A trader Joe"s would be great in that space!

Thankfully, no one can suggest a Christmas Tree Shop..the space isn't big enough....I think the town already has enough restaurants, featuring all types of ethnic foods, I think we also have the pizza shops covered, as well as hairdressers....what we DON'T have is a really nice Bakery, ( perhaps a nice Italian bakery) or, perhaps another Florist. But I think it should be something that won't harm the businesses that are already there. Of course, another Hardware store would be nice too....I can't speak for anyone else, but I'm going to miss Aubuchon's.

I was absolutely shocked to see Aubuchon closed. I will miss it. Do you think it had to do with the policies of the present administration against small businesses? I agree with Donna, a real good bakery. I travel to lawrence for an italian bakery. And there is another one in Methuen.

Trader Joe's (but I really want that across the street in the Stop N Shop plaza), remember the Elegant Farmer? The original, not the remake that was half wine shop. That'd be nice! Or a gym would be a good compliment to weight watchers.

Unfortunately Lola I don't think the space is large enough for a Trader Joe's, and Donna I totally agree. I nice italian bakery would be great. I think the problem with that strip mall it is off the beaten path for most people, except for those who are local to it. With Marshall's and Stop and Shop gone you have lost a lot of traffic to that area. The only other thing that comes to mind would be a laundromat. My first choice would be the bakery.

Yes, a bakery that doesn't charge $100 for cakes would be nice.
Do not think we need another florist.

The question must be asked. With this economy and the pending tax increases that are looming in the new year, who would be willing to take the risk? Unfortunately we may see many other small businesses shutter their doors. Elections have consequences fasten your seat belts.

The obvious choice in my opinion is a grocery store that could service all the people on nearby Boston Road and those to the south maybe along with a good bakery as a customer draw. That is a double bay space with plenty of room and parking. That plaza is popular ......always a lot of people around. As somone else said the Elegant Farmer was there for years and did a very good business because they filled a niche unserved by others......that maybe the secret of success.

It would be good to know why Aubuchon closed. Was it the amount of business, or other? I too will miss them.

A branch of O'Connor or another good hardware store would be a welcomed addition.

Oh no - so sad to hear that it closed. I was going to head there this morning!! The center needs some kind of specialty store - ie. bakery, or something like the old Elegant Farmer for fresh foods (fruits, vegetables, meat, fish... anything!!)

There is already a new bakery going in where Tango used to be, so I think we should be covered on that front.

I'm surprised to see them go too. It was so convenient to drop in and pick up that
piece of hardware you needed ASAP. I find I drive to NH or Billerica for sewing/crafts
items a lot. Having one in town would be nice. Maybe tie it in with instore lessons.

The new bakery going in is not the same as a real italian bakery. I believe her primary sale is cupcakes. Not breads, nor canollis, nor cream filled everything. As I said earlier, I travel to Tripoli Bakery in Lawrence from here. If you have a great product, people will find their way to consume.

There's already an Asian grocery store in that mall, which I shop from regularly; I particularly like the frozen potstickers - feed the family dinner for the price of 5 potstickers at a restaurant.
A paint your own pottery place would be nice; there was one up at Drum Hill several years ago, but it moved, and the closest one in Westford/Concord is closed now.

I think that we should have a good hamburger Place in town . Like Five Guys hamburgers or b.good hamburgers. We need a good hamburger place for the kids.

I was just going to say that Irene...the new one going in where the Tango was is a cupcake shop. Not sure about anyone else, but I find it painful to think about paying
the price those places charge for ONE cupcake. Not sure we'd see a Trader Joe's or any other specialty food store because the competition would be fierce. Having one so close in Tyngsboro probably would preclude them from opening another so close by. And I must be missing something..the only florist I am aware of in town is Feeney's....where are there others? ( and nothing at ALL against Feeney's....I was just offering suggestions...)..also...I've heard the rents at Summer Street Plaze are rather high......maybe he wasn't doing enough business to keep up with spiraling costs?......OR maybe he just wanted to retire. That has a nice ring to it.......

Cee: Your suggestion is a good one, but I'm not sure that those type of places get enough business to cover the rent in a mall like Summer Street... Remember when the Discount Book Store was there???? They had nice books and accessories for VERY decent prices....Something like THAT might also be nice.........

Donna ... I do indeed remember the "Paperback Booksmith, moved from Bradlees Mall, but the owner was going through a divorce, was having a difficult time with that, and it was also about the time the big bookstores came in ... now with Amazon, I strongly doubt a book store could do well.

its natural turn over- have you been in there recently, they hardly got any traffic at all. Between O'Connor's and Lowes the majority of purchases were being done elsewhere. They just didn't have the variety ( read: stock room) they needed these days - you need inventory to make a profit. Plus people hate shopping at ten stores, they want to make one trip. Between the recession and limited time, most people don't want to go all over the place - though it is nice to have a local "quick stop" it seldom makes for a good business. Look at the convenience store over by Rufinas: example of another good location but gets no traffic. And they aren't struggling because of Obama,...i mean seriously come on folks. Grow up. If you ran a business you'd know this. If you hate Obama fine, but that is just silly. If Romney won they'd be closing too.

As for Trader Joes, I spoke directly to their staff that deals in site surveying and they have a specific formula that allows them to remain efficient and keep their prices down - it involves having a specific square footage both in front and back of the house. It's like Walmart - everything is designed to maximize efficiency so they aren't going to move into a space that isn't right They couldn't fit it in that space....though the Stop & Shop is just about right, there is no way Stop and Shop would lease it to a competitor, that would be crazy since it just poured that money into the new store. I wrote Aubuchon, will see what they say

You make excellent points Fred. ALL of them. I just thoughtof something else that I don't think we have in town anymore....how about a Travel Agency???? My guess is that they've closed for economic reasons, a drop in business and possibly just wanting "out"...perhaps for retirement, moving, etc. I am kind of surprised there was no advance warnign. I can understand no "closing sale" as the merchandise no doubt simply went to another Aubuchon....but still....an announcement in advance would have been nice. Wonder what happened to the few long-time employees they had? I hope they were able to go to another store............

The traffic in Chelmsford Center has turned away from Chelmsford stores. It's easier to drive to Donelan's in Littleton, who bought next door bakery and kept the bakers. Scali bread, most yummy muffins, fresh vegetables and fruits (local if possible). Aubuchon's is the new strip mall Donelan's is family owned and celebrated their 100th anniversary in past couple years.They're so frendly and helpful. Main office is in Westminister and their stores located in Maynard, Gardner, Littleton, etc. If you take backroads, pass 4-H fairgrounds and Nashoba Ski , then Rt. 2A. I do worry about small businesses not allowing have billboards to advertise outside premises. Their only sign is flat against their building.
their business.

A bakery - does anyone remember bakeryland? They used to have the best cakes and frosting.

Sunny....your point about the traffic in town is a valid one. However, the worst of the traffic seems to be during rush hour, and the BULK of the cars seem to have NH license plates as they exit Rte. 3 to follow Rt. 4 to Bedford, Lexington and the like. They don't stop to allow residents out of the side streets, NOR does it help us that you rarely see them parked at any of our small businesses. But I don't think that billboards or large signs will help much either. Most residents know what and where the local businesses are, and will drive there when needed. Not sure anyone's noticed, but we have a NUMBER of empty storefronts in town. It's not all about lack of advertising, but it MAY have something to do with Chelmsford not being very accommodating to the small business owner....just ask the guy who owns the meat shop who coulnd't get a beer and wine license....(even though we have 7 unused ones).....after all, we don't want to take business away from the BIG guy in town now do we??? It's interesting to note that certain people seem to get "certain" protection for THEIR business.....others are not so lucky. Not too much "Free Enterprise" happening here....after a while, THAT too, takes a toll. And who pays for this behavior? The residents, who are now driving to Littleton for their baked goods and groceries. Oh well.......not sure what the solution is....or if there IS one.

YES ! ! I remember BakeryLand..the only problem with them is they didn't stay long enough ! ! lol,lol

I used to like shopping on Summer St. to get my weekly groceries. Elegant Farmer for veggies and fruits; bakery for bread; the deli for roast beef; and fish store (miss that most). We make sandwiches for take-work lunches. It was great. Winter Farm Market might have some of the items.
We recently enjoy rolls with coconut filling from Keyks in South Chelmsford.

I am not familiar with Keyks or Winter Farm Market, but will look them up. While we may not have been able to solve all the "problems of the world" today, I think there were certainly enough good suggestions as to what WE think should replace Aubuchon's. But I'm guessing that the final decision will rest with the landlord and whoever, or whatever business is willing AND able to afford the rent. We will probably just have to wait and see !

Keyks is located in South Chelmsford (Rt. 27 S) and Winter Farmer Market held every Sat. at Agway, time?? Did anyone participate Small Business Saturday, last weekend?

This town needs a great diner. I miss Skips.

What a shame. I really enjoyed going to Aubuchon. I can't stand the big box stores. Brian, the store manager was very helpful.

I see a lot of talk about the need for another grocer in the S. Chelmford area,replacing Stop and Shop. As we know S&S won't allow a competitor in the space. The only way I see them doing something is if they feel it in the wallet. I'm not much of a facebook person but perhaps someone could create a "boycott stop & shop in chelmsford" page and have people post how much they've spent at MB, Hannafords and other places - and will continue to not spend that money at S&S until they either sell the property or lease it to another type of grocer. Just a thought. If anyone creates the page, post it the link.

Kevin..you may or may not recall, but on Rte. 38 in Tewksbury, there was at one time, a Purity Supreme..it is almost directly across the street from Gold's Gym. When S & S bought Purity out, that store was closed. It has remained closed AND owned by S & S since that time, approximately 15 years ago. That whole plaza is now vacant. They own the WHOLE thing. S & S is owned by a HUGE Dutch company called Royal Ahhold. They own supermarkets and businesses all over the world. Boycotting a S & S store or two is not going to hurt OR affect them. Clearly, if they can let that whole mall in Tewksbury sit vacant for over 15 years, I'm sure they will have little trouble treating the one in Chelmsford excactly the same way.

Donna, coming from the business world I'm quite familiar with the organizational structure of S&S/Ahold. I wouldn't let the Tewksbury case be an example of what can and will happen here. Each situation is financially different. You might be right that a boycott of one local store might have little impact on the overall financial performance of the organization. I do know that organizations will move quickly to avoid negative publicity. In this world of social media things spread quickly, empowering the consumer more so than ever. It might not change a thing, but I'd rather try that then complain and do nothing.

Hi Kevin: I wasn't saying that the Tewksbury case WILL happen here, nor was I complaining. Someone mentioned boycotting them, and I just wanted to point out that the vacant real estate in Tewksbury is proof positive that they don't seem to be as motivated by money ( or the loss of it ) as some might think. If you are familiar with Ahold, then you know that S & S is just one of MANY companies they own. No doubt, the land and vacant building sitting in Chelmsford Center is little more than a "drop" in a bucket to them....it will remain uncared for and no doubt, before long, we will be looking at weeds growing up through all the cracks in the parking lot, but it will likely never make Ahold's agenda, or even become a topic of discussion for them.

Maggie: Do you recall for how many years Market Basket held S & S "hostage" by tying them up in court so they couldn't build their new store? I can answer that.....TEN years. It's not uncommon in the food industry to "fight the competition" and do whtever they can to hold them at bay......S&S is no different or worse than any other store in that regard.

No JoJo, I havn't been to Tewksbury in a while. As soon as my Cancer Treatments are finished, and I feel up to shopping again, I'll be certain to check it out. I LOVE Ocean State Job Lots. Thank you for the update.

I do recall that...but I think this is a different situation. What my main concern is, we are talking about Chelmsford Center, the front door to our town. I'm worried about our property value more than how far I have to drive to the store. I can't believe that the Town does not have any power over this...I hope they are working on this problem very hard.

A few eyars ago, we had a neighbor who was keeping his place looking like a DUMP. He went so far as to spray paint writing in HUGE letters on the side of his house to annoy his next-door neighbor. It made the rest of the neighborhood look awful. A few of the neighbors went to the town and complained. Someone from the town came out and looked at it..they said that they can do NOTHING about the way ANYONE keeps their house as long as there are no VISIBLE signs of rodents. A taxpayer is free to write ALL over his house if he so chooses, or to keep old junky cars ( with a limit we were told), or any other junk on his property....sad, isn't it????

Andrew - would love some investigative journalism to understand why many retailers have struggled in that plaza over the last 10yrs. S Chelmsford certainly does need a quick grocery stop since getting through the center is getting worse and worse. I hope that the landlord is considering combining a few of the vacant shops to accomodate a larger, big name like Trader Joe's that would be the 'anchor' for that plaza to draw more people in - I think the location is great!

I would love to see a great "old school" type diner... you know, the old come in, seat yourself, servers know everyone, coffee's always hot, food's always good type of place. It's a great location for it, just outside the beaten path but close enough to be convenient to everything, plenty of parking - easy in, easy out. And besides, who doesn't like a omelet now & again!

Georgia ( AND Erin) Both of you make a great suggestion ! A good old-fashioned diner WOULD be a nice addition to town. I have an aunt who lives in Weymouth, and they have one of the the BEST diners I've ever eaten at, AND it's located in a strip mall. Why couldn't that work in Chelmsford? There ARE restaurants in that mall, but a breakfast/lunch diner would NOT compete with them, and would be a welcome addition.

Okay, this is way outside of my domain so forgive my naivety, but is it possible to take the property by eminent domain? I know that E. Domain is usually used to take land for public use but there was a case a couple of years ago that went to the SCOTUS where they decided that E.Domain could be used to transfer land from one private owner to another private owner to further economic development. Check out - Kelo vs. City of New London(CT). Again, this is way outside of my area of knowledge, but am curious if it's a tool the town could use in it negotiations with S&S. Of course the court costs to do such a thing would be outrageous I'm sure.

We actually own the center at 7 Summer Street. We greatly appreciate all of your input and suggestions. We are working with a few potential tenants to take the space, and will be taking your feedback into consideration and reaching out to some users that you suggested. Please, any other ideas we would love to hear them!

Kevin: I THINK eminent domain only comes into play if the state is trying to put a highway through, or perhaps a street..SOMETHING that will benefit a town or city. I DON'T think they can simply TAKE ownership of a property just because they WANT to. My guess is, S & S will continue to pay the taxes, so it will not be an "abandoned property" per se. Even though essentially, it MAY become just that. Of course, there is always the possibility that it WILL be rented....time will tell.

How interesting to read that the Aubuchon Hardware location is already in the process of being rented...that's progress. And learning that the landlord is listening to suggestions is VERY encouraging.....even if none of our suggestions come to fruition..at least they're READING them. And that's certainly more than they HAVE to do ! ! They COULD simply and politely say...hey neighbors, BUTT out ! ! I take their post as a VERY positive sign !

We always encourage community involvement. We have engaged conversations with quite a few local business' about moving to Summer Street Crossing, and by the discussions here, if they come together you will all be very, very pleased.

Uh, Oh...I'm starting to get excited ! I think Summer Street Crossing may have just "tipped their hand" ! It sounds like we may be able to look forward to a small grocery store, smaller still hardware store, a bookstore, a bakery, an ice cream shop, a florist and a diner all rolled into one ! ! And while we're there, we can have our weight checked, drop off our laundry, pick up some paint and wallpaper, buy a new fireplace screen, get a haircut for the little ones, have an Italian dinner, and end the day with a dish of Frozen Yogurt ! ! ! I can't WAIT ! ! lol,lol...On a more serious note, whatever it is...I think we will just have to sit back and wait for the surprise. I'm sure we won't be disappointed.

Pot Dispensary? It will bring in customers from other towns too!

Anna...we best not get TOO excited just yet..... The final decision after all, is NOT ours...lol,lol. But as you say..I find it so complimentary that one of hte owners is actually reading our words. It's nice to know that a huge conglomerate actually DOES care about the community it serves. And unlike some others, I actually think that location IS a good one....I see a LOT of traffic there when I'm there. I visit there frequently to shop at Trading Clothes, Colorworks and I frequent the Dry Cleaners. And Fresh Kiwi is an added plus. It's all looking good in my estimation.

I hope it's an Italian bakery/grocery store. I grew up in Cambridge, and it was terrific to have a few bakeries/grocery stores in the neighborhood. I'm of Italian descent, and my Grandfather, who was the "epitome" of Italian from Naples used to do ALOT of shopping in those places "back in the day". Because they just carried so much stuff, mostly imported, and all just a short walk away. It's a brilliant idea, I think, and it couldn't lose. I'm tired of that empty plaza, too. Chelmsford is so pretty, and that is such a cruel, shame. I hope that our town leaders are starting to become more aggressive about this, indeed. At any rate, hello to the property owners at Summer St! :) As everyone else, I am very relieved to hear positive plans coming from your front. I hope that you will enjoy your time in Chelmsford very much, and I can't wait to see what you will put in the space! Happy Holidays to all. :)

I spoke to a Aubuchon rep today and he confirmed that the sales figures were extremely low and that was the main reason for the decision. Also, the lease was up for renewal and the landlord was asking more than the profits the were making could justify.

As for someone speaking about Emmiment Domain, please consider what that means. The Kelo decision was one of the worst in recent years. Allowing the local goverent to take your property via domain in order to give it to a developer who simply promises some future increase in tax revenue is unAmeircan. The same decision could be used - and has in comminities as close as Somerville - to take residential and small business property and reward cronies of the current political office holders. Literally take your property. I understand the wish to improve the community but some things like respect of property rights are more important than temporary vibrancy issues. Remember those spaces were pad for with leases, they will not lay fallow after the leases expire. And you can do more as citizens than abdicate more of our rights to goverent officials.

Respectfully, Al

Wow, typing on an iPhone makes me look like a third grader. Sorry for the spelling errors.

Al, there is nothing wrong with your typing, and even less wrong with your comments. You said it all, and well. Eminent Domain would NOT be the answer. Fighting a conglomerate like Ahold would be no easy feat. They have VERY deep pockets, and in the end, it would gain us VERY little..

Thank you Donna, I write a lot of code but that usually auto-corrects, gotten lazy :)

Honestly the Folks in Commecticut who lost their family homes would be able to make the case better than I. Its jusy a terrible precedent to set. mind you, I am a self described liberal but this is not a matter of partisanship. Its about providing the piltiical class the tools to confiscate rightfully held property. I believe any legal justification for property transfer ( Domain or Seizure) puts even decent officials and law enforcement in a position that they shouldn't be in. Care should be taken in Domain cases ...and we are not talking about building a Hoover Dam or some other huge national resource. I don't mean to be glib but some sense of scale is in order.

As for the empty stores, I could write a book about this very issue as I witnessed it from my front door in Somerville. Maybe I will submit a post about it this week to Patch. It's an important conversation to have, and one that could benefit from many voices but most of all some clarity: about not only what people want, or what they miss, but the realities of the real estate market and businss environment ( I mean at the local level). It strikes me how quickly every local issue becomes a national referendum. That happens, I think, when people lack the basic facts about a situation ( it becomes easy to fil in with our own prewritten narrative). Okay...enough droning on. Time to get back to potty training ( my boy, not me )

I am incredibly upset that aubuchon is gone! Another great store screwed over by big business and the people that frequent them!

Just to keep this going and help getting the word out, we're pretty close to being 75% of the way re-leased of Aubuchon's space.Can't get into details quite yet, but it will be a nice addition to the center of town. Didn't want you guys to think we weren't listening!

-Summer Street Crossing.

What GREAT news ! ! Great for Chelmsford, and great for Summer Street Crossing ! I'm sure it will be helpful to have the space leased. Those darn tax bills just keep on coming, don't they??? lol....We realized you were listening and paying attention, and though you certainly were under no obligation to keep us informed, it was MORE than neighborly that you took the time to do so. Thank you..and we will be watching for the "Reveal"...!! Happy Holidays ! !

Just another update. We have one leased signed, one about to be signed and a third being drafted. If all keeps moving forward, we will have leased up 3/4 of the vacant Aubuchan space before the end of January, leaving us with only 1600 sq feet available of the 6400.

Can you tell us who signed? It'll be great PR for that leasee prior to opening! My concern however is that 6400 sq ft is being divided which tells me that a grocer or baker isn't coming.

WOW...I must say, the old Aubuchon store didn't seem ALL that big! And now there will be three businesses replacing it??? WOW..that's all I can think of to say......well, guess we will just have to wait and see what's coming.....if they are all going to be small businesses, I'd LOVE to see another cobbler.......

Any Updates as to what is going into the old Aubuchon location? We are all anxiously awaiting the details?

I'm with you Bill...we were told that one lease was signed in the middle of January, and another was just about to be signed at the same time... wouldn't you think that there might be some work going on there to prepare for a "Grand Opening"... which you would think should be soon......or no ???

Well Donna, I do have to say they have been holding out on us for quite some time and I thought the owners of Summer Place were going to keep us updated. I guess that was not the truth. But thankfully I can tell you one of the shops that are going in there is:

"My Body Solid"

Here is the Facebook link:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/My-Body-Solid/546797565360784

I am assuming it will be a Personal Training Style Gym maybe more...

I found it announced here on the ITS Personal Training Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/ITS-Personal-Training/214791981901824

Now can anybody else tell us what is going in next to this or the plans for the 3 other fronts?