Ode to the corner store
Wednesday, August 20th, 2008Greater Downtown seems awash in supermarkets these days, including new stores at Eighth & Madison, Third & Pike, Westlake & Denny, and Fifth North & Mercer. You’re always near one…except in poor ol’ north Belltown. We’re truly the gap in the Downtown supermarket smile.
The thing is, as a resident of the area, I don’t really care. North Belltown is corner store heaven.
That doesn’t mean dives plastered with cigarette posters that mostly sell chips and six packs. I mean places that not only sell cereal, but several kinds. Places with extensive ice cream collections, and everything you need to make cookie dough. And frozen calzone. And plenty of sauces. Plus a few kinds of fruit and vegetables, because one serving of those can remove a lot of guilt. Actual groceries.
The real value is convenience. For one, there’s no line! I’m always astonished at the waits people tolerate at supposed “high end” supermarkets. Two, getting there probably takes one or two minutes.
Ok, so the prices tend to be…somewhat high. But isn’t your time worth something? And you’re generally supporting a small owner-operator, like the family that owns my favorite store.
If the choices get a little repetitive, there’s another corner store advantage — Belltown has many of them, and each has different food! The one a block west might have apples and pepper jack cheese, while the one a block north has pesto and pears. And let’s not forget that we corner store shoppers like takeout places too, and some of us binge at the Pike Place Market, so nobody is living on 100 percent corner store.
PS: Now I want cookie dough. Great.
