Hippo's Competition

Foodie Item: milk, yogurt, eggs, cheese, ice cream
Your Story: Hello.
I own a small inn located in the King William District. We send lots of guests to the little market on Alamo St because it is the only place to go for snacks and wine. Unfortunately, the supply is very limited at that particular store and the cost is very high. Consequently, most of the locals do not shop there unless they are totally desperate and then there is much complaining to be heard about how a gallon of milk and a bag of ice used up most of a ten dollar bill. When we rented an apartment in Vancouver last summer we were enthralled by the ability to walk a few blocks to a grocery store that had what we wanted as well as what we didn't know we wanted at a price that was normal. NYC neighborhoods are full of small stores stocked floor to ceiling with both the usual and the unexpected. Despite the horror stories about how difficult it is for a grocery store to make money, somehow these stores not only survive, but appear to thrive. I am thrilled to read the paper today and learn about your new store and hope it will be a place where we can do the bulk of our small item shopping for the mundane as well as specialty items. It sounds like you have done and continue to do your research and I've included a couple links just as an FYI to the stores in the Yaletown district of Vancouver that we frequented. Thanks and good luck!