It's been a sad tale for the Bottom Dollar on Grays Ferry Avenue.
Two years ago, we found it curious when we heard that Bottom Dollar was building a new market at 3000 Grays Ferry Ave., right across the street from the Grays Ferry Pathmark. The discount supermarket chain was in the midst of a serious expansion campaign throughout Philadelphia, but it still seemed odd to pick a location directly across the street from such an established competitor. The market opened in early 2014 and was shuttered before the end of the year.
But the closing of the Bottom Dollar wasn't because of anything the Pathmark did- all 46 Bottom Dollar locations in the Philadelphia area closed as part of the sale of the company to Aldi. A couple of weeks ago, reports came out that Aldi would be reopening less than half of those locations, including the Brewerytown location but not including the one on Grays Ferry Avenue. Which leaves us with a brand new building with an uncertain future.
As far as we can tell, the space isn't being actively listed for sale or lease but assuming it eventually is made available, what could possibly take over? The space seems too large for a pharmacy, and supposedly a Rite Aid was once (still is?) planned for the parcel next door. It's way too small for a big box store like a Target, and the fact that it sits alone, without other stores, might make it a tough sell for other large retailers that don't have mass appeal. We wonder, will the building sit empty for the foreseeable future? Will it eventually be demolished, after only being in use for under a year?
What do you think could happen here? What would you like to see?