Thursday, March 20, 2014

Murry's and H Street Storage Closing This Summer?

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In-the-know local tweeter Margaret Holwill is reporting that Murry's (610 H St) will be closing this summer. Looks like you're going to have to pay a bit more for your 14 Oz. Haagen-Dazs (a whopping 30 cents more on Peapod). If it's any consolation, you can save almost $1.50 on Oreos at Peapod ($3 there versus $4.49 at Murry's). My quick perusal of the shelves on a visit there earlier this week didn't leave me with the impression that there was much in the way of great selection or great prices at Murry's.

Will any posters here miss Murry's once they're gone?

As the tweet above notes, H Street Storage is slated to close by summer as well. Has anyone here used their services?

As we discussed in a prior post, both Murry's and H Street Storage will be replaced by a mixed use development anchored by a Whole Foods.

34 comments:

Anonymous said...

No. And by that I mean that not only won't I miss them, I'm pretty darn sure that no posters will miss them. I was an occasional customer way back in the pre-Giant years, when it was nice to have someplace to pick up some of the basic fresh fruits and vegetables and other grocery staples, but there's no point now that we have a real grocery store.

pat said...

I didn't know Murry's sold food, it mostly seemed to be processed product in packages.

I wanted to get some party stuff, and i was horrified.

DG said...

Thank God!!! Good riddance!!

Troll said...

I will miss these places very much

Anonymous said...

i won't miss their goods. they did make some improvements over the years, but now that we got Giant, there's no need for Murray's. I wonder how much will Giant suffer w/ new Whole Foods coming in? It's been awhile since I been to one. How much more are Whole Foods stuff compared to Giant?

Giant does have some spotty customer service. Sometimes it's good. Other times not so much. The one thing about Murray's is, despite their bad product, all the cashiers had, at least in my experience, good customer service. I hope they find jobs when Whole Foods comes in.

inked said...

I actually used to date someone who lived across the street from Murry's, so I have been there a lot over the years. Murry's was always great for staples like eggs, milk, butter, bread, & salt. Years ago I used to buy potatoes & onions there, & marvel at the rotting mangos, & too green to ever ripen bananas. They also sell excellent ginger snaps.

They really did step it up a few years ago. Murry's in not bad for what it is, & the prices on many items I've purchased there were quite cheap compared to other stores. & I agree with 9:28, I've never had anything but excellent customer service at that Murry's. They really train their employees well.

h st ll said...

+1 Inked. I rarely go there but when I do I have a similar experience. Far from perfect, but people hating it is a bit much, plus bananas were very cheap (and good) there.

I do feel bad for the people losing their jobs, hopefully they are able to find other employment nearby (and once the WF opens).

Boris said...

Pat, really, you were "horrified" by a small, low-budget grocery?

Might want to get out of your cocoon more often.

gretchen said...

while I agree that neither the quality nor the selection of foods at murry's was that great, the impending doom of the whole foods + streetcar developments are frightening. there are a number of individuals and families in the area who a) have lived in the community for a long time and b) simply cannot afford to shop at giant, let alone whole foods. unless low-income members of the community are incorporated into the planning process, offered jobs at new business, etc., we're only further perpetuating the ugly side of gentrification..

Anonymous said...

@3:51

You cant find better prices across the board then a large regional working class grocer like giant. No one in DC today is going to starve to death unless they try. Lets not create problems when we have enough real ones. Rents are too high , no jobs...but we have enough foodstamps to at least be able to but food

Anonymous said...

Ya'll cause gentrification by moving into the neighborhood and then complain about gentrification as though you weren't a part of it. Deal with it: you're part of gentrification, and the Whole Foods is just a symptom.

If you find the whole thing so unjust, don't move into a transitioning neighborhood, reap the benefits, and then act like you had no part in the whole thing.

Anonymous said...

Bro, I am like gentrification concentrated. I am the Tang of gentrification, and I am happy to cause it and to reap its benefits. I'm looking forward to gentrifying the hell out of this block, cashing out, and then moving east a bit to do it all over again. I don't even volunteer to teach inner city kids how to read. I am just that cold blooded about this business.

Anonymous said...

You cant not have gentrification
An area burns to the ground and eventually all self respecting people leave or die or get murdered, and then new people move into the unclaimed wilderness. When you plant a seed in fertilizer a flower will grow.

Barrion Marry said...

Can I just say: no one - rich or poor - deserves or should put up with the garbage that Murry's has been slanging over the years. Food stamps or not, raise your damn standards people! And this goes beyond Murry's - go to any low income area and see the utter shit being sold to these people under the guise of 'well that's all they can afford so...'. Disgusting.

Anonymous said...

That one of the last stand alone Murry's I know of. It's typical of most Murry's and takes me back to my childhood when I'd go to the Murry's on MD RT 650 or the one in Brookland. I rarely go there now, Since I no longer need a M&T ATM, but in a odd way I'll miss it. The one on 6 & H had some very fresh fruit.


-Robby

Anonymous said...

5:39 lololol

Anonymous said...

What are the plans for the rest of the stores on that block (sushi, bbq, hair salon)? Can't imagine they will stay open during the demolition...

pat said...

boris,

I just wanted some chips and salsa, and let say the plastic cheese like food spread was to me horrifying.
They didn't have any canned salsa or guacamole that looked like it had been made from food.

I did get a onion, and tomato and some parsley and just made something

Murry's had a lot of shelf product that will still look like it came off the line 3 years into the Zombie Apocalypse.

Sorry to sound like a food snob, but i like the food at costco, not the packaged goods at Murrys

Anonymous said...

What is worse that people bought and ate the only crap avail for miles around, or that people operated a store that only sold crap to other people?

Anonymous said...

You know I've held back from commenting freely on this blog because some of the pin heads that post here are trolls, yet some of you are elitist jerks too. I love cooking, so the idea of buying a steak out of a box seems crazy now, but like many folks I know, I wasn't always upper middle class so I remember Murry's for what it was and understand what it isn't. It is a sign of the times that it is leaving, but it isn't this great thing. It means a place that many depended on when H Street was a grocery desert is gone. I work with someone who remembers when that was the safeway long ago. I look forward to progress, but everything that came before wasn't completely F-ed up. So to the knot of you that want to bulldoze all that was hear before and erect a Truman Show version of H Street, stop - take a breath - and understand the arrenda of history. It isn't the moment, but the arc that is important. But surely my views and others like mine will be derided .

Anonymous said...

I didn't know H st Storage was open. I never seen anyone enter or exit.

Anonymous said...

I completely agree with Anon 5:11. I'm getting really sick and tired of people complaining about higher-end options moving into the neighborhood when they were in fact part of the change whether they realize it or not.

Just own up to it and stop with the guilt complex. You moved into a rapidly changing area, and either paid a large sum for a house or are paying a large sum for a new luxury apartment. Believe it or not, that is what's causing businesses like Whole Foods to move into the area. If you really feel that strongly about "taking away" options for lower-income residents, don't move to an area like H St. Go to Georgetown or Dupont or Friendship Heights instead.

And for the record, I couldn't be happier about the Whole Foods- especially since I live just a block away.

inked said...

10:31,
Some good points, but let's not forget that many are renting unrenovated homes, basement apartments, and rooms in rowhouses.

tonysmallframe said...

That building that was just demolished across from Murry's - anyone else remember going to that supermarket? I'm trying to remember the name - think it was Bestway or something similar. Will ask my dad next time I see him.

Anonymous said...

yup. Imma ask my dad about that building that was next to that building that was diagonal to that other building that really had that old school flavor. Then, THEN... I will unleash my next anti-gentrification post. Get ready for it, Y'ALL.

Anonymous said...

i wonder if i will be able to find Murry's products in grocery stores..

MJ said...

<a href="http://frozentropics.blogspot.com/2014/03/murrays-gone-by-summer.html#c8032609293644371625>@TonySmallFrame</a>: I barely remember it, I want to say it was the same "chain" that the supermarket on 8th between C & D NE belonged to. I think the Murry's was a People's Drug at that point.

Dave said...

Ironically, the Giant on 3rd carries some Murry's frozen meat items. I've lived near this Murry's for 10 years and agree that it is what it is and will sort of miss it. A handy place to grab a cheap sack of ice, or a bag of chips, loaf of bread or some very competitively priced chicken parts and ribs. Nice checkout people. My main complaints were no skim milk, no sour cream and the only diet pop was Diet Pepsi.

Anonymous said...

I'm not concerned about the Whole Foods moving in. It's a high-end grocery option in a place where people can now afford to support it. Giant, as has been pointed out, is often cheaper than Murry's and has much better food. Two options for a population that spans the socio-economic ladder.

What concerns me more is the possibility of other corporate businesses coming into these new developments that will compete directly with independent options already on H. Pet stores, say. Or coffee. Or pizza. Or a bakery. Etc, etc. One of the best things about H St right now is the quality of the new independent businesses that have opened in the past 5 years - some of them the best in the city. It would be a shame if multinationals moved in and turned the street into Columbia Heights.

*i'm* the real ANONYMOUS said...

the person above me stole my identity. I AM THE REAL ANONYMOUS! why does everyone insist on trying to be me? i mean, i know my comments are brilliant, but knock off the thievery, people. PLEASE!

Derek said...

+1
LOL

Anonymous said...

But Fox News told me (via The Daily Show) that poor people are buying expensive seafood like organic salmon with their food stamps. So maybe Whole Foods will help them out

Anonymous said...

Anon 5:24:00

What is your mother's maiden name?

I am starting to think identify theft isn't as glorious as the movies make it out to be.

Credit card companies keep laughing at me.

npm said...

"there are a number of individuals and families in the area who a) have lived in the community for a long time and b) simply cannot afford to shop at giant, let alone whole foods."

Yes, but the Aldi's has better quality and variety than Murray's and is significantly cheaper. For people in the immediate neighborhood of Murray's it's a car, bus, or bike ride away, but it's also closer to Carver-Langston and other neighborhoods on the east end of H. On net, the grocery options are much improved whatever price range you're looking for.