Word is spreading rapidly about the temporary closing of the Hillcrest-area Kroger on Beechwood. The grocery is set to shut its doors for nine months for a revamp. Beaucoup details via Arkansas Business are available here. (This makes two posts in a row about grocery stores closing up shop for at least a little bit! Please forgive me.)
I know I don’t live in Hillcrest, so it’s not as big a deal to me, but all across Facebook, Twitter and the blogosphere, people are acting like this is the end of civilization. Seriously.
I live a little further west, where our two closest Kroger stores have been in remodel for what seems like a year already with more months to go. These stores have stayed open, which isn’t exactly a blessing. We hate shopping in the midst of clouds of dust and pop-up barricades so much that we’ve been venturing elsewhere to pick up our groceries lately. And the Heights Kroger is — what? — a mile from the Hillcrest one?
Also, the last time I dropped in the Hillcrest Kroger, I was kind of appalled at how gross it was. It definitely needed this upgrade, as the Krogers along Markham and Rodney Parham did.
I have no problem enjoying the luxuries of modern frou-frou grocery stores. Embrace change, people! Your hippie hang out will soon have to compete with a fabulous new Midtown Target!
UPDATE: If you have a Democrat-Gazette account, you can read this morning’s story on the Kroger closing here.
Hilary DeMillo scouts the shopping scene in central Arkansas to save you time and cash. She hits trendy boutiques, big box retailers and every storefront in between.
I never shopped at the Harvest Food off Kiehl near our house, always went to the Kroger in Indian Hills. Now when I’m coming home off the 167 and just need milk, I hate having to go all the way there. Seems so silly, but I liked having a grocery store in either direction. So I can see really being irritated if it were my regular store.
that is my neighborhood kroger, and although i’m glad to see it get renovated (i mean, we call it DIRTY KROGER for gosh’s sake) i am TICKED that they are eating up at least 10 feet of the parking lot. for those who have tried to park there after work for that gallon of milk, it is H-E-double toothpicks.
i usually do all of my weekly shopping at the SHINY kroger (in the heights) becuase the dirty one never has the produce variety i want, so hearing that they are expanding that area does make me happy. but taking away the precious parking…bad choice, kroger.