Is Wegmans Coming to Boston?



[A walk through the Northborough Wegmans / stevegarfield.com]

I love supermarkets. I especially love the quirks and little idiosyncrasies that make them all different — the sawdust on the floor of the produce section at Somerville’s Market Basket; the dizzying array of hot sauces and curry pastes at Quincy’s Kam Man Market; the glow of the drool-inducing cheese counter at the River Street Whole Foods in Cambridge. So, it’s an understatement to say I was excited when I read in the Globe that New York-based Wegmans is scouting Boston locations for a new store.

“We believe we belong in Boston, not just in the suburbs,” the company’s chief executive Danny Wegman told the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday. He also said that they would consider a Downtown Crossing spot.

Mayor Menino, for one, is keen on the idea.

“The mayor has called Mr. Wegman and is very interested in having him find a great location in our city where he could open,” Menino spokeswoman Dot Joyce told the Herald.

The first Wegmans store in Massachusetts — a 138,000-square-foot behemoth stocked with prepared foods, a sushi bar, and a make-your-own trail mix section — opened to much fanfare in Northborough last year. (In March’s Best Places to Live issue, resident Shawn Gillespie cited Wegmans as one of the reasons he loves living in the suburb: “I almost want to cry when I walk by the bakery,” he said.) The company has plans for Burlington and Newton locations, too.

Wegmans has passionate (rabid?) fans. My parents grew up in upstate New York, and I remember stopping at Wegmans for spicy horseradish mustard on trips back to Buffalo. They are probably going to make celebratory pastrami sandwiches when they hear the news.

And they are not alone — earlier this week BostInno put together a Storify of the Twitter reaction to the idea. Here are a few of my favorite quotes:

– Ohmygaw, @Wegmans in my hood?? I’d be there all day errrrrday — @krpamper

– #Thereisagod. @Wegmans in Downtown Crossing? Grocery chain is scouting Boston locations — @AlexanderAmo

– Please don’t kill me @dividedsky05 but I think I want a Wegmans in downtown Boston more than I want another Super Bowl/Stanley Cup — @ljs39