Studer Community Institute

Could shopping be a pleasure here?

October 24, 2014
/ Shannon Nickinson
/ community-dashboard

Could East Hill be getting the neighborhood grocery store it has long wanted? In May, under the ProgressPromise.com banner, we reported the sale of A.V. Clubbs to Jim White's White Development Co. based in Clearwater for $1.1 million. Clubbs was last used as an alternative school in the 2009-2010 school year. Friday the Pensacola News Journal reported that White confirmed he has been talking with a grocery store to locate in the space.

"We felt that it was an urban setting and so we've been planning for an urban style store, one that was up on the road as opposed to having a parking lot in front of it. We want to make it pedestrian friendly, and so we're trying to make sure it's a neighborhood store that's safe to walk to." — Jim White to PNJ.

Locals who have seen the plans say the boutique-style store White has in mind reminds them of the look of Ever'man's Natural Food Grocery and Cafe on Garden Street. Parking would be in the back and on the side streets, the store would not be open 24-hours a day, the loading dock area would be covered and deliveries to the store would be limited to a certain hours in respect to the neighborhood's residential feel. Ever'man's owners invested $4.6 million into remodeling their store, including land purchases, infrastructure and construction. Their expansion included more space for produce, fresh meats, seafood and an expanded deli. Part of the Clubbs lot is zoned residential, part is zoned commercial, so that would have to be addressed before the project could move forward as well.

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Could shopping be a pleasure here?

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