Orchard Park, N.Y. (WBEN) - In the years following the closing of Orchard Fresh in the Village of Orchard Park, officials are looking to bring in a high profile grocery store chain to move into the vacant space, and there's already a great deal of support from the community.
A petition was created more than a week ago by village officials, asking residents to sign it in support of bringing a Trader Joe's to the former Orchard Fresh located at 4060 North Buffalo Road.
Residents have been telling the likes of Mayor Jo Ann Litwin Clinton and Chamber of Commerce executive director Don Lorentz for years of a want for a grocery store in the village. That's why the village wanted to take advantage of the empty storefront by deciding to take the matter to the community to show the support for a grocery store, mainly Trader Joe's.
The response, to this point, has been overwhelming with just about 7,500 signatures for the petition to bring Trader Joe's to Orchard Park.
"It's always difficult when you have a community where some of the businesses have gone empty. It just takes away from the appeal of people coming in, because they're looking for these types of businesses and they're no longer here. So it doesn't just affect the fact that we don't have the supermarket here, it also affects the businesses that were in that plaza and the surrounding businesses in the area," said Lorentz in an interview with WBEN. "People would go there frequently and pick up their groceries, and now we don't have that type of business here to do that with. It has an impact on more than just the fact that it's just the one type of business. It really has an effect on other businesses."
Mayor Litwin Clinton has also put together a prospectus that she has already sent to Trader Joe's that gives all the statistics about Orchard Park and the rest of the Southtowns, explaining why they would be a fit for one of their stores.
"Basically, Orchard Park is 20 minutes from everywhere, I tell everybody. In 20 minutes, I can be at the Peace Bridge, in 20 minutes I can be on the ski slope. It doesn't matter," said Mayor Litwin Clinton in an interview with WBEN. "We have a great location, we have a great community, our demographics match what they're looking for income-wise, family-wise, household-wise, education. To me, were the No. 1 pick and I just wanted to let them know I think so, and so do the residents."
While there hasn't been much of a response from Trader Joe's yet, Lorentz says the company does not have their eyes set for a Southtowns location at this time. However, they have expressed a possible change of direction if they find a calling for the store, and there's enough people interested.
Lorentz feels a Trader Joe's will be important for not just the Town and Village of Orchard Park, but for residents all across the Southtowns.
"We don't have any type of store like that here. You'd have to go to Amherst to get to a Trader Joe's with the specialty foods they have," Lorentz said. "Though it would be helpful to all of the area around here: Hamburg, East Aurora, Boston, Springville, West Seneca and the list goes on. So I think what's important for the people out there to hear [is] you do not have to be an Orchard Park resident to sign the petition."
While the support has come in waves via the signatures on the petition, Mayor Litwin Clinton says the residents continue to voice their excitement with her in person.
"They can't wait. They want Trader Joe's," she said. "I go into the pharmacy, I have the pharmacist standing next to me saying, 'That's great! I signed the petition. This is a great idea! So glad you're pushing for it.' The Chamber of Commerce is behind us. The other businesses in the community want it, because it will boom their businesses too. Unfortunately, with a big empty storefront in that plaza, the other businesses in that plaza suffer. So if we could bring in people to the plaza, that's only going to help everyone."
With people missing the old Orchard Fresh in that plaza, Lorentz has noticed more-and-more people expressing their desire on Facebook and other online platforms for a a higher-end boutique-type grocery store that people love. He admits he's been gauging interest of other similar stores locally over the last few years on the potential of opening shop in the village, but to no avail.
"Places like Dash's, Market in the Square, those types of boutique grocery stores. They have not expressed an interest, at this point. Now that may all change," Lorentz said. "Trader Joe's would obviously be a real exciting type of a business to come in here, because it's one of those places that has a lot of status to it. The Trader Joe's name, a lot of people just enjoy going there, it's an experience. That's not to say that if Trader Joe's were to not take that opportunity, we wouldn't still love to have one of the other local boutique grocery stores come in here and fill that need. That would be absolutely fantastic."
Lorentz has even gone as far as talking with some of the management at the Trader Joe's location on Niagara Falls Boulevard in Amherst over the last few years. He noticed the company typically waits until they get a stronghold of a certain area, and if it looks like it's successful enough to be able to take on a second location, that's when they make a move.
"They did that in the Rochester area. They had it in the main part of Rochester; when it really started to take off there, then they opened up another location in Pittsford. We're kind of hoping they're at that stage right now," Lorentz noted. "When I first asked them [in Amherst], it was still a new location, and I think they were just feeling their legs to see if they were going to be strong enough in our location. I think they've proven themselves, I think it's a winner. I'm hoping they will look at this quicker and say, 'Yes, this is something we could start to look at.'"
So when is Mayor Litwin Clinton hoping to hear a response from Trader Joe's regarding her prospectus on Orchard Park and the Southowns? With their corporate headquarters in California, she admits she will give it a few days before she starts reaching out to them again.
"And I'm going to ask them to come visit. I want to show them Orchard Park. I want to show them how great of a community we have. I want the residents to be here to show them how supportive they would be of the store in the village," Litwin Clinton said.
A link to the petition in support of Trader Joe's is available at the village's website:
