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Tall Oaks anchor announced
Not six months after the Tall Oaks Giant closed its doors, Fresh World International Supermarket will open in its place on May 16.
The announcement was made March 25 at Supervisor Cathy Hudgins' (D) office with representatives from the Village Center's management company, Atlantic Realty and leasing agent KLNB.
“I didn't think we'd get the chance to get to this point so soon,” Hudgins said. “We were fearful it could take the entire year.”
Fresh World is part of the Super E supermarket chain and has another location in Springfield, with plans to expand in other areas of Virginia and Maryland.
The concept fills the community's request for a store that provides daily groceries but offers a twist, which Hudgins said will mean it can become a destination store as well.
Fresh World specializes in a wide variety of fresh seafood and has an international angle, offering food items not normally found in traditional grocery stores.
“It carries far more international items – they are literally specialized by aisle with a Hispanic foods aisle, an Asian foods aisle, a Middle Eastern foods aisle,” said KLNB principal Dallon Cheney.
Cheney said the company had compared prices as well, and Fresh World's pricing was appropriate to the area.
The arrival of the grocery store may mean a better outlook for the rest of the Village Center, which has had several persistent vacancies.
Cheney said several merchants near Fresh World's location in Springfield have been “so impressed by Fresh World” that they have expressed interest in opening locations in Tall Oaks.
The remaining vacancies will likely fill up also now that the center has a new anchor store, said David Ross, president of Atlantic Realty.
To figure out what stores would make the best fit, a community meeting is being planned to gather input.
The RA's Design Review Board has been coordinating with architect Mike Miller to improve the center's visibility through improved signs and landscaping.
The one aspect of the former Giant that Fresh World will not replace is the pharmacy. Cheney said the store may consider adding one, but because the space is smaller than the typical grocery store, Hudgins said this poses a challenge.
“I suspect if they do not do it, it would be a challenge of size,” she said.
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