Our store serves the entire community. not just “gentrified” neighborhoods. Growing up here since the 70’s I’d say you could qualify the whole city as gentrified compared to what it used to be, economically and socially. We are encouraged to do whatever we can for all customers and you certainly keep us on our toes!

Our regular customers are both street people and west hills millionaires. Locations are picked for a myriad of reasons that are meant to keep the company healthy overall. If we focused solely on a neighborhood’s income then you would not have a Hillsboro or a North Portland store.. you’d have a Pearl and Laurelhurst store in their stead.

We are not responsible for your perceptions of the community, but I’d like to offer that the merging of “rich” or “elite” foods (arugala anyone?) with “regular”products is part of the idea that you shouldn’t have to go to more than one store for these things. Which is why if you call up one of our departments for something they don’t carry, they will special order it for you if they can get it.

I can tell you there are no announced plans for a store in the location that Dieselboi’s source has mentioned-although the Arbor Lodge and Concordia stores could certainly spare the traffic. I am personally asked by our customers frequently about the rumors they have heard of stores going up in their areas and I can tell you that you will see a New Seasons on Hawthorne before say, The Pearl (perpetually pricey property), or outside of the Portland/Metro area (sorry Vancouverians), or elsewhere for that matter.

Thanks you guys- and remember that if you have questions or ideas for us go ahead and email someone through the store website, or better yet come in and fill out a comment card at one of our stores.

Y’all know that New Seasons is a thriving locally-owned businesses providing tax dollars to the local economy? right? that they only buy from within 500 miles if they can( IF the beef/lamb etc comes from near by( coffee does not but you know that ?)

Just so you know, residents in the Pearl don’t get to “pick” which grocery store opens in the neighborhood. That’s up to the developer. Saying that “condo dwellers love their mega grocery stores” assumes that the residents have a voice in the store that opens.

Wrong assumption, we don’t.

That said, Safeway will be a welcome addition because most of us are tired of paying Whole Foods prices. They are VERY expensive. My preference would have been New Seasons. But Safeway will do, especially since I don’t have to get in a car to shop. Dividing my shopping between Fred Meyer and New Seasons, as I have been doing, requires firing up the V8 Explorer. When Safeway opens I’ll only have to walk 2 blocks.

I grew up in a Midwest suburb where strip malls were considered modern and cool (70s). And they looked like every every strip mall in the entire country. Now we gag at the boring similarity (rightfully, I think).

But what you seem to be saying is that even though the buildings may be more Portland-specific, it still seems as though as all the new local buildings look alike. No matter whether they are on North Mississippi, in Beaverton or the Pearl.

If that’s what you’re saying, I agree with you. I’m getting tired of seeing the same condo style all over Portland. There’s the place at NE 15th and Broadway (I think) that looks just like the condo at the Westerly (NW Portland) that looks just several others. There’s the Belmont Lofts that were built by the same company that built a similar building near 25th and NW Thurman and another condo in North Portland just off MLK — all used the same Brazilian Ipe (wood) cladding, which looks stained once it gets wet.

Yet the O’s Randy Gragg was all over it as the greatest design thing ever.

And yes, even the New Seasons look the same no matter where they are. To a degree, that helps the casual passing driver identify it, but it doesn’t do much for architectural diversity.

One thing I enjoyed about Portland’s neighborhoods when I moved here in 2000 is that they looked different. Most of the PDC-backed development I’ve seen since is derivative.

All of this of course is just my opinion. I understand that there are plenty of people who love the way williams is shaping up. They have the right to feel that way and I dont hate them for that. I, an optimist, love many of the things Portland has done over the years but as of late I am deeply unhappy with what much of north, northeast and other parts of portland are becoming.