Strategies for a successful corner market

New Urban News Article with images, 3/1/2009

One of the basic tenets of the retail industry is that a store must be located near high levels of automobile traffic. Foot traffic can take the place of cars — but usually this is only the case where pedestrian counts are very high, such as in tourist locations. New urbanists found in the 1990s that if you place a grocery store in the middle of a traditional neighborhood development, the business often dies.

It comes as a surprise, then, to see Marsala’s Market thrive in the neighborhood center of New Town at St. Charles, Missouri — far from any drive-by traffic or tourist destination. New Town, while growing steadily, still has fewer than 900 households. It usually takes 1,000 households to support a neighborhood store, according to retail expert Bob Gibbs. Marsala’s opened in April of 2006 when only 350 households lived in the development.

In a development that has many amenities — pools, parks, beach volleyball courts, bocce courts, a fitness center, and playgrounds, for example — the corner grocery store is the most important, says town architect Tim Busse. “The idea that someone can walk to buy a loaf of bread, milk, produce, or other items is central to the concept of New Urbanism,” he says. Getting a store running early on was a key part of the plan, Busse notes.