Interesting thought. The local Alco store location would be a great spot, and Safeway needs a competitor.
During the summer, the Leadville Community Market attempts to fill the gap in organic fruit, produce and baked goods for our small town. Sherrie Randall from Cookies with Altitude has been a tremendous help ordering and selling unique and hard to find organic vegetables from her suppliers. As a member of the board that puts on the market, I have struggled to find regional farmers willing to deliver to our small mountain town even though we are surrounded by successful farmers markets like Edwards, Vail and Frisco. Drving over the pass would put a higher premium on these already expensive items, and make it even more difficult for locals to afford. Safeway is attempting to bring in higher quality produce, and is rotating stock better than they ever have before thanks to new manager, Kelvin Henry. If you already live here, you also know that you can purchase fruit and vegetables at the local stand on the North side of town, but these are definitely not organic.
The Wal-Mart Neighborhood market idea began in 1998, and the company announced plans in 2008 to aggressively target smaller markets, even those close to big box Wal Mart stores. These stores are meant to offer similar pricing, smaller lines, and easier parking than regular Wal Marts. It is part of Wal-Marts plan to expand it’s store base, even in communities not able to support their traditional stores. These stores also reflect a new focus on healthful foods.
Wal Mart’s new strategy to enter the organic food market may seem strange to some, considering their focus on mass produced items brought to the consumer at prices undercutting competition, but the new CEO describes their venture into the high end food market like this: “A win, win, win. Customers will get lower prices on something they want, suppliers will have the assurance of consistent demand, and Wal Mart itself will benefit from the halo effect of being associated with healthful foods.” He sees “massive inefficiencies in the organic supply chain and believes that by skipping out the industry’s middlemen and placing direct orders with suppliers of the raw goods, Wal-Mart can score the trifecta of advantageous outcomes.” The Verge
Rather than drive over Fremont pass to pick up your items at the Whole Foods in Frisco, and support Summit County businesses and sales taxes, wouldn’t it be nice to find them in the city limits, supporting city services?
The idea of providing healthy food and lifestyles in Lake County is not a new one. Lake County Build a Generation, led by Katie Baldassar, has the following mission: “to create an environment in Leadville and surrounding Lake County that will encourage healthy, active lifestyles and increase population-level health.” LiveWell Leadville
Whether you think this is a good idea or not, make your voice known. Get involved. Do you support a Wal Mart neighborhood market in Leadville? Do you want fresh, organic food made more available by local businesses?