7-11 Convenience Store Slated for Former West Coast Video Location in Downtown Princeton

westcoastThe owners of 259 Nassau Street, the site of the former West Coast Video, plan to open a 7-11 convenience store in the building that has been vacant for several years.

Robert Bratman, who owns the property with his sister, Cynthia Bratman, wrote a letter to residents from the East Nassau neighborhood informing them of the plans and inviting them to an informal neighborhood meeting.

“For the past several years we have been searching for a tenant that not only has the financial stability to ensure longevity but who will provide the community with a store from which to purchase fresh grocery products and other important items,” Bratman wrote. “We have found that tenant in 7-11.”

The meeting with representatives from 7-11 will be held at 7 p.m. on March 13 at the Chestnut Street fire house.

“We are hosting an informal meeting for the representatives of 7-11 to introduce themselves to the community and to provide you with an overview of their plans for the store,” Bratman wrote. “We hope that you will attend this informative meeting.”

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Krystal Knapp is the founding editor of Planet Princeton. Follow her on Twitter @krystalknapp. She can be reached via email at editor AT planetprinceton.com. Send all letters to the editor and press releases to that email address.

13 Comments

  1. Disappointing. 7-11 won’t be particularly popular with the local populace, except possibly students. At best, It might attract travelers on Rt 27.

  2. I think it’s great. Beats having to go to rite aid or God forbid the CVS on Nassau for essentials.

  3. What a waste of good Princeton real estate.
    I understand about wanting a tenant who can reliably pay the rent, but this is
    a disservice to what the community needs. Sure, students might use
    it, since they are also inconvenienced by the Dinky move that takes the WaWa
    along with it, but aside from the random quart of milk or loaf of bread, a
    7-Eleven offers nothing of use to the community. Do we really need another
    place to buy junky food along with cigarettes and lottery tickets?

    1. I don’t know Feisty. Davidson’s came and went. Wild Oats came and went. The neighborhood cannot support a full grocery store. I like the idea of having a place close by to buy essentials. Also I see that 7-11 is undergoing a makeover and is providing fresher fair.

      1. Davidson’s and Wild Oats were both successful, but were bought out (by Wild Oats and Whole Foods, respectively). Whole Foods then sold Wild Oats to an undercapitalized grocer who wouldn’t be a threat. That store went under. But a regular grocery store would thrive. The owners simply want a national chain — as with West Coast Video and Rite Aid (which were in that location before). It will be a miracle if 7-11 provides fresh fair.

  4. What a sad disappointment! Nothing fresh at a 7-11. We already have the equivalent in the CVS just a few blocks away.

  5. This is shameful. Just sell the property to a developer that will do something respectable to it. You’re moving down market just to try and make a few bucks, at the expense of a town’s dignity. Referring to 7-11 as a seller of groceries is an insult to this audience. 7-11 is not a grocer. 7-11 is a place to buy cigarettes, porn, chewing tobacco, lottery tickets, and impulse purchases for stoners and drunks. Princeton does not need this business on Nassau street. We need a property owner that actually cares about keeping Princeton in tact and not debasing Nassau street to a slummy strip mall dump. Boycott 7-11.

    1. Ready to get your mind blown?

      Plenty of Princeton residents smoke, enjoy pornography, and play the lottery.

      Climb down from that ivory tower and enjoy yourself with us plebs.

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