The City of Dayton has a seemingly extensive list of grocery stores in the local phone book. However, if you really take a look the list, the City of Dayton is primarily dismissed. Removing all the independent, small markets and not including retail stores that happen to sell select perishables, Dayton is lacking options. The commonly accepted full service grocery stores of Dayton are Kroger, Save a Lot and Aldi. None of these store locations are the larger market-style stores that the other neighborhoods like Kettering or Centerville have.
So that family who is trying to eat better and sees on Good Morning America a recipe for a fresh spinach frittata topped with chicken sausage must go to their closest Kroger (a neighbor Kroger and not a Marketplace Kroger) and hope they can find the ingredients they need to make a nice fresh and new breakfast item. If they go at the wrong time of the month, chances are one or more of the ingredients are not going to be available or they will be not be fresh. This is not to say there are not substitutes, but for the family stepping out of their comfort zone to try something different, this might be a deterrent to discovery and ultimately a setback on the path to healthy living. This is not a knock to the grocery stores in Dayton, just a highlight of the lack of equivalency when you look at neighboring areas.
Why do I, as a Trotwood resident, have to travel to Englewood just to get some fresh fingerling potatoes or a jar of authentic Kalamata olives that are not overpriced? My city (Trotwood) specifically has only two-full service grocery stores. Both Food Town’s are highly accessible and of neighborhood friendly quality, but highly expensive. They are a chain of stores that capitalized on an area that has no other choices. Although the next city over (Englewood) does not offer much variety, at least I am going to pay prices that are reasonable. Looking at other areas such as Beavercreek, Centerville and Miamisburg, they have multiple options with varying degrees of diversity. Beavercreek alone has a Super Target Market, a full service Kroger Marketplace, Fresh Thyme Farmers Market, Walmart Super Center, Meijer, and a host of smaller independent grocery options.
We like specialty items and services. We like workshops on cheese and wine. I appreciate the personalized service that the butcher provides at Dorothy Lane Market. What about Dayton?
Everyone deserves healthy, affordable, transportation-friendly options. — TANELA HICKS, TROTWOOD
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