Grocery store coming to downtown Farmington

Downtown Farmington will soon get a new specialty food store. Dido's Produce & Meat will be a new tenant at the Downtown Farmington Center shopping area at the southeast corner of Grand River and Farmington Road.

[Not Again]

Please save your time and money and find another business venture. A&P, Farmer Jack....gone! Harvest Fresh (well not really fresh) and Busch's have the market cornered. As far as the older people who need to walk to get basics, CVS has everything at prices mostly cheaper than Busch's.
Farmington DDA is selling everyone a bunch of BS about the "comeback" of downtown Farmington. I wish I had a dollar for every business that has opened and closed in the 17 years I have lived here.
We need more Hoedowns and Art Shows!
To the owners of the new Dido's, I will visit your store, but if it is not something totally different and spectacular, I will continue to shop at Walmart, Meijer, Harvest Fresh, Busch's and my favorite, Joes Produce.

[Thrilled]

I'm so thrilled that there will be a walkable grocery option in the downtown. I live in the neighborhood adjacent to Farmington and Grand River, and I have loved being able to walk to nearly any city amenity! The only thing we've been missing is a grocery store, and now that need is being filled! Thank you so much, Farmington DDA!

[Cindy]

Bring it. I can't wait. I'm tired of having to drive to Detroit all the time. They need to put more things out in the suburbs.

[How Do It Know]

At first, information about this new Market said it was going into the space vacated by the Office Supply Store and was spelled Dido's. Currently there is a sign on the window of the space vacated by the Oak Furniture Store and the name of the store is Dedo's.
Has anyone been in Harvest Fresh in the past two weeks? There are only a few reasons that a store of that size would have 2/3 of its shelves empty:
1) Store is closing or being sold.
2) Owner does not have any money to buy inventory
3) Current supplier has cut them off from further
purchases.
4) They are changing suppliers (they just changed to Spartan Stores a little over a year ago).

[Farmington Johnny]

I would have to say that Harvest Fresh is going out of business. I talked to the deli counter and they said management is not telling them a thing. I expect a big store closing banner to be up there in the next couple weeks. Those shelves are starting to get empty there!

[Prince ButterNutts]

Bring in the noise
Bring in the funk

[Edx]

I wish them the best of luck, but if they can't compete on prices, they'll end up closing like so many of the other stores. Check out Wal-Mart and Meijer's - that's their competition.

They may market themselves as "not the big-box store" but in the end this is still Michigan and we are economically hurting. The citizens will shop where they can get the most and spend the least.

We still have really high unemployment and foreclosure rates and neither is showing any signs of weakening any time soon.

Thank you for the economic recovery, Governor Granholm and President Obama. It is obviously working well here.

In the larget picture, if "Made in America" actually meant anything any more in terms of quality, people might listen to it. It does not. The only thing it means now is overpaid, lazy employees (not "workers") whose entitlement mentality and high unionization is destroying the state.

[In the Know]

Farmington Johnny wrote:

I would have to say that Harvest Fresh is going out of business. I talked to the deli counter and they said management is not telling them a thing. I expect a big store closing banner to be up there in the next couple weeks. Those shelves are starting to get empty there!

They have in fact gone out of business. Rumor has it that they assumed Farmer Jacks Lease and the owner of the building took them to court to get out of it. The owner of the building won and raised the rent. Owner of Harvest Fresh decided to close, probably because new competition from WalMart at 7 mile and Middlebelt and the new Dildo's coming to downtown farmington.
As a side note, I wonder what will happen to the new downtown stores produce sales during the Farmers Market in the Summer Months?

[farmington resident]

I'm new to the area and I'm just trying to stay optimistic about having somewhere other than Buschs to turn to in the the event of grabbing something quickly. But then again walmart is a little further and has unbeatable prices. If I'm going to grocery shop when I spend the bulk of my money I'm going to go to Meijer, Walmart or even kroger. Where are customers of dedo's going to park? They only have that tiny lot behind the store and I'm already sick of the congestion in that area. Maybe if I'm walking or need to grab something quickly, otherwise I can't see them as anything other than convenience. So basically every food store in that little strip mall has closed due to low sales? I definitely understand why anyone living very close to there would get frustrated at the constant attempts to be the one that "makes it"

[Milk and Bread]

What happens, as has happened with almost all small grocery stores in the past 20 years is that the customers only come in for Milk and Bread. Both of these items have some of the lowest profit margins and most retailers use them as "loss leaders" to bring customers in. Meaning, they sell them at cost or lower. There are buses that will bring any of the seniors to Busch's so that they can go to a store with a full selection.
I stopped in Dedo's this week. What a joke. Half of the items they carry are Lebanese Brands. Since when did Farmington have such a large population of Lebanese? No fresh meat, very little produce and one small bread rack that couldn't feed a family of 5 for a week. Surely the 500 sq feet reserved for the Coffee Bar will get used! Just as soon as Starbuck's, Panera and Big Apple Bagels close!
No beer or wine?
6 months tops....then the space will be empty again!

[Milk and Bread]

CVS at one time was a grocery store. The space that was recently occupied by Office Depot was an A&P grocery store that closed in the Mid 90's. Understanding that people in a downtown area sometimes do not have access to transportation, the Big Grocery Stores will usually sponsor rides for them.

Speaking of Parking, the owners had their entire family in the store this week and most of the parking spaces directly near the store were taken, I assume, by these family members. It's kinda like the owner of Happy's Pizza Parkig his Hummer in the best spot....makes you wonder if the customer truly comes first?

Wonder what qualifications the family has for running a grocery/convenience store?

farmington resident wrote:

I'm new to the area and I'm just trying to stay optimistic about having somewhere other than Buschs to turn to in the the event of grabbing something quickly. But then again walmart is a little further and has unbeatable prices. If I'm going to grocery shop when I spend the bulk of my money I'm going to go to Meijer, Walmart or even kroger. Where are customers of dedo's going to park? They only have that tiny lot behind the store and I'm already sick of the congestion in that area. Maybe if I'm walking or need to grab something quickly, otherwise I can't see them as anything other than convenience. So basically every food store in that little strip mall has closed due to low sales? I definitely understand why anyone living very close to there would get frustrated at the constant attempts to be the one that "makes it"

[Mike]

Great Store!!!!Great Prices!!!!Fresh Produce!!!Supports Michigan Farmers!!!!Good Job Guys. I shop over there twice a week specially on Crazy Tuesdays.

[Cli]

I wish Dedo's the best and will continue to shop there. The merchandise is wonderful at great prices.

[Obskeptic]

Cindy wrote:

Bring it. I can't wait. I'm tired of having to drive to Detroit all the time. They need to put more things out in the suburbs.

Drive to Detroit all the time? Need more "things" out in the suburbs? Are you kidding me?

[Phineas]

Thanks for the plug Aunt Cli! See you Sunday at Mom's for dinner!

[Grocers or Posers]

I drive by this store at least 2 times a day and never see any customers...
Mike and Cli.....nice thing for family to do....but i think less people read this post than actually shop at the store!
Since you opened....another store in downtown Farmington bit the dust! Goodbye Hardware store that sold dishes but didn't carry a Hex Socket set!
Stupid is as Stupid does!
Oh and MIKE from Dearborn...SPECIALLY??? WTF does that mean? Could you have meant "especially"?
And Phineas...LMFAO!!!!!!!!
Obskeptic....it was a joke, even I could tell that!

[Grocers or Posers]

Thrilled wrote:

I'm so thrilled that there will be a walkable grocery option in the downtown. I live in the neighborhood adjacent to Farmington and Grand River, and I have loved being able to walk to nearly any city amenity! The only thing we've been missing is a grocery store, and now that need is being filled! Thank you so much, Farmington DDA!

Are you still thrilled?

[globe-trotter]

As for me this is a place where I get most of my groceries since I moved to Farmington. Yes, products are Lebanese, most of them but for me as South American is not a problem. I like the olives, dates and more other fruits and vegetables that are really hard to find in major stores.
I select vegetables and fruits that are still good. But I do not think twice if I want to get coconut, plantains, olives, pita bread, lots of good deals!I could not believe I got for so cheap 2 pounds of yeast which the same in other store I have got more expensive, and it works the same.
This is place is good for me. I am happy it is so close to my home too.