Trader Joes & Whole foods - south of Indy (Fort Wayne: home, incomes)

[Kluch]

I get that the most esteemed and notable suburbs of Indy are north of the 465 loop but what do you think it would take to get a whole foods or trader joes to come down to Greenwood/Bargersville? The Greenwood area in general is pretty large and has a ton of shopping opportunities but one thing it lacks is a whole foods and/or trader joes. I would assume sooner or later they would add one to the area... but I guess it's just not the same type of area as the northern suburubs? What do you guys think?

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by Kluch

I get that the most esteemed and notable suburbs of Indy are north of the 465 loop but what do you think it would take to get a whole foods or trader joes to come down to Greenwood/Bargersville? The Greenwood area in general is pretty large and has a ton of shopping opportunities but one thing it lacks is a whole foods and/or trader joes. I would assume sooner or later they would add one to the area... but I guess it's just not the same type of area as the northern suburubs? What do you guys think?

Both of those stores tend to build in locations with well above average median household incomes nearby. If Johnson County continues to see upward gains in median household income, I predict they may build a Whole Foods or Trader Joe's in the area in the next 5-10 years.

[Toxic Toast]

For a long time, I thought Fort Wayne would get a Trader Joe's before Greenwood. Now that FW has a Trader Joe's, maybe Greenwood will come soon? There is a Fresh Thyme on the southside, which is a nice substitute in some regards.

[Kluch]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

Both of those stores tend to build in locations with well above average median household incomes nearby. If Johnson County continues to see upward gains in median household income, I predict they may build a Whole Foods or Trader Joe's in the area in the next 5-10 years.

Makes sense. You have to be in an area where people can afford what you're selling. I would love one closer to where we are. Driving downtown once a month isn't terrible but it would be nice to have one that doesn't require a decent drive into downtown Indy (selfish motive, but still).

[ischyros]

It's interesting how they work. There is a Trader Joes in Fort Wayne but not a Whole Foods. But there is a Whole Foods up in Mishawaka which does not have a Trader Joes.

There's only 3 Trader Joes in Indiana. The two on the north side of Indy and the one in Fort Wayne. There are 5 Whole Foods. 3 in Indy, one in Mishawaka, and one in Schererville. It's interesting to compare Indy to Columbus, Ohio. There are 2 Trader Joes in Columbus as well, both on the far north side. There are also 3 Whole Foods, once again, all on the north side.

[WestsideMac]

I know Brownsburg has pursued several different grocery options after Marsh shut down operation. We currently only have Kroger and Walmart, though an Aldi's is on the way.

When I talked to our economic developer for the town about a Trader Joe's/Whole foods they said as GraniteStater alluded to that WF/TJ tend to look at home income in the area as part of their evaluation of if the store location would make the income and have shoppers there that they need to make a profit. They also look at access to a certain population number, don't remember off the top of my head. As big as Avon, Brownsburg, Whitestown and Plainfield are on the Westside when their populations are pooled together I don't think it quite met their requirement when paired with income levels.

I do believe that the Greenwood area could be a good fit for it based on the access to Johnson County and even southern Marion County residents, but they may also see a lot of competition in that area with Fresh Thyme, Earth Fare and others.

[sheerbliss]

I like Fresh Thyme better than Trader Joe's. It's bigger and has more foods I like to eat. Trader Joe's has a lot of weird packaged stuff.

[sweetana3]

Demographics of income and age will determine where they go.

[Kluch]

Originally Posted by sheerbliss

I like Fresh Thyme better than Trader Joe's. It's bigger and has more foods I like to eat. Trader Joe's has a lot of weird packaged stuff.

I've honestly never been in there before. How does Fresh Thyme compare to whole foods?

[sheerbliss]

It's comparable to Whole Foods.