Audubon Circle Whole Foods closing next week

n/t

That space was actually much better when it was a Johnny's. Hopefully it will be replaced by a more thoughtful neighborhood market with better bread and produce and more reasonably priced groceries.

WFM's business model of selling "artisanal" bread that was manufactured yesterday and has been left sitting on the shelves for a couple of days just doesn't work - it may look nice, but it ends up tasting like cardboard.

Their commitment to produce "from here" consists primarily of strawberries from Connecticut that cost $7.99/quart.

And their dairy and cheese departments, as well as most of the grocery section, consist of commodities that are about 30-50% more expensive than the identical products at Trader Joe's (e.g. the very same gallons of organic milk from plant 50-13 in Barre, VT, that are more than $2 more expensive at WFM).

You won't be missed

is for the birds.

on Beacon for more than fifteen years. Before that, twenty-five years a couple of blocks away on the Riverway, when I regularly used the St. Mary's C line stop to get home from work downtown, basically to go to the supermarket on Beacon, Wine Press, and, back in the day, the pizza/sub shop run by the Turkish family on the corner of St. Mary's (now Gyu-Kaku) on the way home.

When I first moved into the neighborhood in 1980, this location was (and, I think, had long been) an independent grocery store operating under the name of Beacon Super Market (I agree with the previous comment that those were separate words). Back then, it was known, despite the small size, for an excellent in-store butcher and a tremendous collection of coffee. It went downhill a bit its last couple of years.

Then came what someone I know refers to as the "kale" store. I never set foot in that place.

Then Johnny's, which was pretty good. Though we always thought the produce was pretty bad, i.e., it was rotting by the time you walked out the front door.

Then what was reputedly the smallest Whole Foods in the country. Better produce. A mostly pathetic meat department. Ridiculous prices. Some other issues. But, hey, it was on the next block!

So, unless and until, I'll need to work up the vast energy needed to go over to the Star Market on Boylston. Which, for a long time, was ghastly, but I think it's gotten a lot better in recent years. Or the Target on Boylston, which seems to have a pretty good grocery section (and when is Tiffani's new restaurant across the street going to appear? A bartender at Sweet Cheeks wasn't sure but thought it's going to be some sort of seafood place).

And, no, the neighborhood is not trending "to more 'student.'" That trend happened decades ago. The neighborhood (and nearby West Fens) is instead trending to super-expensive rental properties. A big difference from when I (who used to ride the el on the South Side of Chicago in the middle of the night) was not comfortable walking home to the Riverway from Kenmore Square late at night on Brookline Avenue and would instead circle around on Beacon Street.

And, yes, I'm guessing the rents are an issue. Have heard that specifically with respect to Sichuan Gourmet closing.

>>And there is another bar there that seems to always crash, burn, and rebuild.

I can't believe I'm forgetting the name, but I'm guessing that you're referring to the "cursed" location (Phnom Penh?) where the Cambodian place used to be back in the 80s. Where the busboy was allegedly murdered in the alley in a drug deal gone bad. Leading to a curse on the location where Bar 'cino is now located (I'm leaving out the fire at Brown's Steakhouse, which was mostly a bit before my time). Bar 'cino seems to have dispelled the curse and maybe shifted it to the Whole Foods located next door.

--gpm

--gpm

P.S. I love me some Taberna de Haro (and even Bar 'cino), but the loss of O'Leary's was the biggest setback to the neighborhood in the whole time I've been living here. Angus is back at the Shamrock on the corner of Eighth and H in Southie (and was *so happy* when we were there on opening night back in January). Would love to go there more often, but it's really hard to get there, especially when it's *NOT* on the next block.

Neighboring establishments have closed down due to leases not being renewed. There will be new development. Closures:
- Dunkin :(
- O’Leary’s
- Sichuan Gourmet: There’s a poster of proposed redevelopment as a “restauraant row”
- Looks like Economy Hardware is packing up too :(

Coincidences:
- Whole Foods gone
- Japonaise is supposed to be renovating, but it appears to have been stalled for months.

Still around:
- Gyu Kaku
- Wine Press
- Brookline bank?
- Everything else west of Whole Foods.

I liked having WF (and their Amazon drop off). They always seemed to get good business (esp during Red Sox season) so this is somewhat surprising. However with its small size I can see its hard to scale its profitability (I wish they had expanded into the adjacent property when it was empty, now Bar Cino).

Would love for it to become a Trader Joes (unlikely with Coolidge Corner and Cambridge close by).

Or, a true Hail Mary, I would love to see Whole Foods move to the empty retail spaces underneath the Bower (new condo complex adjacent to Mass Turnpike on Beacon).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WFBppsP9C8