her Website to help others find Dominican salons beyond the New York area, which they have exclusively called home for years. Since then, the salons have rapidly spread across the U.S., including Maryland, which went from five locations on her site to 65 and counting.

“I’m so glad to work for the Americans,” says Julia Zapata, owner of Julia Dominican Hair Salon in Pikesville, MD, which opened in October. “A lot of black Americans… they’re coming to us because they understand we care [for] the hair.” But the reception isn’t warm everywhere.

“What’s cheaper is not always better,” asserts Deborah Wiggs, owner of Maryland-based Xscape Hair Salon. Wiggs, who is African-American, says the styling technique used at most Dominican salons can eventually lead to baldness in black women. “Their hair is a different texture than ours,” says Wiggs. “You’ve got a brush with bristles close together and you’re ripping through the hair. It’s damaging, especially for women with chemically-treated hair. ”

Wiggs’ daughter, Tonya Wiggs, 31, also does hair at Xscape. She said while some of her clients left the salon for a Dominican salon, all eventually came back. “I actually had a very good friend go. She just wanted to see what it was like, and when she called me she said ‘My hair… it’s fluffy, it’s blowing in the wind, but I have about three strands left.’”

The Wiggs compared the rise of Dominican hair salons to Asian nail salons, which they say all but wiped out “the African-American nail tech” because of their quick service and cheap products and prices. The pair, however, isn’t concerned that Dominican hair salons will have the same impact.

“When your nails start breaking you might not like it, but everyone doesn’t notice. When your hair is gone, everyone notices,” explains Tonya. Still, she believes the popularity of Dominican salons should serve as a wake-up call to African-American hair stylists, who no longer have the stronghold they once had on the black hair industry.

“As business owners and hair stylists, African-American salons really need to step their game up so they won’t lose clients.” For some salons, it may be too late. After two years of patronizing Dominican hair salons, Boatwright said she can’t imagine going back to black. “I wouldn’t say never, but I know for right now, I’m going to keep going to the Dominican salons.”
They have shops in new haven and west haven.

Look bottom line Workers buy the store youself.

posted by: anon on March 5, 2010 2:50pm

All these closed stores from Rite Aid to Shaw’s present a huge opportunity to blast streets through from Whalley to Elm (streets that in many cases used to be there, before the strip mall craze).

A walkable neighborhood would create more jobs, and make more people happier in the long term, than any number of new strip malls.

The huge block between Orchard and Dwight, with no cross streets, is a giant barrier to the neighborhood’s long term success.

posted by: HewNaven?? on March 5, 2010 4:58pm

Great point, Anon. Looking at an aerial shot you can see that Kensington St. should go right through to Whalley Ave. creating a walkable storefront on at least two sides. Instead, we have a mall-sized parking lot on one side and a massive brick wall with no opening to the sidewalk or street on the adjacent side (Whalley). Also, try crossing the street in front of Shaw’s. Although illegal, it is encouraged given the lack of crossing streets. Needless to say, design is definitely a major problem with Dwight Place (i.e. Shaw’s plaza).

posted by: Yaakov on March 7, 2010 6:46pm

Just got this email:

Special Meeting

Supermarket in Dwight

Place- Community Police Station
130 Edgewood Ave.
New Haven, CT 06511

Date- Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Time- 6:30 p.m.

posted by: Fatso on March 8, 2010 1:06am

Ferraros on Grand Avenue is surrounded by public housing but still thriving. A bus stops right by it. Anyone can go their.

posted by: Gina Calder on March 8, 2010 8:44pm

Three Fifths - Thanks for the ideas; my only concerns would be start up time/resources and job replacement.

This is definitely a huge challenge for us in the Dwight community and throughout New Haven, so any ideas and commitment of time to help us resolve the losses of jobs and high quality, accessible food we are facing would be greatly appreciated. There are a number of us working to attract other supermarkets to replace Shaws, but the more people we have working on multiple strategies the better. Please feel free to contact me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or 203-782-0832 if you are willing to help. Thanks in advance.

Gina

New Haven Independent

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