HikeArizona.COM

http://azdailysun.com/news/local/rei-to ... f887a.html

Well, it figures. After 4 years of driving to the Valley for an REI, and my moving well away, they're going to build one less than a mile from where I lived in Flagstaff. Next, I find out they plan to open a Wholefoods in Kayenta. OK, that will never happen, but maybe in Flag?

Flagstaff is already pretty well-fixed for outfitters. I wonder what this means for them.

I always wondered why Trader Joe's has no presence in Flag either.....

Flagstaff seem(s)ed to have a lack of certain things you might expect for a town that size and what sort of customer base might exist. The New Frontiers might keep out Wholefoods, as they are extremely similar, and the 2 or 3 outfitters like Babbit's and Peace Surplus might have kept out REI. However, if REI tracks people's shopping, they may have determines there was enough business to open a store in Flag. I remember locals attempting a campaign to get a Trader Joe's in Flagstaff as far back as 2007, and probably for some time before that.

I expect the 2 other outfitters to suffer, and one probably to close if they are strictly retailers. If they offer guiding, than that is different. I would have loved a Wholefoods or Traders Joes when I was in Flag or Kayenta, but it really won't affect me now. I remember not being impressed with prices at the New Frontier.

Now, if only Las Cruces or El Paso had something like REI or Wholefoods. For some reason, they don't.

There are at least 4 backpacking outfitters in Flag: Aspen, Babbitt's, Four Seasons, and Peace. I would expect they are concerned.

Some of those are little more than tiny retailers. The one on Milton never impressed me. I can't even remember where Aspen is.

I'm looking forward to it! Even though I get much of my stuff at my store, or through 3.5.com, there have been many times I wished for an REI close by ... I've never been impressed by the outdoor stores in Flag.

There's a Sprouts that's going to open where Hastings used to be. It"all be next to Bookmans.

I can't wait for REI to come up here! The other retailers have such limited selections that I end up driving to Phoenix for my gear. If I recall, Trader Joe's and the city of Flagstaff had some very bad negociations and Trader Joe's says they will NEVER come to Flagstaff. Now we have New Frontiers, WholeFoods and Sprouts(soon to open)

Really!? A whole foods and a sprouts are coming to Flag. Man....just after I not only left the area (northern AZ including Kayenta), but the entire state! :tt:

I wonder what the Trader Joe's fiasco was all about? I have a friend in Yuma who contacted Trader Joe's when she heard they were thinking of locating in Flagstaff, to ask "why not Yuma?" which is a larger city, especially in the winter. I guess Yuma isn't very high on their snobby yuppie "cool" meter because they gave her the runaround.

Trader Joe's coffee is awful. I used to be able to get nice choices there, but now they have gotten rid of all the lighter roasts and macadamia nut flavors. Nowadays all they sell is that burnt charcoal-flavored crap. My sister gets it for me for Christmas and I put it in the freezer and drink it only when I'm too broke to buy coffee.

This might be heresay, but I heard that Trader Joe's prefers markets with a population base minimum of about 200, 000 so Flagstaff didn't really fit the bill

hippiepunkpirate wrote:This might be heresay, but I heard that Trader Joe's prefers markets with a population base minimum of about 200, 000 so Flagstaff didn't really fit the bill

I wonder how they define the region associated with the that population base. Two of their NJ locations are in towns smaller than Flagstaff, but could conceivably draw from a base of 200k or more if you count the surrounding counties. The third NJ location probably couldn't meet that criterion.

Anyway, I can't think of anything I normally get from REI that I couldn't get from Peace or even Aspen. Babbitt's is flashy, but the prices are flashy, too.

To keep going on the TJ's tangent, when I lived in Boise Idaho we could not convince them to come to Idaho either. Quite a few California transplants were begging Trader Joe's to come to Boise which sits in a metro area of almost 600,000 people. From some friends in the know, they told me that TJ's would not put in a location because of logistics, not the lack of population. They would lose money making a supply run to Idaho.

My college degree is in Urban Planning and we studied things like what factors do retail chains use to pick locations. Lot of variables go into picking a spot, not just population.

azbackpackr wrote:I wonder what the Trader Joe's fiasco was all about? I have a friend in Yuma who contacted Trader Joe's when she heard they were thinking of locating in Flagstaff, to ask "why not Yuma?" which is a larger city, especially in the winter. I guess Yuma isn't very high on their snobby yuppie "cool" meter because they gave her the runaround.

Trader Joe's coffee is awful. I used to be able to get nice choices there, but now they have gotten rid of all the lighter roasts and macadamia nut flavors. Nowadays all they sell is that burnt charcoal-flavored crap. My sister gets it for me for Christmas and I put it in the freezer and drink it only when I'm too broke to buy coffee.

Trader Joe's is fantastic. They sell affordable food that's not full of chemicals and nastiness. I wonder if there's anything in world that you actually like. You a player hater!

Well, TJ or not, just be glad you live in an area where the 50% of the population isn't living below the poverty line (imike's assessment) and the monied folk who are military tend to shop on the base at the Px. Walmart is the best thing over here, the "natural food" store is expensive, very small and extremely limited, and the overall level of choice in town is quite low. I end up driving 150+ miles RT to Las Cruces to shop. Something I had hoped was over when I left Kayenta, but I soon found out was not. Even if Flag does not yet have a Wholefoods or an REI, you have several similar retailers and the New Frontiers is there, even if expensive. It's not that far to the Valley for similar things, either. You might think El Paso has stuff, but I can't find anything on the internet. Maybe all the people are poor? I know it is mostly Mexican, so maybe that is why? I don't know. ABQ is the best and closest option for real choices, and that is 3 1/2 hours away.

I like TJ's, just complaining they have altered their coffee aisle quite a bit over the past 15 years or so. I like the cereals, salads, nuts and dry fruits, etc., etc. They are cheaper than that New Frontiers place that's in Flagstaff, and I think they are also cheaper than a lot of other health food stores.

Well, I hate TJs! They make me so mad. I'm going to start a new ranting thread where I go off on them. Join me, Liz.

There is a Trader Joes in Prescott and the tri city area population is about 100,000 they say..