Survey: Locally owned grocery store preferred downtown

While a downtown Baton Rouge grocery store would greatly benefit the 2,200 residents who live in Beauregard and Spanish Town neighborhoods, as well as those who work downtown, DDD Executive Director Davis Rhorer says many people who recently took a DDD grocery store survey say they would prefer it to be locally owned. With developers wanting to bring a grocery store downtown, the DDD last week surveyed 1,181 people and learned that 82% want to see a private store rather than a chain store. Rhorer, who notes 21,638 people live within two minutes of downtown, presented the survey’s findings today at the Baton Rouge Press Club. He says last week’s announcement of the mixed-use Commerce Building at Laurel and North Third streets bringing 100 more residents to downtown is “huge” for a grocery store. “It invites the private sector to do more,” Rhorer says. Among those surveyed, 59% are workers who commute to downtown; 32% say they would buy locally grown food; 48% say they visit their local grocery store five to eight times a month and typically spend between $30 and $100 a visit. See the complete survey results here. —Adam Pearson