Whole Foods

[Steve]

So if this were in the real world, here's how the conversation would go:
Person A: Whole Foods opened and built a lot of its stores including the one in Tulsa.
Person B: Are you sure about the Tulsa store? I thought it was originally a Wild Oats store?
Person A: Yeah, you know, I think you're right. But I'm pretty sure Whole Foods did an extensive renovation there as part of the conversation.
Person B: That might be right. I imagine this store will be a lot different because it will be a lot newer.
Person A: No kidding! Now let's both make fun of Tulsa! (OK, I'm just making up this last bit hoping to keep the conversation within the expectations of our neighbors to the north).

[Spartan]

Arrgh. I suppose I was mostly ticked off by the "Spartan, the new metro" comment. ha

[Steve]

Yeah, I'm sure Metro had the same reaction. You guys are like dysfunctional brothers.

[Oil Capital]

Why don't you look it up on the Tulsa County Assessor's website, ****.. you don't know **** either. Nice try for the "revelations" you try and post though.

If you want to refer to my corrections of your error-filled posts as "revelations", I suppose that is your call. Personally, I just call them facts. Nothing fancy, nothing mysterious, nothing exotic, just simple facts that anyone can find if they are so disposed.

[metro]

Yeah, I'm sure Metro had the same reaction. You guys are like dysfunctional brothers.

They got the idea from the movie Step Brothers (with Will Farrel) from us, you didn't get the memo at the Oklahoman?

[Spartan]

If you want to refer to my corrections of your error-filled posts as "revelations", I suppose that is your call. Personally, I just call them facts. Nothing fancy, nothing mysterious, nothing exotic, just simple facts that anyone can find if they are so disposed.

Okay Oil Capital, so.. I guess the question is, who owns the Whole Foods bldg? I'm dying to see what you might say.

[JerzeeGrlinOKC]

Ladies, ladies...relax! Let's just celebrate the confirmation! Who cares about Tulsa?!?

Or do we need to whip out the old 20+ page Whole Foods thread? At least we were civil (for the most part) there. Let's bury it and make this one the nice replacement

[Steve]

They got the idea from the movie Step Brothers (with Will Farrel) from us, you didn't get the memo at the Oklahoman?

That's the first laugh I've had all day. Thanks Metro.
Back to the topic: did anyone notice in my story how Oshel referred to Whole Foods preferring to locate with certain tenants? Do you read anything into that?

[metro]

[MikeOKC]

That's the first laugh I've had all day. Thanks Metro.
Back to the topic: did anyone notice in my story how Oshel referred to Whole Foods preferring to locate with certain tenants? Do you read anything into that?

I found it very interesting. Kind of like a package deal with certain tenants. Maybe not necessarily particular chains; possibly more like "approved" tenants?

[OKCTalker]

Is there a cage-fighting facility in Stroud where this can be settled? Winner gets a gift cert to the Whole Foods of his choice.

[okclee]

I found it very interesting. Kind of like a package deal with certain tenants. Maybe not necessarily particular chains; possibly more like "approved" tenants?

I hope this doesn't slow things up for another two years. This "signed lease" could have a few contingencies, and such slowing down the "official annoucement" with scheduled opening date / site location.

[FritterGirl]

That's the first laugh I've had all day. Thanks Metro.
Back to the topic: did anyone notice in my story how Oshel referred to Whole Foods preferring to locate with certain tenants? Do you read anything into that?

I read that they likely wish to find space with other high-end retailers or anchor tenants. Based on suburban models of Whole Foods I've visited lately, where they've built from scratch (NOT in an existing location a la Tulsa), they've been around some pretty popular national big box retailers. Somehow I don't see that happening in this particular space, though.

[Spartan]

Is there a cage-fighting facility in Stroud where this can be settled? Winner gets a gift cert to the Whole Foods of his choice.

I would go to ridiculous lengths of embarrassing myself to get an OKC Whole Foods gift certificate.

Steve, I don't really read anything into Alison Oshel's statement..she was probably just referring to the pros of locating by Classen Curve, which has Balliet's and a current/hot reputation for retail, as opposed to downtown.

[FritterGirl]

I would go to ridiculous lengths of embarrassing myself to get an OKC Whole Foods gift certificate.

Someone call The Lost Ogle. We need to get this on tape.

[gmwise]

I'm not sure where you're headed with this, but I'm not really interested in a philosophical discussion of human nature. My mentioning of that phrase was intended to make the point that the average person won't regularly go far out of their way to get a top-quality product if it's an burdensome inconvenience of time and effort and a "good enough" product will suffice. Lets just leave it at that on this thread.

I ask because so many use "human nature", as much as they blame "the devil".
I just wanted to know if you were using as a figure of speech or if you saw more into it.
Sorry! lol

[Steve]

I would go to ridiculous lengths of embarrassing myself to get an OKC Whole Foods gift certificate.

Steve, I don't really read anything into Alison Oshel's statement..she was probably just referring to the pros of locating by Classen Curve, which has Balliet's and a current/hot reputation for retail, as opposed to downtown.

Now, go and read the "Chesapeake development announcement" thread, which I don't think was started spontaneously...

[Steve]

No, it's a done deal okclee.

[Oil Capital]

Okay Oil Capital, so.. I guess the question is, who owns the Whole Foods bldg? I'm dying to see what you might say.

The Whole Foods building in Tulsa is owned by a local Tulsa company by the name of Venture Properties.

[foodiefan]

[QUOTE=MadMonk;324732]Well to each their own. Judging only by your name I imagine that you are more of a food connoisseur than the average person and can only assume you have more time to do your shopping than I do.


Worked hard many years, now retired, so yes. . .don't answer to the alarm, can shop pretty much whenever/wherever I please, Thank you very much. Not sure about the "connoisseur" part. . .I'd justknow I'd rather have a little bit of something very good (or even better. . . something great!!) than a lot of something average or bad. . .and it doubles the fun if it's also different!!

[bluedogok]

To say "only" 10,000 people live in downtown Austin is perhaps a bit misleading. Just including the campus neighborhoods and part of Clarksville, there are over 30,000 people in about three square miles, and this entire area has an urban fabric akin to a "downtown." Moreover, central Austin is the most desirable part of town and thus most of the neighborhoods in and surrounding downtown are filled with the very kind of people who will shop at Whole Foods. In OKC, by contrast, most of the areas surrounding downtown (excluding those to the north) are among the least desirable in town.

Though I'm perhaps tripping over your choice of words, your assertion that WF is in downtown Austin "just because that's where the HQ is" seems a bit, well, silly. If WF wasn't there, it is almost certain that something else would have filled the void by now (I also note the presence of Central Market ~2 miles away, and the well-publicized interest HEB has in a downtown store)--even by your own admission, the store is wildly successful, perhaps mostly because there's an "effective" downtown population larger than 10,000 there to support it.

The "10,000" was based from quotes of Mayor Wynn during his 25,000 by 2015 stuff, which was based on that number (25,000) in the Central Business District, not the areas south of the river, east of I-35 or the campus area. Granted that number is probably a little higher now and will grow some when some of the projects currently under construction are completed.

Whole Foods didn't have a downtown location until they built the new one, although they were pretty close to downtown. What I was trying to say is that store probably wouldn't be in that location if it wasn't for the fact that the HQ was locating downtown. Looking at it as an "outsider" looking to locate there it would probably be somewhere on Lamar and possibly close to where Central Market is located. A store alone would probably have had a hard time justifying that particular parcel on a cost/benefit analysis.

What I was also trying to say is the downtown population is not what keeps the 6th & Lamar location packed, it is the entire city and those who make it a point to go out of their way to make WF a destination not just a convienence stop like a HEB or Randall's might be. I know people who work downtown but live far away from there that shop at WF very frequently, I also know quite a few who do and do not live anywhere near downtown. It attracts from far and wide, so it is not just downtown or an "effective" downtown population that supports it. I feel that an OKC store will be much the same in the area that it draws from.

[Steve]

For what it's worth, I suspect the Classen Curve location of Whole Foods is still a boost to downtown, considering many downtown residents currently do their grocery shopping at the Belle Isle Walmart, which is nearby.

[okclee]

Belle Isle Wal-Mart, really? I do not like that walmart, could be the
worst in the metro, right up there with 240 & Shields.

Do downtown residents shop there? I know I don't but that is just one.

I would be curious as to where downtown residents shop for groceries?

[betts]

Homeland on Classen for me.

[gmwise]

Homeland on Classen for me.

yea