Tops is trying

Had a nice phone chat Tuesday with Portage Road Tops Store Manager Nick Jaworski.

He said he was off that day but at the store to meet with community leaders including Councilman Donta Myles and Ezra Scott Sr.

Jaworski told me Tops is committed to improving the store but only rehabs so many a year. For example, Portage Road received major investment in 2009. The Military Road store, which just completed a makeover, was last redone in 2005.

On Portage, Jaworski said in the last few years, investments have included new fruit and vegetable cases as well as a project behind the scenes to seal up a back room to deal with rodent issues.

Some new carts arrived earlier this week.

Overall, Tops as a corporation is struggling, thanks to tight margins and a competitive market. Bankruptcy a few years ago helped, but it is a hard way forward.

Jaworski said of all the Tops stores he has worked in, Portage Road is his favorite because of the core group of employees who are dedicated, loyal and reliable. He has about 100 and while the core doesn’t change he said he can expect a 100% turnover rate, meaning there are always comings and goings.

Jaworski committed to work with concerned citizens to continue improving the store and addressing concerns and said he would be willing to attend a meeting to hear from the community.

My analysis: The store itself is not profitable. There is a reason the community calls it the “ghetto Tops” and it has little to do with the store.

The transient people from the bus station and Niagara Gospel Mission as well as less fortunate people from the neighborhood can make the store, and parking lot, a scary place.

Inside the store, an armed guard can address problem patrons. Outside is the purview of the Niagara Falls police.

Jaworski didn’t say this, but the store loses money for several reasons. 1) It is too big. It was built before the neighborhood soured 2) Its location means it is in the middle of more poverty. That leads to more theft. 3) The rough characters in the parking lot/in front of the store and sometimes inside are intimidating to people who live 5 minutes away and drive to Lewiston even though Portage Road is closer. 

They can fix the store and make it significantly nicer inside but until city government invests in turning the neighborhood around, the store will likely suffer.