Glorious changes

That's not a very nice thing to say about the "other" food store in downtown. I think organic food is very overrated. I am personally, not a fan of life alive, but then again i'm not a fan of being healthy either. Either is my wife, who is overweight. I do know alot of people who do like Life Alive. The funny thing is, all of these "healthy" people who swear by organic food and life alive smoke like chimneys. It's absolutely hillarious. Even the employees smoke. They may think they are healthier than regular smokers because they are smoking clove cigarettes or organic cigarettes but they are not. News flash: chain smoking cloves while attending a poetry reading while wearing your clogs, defeats the health benefits of your tofu burger. (i'll admit i did have a tofu burger once and i did like it, my wife ate 6)

And that's not a very nice thing to say about your wife.

Can anyone explain to me what they do or sell at Danas, why they are never open, and why someone didn't help that guy reinvest and become a full service market? I tried going in once on a Saturday morning and he told me they were closed, then locked the door. He just changed his decorations from Haloween to Christmas though...

Although the location is less-than-perfect (I mean, it's even more poorly located than Cafe Aiello was) and the building is a mess, it's a beautiful space with a historic name and a seemingly great premise. They have candy, they have fruit...all stuff wanted and hard to get in downtown Lowell. I think it would be a great continuation between the Lowell of today and the Lowell of its heyday. Maybe the location reason is enough...

Best of luck to this couple on Market St, but likewise, didn't Olive That N More start out more a grocer and wasn't able to get the model to work here? Exciting to me however, is Ricardo's place over on Prescott sounds like it is going to have craft beers, which have been unavailable in Lowell since Olive That N More switched away from that model.

hahaha i think the midnight gobbler's posts are hilarious!

Thanks Jackie. You are obviously a very intelligent person and an astute observer of GG's blog. The city could use more people like you

MG...you're so right! I love Life Alive and I smoke! I also love organic food...and sometimes I even chain smoke. I have been trying to quit for 10 years or 15 years...who really remembers anymore. Seems silly now that I see it in print.

Is there really such a thing as organic cigarettes?? Really?
Hilarious, thanks for the laugh!

P.S. I would rather see a Trader Joe's downtown, they are sure to stay in business if they were to set up shop.

DTL definitely needs a store that sells fresh fruits and veggies and I'd also like to see some fresh meats. I'd love to see it happen. And I'd also like to wear a sign that says "I have no money" so the poor old men and women can stop hounding me for money and cigarettes. Get a flipping job people.

lol ruby, i wasn't making fun of those people, but isn't it funny how all of them do smoke, even you? I'm actually a smoker myself, so i figure if i'm going to do that there is no point in eating healthy.

and bel, this is what i do when i see a junkie approaching me.... I ask him for a cig or some loose change first before he has the chance to ask me, it usually works

nice idea Ruby but I think Trader Joe's would be better served if they located off a major highway. I think that type of business needs ample parking and easy access. Something like the old Chelmsford Cinema might be too large and in direct competition with Market Basket but it is a high traffic area. Another thought would be to put it in the Tewksbury Walmart lot or the Plain St shopping center.
I know I got off subject but I'd like to see one closer than nashua

Right, because flipping jobs are SO easy to come by in this sparkling economy.

But back to the point of this blog...that is great news that an organic market is opening up (organinc is bonus, i'd be excited for any market w/ decent fruits and vegetables). No idea if it can survive in lowell in this economy, but one can always hope.

I'd love to see a Trader Joe's, too. How about in that plaza where the Target is going in? The one by the Registry, with Bally's Total Fitness in it. Thats right off the connector.

Midnight Gobbler should get his own blog

or a life....

I have eaten at both Glory and Evenfall. Glory definitely gets the thumbs up for decor, as Evenfall is a bit too IKEA-ish for my tastes. The quality of food at both places is pretty similar (stellar at both). Two or three of the best meals I've had north of Boston were at Glory, and my one meal at Evenfall was comparable. Both places have great comfy lounge areas as well - something there isn't enough of in Lowell.

This is for Corey, who wondered about Danas Market.
It really is an historic place, been around for years and was always the place to go for fruit baskets and homemade candy. I thin k the owner, Peter Danas, is getting up there in years, but inside it's pure nostalgia and right out of the '50s (reminds me of the place I hung out in as a teen).
That's why producers chose it for an opening scene in the movie School Ties, filmed in Lowell/Concord/Groton/Acton in the early 90s. In that scene, Brendan Fraser drives up to the market and has a fist fight with a teenage thug.
Rent the movie if you get a chance, since it is so cool to see that shot of Danas and the corner of Gorham and Appleton Streets. Nothing was changed, not even the name on the front of the store or the inside. They actually shot the fight scene in a nearby alley on Gorham Street, too. It's so cool.
Foodie

I'm the person opening the market on Market street in Lowell. We plan on providing fresh fruits and veggies, organic goods as well as prepared foods. Staples such as milk and eggs, and fantasic breads well be available as well. We are looking forward to providing our neighbors with the freshest products possible and look forward to any input anyone has to offer. Look for us in the next few months!

Thanks!

Rob & Janette

Hi Rob,

In my opinion, the prepared foods is key. I would be lessed inclined to come in for a few veggies. Affordable meals that people on the go can stock up and freeze for example. There is a place in Saybrook CT that has a homemade fresh to fridge model and does unbelievable business. Their most popular product is their entree, which cost between $7-12 and feeds two people. Things like eggplant roulades, chick parm, veal picatta, eggplant lasagna, macaroni, etc. They have an large onsite kichen though, not sure if it's possible without that kind of infrastructure. Hey if you have an oven and a fridge, why not. Anyway, that's my free advise :)

http://www.pastavita.com/

Welcome and best of luck.

Rob and Janette, welcome to the neighborhood and I cannot wait for you to open!!!