The hand-lettered signs on the window of Racine Produce tell the story, albeit obliquely:
30% OFF ON ALL GROCERIES. CASH ONLY, they say.
Alas, this is not just a big sale, but also the final sale. Rumors of the store's closing were deflected at the end of July, when owners Dino and Jimmy Gregory said only that the grocery store -- the anchor of Elmwood Plaza and a magnet for Hispanics -- was up for sale. In August, the Journal Times reported that it had been sold, to Windolph Trahan of Milwaukee.
Well, the sale never took place. We're told the money never came through; Trahan was unable to raise the necessary credit.
This afternoon, shelves are starting to empty... There's a whole section of the produce aisle that's empty, another in the cheese case and a large portion of the deli: empty. An employee told me the expectation is that the 15,000 sq. ft. store will be closed by Saturday. Another said it might be open through the end of the month..."or until everything's gone."
The Gregorys -- who are Greek, not Hispanic; go figger -- opened the store in 2001 and went directly after the Hispanic market, focusing on bilingual signage and many food items not found in other grocery stores.
"Business used to be good, but now it's down 40 percent from two years ago," Dino told us in July. (Efforts to reach the Gregorys today have so far been unsuccessful.)
Racine Produce is the second of the city's retail fixtures to announce its closure this week. Martha Merrell's Bookstore, which has been open Downtown since 1950, also posted big discount signs on its windows this weekend. It is scheduled to close by the end of the month.
Well, the sale never took place. We're told the money never came through; Trahan was unable to raise the necessary credit.
This afternoon, shelves are starting to empty... There's a whole section of the produce aisle that's empty, another in the cheese case and a large portion of the deli: empty. An employee told me the expectation is that the 15,000 sq. ft. store will be closed by Saturday. Another said it might be open through the end of the month..."or until everything's gone."The Gregorys -- who are Greek, not Hispanic; go figger -- opened the store in 2001 and went directly after the Hispanic market, focusing on bilingual signage and many food items not found in other grocery stores.
"Business used to be good, but now it's down 40 percent from two years ago," Dino told us in July. (Efforts to reach the Gregorys today have so far been unsuccessful.)
Racine Produce is the second of the city's retail fixtures to announce its closure this week. Martha Merrell's Bookstore, which has been open Downtown since 1950, also posted big discount signs on its windows this weekend. It is scheduled to close by the end of the month.
Oh yes, but a gas station/restaurant/convenience store would have stopped this. When will you people figure out that there are bigger factors at work here in Racine?
ReplyDeleteYou do realize that this is about the same size as the grocery store proposed in West Racine. It is just over 1000 square feet larger.
ReplyDeleteMaybe if their signage was in English, the vast population of Racine would not have been discouraged from shopping there. This still is the United States, and ENGLISH still is the primary language. Sorry Gregory's, but you brought this upon yourselves.
ReplyDelete6:43, What the H@#l is your problem, like I said on another post, the problem with the residents of WR is, you are all nuts!! This article is not even related to your prized gravel pit that houses' a group of low life farmers that don't pay rent! Racine Produce was a unique store that offered a different line of groceries. Everytime I read the blogs I think to myself why would this Tom guy waste his time with a group of under educated, self rightous bigot morons that reside in WR. Try if you can to focus though I don't believe you have the mental capacity to do so!
ReplyDeleteSad part is anyone even thought about bringing business to Racine and they googled this town. They would get the biggest eye opener, current crime rates, poverty rates, corrupt government, etc. At this point until the city cleans itself up, no amount of free land deals, under the table deals or BS talk from our elected officials is going to change this city for the better. There will only be substantial loss in this town no major gains.
ReplyDeleteNo substantial loss.
ReplyDeleteLike mentioned maybe appealing to just a small percentage of community residents was the downfall and mayhaps more effective signage and a little bit of cleanliness would have helped their cause ?
Pretty sure the Mexican population in the community has not shrank.
I was in there once and the place seemed dirty and when I could not read the signs and could not identify the foodstuffs by looking at them I had seen enough.
I loved the market. It wasn't big enough to carry everything I needed so in tough times I shopped where I could do it all in one stop.
ReplyDeleteWhat a loss! I am very sad to hear this. It is a great place to shop and I will miss it very much. What a shame.
ReplyDeleteAnon 7:31
ReplyDeleteI LOVED Racine Produce. All I'm saying is that loving something (or liking an idea) does not equate into success. Just because someone wants to stick a gas station on West Blvd. does not mean it will be successful, nor magically transform West Racine. LOTS of people likes and shopped at Racine Produce, but it's still going under. Thus, why do we believe that the gas/grocery/diner idea will do any better?
Bottom line: Racine sucks. The working-class, union mindset of this town is its' own destruction.
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ReplyDeleteI will miss the great Mexican food, especially the tamales.
ReplyDelete10:34 it's 7:31, again I say keep focused, this article has nothing, and I mean nothing, to do with your nice little pile of rocks in WR! I am ready to go nuclear on WR residents, and the way you idiots make every issue in this town about Washington and West Blvd. I can tell that you hate Unions and the middle class, by another of your ignorant statements. What about Gays? What about Blacks? Bet you hate yhem too. If I was to judge ever person by the six WR idiots that post here I would say, with out a doubt you are all "STUPID".
ReplyDeleteI wonder why Colt's been so quiet?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.blogtalkradio.com/Storm-Racine/2009/10/15/Mayor-Dicket-at-Racine-Tax-Payiers
ReplyDeleteI LOVE the middle class and HATE unions. They aren't the same thing anymore. Those days are long gone. The middle class today now knows that unions equal nothing more than unemployment and jobs sent away. Duh. (Oh, wait, they do mean employment - overpaid employment - for the select few who will only remain employed until their job gets shipped away like all the rest.)
ReplyDeleteI'll take a pile of rocks anyday over another commercial, ugly, development that looks like every other ugly corner in Racine and in mid-America. A gas station is a gas station is a gas station. A "pretty" overhang does nothing to make it any different.
And yes, Racine Produce DOES have everything to do with the propsed development on West Blvd. If that grocery store can't make it, what makes you think the proposed one will? Newsflash - it wasn't only Mexicans who shopped there. It was regular folks too. Like me, alot. You think there's some magical demographic difference between Elmwood Plaza and West Racine? Wake up! BOTH are empty storefronts on main drags. Both are surrounded by working class folks. The similarities are frigthening. And yet, we want to believe this West Blvd. proposal is some magic charm.
Holly
This is too bad, I think they ran a very nice establishment and signage certainly is not an issue for me. Do you have problems with Mexican named restaurants? My experience going there, I found the store to be clean and orderly. In addition to the produce, they had a nice selection of Mexican items. I wish the owners good luck in the future.
ReplyDeleteHow many closings are in Dickert's 10 year plan?
ReplyDeleteI agree that it was a clean store. It DID have a funky smell, I'll grant you that. But it always looked clean.
ReplyDeleteTheir guacamole was awesome, from the deli. And the produce was priced great; we often went there to save money just on fresh fruit and veges.
"Trahan was unable to raise the necessary credit."
ReplyDeleteThis is something that doesn't make any sense to me, unless Trahan has a bad credit record. The thing is, he needed $800,000.00 to fund the purchase of the business, he was willing to put down $350,000.00 cash and finance the $450,000.00 balance, but he can't find a bank to make the loan. Now, almost anyone can buy a home with 0% to 10% down. Why can't you get funding for an existing business with over 43% down? If it's just that banks aren't currently making business loans, that's a pretty poor excuse when an entrepreneur is willing to put such a significant out-of-pocket expense on the table. What does it take to get a business loan? Fifty percent, 60%, 80% down? If you listen to our new lord and savior (Obama), we're in a recovery. Why aren't we being allowed to recover?
"The Gregorys -- who are Greek, not Hispanic; go figger -- opened the store in 2001 and went directly after the Hispanic market..."
I am not Hispanic, but I do not like the condescending tone of this article because the business catered to Hispanics. There is a very large population of Hispanics in Racine, the supermarket chains that have stores in this town sell a limited amount of Hispanic food stuffs, and there is nothing wrong with Racine Produce gearing their products to fill a niche in the market that is relatively competition free. And Pete, the "go figger" remark is racist and uncalled for. Do you think only Hispanics should sell to Hispanics?
Anon 6:43, yes there are bigger factors at work here; most notably the unfriendly attitude of the RDA and city council towards businesses (other than their own or their racist "good ol’ boy" friends down on 6th Street). But, your comment doesn't make any sense. How does this, at all, relate to Tom's project. Maybe you should give a little thought to what you say before putting it in print and looking the fool.
Anon 7:08, you're as ignorant as Anon 6:43. No one is forcing you to shop there.
Anon 7:31, I would like to thank you on behalf of all the "low life farmers that don't pay rent" for a stall in the Farmer's Market. Get your head out of your butt and think about that statement. If they had to pay rent within the Farmer's Market do you think we'd be able buy their produce of as low as it is? I'll answer that for you because you probably went to RUSD: no, we would have to pay more to offset that cost. Talk about lack of mental capacity, you’re right up there with Anon 7:08 and 6:43.
Anon 7:43 is exactly right. If things don't change we'll see Racine turn into another Gary, IN. Boarded up windows, no businesses, industry gone, and the city turned into just one big ghetto.
Anon 6:53, what a stupid, idiotic, bigoted jerk you are. I live in West Racine and I don't hate black people. I do hate the black trash this city has as much as I hate the white trash this city has, but it's not racial, it's about attitude and lack of respect for other people. There are a lot of fine black families in this town, just as there are whites and other races. Go spew your hate somewhere else.
Anon 11:43, we'll put aside the fact that there really is no "10 year plan," except for Dickert to get re-elected 2 more time to make it a 10 year term. The answer to your question is probably about 10 closings a year. That would sound the death knell of around 100 business and thereby also be the death knell for Racine. Then Dickert will probably move away and run for mayor in another town so he can destroy it.
Cracking up...Racine Resident doesn't know that some of the anonynous comments he is belittling are left by the same person as some of the "anonymous" comments he is lifting up as OK. Which just goes to prove, again, that the comboxes on Racine Post are a hellhole of misinformation and accusations. (But it is such fun, isn't it?)
ReplyDeleteRR is a pretty wacked out woman who spys on people with her video camera.
ReplyDeleteHolly,
ReplyDeleteTake some Midol!
I have no problem with the Spanish signage, it's a good thing to be exposed to it. I'm going to miss Racine Produce. I have a question. how do you say guacamole in English?
ReplyDeleteRacine Resident - I'm not going to read all that. Give it up you are not that important.
ReplyDelete