The parking lot really isn't in bad shape.

I suspect they will do fresh oil and re-stripe.

New sign on the corner, glad to see that!

There is noticeably more traffic at this store since the remodel has reached its final stages. The last few times I have been there the parking lot has been quite full. I am looking forward to seeing the final product.

A new roof membrane too! I couldn’t imagine they’d do the remodel without it, but figured it would go on earlier in the remodel, so I was wondering.

There is noticeably more traffic at this store since the remodel has reached its final stages. The last few times I have been there the parking lot has been quite full. I am looking forward to seeing the final product.Very glad to hear that. I hope it picks up more.

Trees are planted and the main Homeland sign on the building has been installed.

Homeland nears completion on $2 million renovation of core location (http://www.okctalk.com/content.php?r=510-Homeland-nears-completion-on-2-million-renovation-of-core-location)

The Homeland grocery store at NW 18th & Classen has been a fixture in Oklahoma City's central neighborhoods for decades, with few nearby options.


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/homeland061618a.jpg


Last year, the company announced plans to completely renovate the building both inside and out after collecting feedback from residents in the surrounding neighborhoods.

The changes couldn't come fast enough for the store's patrons, as the aging facility had not seen much work in several decades. Before starting, even the large exterior sign was in disrepair.


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/homeland2.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/homeland3.jpg



Now, as work continues to a complete makeover, the new improved Homeland is starting to take shape.

A recent visit shows the eastern 1/3rd of the store is almost complete. This area has been closed off for months and completely rebuilt with a new deli, bakery, butcher and producer area. It will be the entry point of the remodeled store as customers will soon entry from a brand new vestibule.


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/homeland061618b.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/homeland061618e.jpg


The rest of the store has already seen upgrades in the form of new signage, shelving, freezer cases and flooring.


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/homeland061618c.jpg


Outside, there is an entirely new north facade as well as new signage and new trees were recently planted all around. The building has been painted and less noticeable but equally important, a new room and HVAC system has been installed.

There is still plenty of work to be done in the pharmacy and customer service area as well as the checkout area in front of the store and the parking lot.


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/homeland061618d.jpg


Homeland hopes to be completely finished in time for their Grand Reopening scheduled for July 11th.


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/homeland061618.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/homelandnew.jpg

The new section of this store in particular is extremely impressive.

I think people are going to be surprised and impressed with the final product.

Super excited. Especially great for Heritage Hills, Mesta, Gatewood, CTP etc., but this is really great for downtown also. Even with the retooled (and very serviceable) Native Roots, most of downtown still doesn’t have the walkable bodegas people would like, and of course definitely not the full-on supermarket on the streetcar line - or else whatever people will deem “perfect” - but if you factor this store plus relative proximity to Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s downtown residents have at least the same quality of easily-driveable grocery options as many of the “best” parts of the OKC metro. Perhaps not the perfect urban grocery situation but big step up and you can no longer say downtown has no good grocery options close by.

I think the next positive step for downtown hopefully will be a full-on CVS or Walgreens (hopefully on streetcar line and preferably walkable to the convention center). Another Native Roots type situation would be great if it happened, and of course the long-rumored/speculated supermarket in the Midtown area would be great. But this is a huge, HUGE improvement.

Finally, a real butcher stand!!!

I hope they leave it alone when they finish and don't paint everything bright white and change it to a Cash Saver.

Surely this shows their commitment to this store, though we'll see in 3-5 years if it's looking ratty...

Remember, they have a relatively new CEO and other leadership.

They deserve credit for do this and doing it right, especially since that business in general is not very profitable.

Agree. I didn't believe it until I saw it happening. Now that I've seen it, I have some faith, though it's tenuous for now.

Stopped by and the store feels roomier inside. And I'm glad that old deli is a thing of the past.

Its a nice update.

Their prices still suck.

That old deli when you first walked in was nasty and smelly and ugly.

Thank goodness it was one of the first things to go.

14718

From Nextdoor. And not about missing/found animals, local crime, or code enforcement!

Note Grand Opening 11 July.

14718

From Nextdoor. And not about missing/found animals, local crime, or code enforcement!

Note Grand Opening 11 July.

The July 11th date was in our last article. :)

Oh oops

They now have the new entrance and eastern section completely open, although they are still stocking and cleaning up.

Looks like the only big thing left before the July 11th re-grand opening is to finish the parking lot.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/homeland062818a.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/homeland062818b.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/homeland062818c.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/homeland062818d.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/homeland062818e.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/homeland062818f.jpg

This looks great! Night and day difference.

It's super nice -- better than I think most were expecting.

I'm jealous because I used to live right down the street and put up with that old place which never failed to depress me.

Wow, what a dramatic improvement... finally a true grocery store for the city's core.

Forgive me if this has already been discussed, but how did the majority of Homeland's in the metro undergo a change of ownership/branding, but (according to quick Google maps search) only 3 stores appear to have kept their namesake?

Homeland has a new CEO and director of marketing and they are trying to make needed changes.

But they inherited a dying company in an industry with razor-thin margins, getting pressured both from deep discounters like Aldi, Winco, Crest, Sam's Club and Walmart and at the upper end with Whole Foods, Sprouts, Trader Joe's etc. All over the US, the traditional main-stream grocery stores are struggling.

I give them a lot of credit for not only doing this renovation but doing it right.

And I know their prices don't rival Walmart but to me it's worth spending a bit more for a full-featured store that provides a nice environment.


This may sound melodramatic but when I moved back to OKC 2 years ago this store made me feel worse about being here. That it could even exist in that form reflected so badly on the core.

But now, I feel the opposite. I'm really pleased they made this big investment at a time when their company is hurting and when it's downtown's only full scale grocer.

Traffic already seems to be up significantly. I hope they are rewarded by good crowds.

Having lived a few blocks away for six years and thus a regular of this store, recently while driving by the parking lot was literally the fullest I've ever seen it.

Regarding prices, if you are a regular shopper there - or even an occasional shopper - I highly recommend getting a Homeland card. I’ve never gotten marketing or anything else as a result, but I can tell you that last night as an example I had goods which rang up for $105, and after I gave the cashier my Homeland card my total was $91. I get this level of savings over marked retail every time I shop there.

In other words, while their marked prices may be more than places like Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market, I believe the out-the-door prices for regulars is much more competitive.

Wow, place looks really good. Now the question is, how long will it look like that? Grocery stores will only continue being a pleasant place to shop as long as the people working there and the people shopping there take care of it.

^^^^^^
They installed some new managers there in anticipation of this move and I have had multiple conversations with their managers. They are extremely motivated and have firm plans to keep it this way. The way they have merchandised has been exactly as they described to me. I have no doubt about the commitment to this location.

If they would have upgraded all their stores like this I think we would still have them all over the city. That store was in bad shape back in the 70s-80s and this was log overdue. I looks great an I bet they do very well.

The only other nicer store they have at May & Britton seems to do pretty well.

I wonder how they are doing since Uptown Grocers opened. UG also got incentives from The Village.

^^^^^^
They installed some new managers there in anticipation of this move and I have had multiple conversations with their managers. They are extremely motivated and have firm plans to keep it this way. The way they have merchandised has been exactly as they described to me. I have no doubt about the commitment to this location.

Definitely good to hear.

The only other nicer store they have at May & Britton seems to do pretty well.

I wonder how they are doing since Uptown Grocers opened. UG also got incentives from The Village.

Small sample size: We live just north of May and west of Britton. Used to go to Homeland a decent amount for the 'need it quick' trips. Those all go to Uptown now, though every once in a while I pop over to Homeland for Promised Land chocolate milk, or 3 for $12 flowers. Store always seems as 'busy' as it ever was. Things still look great/clean/bright.

I'll hand it to Homeland here. I thought for sure once the Natural Grocer's deal at the Gold Dome was dead, they'd back off the remodel, knowing they didn't have to deal with increased competition. But they went through with it and I hope it pays off. 10 years ago (jeez...10 years?!?) when I first moved to OKC I lived in an apartment in Mesta Park on 20th street. I would drive all the way west to go to Crest instead of shop at this Homeland. Glad they seemed to have turned this one around.

Off topic but on Thursday I got a tip about $0.49 twelve packs of coke products when purchased from Homeland through Instacart. It was definitely a messup, but they honored it and I got 33 twelve packs for $31.50 after tax/tip/delivery fee. So if anybody needs some pop...

I'm liking the improvements, nice to see the buzz in this store. It's such a big difference in what we previously had. The employees even seem happier and it appears to be busy. Looking forward to the grand opening when it's completely finished.

Our news partner KFOR and Lacey Lett have a video update today:

https://kfor.com/2018/07/05/sneak-peek-into-newly-renovated-homeland-store-near-downtown-oklahoma-city/?utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_content=5b3e961a04d3017de8f629d5&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter

Marc Jones seems like a good dude. I hope he continues to lead Homeland to new heights.

Marc Jones seems like a good dude. I hope he continues to lead Homeland to new heights.

Yes, that was my impression as well when I interviewed him.

We all love to bash Homeland but he and his new staff deserve a chance and this store on Classen is a great start.

I was in there Tuesday night and was really impressed. I've known Cindy who works behind the deli counter for years going back to her days at The Boulevard Cafeteria. She was just raving about the remodel. This has been a great morale booster for the employees as well. She also told us to be on the lookout for the News 4 piece. Thanks for posting that.

I was in there Tuesday night and was really impressed. I've known Cindy who works behind the deli counter for years going back to her days at The Boulevard Cafeteria. She was just raving about the remodel. This has been a great morale booster for the employees as well. She also told us to be on the lookout for the News 4 piece. Thanks for posting that.

The working conditions there were horrible.

The old entrance opened right on the checkout lanes and very near the deli. In the winters it was terribly cold and miserable. The doors didn't even work correctly.

And of course the entire place was dirty-looking and lousy. I used the restroom there once (way back in the stock area) and it was scary back there.

I'm really impressed with what they've done at this location. Far above and beyond what I expected.

^^^^^^^^^
Not above what I expected... ;)

I'm not too concerned about it happening. They have already located a new manager there specifically to re-make the product selection. I have talked with him several times. If there is something you'd like for them to carry he is very good about adding it to inventory. There is a pretty comprehensive plan to eliminate a lot of their duplicated items that are typically bought these days at places like Walgreens or Target instead. For instance, he pointed down the aisles that house a massive selection of things like paper goods and also feminine products and pointed out there is no reason in the world for them to have as much as they currently do of those things, as people nowadays prefer to buy that stuff at other stores anyway. They will then use the freed-up space for better selection of things like organics and items that will appeal to the changing demographic in the area.

That post is a year old BTW

The only other nicer store they have at May & Britton seems to do pretty well.

I wonder how they are doing since Uptown Grocers opened. UG also got incentives from The Village.

And it's only nice because it was Albertson's nice store before. Excited for the future of Homeland's management though. More good things to come, I hope.

That post is a year old BTW

You should just change your username to Carnac already.

^^^^^^^
Hahaha

And it's only nice because it was Albertson's nice store before. Excited for the future of Homeland's management though. More good things to come, I hope.

Was it an Albertson's before? I thought the Skagg's/Alpha Beta/Osco/Jewel/Albertson's/Whatever was actually on the NW corner of May/Britton, not where the current Homeland is. But I could be wrong, I was away from OKC for a dozen years and it might've moved during that time, then gone under...

Anybody have any idea when Western Ave northbound between 18th and 23rd is supposed to re-open? It's been closed for weeks now.

Was it an Albertson's before? I thought the Skagg's/Alpha Beta/Osco/Jewel/Albertson's/Whatever was actually on the NW corner of May/Britton, not where the current Homeland is. But I could be wrong, I was away from OKC for a dozen years and it might've moved during that time, then gone under...

Yes, it was an Albertson's but I believe you are correct, the original Albertson's was on the NW corner. They closed it and reopened across the street. Somebody please back me up so I don't think I'm senile but I do vaguely remember that it was on the NW corner and then they moved.
C. T.

Yeah, there was no way I'd forget eating the Texas donuts (as big as a baby's head!) there at the original location on Sundays before church, many moons ago...

Yes, it was an Albertson's but I believe you are correct, the original Albertson's was on the NW corner. They closed it and reopened across the street. Somebody please back me up so I don't think I'm senile but I do vaguely remember that it was on the NW corner and then they moved.
C. T.You're quite correct. The reason given for the move to the SW corner from the NW was that it moved the store from The Village into OKC, and The Village had raised their sales tax. Dunno if that was true or not, though, and too lazy to research it.

Yes, it was an Albertson's but I believe you are correct, the original Albertson's was on the NW corner. They closed it and reopened across the street. Somebody please back me up so I don't think I'm senile but I do vaguely remember that it was on the NW corner and then they moved.
C. T.
You're 100% correct

You're quite correct. The reason given for the move to the SW corner from the NW was that it moved the store from The Village into OKC, and The Village had raised their sales tax. Dunno if that was true or not, though, and too lazy to research it.

Jim, I can't remember if that was the reason or not, but the tax rate in The Village was actually lower than OKC until just before the announcement. The Village had just raised their rate to compensate for losing Wal-Mart to OKC, however, this article makes it sound like Albertsons was just looking to update their location at the time and had worked with The Village to try to find a viable location before moving across Britton: https://newsok.com/article/2745915/albertsons-to-leave-village-site-loss-of-second-retailer-cuts-into-tax-revenue

This article also makes it sound like it was mostly driven by a desire for a new building: https://newsok.com/article/1909179/albertsons-to-move-out-of-the-village

This one shows how devastating these relocation were to tax collections in The Village (even after a tax hike): https://newsok.com/article/2857452/tax-receipts-in-the-village-take-nose-dive

All of this underscores why the incentive game is played in OKC and pretty much everywhere else these days. The dependence that our municipalities have on sales tax collections (based on state laws) creates a situation where neighboring cities become predatory and feel they have to cough up cash to keep tax revenue streams within their boundaries.

You're 100% correct

That I'm senile?
Thanks friend.
C. T.
p.s. Just kidding.

^^^^^^
Haha read it however you want to, C.T.!

As I said, I was too lazy to research the reasons for the move. Probably part of my reply was driven by memories of the perambulating Walmart on NW Highway, which went from its Rockwell location now occupied by Hobby Lobby, to the MacArthur location that's now a pizza parlor, to the present location between Rockwell and Council -- playing the incentive game like the traditional renters who move each time the rent comes due, despite the expense of moving such a large establishment.

My wife and I were just in the Classen homeland and were very impressed. It felt like every aisle she found something she usually buys somewhere else that she can now get here. We used to make special trips to Trader Joes, Target, and Sprouts when we live very close to this homeland. We used to only stop in here if we needed something quick and were relatively sure homeland would have it. Now she wants to start doing our regular grocery shopping here. Homeland has done a complete 180 with this place

Observation: Homeland models one long-neglected store, still neglecting (if not outright abandoning) others, and gets heaps of praise plus free publicity in the paper and the news.

7-Eleven, however, builds several new stores, aiming to make them as bright and clean as their old ones haven't been for years, and barely anyone notices.

I wonder if the expansion of OnCue, and the introduction of other service-oriented convenience stores, have gotten it to the point that there's really nothing 7-Eleven could do at this point to improve their image. I also wonder if the introduction of grocery store competition might have the same effect on Homeland.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking this remodel in any way. You won't find a single person who won't agree this should have been done long ago. I'm just wondering exactly where we are in the timeline of things. If 7-Eleven has crossed the point of no return, how close is Homeland to that point? The service at the Cornwell location used to be great, but it's taken a nosedive. To the point where a couple months ago I said screw this, I'll go to the one at I-40 and Reno, only to rediscover why I stopped going there in the first place. It's been months since I've been at Cornwell and DIDN'T have something ring up wrong. You have to watch the screen like a hawk. This morning around 10am all the BOGO offers were not ringing up correctly, with the excuse that every Sunday at 9am this happens until someone gets around to rebooting the computer. That's ridiculous! Mustang doesn't even warrant a Homeland, apparently, it got rebranded to a Cashsaver. Homeland prices, plus 10%, what a deal!

What I'm saying is this remodel is a "great start", not "mission accomplished", and Homeland better see it the same way...or else they can ask 7-Eleven how that worked out for them.

^

Homeland already had a very nice store at May & Britton and pretty much everything else was inherited.

And, they have a new CEO who in his first year launched this extensive remodel and not due to some big new competitors who was kicking their tails.


7/11 built every single one of their horrendous stores. And there are more than 100 in Central Oklahoma.


On a more personal level, the Homeland people have always promptly returned my calls and have been very helpful. No one from 7 Eleven has ever returned any of my calls, and I've made a bunch.

Observation: Homeland models one long-neglected store, still neglecting (if not outright abandoning) others, and gets heaps of praise plus free publicity in the paper and the news.

What other neglected Homelands are left in the metro? All of the nasty ones that I can think of that were open when I moved back here in 2012 have closed. Even some of the better stores that were converted from Albertson's have closed. Right now the chain seems to be down to a few stores and is trying to do the best they can with what they have. What will be interesting is to see how the new liquor laws affect Homeland. It might make them profitable enough that they go back into expansion mode. If I was CEO of Homeland, I would really be thinking about how to offer a superior beer/wine section than what Wal-Mart will be able to offer.

What other neglected Homelands are left in the metro? All of the nasty ones that I can think of that were open when I moved back here in 2012 have closed. Even some of the better stores that were converted from Albertson's have closed. Right now the chain seems to be down to a few stores and is trying to do the best they can with what they have. What will be interesting is to see how the new liquor laws affect Homeland. It might make them profitable enough that they go back into expansion mode. If I was CEO of Homeland, I would really be thinking about how to offer a superior beer/wine section than what Wal-Mart will be able to offer.

I think the second half of the statement, "if not outright abandoning them", addresses this. Also, I listed two examples in Yukon. One of which was, in fact, a bright and shiny new store but has gone downhill.

I think we are comparing apples and oranges with grocery stores and gas stations. Most people have a regular grocery store they go to at predictable intervals. However, most people will just get gas at whatever station is close and whenever they need it. People see a new or remodeled grocery store in their neighborhood and begin to use that one as their primary; whereas a person will get gas anywhere along their commute or when they are just driving around town. I certainly have preferences to which gas stations I use, but I don't treat them the same as a grocer.