Hello,
I am Dan Cameron, owner of Cam's Grocery. Cam's is a natural market in the planning stages of opening a store front in or near downtown Tulsa.
Cam's will have a local focus and will specialize in organic and natural foods. We are genuinely passionate about the Tulsa community.
We could use some help with spreading our survey around and befriending us on our social media pages.
Our Links:
SURVEY HERE: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/J8TX3ZJ
twitter.com/camsgrocery - Please follow us
facebook.com/camsgrocery - Please 'Like' us
Camsgrocery.com is in development, a contact page is holding its place for now. Feel free to contact me.
Thank you for your time. I know these are a lot of action items for the new guy on the block, but if we want Tulsa to be the place we desire, we must get to work.
Take care,
Dan
What type of R&D will you be performing?
Dan,
Here's a start. Lets just look at 74103 and 74119 (much larger area than you would actually consider a market donut).
28,203 folks work there, and only 396 of those people live there. There are a total of 2,170 that live in those zip codes, and 1,774 of those people work outside of the downtown area.
Now looking at income, of the 28,203 that work in your target area 12,523 make less than $40,000 a year. 218 people who live in the area make over $40,000 a year the rest leave for the burbs every night.
Your primary focus will need to be capturing this small market group during their lunch hour. There are some great examples of markets like this that work, but they rely on a far more dense population base with a higher income.
I admire you for taking on such a challenge. Needless to say it will be difficult to gain any funding from financial institutions. I would also talk to a good tax guy about crowdsourcing. The donations are not tax deductible, and cannot come from a corporate entity without being reported in both directions. The government thieves (IRS) is hot on the trail of crowdsourcing operations, and I would be shocked if there wasn't a change to the 2011 tax law that collects on such funding. You don't want to end up with a surprise burden at the end of the year.
Dan I hope it works out well for you and welcome aboard the forum.
Natural is good.
I have no marketing insight other than living a couple blocks away but in my mind a Grocery at 18th and Boston seems incongruous to the area. I could be wrong.
Quote from: carltonplace on April 13, 2011, 08:05:53 AM
I have no marketing insight other than living a couple blocks away but in my mind a Grocery at 18th and Boston seems incongruous to the area. I could be wrong.
They have a coffee shop that closes at 5
incongruity is the new black.
IMO, 18th & Boston is a fantastic location. I don't know why you would limit the demographics to two zip codes--in fact, 74120 and parts of 74114 are within walking distance--i.e., MapleRidge (people with decent money who also tend to prefer local, natural foods). This is one of the few areas of Tulsa where a significant number of Tulsans live in apartments/condos, and are perhaps without a car. I can think of no grocery store in Tulsa that is actually pedestrian-friendly--this could be the first. From what I read, the store is similar to a Wholefoods, with dining and prepared foods. So, in addition to shoppers, you are likely to get a significant number of diners, and 18th & Boston is already a proven area for that. It's close to the river, for those heading home from a bike/run. It's close to downtown, for those heading home from work.
Being close to 18th & Boston, I'm sort of biased, but I would love to see this happen.
Not sure they would get much traffic from commuters leaving downtown. If you want to attract those people open a store on Cincinatti Ave or on Denver Ave or on 6th St to catch all of the people high-tailing to a highway ramp to get back to the burbs.
74120-dweller here. I live off Cherry Street and would absolutely bike/walk to a small grocery at 18th and Boston.
Having said that, I wonder if you'd benefit more from placing a store closer to the urban core -- where the residential development is taking place downtown and in the Brady.
There is also a great place for such a grocery currently vacant at 18th & Boston: the old Pour House adjacent to the Midland Valley trail. It also has a parking lot next to it and would be convenient to the Uptown, Riverview, south downtown, Maple Ridge, Cherry Street and Swan Lake neighborhoods that form some of the highest residential densities in Tulsa.
(http://bestoftulsa.com/bars&clubs/Pour_House.jpg)
I think that is the intended space. Not sure it qualifies as a "downtown" market strictly speaking, (this is actually uptown or sobo) but I would use it. I do agree with mjchamplin that I would rather see retail development in the core...but that is just personal preference.
I know people that drive from Oklahoma City to Whole Foods here in Tulsa every week as there isn't an option like that in Oklahoma City...
Quote from: zstyles on April 13, 2011, 09:11:41 AM
I know people that drive from Oklahoma City to Whole Foods here in Tulsa every week as there isn't an option like that in Oklahoma City...
*Mind asplodes*
Quote from: zstyles on April 13, 2011, 09:11:41 AM
I know people that drive from Oklahoma City to Whole Foods here in Tulsa every week as there isn't an option like that in Oklahoma City...
Except for the Whole Foods in Oklahoma City.
Quote from: SXSW on April 13, 2011, 09:03:14 AM
There is also a great place for such a grocery currently vacant at 18th & Boston: the old Pour House adjacent to the Midland Valley trail. It also has a parking lot next to it and would be convenient to the Uptown, Riverview, south downtown, Maple Ridge, Cherry Street and Swan Lake neighborhoods that form some of the highest residential densities in Tulsa.
(http://bestoftulsa.com/bars&clubs/Pour_House.jpg)
I was of the impression from prior discussion on here that building has been sold and has a date with the wrecking ball.
Quote from: Gaspar on April 13, 2011, 09:40:29 AM
Except for the Whole Foods in Oklahoma City.
"Scheduled to open by year-end 2011, the new Oklahoma City Whole Foods Market will be the largest natural and organic supermarket in the state. In keeping with Whole Foods Market's recently announced national initiative to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2010, the supermarket in Oklahoma City will be built to strict green building standards. The Oklahoma City store will incorporate an energy efficient design, alternative refrigerants and advanced eco-friendly systems."
Ain't open yet.
Quote from: Gaspar on April 13, 2011, 09:40:29 AM
Except for the Whole Foods in Oklahoma City.
Quote from: Conan71 on April 13, 2011, 09:43:34 AM
"Scheduled to open by year-end 2011, the new Oklahoma City Whole Foods Market will be the largest natural and organic supermarket in the state. In keeping with Whole Foods Market's recently announced national initiative to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2010, the supermarket in Oklahoma City will be built to strict green building standards. The Oklahoma City store will incorporate an energy efficient design, alternative refrigerants and advanced eco-friendly systems."
Ain't open yet.
Man, Conan just slapped that ham sandwich right out of your hands.
Quote from: Gaspar on April 13, 2011, 09:40:29 AM
Except for the Whole Foods in Oklahoma City.
There isn't one there (yet), it opens late this year.
Quote from: pmcalk on April 13, 2011, 08:22:54 AM
IMO, 18th & Boston is a fantastic location. I don't know why you would limit the demographics to two zip codes--in fact, 74120 and parts of 74114 are within walking distance--i.e., MapleRidge (people with decent money who also tend to prefer local, natural foods).
Because my demographic tools don't charge me if I use established data sets. I can run an actual analysis based on traffic patterns and density for that area, but it would cost me money, and contain a far smaller population. The zips I chose offered a generous market group.
I'm not trying to be discouraging, I just think it is of value for someone with a dream to know the obstacles they must overcome, rather than getting hit by that train later.
Everything boils down to numbers, and the logic of the situation always triumphs over the emotion. Everyone who pledges to visit a location only does so until economics forces them to make more logical decisions. I have no doubt that such a market will develop a cadre of devout followers and regular customers, but will those numbers be enough to sustain the concept?
Quote from: Conan71 on April 13, 2011, 09:43:34 AM
"Scheduled to open by year-end 2011, the new Oklahoma City Whole Foods Market will be the largest natural and organic supermarket in the state. In keeping with Whole Foods Market's recently announced national initiative to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2010, the supermarket in Oklahoma City will be built to strict green building standards. The Oklahoma City store will incorporate an energy efficient design, alternative refrigerants and advanced eco-friendly systems."
Ain't open yet.
Cool! They ordered product from us last week, so I figured they were open already.
Very Cool! I might have to now drive to OKC to visit it!
Quote from: Gaspar on April 13, 2011, 09:57:29 AM
Cool! They ordered product from us last week, so I figured they were open already.
Finally something we pwn3d OKC on ;)
I would have assumed they had at least two down there myself without checking.
Quote from: Conan71 on April 13, 2011, 10:26:47 AM
Finally something we pwn3d OKC on ;)
I would have assumed they had at least two down there myself without checking.
OKC's grocery store options are abysmal and Whole Foods will only somewhat fix that.
I have no idea why Reasors has not moved in, they would kill in Oklahoma City.
Quote from: swake on April 13, 2011, 10:30:32 AM
OKC's grocery store options are abysmal and Whole Foods will only somewhat fix that.
I have no idea why Reasors has not moved in, they would kill in Oklahoma City.
Crest is very competitive there. Other than the meat department, IMO, they are on par with Reasor's and my basket cost is usually less when I shop at Crest than at Reasor's. I've gotten in the habit on weekends I'm down there, doing my shopping for the next week on Sunday night and bringing it back in a cooler.
Quote from: Conan71 on April 13, 2011, 09:41:10 AM
I was of the impression from prior discussion on here that building has been sold and has a date with the wrecking ball.
That's the first I've heard...there's a sign out front that still says For Sale.
If so that would be a big loss for Sobo.
If only our stupid liquor laws didn't prevent Whole Foods from offering the cool alcohol-related stuff they have at other locations like beer while you browse and growler stations.
Quote from: SXSW on April 13, 2011, 11:57:49 AM
That's the first I've heard...there's a sign out front that still says For Sale.
If so that would be a big loss for Sobo.
Unless I'm confused on which building Pourhouse was in:
http://www.tulsanow.org/forum/index.php?topic=17187.msg191792#msg191792
Gaspar - where do you procure your demographic information? just curious
Quote from: TulsaGuy on April 13, 2011, 12:08:19 PM
Gaspar - where do you procure your demographic information? just curious
I have ArcGIS with several demographic layers I've purchased over the years as well as the free repositories. I used to use it quite frequently as part of my job, now I just do contract stuff for a few developer friends. Most of my data is current to 2009.
Quote from: Conan71 on April 13, 2011, 12:02:52 PM
Unless I'm confused on which building Pourhouse was in:
http://www.tulsanow.org/forum/index.php?topic=17187.msg191792#msg191792
Interesting...I wonder what will go in its place? It isn't the greatest building but it is 2 stories and creates a street presence in the area...hopefully whatever is built there has a similar form but more glass.