Feb

Harris Teeter at The Lassiter’s Last Stand

Back in the early 70’s North Raleigh had just a few grocery stores. North Hills had a Winn-Dixie, there was a Big Star next to the Six Forks K-Mart (where Borders is), and an A&P was in Colony (now Food Lion). As North Raleigh grew and bigger, nicer grocery stores opened, the Winn-Dixie in North Hills Plaza deteriorated progressively, but inexplicably remained open (probably because the Big Star closed and the Holly Park Winn-Dixie came and went). Finally the grocery gods granted us mercy and closed the Winn-Dixie, replacing it with a swank, clean Harris-Teeter about a decade ago.

That store location, the one that has fed me for most of my life, closes at 6pm tonight . With it go many memories: watching the live lobster tank, shouting on the store PA from my child’s seat, the Long Island woman singing about bagels (whatever those are!) on the P.A., racing out to the parking lot to repark our car that had drifted away in neutral, and meeting employees who would become close personal family friends. The memories aren’t just the old ones, either. The Indian store manager has been one of my little girl’s favorite retail personalities. (He, incidentally, is moving back to the Glenwood Village location). The store, while not stocking the wide range we have all had the luxury of knowing in the modern era, was still great for staples and extremely convenient.

Tomorrow everything changes. A new, 48,000 square foot Harris Teeter will open across the Mississippi (Six Forks Road) literally in North Hills East’s parking garage. The store is two-stories, but don’t worry about that second level. It reportedly will contain coffee, flowers, and gift cards. (How long until they recognize that sales of those items will be non existent, and move more necessary household items up there?). The stock from the Lassiter location will be divided among 12 different Harris Teeter locations. Managers and their staff will come in and take an aisle-a-piece in order to distribute the merchandise and offer North Hills customers a turnkey experience during the transition.

Much like the closing of the Cardinal Theatres, the closing of a grocery store in old North Hills Plaza means the end of an era for North Raleigh. Perhaps the store will be filled with books in the moderate future. Perhaps it will be something equally serviceable. What it won’t be is food, and it will never quite be the same. As they say, “the only constant is change”.

Lou

I am so going to miss that North Hills HT. You can go in and out and get your basics, most of the staff is great (there’s definitely one cashier I always try to get and one I always try to avoid) and as you noted, the Indian manager was by far my favorite. Looks like it’s back to Glenwood Village. I generally try to avoid parking decks and wonder how well this new location will succeed – that is after the coupons they’ve mailed out expires and the newness wears off.
Crystal

Seems like maybe a Barnes and Noble or some independent bookstore/coffehouse that features poetry slams should move in the space.
Lee

My first job was at that Winn Dixie, in 1986. It was a decent place to work as my friends could come by and we could mess around a little in the aisles or parking lot “getting carts” without getting caught by the managers too often. Since I lived just past the Lassiter Mill/St Marys changeover, I could walk there if needed, which came in handy during some snow days when the regular daytime employees could not make it but being out of school I could. I got whatever the max hours I was allowed to work by the labnor laws that week. I thought I was RICH!

Then I went to work at the JC Penney accross the street for a 50 cent bump in pay and found that you could have an even better time there, but that is another story.

I wish I had seen this yesterday as I would have loved to go by there one last time as we too shopped there all the time as a kid (though I live in Morrisville now).

As far as Harris Teeter goes, I shop there now, but have noticed as new stores open around me, they really step up the service and selection when they first open them, but gradually shut things down as time goes on, so no more fresh baked bread, olive bar, etc. Plus they cut back on the less mainstream food items. Hopefully Bloom will evnetuall open and I can try them.
gd

I’ve had the opposite experience than you Lee. The Harris Teeter at Cameron Village has really stepped its game up over the past few years. Between that and Whole Foods, I feel like I have the best options for grocery shopping.
xploreusa

THE best option for grocery shopping = Wegmans.

Now, if only we actually had this premier chain to shop at here in the Triangle! If you have not heard about these stores or visited one — they will blow your mind. HT would be shaking in their boots if Wegmans ever decided to expand here.

They have opened shop, over the last few years, in the Northern Virginia area, so those stores are your closest options for checking them out.
gd

I went to a wegmans in Buffalo, NY. It didn’t blow me away exactly. It was more like a foodlion – at least the one I was in.
xploreusa

There is a high probability that the Buffalo store was an older model. The newer store models, like the recently opened locations in the DC metro area, are multi-level 150,000 sq. ft. centers of food and drink bliss.

The selection and service is outstanding, with decent prices, and the cooked-to-order dishes that you can sit down and eat right there in the store was very good. My wife and I have enjoyed the stores on several visits up there the last couple of years, and it was actually fun grocery shopping — which is saying a lot for me!
gd

I can say it was a new model, as it was in a new shopping center. This was 2004. It wasn’t 2 levels though.
Phil

Got a chance to check it out last night. Coffee and flowers were actually on the ground floor. Cereal/juice/baking/medicine/paper goods on 2nd floor. I guess I will be eating less breakfast, making fewer brownies, and smelling worse from here on out.

gogoraleigh.com

Harris Teeter at The Lassiter’s Last Stand

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