Rhorer: New corner store a good addition to downtown, yet not ‘a real grocery store’

DDD Executive Director Davis Rhorer was as surprised as anyone when, in the process of doing a television interview Wednesday on new downtown projects, he saw a sign going up for a corner store at Third Street and Florida Boulevard, with an application for a liquor permit pasted to the door. “I checked it out real quick,” says Rhorer, who concedes he was initially concerned that the planned establishment would amount to little more than a packaged liquor store. But after talking to the store’s owner, Michael Matroodnejad, Rhorer says he is optimistic the store will be more like a New York City¬–style corner store, with a mix of convenience items and groceries. The store will not, however, fill the need for a full-service grocery store, something Rhorer has been trying to bring to downtown for several years. “I am encouraged by what this could mean for downtown,” he says. “But we still need a real grocery store.” Matroodnejad and his business partner have been invited to address the DDD at the agency’s meeting in January. —Stephanie Riegel