Ah, the fantasy of a Trader Joe's returns . . . that would actually be a GREAT location for one. Are we sure the ACME is closing, or is this just rumor?

Andorra is possibly the most suburban-like neighborhood of the city. I wouldn't call it walkable. It is lovely though.

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"Life is not what it's supposed to be. Its what it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference."
--Family therapist and author Virginia Satir

In answer to O.H. Lees' querie, I apologize for the lack of clarity, or lack of appropriate wording. I meant, it would be wonderful to have a nice place to shop for food (ie:Trader Joes, ) or some other decent market. It would be worth it, therefore, to walk to the Andorra center for food. As it stands now, I must get in my car and drive to a decent place to shop, instead of being able to walk.
Back in the olden days, one could find everything within walking distance of one's home. Things are going to revert back to that .
Right now, however , Andorra does not have much in the way of consumer amenities. We would be richer as a community, if we did.

I prefer the Andorra Acme over the one down near the
hospital. The Andorra Acme has a nice staff and helpful
manager. I also like the idea that there are not "hoards
of people" in there all at once.

It is not perfect but, you get to know where everything
is located in the store. If you can't find something, you
can just ask. I have been satisfied with the Andorra Acme
for many years and NO, it is not scheduled to close.

Since people mentioned the lower Roxborough Acme, the
one near the hospital, I want to say this. There is an
annoying little twirp down there in that Acme that always
seems bothered by everything. He is a cashier but ,also
serves as some kind of general helper ( in his mind ). At times
he acts like the Manager but, is not.

He is graying and very short and has a very annoying
way of speaking with people....or should I say, speaking
down to people. I see him selling phone cards out front
from time to time for our Servicemen.

A nieghbor of ours has a daughter who works part time
in that store; She makes about $7.00 an hour. She said
the "little guy"....she calls him that because he's so short,
told her he makes over $30.00 @ hour on the weekend.
That is not bad.

He is another reason to go to the Andorra Acme. I do
believe it is a better store with nicer more helpful people.

Me too! I don't like it, but if I need a few things and am in a hurry, it's the closest place. I guess it depends on your definition of trash! Maybe I should reflect on this a bit...

Side note: If I need milk, though, I'll go the extra distance to hit ShopRite. ACME doesn't have a store brand of organic milk (the only kind we use), and Horizon is crazy expensive (over $4 for 1/3 gallon last time I was there). It's actually cheaper at ShopRite ($6.50ish for a whole gallon) and Genuardi's ($5/gallon when on sale).

I really miss my old grocery stores in Chicago. Nothing compares...I loved Domenick's...[sigh]...

My mother introduced me to Dominicks in Chicago years ago and it was the best...haven't been to one since she passed away over 10 years ago. I'm guessing they changed and updated with the times.

But today I must admit, that when I'm in the mood to REALLY go shopping, it's Wegmans!!! I con myself into believing that if I go to Wegmans in NJ, I can fill up my tank on gas as well and gee, look at all the money I will save [of course, only to be spent when I get to Wegmans].

I doubt that Wegmans will build one of their food empire stores inside this city's limits. It would be nice, though.....

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Eracism

It would be very easy to fix the Andorra Shopping Center, but it would be a little expensive. If done right, however, it can really help to define a sense of place in Andorra. The present configuration of the stores is obsolete, and they are getting worn, too. A new row could be built where the parking lot presently is, say aligned with the existing stores but set closer to the center of the parking lot. Then the old stores could be demolished and replaced with parking, and the new stores could be open to the parking lot in the back or the new 'Andorra Street' in the front. This could be phased in and done on both sides of the shopping center, and the new road in the middle would have parking on both sides. Imagine the new Citizen's Bank / Starbucks row in downtown Roxborough. If people got really ambitious they could even have residential second or even third stories above the stores, to create a 24 hour downtown, to replace the present ghost town after the stores close.

It would be a bit of a Potemkin Village, but it could actually look sort of like Germantown Avenue in Chestnut Hill, only with parking behind all of the stores. It would certainly be much nicer than the present, ugly configuration. I am picturing buskers and maybe a fountain, too. It would certainly make Andorra more of a pleasant destination. I went to something like this this winter on the west side of Ft. Lauderdale, and to one in far Bucks County, also. They are all the rage. The only way to really do it right would be to plan for the eventual condo-ization of the stores and hopefully apartments. Then it would start to resemble Rittenhouse Square or Old Naples in Florida - having everything owned by one corporation is not healthy in the long term.

To answer the question about walkability, this new Andorra main street would terminate at Cathedral Road in a way which invites people to walk to and from the shopping center, unlike the present pedestrian unfriendly borders at Cathedral and Port Royal. I envision the Cathedral Road entrance as more the gateway, and that would be prime retail space for something like an ice cream stand, etc.

I was in the Acme the morning at 8:30. There was no fresh fruit out...just some scant tired leftovers from last night. By 8:30 there should have been a replenished stock. They don't have a wide variety, or even a normal variety of foods.
So many people find this market disgusting. Is there any way to pass these sentiments to corporate, so they either fix up or get out? (not just my sentiments , but those of the larger population).

This is not necessarily the fault of the store. Depending on how the warehouse routes the trucks for delivery, it can sometimes be late morning or early afternoon before the truck arrives. At this time of year, the resort areas, i.e. shore stores, get priority, especially on the weekend.