MANSFIELD — Bringing a Trader Joe’s Market to the downtown area was publicly introduced as an idea on December 29, 2013, when organizer Joel Vega created a Facebook page.
Since then, the interest has grown to represent nearly 1,500 Richland County residents.
“Mansfield is like the geeky kid who has a lot going for him, who never approaches the prom queen,” Vega said of asking Trader Joe’s to move to Mansfield. “If we did, they would probably say yes.”
Trader Joe’s is a unique grocery store noted for its organic produce from around the world.
Since the group’s start, Vega has organized a number of public appearances before city council, inspired many Trader Joe’s “Location Requests” and written emails to the company’s corporate offices in California. He even got a response from the food store’s CEO.
“I will have our folks check out your town. It looks like a great place to live,” read the email from Dan Bane, dated April 23, 2015.
So why is it seen as impossible by some?
“It’s just not in the cards for us right now,” said Mansfield at-large council member Don Bryant. “We have to find the right fit, and Trader Joe’s is not that right now.”
The reason has a lot to do with how Mansfield, or Richland County, looks on paper, he said.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Richland County’s average weekly wages is $667 compared to the state’s $992. The average weekly wage for the U.S. is $1,048.
Trader Joe’s has six locations in Ohio: Cincinnati, Columbus, Dublin, Kettering, Westlake and Woodmere. All of those locations have average weekly wages at $900 or more.
When asked directly on which specific metrics Trader Joe’s looks at before considering opening up a new location, a spokesperson declined to comment.
“We don’t discuss business practices and strategies,” Trader Joe’s National Director of Public Relations Alison Mochizuki said.
“We just don’t have the money here,” Bryant said.
That’s why the council member, who chairs both the city’s airport and safety subcommittees, works to attract manufacturing industry leaders to build out in the northern part of the city. He understands Mansfield’s predicament:
“We don’t have enough jobs available here. Our population is 47,000 and we have 22,000 employed. So we have a lot of work to do,” he said.
Downtown Mansfield Incorporated’s Jennifer Kime agrees there is work to be done. As a non-profit dedicated to economic development to Mansfield’s downtown, Kime said any development would be welcomed.
“But we’re not going to wait around for a Trader Joe’s to make the decision to come to us,” Kime said.
In the meantime, she said, DMI works to support local entrepreneurs interested in bringing food to downtown. A strong, localized retail structure serves as a foundation for potentially attracting larger corporate chains, she said.
“We absolutely are looking and pursuing a downtown grocery,” she said. “The next development phases are living and food — those components are really critical to the continued growth of downtown.”
From a public health perspective, the need for accessible fresh produce exists in the downtown area, too.
Richland Public Health’s Creating Healthy Communities Project Coordinator Karyl Price recognizes downtown neighborhoods as food deserts, meaning they lack access to fresh produce like vegetables, meat and dairy.
Richland Area Chamber of Commerce President Jodi Perry said getting more residents to downtown is crucial to attracting a Trader Joe’s or other similar grocery stores.
“Housing is what seems to come first, at least that’s what I’ve seen in other communities,” Perry said.
Mansfield’s Economic Development Director Tim Bowersock realizes the importance of attracting retail groceries and residential living space. But he does not know which should come first.
“It’s the whole chicken versus the egg argument. Retail or housing,” Bowersock said.
