Creation Gardens to Stop Walk-In Retail Business

Toast.

So where's this guy who was supposed to be their "marketing" guy anyway ? He was on here a few months back yammering about all the neat things coming down. Maybe he'll show up (again) and shed some light on this whole thing.

Wow....kick in the gut for me.

I hope this works for them. I think they'll lose a lot of business from us casual, walk-in shoppers. Browsing a website is entirely different than browsing aisles. I go there with a list and end up with double the list simply from seeing something new on the shelf. Then again, I'm sure their business model is not built around me

I do exactly like David- I go with the express purpose of buying things I didn't know of/look appealing. Last time it was 10 different containers of beans/grains and some wonderful smoked duck that I had a wonderful time using. Ordering on-line will only be used when I need a very specific item ( ie edible flowers) which will be rare- I can walk-in and get much elsewhere. On the produce side, I won't do it if i can't pick myself- refusing part of an order is too much hassle.

I'm with Antonia on this one- very sad. A trip to Creation was a side trip for me whenever possible when I go downtown. But I won't be in their new part of town, and I will sorely miss Creation.
Deb

I do exactly like David- I go with the express purpose of buying things I didn't know of/look appealing. Last time it was 10 different containers of beans/grains and some wonderful smoked duck that I had a wonderful time using. Ordering on-line will only be used when I need a very specific item ( ie edible flowers) which will be rare- I can walk-in and get much elsewhere. On the produce side, I won't do it if i can't pick myself- refusing part of an order is too much hassle.

I'm with Antonia on this one- very sad. A trip to Creation was a side trip for me whenever possible when I go downtown. But I won't be in their new part of town, and I will sorely miss Creation.
Deb

Ditto!

creation retail store closing is not good news.

It reads like it is temporary to me...

It reads like it is temporary to me...

I agree that it sounds like it's probably (and hopefully) temporary but the problem remains that the location is not going to be downtown where we anticipate it to be! The Produce Lane is certainly a lot more out of the way for most people. Even if it does reopen I don't believe it will get anywhere near the business it used to.

Our trips to Creation Gardens have always provided inspiration and encouragement to try new things ,,,Oh now where am I gonna get my marinated mushrooms as inexpensive as I can there...I am not very good at planning ahead and ordering...sheesh

This is valuable feedback from the very businesses that Creation Gardens needs to hear from. Perhaps they will take it all into consideration.

Withholding my honest opinions about this because I go in there all the time but I strongly dislike this.

Well, I dunno. I will miss the downtown store as well. BUT, this is a big decision for Creation Gardens. I think we can assume it was made with a great deal of thought and preparation. My total dollars spent at Creation Gardens for the last year has been less than maybe $300. I really don't have a dog in this fight as the expression goes. But I do ask the restaurants and chefs wouldn't you sacrifice a wee bit convenience for better prices or better /fresher product?

This is valuable feedback from the very businesses that Creation Gardens needs to hear from. Perhaps they will take it all into consideration.

I actually sent them a e-mail last week stating my disappointment with their present plans, here's the reply I got:

We do truly apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you. We knew that our regular shopping customers would not be happy, but right now we really have no viable business option for downtown retail. We did try hard to work out a plan that would make sense for our 800+ restaurant/delivery customers as well as our valued retail customers. For now, this option is the only one that makes sense for moving forward.

We do thank you for your business, and hope that you may give our new online retail model a try as we transition over to the new warehouse.

Thanks for the valuable feedback. We hope you and your family are having a great holiday.

Regards,

By reading the reply it sounds like the online ordering is going to be the only option permanently, not just temporarily like many of us were hoping although it does sound like they may reconsider eventually. Maybe if they get enough feedback they will reconsider that.

Carla,

Does this decision have anything to do with better/higher quality ingredients and better prices? Also, do we mean better prices, or not raising existing prices, because that makes a difference as well. I fail to see how this move will increase the quality of the produce they carry.

As a restaurant/kitchen owner I don't really care too much, if I want bulk produce from CG, they deliver. But as a chef who lives and cooks downtown, I find it inconvenient to other purposes, particularly for the test kitchen. I doubt they will deliver 3 lemons, a bunch of parsley and a handful of shiitake mushrooms, and sometimes that is all I need. It wouldn't be worth the gas to drive to the new location for that small of a load, either. This is the kind of business I think they will lose. Will they miss it? Who can tell?

Carla,

Does this decision have anything to do with better/higher quality ingredients and better prices? Also, do we mean better prices, or not raising existing prices, because that makes a difference as well. I fail to see how this move will increase the quality of the produce they carry.

I don't have a clue, I have no inside info I was just wondering. Thinking out loud. There is a great need for some sort of grocery in the DT area.