'We don't want this': Englewood residents sound off on Save-A-Lot taking place of Whole Foods space
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Two months after this Whole Foods in Englewood suddenly shut its doors, neighbors are finally learning what will replace the empty storefront.
But before it even opens its doors, some residents said they don't want it in their neighborhood. The large store is located at 63rd and Halsted. CBS 2's Sara Machi went out to get some answers.
A new grocery store is coming to Englewood, filling a spot left vacant when Whole Foods pulled out. But before they even open their doors, the store owners are selling their plan to residents who said it looks like a bad deal.
A new Save-A-Lot sign hangs on the front of the old Whole Foods in Englewood. On another on the door, a listing for job offers. Some neighbors said they're not sold on Save-A-Lot.
"This is really like another slap in the face, I think, for Englewood and this community in general," said Asiaha Butler, resident and CEO of Resident Association of Greater Englewood (RAGE)
Asiaha Butler said she was surprised when she heard Save-A-Lot was coming to the corner of 63rd and Halsted, because she's worked with other residents to voice their opposition, concerned about quality.
"I mean, the branding in the Black communities have not been the best. We talk about the quality of the products. We talk about the quality of the store," Butler said.
Butler sees this as a downgrade -- frustrated that a discount grocer is opening in the same space that used to house Whole Foods, a high-end retailer that opened to a lot of fanfare in 2016 and closed quietly in November.
"From one extreme to the next. And that is what we have here. From one extreme to the next," Butler said.
"It's a tough needle to thread. I know that there were other top potential operators who looked at the site. And they didn't take it."
Yellow Banana co-owner Michael Nance defended their strategy in a Thursday afternoon Zoom call with residents and Alderman Stephanie Coleman (16th.)
"The way Save-A-Lot was ran, the lack of investment, the way stores shut down on the South Side wasn't right. They are new leadership," Nance said.
Brown butcher paper still covers the windows preventing anyone from seeing what's inside, but some residents said they've seen enough.
"We were torn, kind of, about the Whole Foods, but we overwhelmingly do not like Save-A-Lot. So I have the same reaction as all the residents and other people who live and work here. We don't want this," said Ashley Johnson, resident and program manager of RAGE.
In the meeting, residents told Yellow Banana leaders they don't want them to use the Save A Lot name, and they want other changes like more community input. There is no opening date set.
