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The Promise Of Opening Day
By Julie Goodman
Special to The Washington Post
Thursday, March 20 1997; Page J01
Inside, the Coca-Cola delivery man studied the rows of neatly aligned sodas before carefully rotating a two-liter bottle about a quarter-inch. Three grocery store employees crouched on the floor, meticulously arranging cheeses and Oscar Mayer Lunchables. Cashiers squirted their state-of-the-art checkout stands with cleaners and wiped surfaces.
This was last week's quiet but frantic preparation moments before the grand opening of a Safeway supermarket, at Alabama Avenue and Good Hope Road SE.
Outside, an eager crowd of hundreds waited in the cold to enter the 56,000-square-foot store, part of a new shopping center called the Good Hope Marketplace. The project represents the largest retail development in Southeast in almost 20 years.
"It's the best thing that ever happened in the Southeast area," said Marvin Robertson, a Southeast resident who works in environmental services at George Washington University Medical Center. He stood outside for an hour before the scheduled opening.
Safeway, which developed the retail center, plans to sell it in June to a community group, the Anacostia Economic Development Corp. AEDC will make the purchase with the help of $11.5 million in loan guarantees and a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, backed by the District's pledge of community block grants in support of AEDC. Safeway eventually will lease its store from the corporation.
The store, which occupies a former Sears building, will employ 200 people, including about 150 newly hired District residents. Other stores in the shopping center -- so far, a bank, a shoe store and an electronics store are planned -- will hire an additional 125 people.
"I was very happy to see all the people out there, and I hope other business owners . . . take note that there is substantial purchasing power in our neighborhood that is not tapped," said Robert Richardson, the corporation's director for project development. "Safeway has been a good corporate citizen because . . . they want to make us community-owned."
Once the corporation has bought the marketplace, profits will be reinvested into the community. Residents will have the opportunity to be shareholders in the marketplace.
The opening-day customers came from throughout the District and even from Maryland. Some were rowdy and loud, but most were just excited. Some lined up with grocery lists from spouses, others came with the store brochure in hand, and some came just to experience the opening.
"I love it," said Sharon Polk, of Northeast Washington, who began work at the store as a clerk after being unemployed for a year. "I'm excited, and I love it because people need it here. It's going to be a good change."
The Ballou Senior High School marching band paraded in, booming out big band tunes and gearing up the crowd for the event.
Among those who attended were Mayor Marion Barry, HUD Secretary Andrew Cuomo, D.C. Police Chief Larry D. Soulsby, and D.C. Council members Kevin P. Chavous (D-Ward 7), Charlene Drew Jarvis (D-Ward 4) and Harold Brazil (D-At Large).
Although the store was planned before President Clinton made his recent proposal to promote investment in the District's poorer areas, Cuomo said it reflects the goals of the White House.
"You can feel the excitement, and to me that's urban renewal," Cuomo said as he toured the store before the official opening.
"It extends from [Clinton's] concept of empowerment," he said. "This is a perfect demonstration of what it's all about."
Barry addressed a cheering crowd just before the ribbon-cutting.
"Sixty-five to 70 percent of you usually spend your money in Prince George's County," he said. "This isn't just about food and jobs. It's about economic development. We need jobs for our people out here.
"Spend as much money as you can," Barry urged the crowd. "We need it."
Barry and other city officials cut the ribbon, and the mad rush began. Hundreds of people who had been waiting for hours tried to jam through one open door. Elderly women pleaded claustrophobia, and mothers warned people not to step on their small children.
"This is ridiculous," a customer groused. "Oh, my God, what did I get myself into?" another asked.
But once inside, content customers found a balloon-decorated store with shiny white floors and shelves that were chock-full.
The store had become a reality.
"This area is prime for economic development, and we have a tremendous amount of disposable income that is neglected," Chavous, who represents the area, said as he roamed through the store. He said his ward, more than any other, has lost taxpayers to the suburbs.
Tammy Corbin, a Southeast resident, claimed to be the first non-VIP customer to set foot in the store after the ribbon was cut. She said she came out to be a part of the celebration.
"It was an honor," said Corbin, who works at Howard University. "It was just to be a part of the grand opening, the new Safeway."
George Hart, 58, of Southeast, who studied the detergent aisle with his wife's grocery list in hand, was excited about the store but expressed concerns that the store could go under if it was not kept up. "It's a beautiful store, and I only hope it'll stay this way," he said. "Stores in this area don't normally stay well-kept. A lot of young kids come through."
The store, which will be open daily from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., has anti-shoplifting devices at both of its entrances.
Hart got there, as did others, before 8 a.m. to pick up vanilla wafers, bananas, ham and even the free loaf of raisin bread for the first 300 customers. And he saw one good reason for the store to succeed.
"Why would someone want to go way out to Clinton when you have a beautiful store right here in your neighborhood?"
© Copyright 1997 The Washington Post Company
