The Columbia Wegmans is on track for a Summer 2012 opening, according to Wordbones on the Tales of Two Cities Web site.
Wordbones reported that Wegmans received final approval of its site plan last week. That means the company can apply for their building permit and start building the store. One change: There will be an entrance directly from Snowden River Parkway, not just from McGaw Road.
I have heard several reports of heavy equipment working hard on the site. Obviously, I need to recast my campaign to open the store by Valentine's Day 2011.
(Update: The original post -- and the original tweet-- said Summer 2010 instead of Summer 2012. That was just an error, probably caused by my sorrow and memory of the days when I said, "I can't believe Wegmans won't open until 2009. That seems so far from now. Thanks to @dawnpopp for pointing out the error.)
Does anyone really care? By the time the foot-dragging Wegmans opens, people will have established brand loyalty with more responsive local competition such as Harris Teeter.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how much is foot dragging and how much had to do with the extensive legal roadblocks thrown up up as the union stores fought non-union Wegman's. I, for one, support Wegman's and will be happy when they open. I am not a fan of Harris Teeter or Giant, losing interest in Safeway, now go to Super Fresh as the lesser of many evils. There are plenty of customers to go around.
ReplyDeleteI care! I also don't blame Wegmans because they have been fighting with all manner of people from the Columbia area to get the store in there. Unions, groups and some individuals have done all they could to stop it!
ReplyDeleteWorst. Location. Ever.
ReplyDeleteI've never been to a Wegman's, but of course I'm familiar with it. I just can't believe they would put it in that location. Traffic? Hello? Snowden River Parkway will be impassable.
Worst. Location. Ever.
ReplyDeleteI've never been to a Wegman's, but of course I'm familiar with it. I just can't believe they would put it in that location. Traffic? Hello? Snowden River Parkway will be impassable.
While I do enjoy a trip to Harris Teeter, to compare it to Wegmans is just not apples to apples. The Wegman's experience to a Foodie is simply put "all that."
ReplyDeleteDo we really have to quibble over traffic in East Columbia? Sure, it's bad sometimes, but that's because we all choose to live in the suburbs. You can use that time sitting in traffic to plan what new exotic cheese you plan to try!
I'm very mixed about Wegman's On the one had I love their selection. But, on the other I don't like that they aren't unionized. I'll probably just use them to supplement.
ReplyDeleteInteresting discussion about a non-union company on Labor Day Weekend.
ReplyDeleteFrom the conversations I have had with employees at my Safeway, the grocery store unions have not been a good thing for the employees. They feel really abandoned and abused by the union and are probably more excited about Wegman's coming than we are. It doesn't say much about the success of a union if the #1 place to work in the US is a non-union shop.
ReplyDeleteWegmans is just the regular grocery store where I grew up, so it's odd to me that people would be worried about traffic any more than you'd worry about traffic near any other store. That being said, I believe there was talk of Wegmans paying to widen a portion of Snowden River Parkway as part of the permit process. Hopefully that will help, as well as the fact that there will apparently be two entrances...one on Snowden and one on McGaw.
ReplyDeleteThere was no foot dragging by Wegmans, it was the local food workers union that has made this such a mess. Saying someone will be loyal to HT even after Wegmans is open is like comparing 7-11 to Elkrdige Furnace Inn.
ReplyDeleteSteel is going up this week at the site. Progress IS being made.
ReplyDelete