68 thoughts on “Bradley to temporarily lease Campustown space”

1. Maybe Bradley will now get serious about a pedestrian overpass/underpass, over/under University.

2. I think this is a great move for Bradley and something that they should look to make long term.

3. I agree that safer ways for BU students to cross University Street are needed. Overall, I think having BU at Campustown will be good, though. It will allow Joseph a chance to improve Campustown and “reboot” it (i.e. restore it to its original purpose of serving the Bradley Community and nearby West Bluff neighborhoods) after the Westlake Hall renovation is complete and BU moves out. I’m sure Sav-A-Lot will do well at its new location at Mid-Town Plaza, which I’m pretty sure will happen.

4. Bounce the Dollar Tree and let Bradley have that and put in a single screen movie theater at the old Save A Lot.

5. The Varsity!!!!!

6. read into that what you will

7. “Bounce the Dollar Tree and let Bradley have that and put in a single screen movie theater at the old Save A Lot.”

   Unless the university is picking up the tab on that one thats not going to happen. Movie theaters are very risky business unless they are a megaplex that can run many first run movies at a time.

   Im still confused as to how campustown is not serving the area. There are places to buy booze for the college kids and surrounding area, there are cheap eating places, also what college kids want, there is a bar, there is a starbucks and there used to be a place to buy cheap easy prepare groceries and finally a wal greens to buy whatever you cant get at the gas station or grocery store. Maybe the neighborhoods should just say look we dont want people shopping at campustown if they live east of university or “down the dreaded hill” we also dont really want to cater to college kids but if we have to, keep the starbucks and the wal greens otherwise move in the Whole Food the Trader Joes and at least one organic green 4 star restaurant and maybe also a place for local theatre performances.

   Also if businesses are not looking to locate to campustown then there is not much Joseph can do about it.

   There is a crosswalk at the light on university, there is a little blinking man when you can walk. If BU students cant figure it out maybe there should be some sort of crosswalk 101 offered at Bradley.

8. There is a Fresh Market in Normal, IL. Which would be a great fit for Campustown. The dozen or so times I have been there, the primary clientele in the place is?….. ISU students. Most of these college aged kids aren’t not coming from disadvantaged homes. They don’t slum it through school like students used to 20, 30, or 40 years ago.

9. Right but do they really stock up on groceries? Do you think the average college kid buys groceries to cook meals for a week or more at a time? I have been out of college for less then six years. My entire time in college, and I would include my franterity brothers and friends, I think we maybe went to the grocery store for things other then alcohol, smokes and cheap food maybe a handful of times. I just think that it is being greatly overestimated the amount of grocery shopping students are going to do. I would say that a lack of interest in the space by grocery stores would also back up that theory.

10. How does a fresh market serve the greater community? Your right some BU students might not be slumming it but what about many of the neighborhoods around campustown? Would they be able to utilize that store? If campustown is intended to serve the community shouldnt a grocery store established in it attempt to serve the entire area not just a few cherry picked neighborhoods and college students?

11. Perhaps part of your confusion, Mr. Yerly, stems from the fact that Walgreens is not located in Campustown — it is on Western Avenue. CVS is the drugstore located in Campustown.

    The other issue that you seem to be struggling with is that many people complain that Campustown is “not serving the area” and you equate that to a bias against people who live “east of university or ‘down the dreaded hill’.” Critics of Campustown, and Save-a-lot in particular, are upset because they saw the quality of the local grocery store deteriorate from the original grocer (Thompson’s) that opened in Campustown. I don’t see a desire to shop for groceries in a clean, safe, brightly lit, organized, and odor-free environment to be any sort of prejudice; in fact I wish that every citizen in Peoria could have that experience, regardless of where they live.

    Rather than criticizing those who complain about the poor conditions and management of Campustown, the citizens of Peoria should be asking why the majority of the city’s grocery stores are located in a two mile or less radius of one another (Cub, Schnucks, Kroger and the anticipated HyVee), and the fact that most Peorian’s have to drive to that area to do their grocery shopping. Perhaps we should start questioning why certain areas of this community do not have basic services (such as grocery stores) instead of castigating one another for expressing discontent with poor services, facilities and management.

    I certainly think Peoria would be better served by a better informed citizenry that sought to fix the central problems facing the community rather than merely bickering about the peripheral symptoms.

12. Joseph has never struck me as being particularly aggressive about pursuing potential tenants, not has he shown consistent interest in finding retailers who would be a good fit for a particular property. His behavior, particularly in recent years, seems to have been to work with whatever comes along and be, essentially, an order taker instead of a salesman. Plus, he has been very poor about maintaining security and dealing with problems that have arisen at Campustown over the years. I do hope that BU’s temporary presence will stimulate a change in Joseph’s neglectful attitude towards Campustown. I agree with you, Mahkno, that a Fresh Market grocery would be a good fit for the college community and the predominately middle class West Bluff neighborhoods that surround Campustown.

13. Fresh Market is a lot of over priced, pretentious garbage. If you want a decent store, let’s talk Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods.

14. Aldi is owned by the same guy who owns Trader Joe’s. They have come along way in the last year. Great prices and great produce.

15. , “Mahkno, that a Fresh Market grocery would be a good fit for the college community and the predominately middle class West Bluff neighborhoods that surround Campustown.”

    So what about the other half of the neighborhoods that surround campustown who currently are in need of a mid range grocery store like Cub?

    “Critics of Campustown, and Save-a-lot in particular, are upset because they saw the quality of the local grocery store deteriorate from the original grocer (Thompson’s) that opened in Campustown.”

    Right the grocery stores located in campustown have not been able to stay open. They are not making enough money at the location to warrent having a store there. There is enough interest in the lake area that Hyvee believes the demand for their goods will balance the cost of construction. If that were the case at campustown wouldnt we be fighting off the grocery stores wanting to locate here?

16. Sounds good to me. Lack of business has never been cited as a reason for grocery stores leaving Campustown. A decent one, one that would attract business from the college communty and neighborhoods, would do well.

17. “If you want a decent store, let’s talk Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods.”

    Sounds good to me. Lack of business has never been cited as a reason for grocery stores leaving Campustown. A decent grocery, one that would attract business from the college communty and neighborhoods, would do well.

18. So where are these upscale grocery stores at? Peoria currently does not have a Whole Food or a Trader Joes even in neighborhoods that have a far greater level of income and much higher socio economic demographic then the area around Bradley so what makes campustown a better location then say the area around North Knoxville?

    Conrad walk from your house down russell and then back up on Armstrong and tell me all those neighborhoods would be shopping at a Trader Joes or Whole Food.

    “Perhaps we should start questioning why certain areas of this community do not have basic services (such as grocery stores” Basic services would be an Aldi or a Kroger or prehaps a Cub food, a grocery store that could be utalized by the entire community. What is being argued here is an upscale grocery store that would specifically cater to only certain portions of the community which I think is wrong and from the business end probably not feasible.

19. I think what is being argued here is that Campustown would do well to get a grocery store, something other than a Sav-A-Lot.

20. Yes agreed. Your arguement is that a Trader Joe or a Whole Food would be a good fit. I am arguing that a basic grocery store such as a Cub Food, Kroger or Aldi would be a better fit. However the Cub on Knoxville closed even though it was somewhat close to our neighborhood so I would be curious how successful it would be at campustown. Secondly I am stating that if a corporate grocery store thought that campustown was a good investment wouldnt it make sense to utilize that space instead of spending large sums of money on a location at Lake where there are already several nearby grocery stores?

21. I believe that a decent grovery would do well at Campustown, a grocery store that is clean, well-lit, and with decent selection. The stores you cite- Cub on Knoxville and the previous Campustown stores- did not close due to lack of business at the locations, but due to circumstances related to their respective corporations.As I stated earlier, Joseph is not good at prospecting and selling, things which have to be done to get desired tenants. Things just don’t materialize on their own.

    You are certainly entitled to your opinion of things, but I do hope you will take facts into account when formulating them.

22. You might be able to get a Trader Joes. I can see that as a demographic fit. The don’t need as much sq ft as a Whole Foods, demographics is upscale but cost conscious compared to Whole Foods, and due to the brands and style that is not available anywhere nearby, ironically, it could be a “draw”.

    The bar(s) in Campustown would benefit from the addition of more bars with a restaurant so that the 18 year olds could be there and coffee shops.

23. No they do not happen on their own. Usually corporations have to have interest in a location. Just because you have empty retail space dosnt mean stores are going to flock to it. In your opinion Joseph has done a bad job in marketing the location but do you know for a fact that is the case? Are you sure that there were other businesses interested in that particular location? Your missing the point of the argument. Maybe there is a lack of interest in the space and that is why the location is not being utalized? There is retail space up and down main street that is not being used because no one at the current time wants to use it. Right their corporate offices decided that there was no incentive to leave those stores open. Often that is a result of underperformance or when cost is more then profit. Recent example Blockbuster is closing because that location is costing the company money meaning that location has less money coming in then going out. I would wager if you look at the books on the grocery stores that have gone out in the past years if the stores were performing exceptionally well they would still be there. Profitable stores dont close.

24. I vote for a Trader Joes. I think it fits with what the City should attempt to create in that area — a more hip, urban, community which surrounds a top notch university.

    I agree with Conrad that there were “other” issues as to why the Thompson/Sullivan’s failed in that area, but one contributing factor was the crime or the appearance of such. Same too with the Cubs on Knoxville. I used to shop at this store frequently in the early evening and many times I felt uncomfortable. People would say things to me, people were hanging about that appeared to be intoxicated, and several times I came out of the store and police were taking somebody down. That type of atmosphere around a store is not a big customer draw.

25. Right I agree that the look should be hip ect…but a Trader Joes dosnt make that happen. Basically to me the Trader Joe, Whole Food is saying we dont want the “undesirables” around here so this is a way to remove them. We want a neighborhood grocery store that only supports the part of the neighborhood we are comfortable with. I, for example, could not afford to do a majority of my shopping at Trader Joes but instead would continue to go to Cub. I think there is a fairly large number of residents in the area that would never set foot into the Trader Joe. This essintially becomes a store for the “right part” of the neighborhood but ignores a significant portion of the residents, how was it worded recently “undesireable element”, that it would appear to serve. What campustown needs, if it even could support it, is a mid range grocery store that could supply all the area residents not just the right ones.

26. I watched a special show on Walmart, I believe recommended by someone blogging on this site, and part of the show followed a Walmart team charged with finding a site for a new store. I remember two of the factors they kept mentioning were the traffic flow numbers (sufficient shoppers passing through that would stop and shop) and the demographics of the surrounding neighborhoods. Campustown probably fails on both counts in terms of attracting a mid-range grocery store.

    Stephen – I don’t know it is so much about keeping “undesirables” away as much a creating a walkable area with some shopping that would either attract more individuals to reside in close proximity and/or be a destination that people would be willing to drive to and spend some time and money. I really like One World and drive from North Peoria to patronize it. I think more shops and businesses on the order of One World would be a good fit for the area, such as a Trader Joes. I think many people would drive from all around the Peoria area to patronize such an establishment. I drive to UFS to buy wine because the prices and service are good and when I am there I see all my friends and neighbors, none of which live on the Southside of Peoria. There are not that many shopping choice in Peoria, so I think people are willing to drive some to get what they want.

27. We need a decent grocery store in this space. Trader Joe’s would be a good fit. I’ve also contacted Panera Bread about opening a place here – another good fit. Why does Peoria lack imagination??

28. Amen to Trader Joe’s! 🙂

29. Am I the only one put off by the Campustown parking lot situation? There’s just too much congestion for me–too much trouble to get in and out of the area. It’s too chopped up–hard to get from one side to the other. That probably says more about my driving than it does about the parking lot. Before Campustown I was in that area all the time: Varsity Dress Shop, Varsity Theater, Velvet Freeze, etc. Come to think about it; in those days (college and then living in the area), I was usually on foot. I did go to Thompson’s and to the restaurant in Campustown quite a bit–none of those ventures were successful. Now I limit my time on Main Street to One World. Of course, Avanti’s parking is completely off limits to me–I only go when someone else is driving.

30. Sharon – I was going to write something else as well about what a mess the entire intersection is at Main and University when I posted. You are correct, getting in and out of Campustown is a big pain. Not sure what the City can do about that but I would be much more willing to negotiate the mess if there was something worth visiting. The reality is, I don’t think the parking lot is sufficient to host all the current businesses as well as something like a Trader Joes or a Panera. But Tulip . . . you keep working it, because it sure would be nice. Stephen is so close, he can walk over and get his morning bagel!

31. Speaking of local landmarks–I’m writing the history of Haddad’s ASAP for the February issue of the West Peoria News. I forgot about the wealth of information I might get in a minute from this blog. Does anyone have any tidbits related to Haddad’s that I could throw into the story–especially about the Haddad family or people that worked at the store. How about Jerry’s Market or the Super Value that was in that same location at Rohmann and Sterling before Haddad’s came in. Or the Jewel Store at Haddad’s current location or are you all too young to “Remember When”?

32. That was my midnight request–no need to hijack C.J.’s blog with answers to my questions.

33. Sharon, before Haddad’s moved into their current location, that place was the Post Office. It was the Rohmann Ave Carrier Station. In January of 79, we had a 20″ snowfall that cause the front of the building to collapse onto mail trucks parked in the front. The Postal Service replaced the awning with the slanted roof Haddad’s still has today on the front.

34. Emtronics: Thanks for the new info–I will use it. I knew about the post office (even remember it), but the snowfall is a great addition. So much for my effort not to hijack the blog.

35. Yes traffic flow is often a consideration as is demographics. Wal-Mart for the most part builds really big stores and therefore needs really big traffic counts. Smaller ones don’t need as much traffic to be successful. Demographics matter as well. The problem I see in some of the demographic data for the area is how they treat college students. The data often treats them as independent incomes, thus lots of very low income, when in fact they are mostly dependents, on mom n dad. In terms of disposable income they have much much more than the local low income folks.

    So you look at it and go ..whoa this neighborhood has a LOT of really low income folks when in reality they do not. The stuff I have seen doesn’t even distinguish the younger folks as college students (or not). There are also a lot of small business owners (at least in my neighborhood), which can distort some of those income numbers.

36. Trader Joes is a mid range store.

37. I find it unfortunate that there are people who have taken the younger Mr. Joseph’s assertion that the lack of patronage of Save-a-lot equates to a lack of need for a grocery store in Campustown. Anyone that looks at the history of the grocers that occupied Campustown and left will see that their closures were not from lack of customers, but instead were the result of other corporate pressures. Even the closing of Save-a-lot cannot be blamed on lack of revenue; the Josephs chose not to renew Save-a-lot’s lease and instead decided to have Bradley University as a tenant in that space.

    I am sure that part of the decision to forego the business relationship with Save-a-lot in favor of Bradley University has a great deal to do with the concerns and complaints regarding the safety of patrons of Campustown. The Josephs are probably counting on Bradley Security to patrol Campustown in order to monitor the safety of students, employees and constituents that will be utilizing the new spaces in Campustown. The presence of Bradley Security will hopefully discourage any malfeasance at any of the businesses, not just the Bradley spaces. This has, in effect, let the Josephs off the hook regarding the lax/lack of security of the complex that has been a major source of criticism levied against them.

    I must give them credit for that tactical move, but that does not absolve them of their duty to the patrons of the Campustown complex. I hope that the Josephs will work with the area neighborhoods to find suitable replacements for the spaces that Bradley will be temporarily using in Campustown. I believe that constructive dialogue between the developer and local community is the key to a successful Campustown, and this conversation must include the best businesses that will be well patronized by the community and the security concerns of patrons and businesses.

38. Did Thompson’s close that store because they weren’t making money or because they were going out of business. I haven’t been in Peoria long enough to remember Thompson’s there, but I know there was the one on Knoxville and one on University that seemed to do well, but they all closed about the same time.

    I use to shop at Shop-A-Lot on occasion until I saw the cleanliness of the store and the lack of quality food. They had mustard on sale one day. It was your typical yellow mustard in a clear squeeze bottle, but it had expired, and had turned brown, so they were offering it for a very cheap price.

    I wish there were a Jewel store in the Peoria area. I come from the Chicago area and Jewel and Dominicks are the 2 main stores.

39. Jewel’s didn’t make it in West Peoria–Haddad’s, a mom and pop store in business at the same time has survived all the big chain stores in the area.

40. Mahkno what do you think the average grocery comsumption is of a college student? Do you think the average college student stocks grocery items and cooks more then maybe twice a week?

    Right people might travel to campustown for a Trader Joes or wouldnt it be a better fit for the company to locate one closer to its potential customer base, or those with higher disposible incomes, say in North Peoria or across the bridge? I would rather see a non chain bakery/bagel shop but I would take a Panera in a pinch. 🙂

41. I’ve eaten in a Panera twice in my life. Not a fan. I would also rather see a local bakery type shop.

42. Let’s take a trip down memory lane.

    Thompson changed to Sullivan as part of a larger transaction. Thompson started locally in 1957, then was sold to Scrivner, then Scrivner was bought by Fleming Cos. By that time there were several stores in the chain. Fleming put them up for sale in April 2000 “as part of a companywide strategic planning initiative.” Sullivan Foods acquired six of them, including the Campustown location.

    Sullivan’s closed their Knoxville and Campustown stores in December 2002. A spokesperson for the company wouldn’t give a reason for the closure. Speculation was that it was prompted by competition from the new and city-subsidized Cub Foods in MidTown Plaza.

    Then Save-a-Lot moved in toward the end of 2003 with a smaller store (20,100 square feet vs. 35,000 square feet for Sullivan’s), and it was there up until Jan. 3, 2010. Officials with Save-a-Lot never stated the reason they were closing either. You may recall this excerpt from the Journal Star:

    However, [Gerry Kettler, director of consumer affairs for Niemann Foods, owner of Save-a-Lot] declined to say why the Campustown store will close. “I’m not at liberty to discuss it right now. We decided to not renew our lease at Campustown,” he said.

    Brad Joseph of D. Joseph & Sons, the Peoria firm that developed and owns Campustown [said] “…we are disappointed Niemann Foods chose not to renew the lease. We’ve had a grocery in that space for almost all of the time Campustown has been there, almost 20 years. Apparently, there isn’t a strong enough need for one now.”

    Other sources tell me that Save-a-Lot actually wanted to stay in Campustown, but that Joseph wouldn’t consider a lease extension. What we know for sure — Joseph’s comments notwithstanding — is that Save-a-Lot didn’t disclose their reason for closing the store, so it may have had nothing to do with whether or not the store was profitable or needed.

43. “so it may have had nothing to do with whether or not the store was profitable or needed.”

    Or it may have had everything to do with not being profitable or needed, being that the reason was not disclosed.

    “A spokesperson for the company wouldn’t give a reason for the closure. Speculation was that it was prompted by competition from the new and city-subsidized Cub Foods in MidTown Plaza.”

    Once again the key word here is speculation not fact. The facts here, that term being thrown around here in previous posts, is that several grocery stores have occupied that space and none of them are currently operating there, which by the way is a red flag for companies looking to locate to a retail space.

44. Or it may have had nothing to do with whether or not the store was profitable or needed.

    I understand your point about perception. But it’s Joseph’s job to sell the location. You don’t just build a strip mall and then wait around for merchants to beat a path to your door.

45. Stephen – I agree with you that I would rather see a local bakery open up shop in Campustown. Perhaps Apple’s Bakery would consider a branch operations? It seems her business was hurt with the opening of the Panera’s down the road.

    I think local businesses fit much better with the vibe that the area should attempt to create. There are already several ethnic restaurants in the area. It would be cool if the BU area could become a hub for even more diverse eating options. An authentic Mexican restaurant would be a good addition.

46. Right CJ neither of us really knows the reason or can argue based on fact, which I never claimed to it seems to be your side of the arguement making that assertion, why those grocery stores closed because the company is not saying. Its opinion from both sides. Are you also speculating that Joseph’s has not attempted to sell the location? Do you know for a fact that is the case or is your displeasure with the current tenants what leads you to speculate that Joseph’s just takes whatever comes along? I know that the main street commons project had vocalized to the neighborhood they have had a hard time finding retail options interested for their project, so that makes me wonder if maybe retail space is currently that desireable in the area? There is also an abundance in empty retail space overall on main street which would indicate a glut meaning that there is not demand meeting the supply.

47. I have to wonder if Joseph is not pretty inflexible. I was very disappointed that an agreement could not be reached between Joseph and the library to locate the North Branch at Northpoint, which seemed to be the preferred location from the library’s point of view during it lengthy search and analysis. The space the library was interested in had been vacant for, it would seem, almost a decade but Joseph still wanted an unreasonable amount. IMO, after all the give the City has provided Joseph he could have made a gesture that was good for the community and reached a deal with the library. The library would have provided the additional traffic to make the Northpoint center more vibrant which would have helped the other tenants, most of which are local businesses and I would think, in the long run profited Joseph. Makes you wonder?

48. Stephen — On 1/16 at 1:21 a.m., you say: “neither of us really knows the reason or can argue based on fact, which I never claimed to,” but if you scroll up the page to your comment on 1/14 at 5:06 p.m., you plainly said, “Right the grocery stores located in campustown have not been able to stay open. They are not making enough money at the location to warrent having a store there.” I was simply pointing out that your assertion was speculative. And it appears that you now agree it was.

    You then ask, “Are you also speculating that Joseph’s has not attempted to sell the location?” No. You were expressing what you see as the potential retailers’ perception of the Campustown space, and I was just saying that there is a selling/marketing responsibility on the other side of the coin.

    You say, “I know that the main street commons project had vocalized to the neighborhood they have had a hard time finding retail options interested for their project.” You’re comparing apples and oranges. They were looking for land to buy, not lease. They were looking to build student apartments (a residential development), not a grocery store (a retail development).

    You conclude, “There is also an abundance in empty retail space overall on main street which would indicate a glut meaning that there is not demand meeting the supply.” Or it might indicate other things, like the fact that we’ve been in a recession, the lack of on-street parking, lack of convenient access to the storefront, condition of the property, etc.

49. No CJ, devonshire, the developer for the main street commons project, came to the neighborhood and explained due to the current climate they no longer wanted to incorporate retail space in their project, which FYI they already had secured the land to build, due to the inability to find retail options that wanted to LEASE RETAIL space in their development. The neighborhood rejected that and insisted they wanted main street retail space. The current project incorporated it but at a much lesser extent citing a lack of interest in main street retail space even though they were approved for ample parking and easy access to a brand new building. (most of the space is going to house a work out center for the building and offices)

    Your asserting that Joseph’s is not selling the location and I merely asked if you knew that for a fact or if that was an opinion of yours? I mean how do you know he is not marketing his strip mall and there is just a lack of interest? I mean you are making that accusation I was just curious if it was based on fact or opinion?

    Did I ever claim that I had contacted Joseph’s and or the grocery chains and had a concrete reason as to the closings? I was using A to B logic, taking the situation at face value. The stores were not profitable or prehaps not profitable enough to justify the cost of operation so they closed or relocated. From the perspective of a company and financers the fact that several grocery stores have gone in and out of that same location is a red flag. Its like opening a restaurant where three others have closed. Just like you and the many other people posting on here I was giving my opinion. I do not believe those stores were profitable and I still do not, I was then attacked by another poster claiming to not be using the facts, and that the facts indicate the stores closed even though they were highly profitable. If you can get me FACTS not speculation supporting that Ill change my opinion but until then I do not see a fact verse non fact position, but I had been posting under the assumption that we are all stating our opinions.

    In conclusion I made a statement based on a very simple observation. Most people looking to open a business do not want to locate in the middle of vacant buildings, a check for cash place and a shady liquer store. Before the recession there were many vacant store fronts, some have been for lease since I moved here 4 years ago, along main st so thats not a strong arguement. There are several vacant buildings that either have parking or are located close to public parking, but Ill give you that a lack of parking could be an issue (on a side note I do believe that we need street parking). I would say that the main reason is a demographic that will not support most businesses and crime, whether real or imagined, is what is keeping main st where it is at and no amount of ornamental lighting or wider sidewalks is going to change that.

50. Bradley is leasing the space. Bradley doesn’t generate tax money directly. Students from Bradley who can and do generate sales tax money, don’t have a place to spend their money.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.