"Whole Foods received $5.8 million of tax credits and local and state grants. Emanuel reportedly asked Whole Foods to come to Englewood, and the city has pledged an unspecified amount of TIF money from the Chicago Neighborhoods Now program."
Hi. I'm new to the site and was disappointed by the first two sets of comments I saw. But this is more like it! For my two cents, Whole Foods is a great grocery store. What keeps me from going there is that it cost more than other stores...but that is my economic issue, more than theirs. As someone who lived in Harlem for years (and recently came to Colorado for a job), I can assure you that if Whole Foods had opened in the empty lot on 125th and Lennox, I would have paid their premium for the quality they deliver. It is a ballsy experiment they are conducting, and my guess is that it will pay off. Crappy neighborhoods have really limited choices that don't involve good, real food.
Glad you're here welcome! Honestly I do think it will pay off. I don't know much about bad neighborhoods in Chicago, but I'm guessing they thought it was worth it if they decided to open a store. Do you think they'll have problems with crime?
I lived in Austin, TX when the first Whole Foods Store was opened. It was a tiny store and the owner and his then girlfriend lived just above it. A wonderful example of how hard work pays off. I'm not sure why they are opening a store in this neighborhood, but I can bet that a Whole Foods store can contribute to upgrading a bad neighborhood a hell of a lot better than the Federal Government can.
I think there is a lot more than meets the eye going on here. A number of whole foods have suddenly gone up in places where they have no chance of turning a profit. I am starting to wonder if the founder has shrugged and is now pulling a very slick D'Anconia..
I really don't care what they do, frankly....it is their nickel.
"Whole Foods received $5.8 million of tax credits and local and state grants. Emanuel reportedly asked Whole Foods to come to Englewood, and the city has pledged an unspecified amount of TIF money from the Chicago Neighborhoods Now program."
This article tells a lot more of the reasons behind this store opening:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/04...
I wish prosperity for all capitalists, but, location, location, location...