Mike Morowit would make his wife Georgette — and apparently many of Manteca’s 95,000 other residents — happy if the city were to make “the announcement.”

The announcement?

That either WinCo or Trader Joe’s, or preferably both, decide to locate in Manteca.

It’s a sentiment widely shared in social media postings and with individual council members like Morowit.

And the fact Manteca is about to do something the city has never done in its 107-year history which is having two major supermarkets break ground within weeks of each other, likely won’t quiet the call for a Trader Joe’s or a WinCo.

First SaveMart, and then WinCo are doing the ceremonial ground breaking on opposite ends of Atherton Drive.

It will be the third SaveMart in Manteca and the second Food-4-Less within the next three weeks.

But they aren’t going to be cookie cutting shopping experiences of what both supermarket chains already offer in Manteca.

Instead, both stores are being teased as new concepts for the grocers.

Morowit, a local liquor store owner, serves on the City Council’s economic subcommittee along with Mayor Gary Singh.

Singh also runs a liquor store, manages commercial property, and sells real estate.

As such, the two understand the dynamics that have worked against Manteca snagging more retail in the past and the dynamics that are now tipping the scale in favor of Manteca.

“Believe me, (retail) developers now know about Manteca,” Morowit said.

He noted at shopping center conferences that most cities send representatives to market their communities, developers they encounter already know about Manteca having:

*a Great Wolf resort.

*the sale of the Big League Dreams to a company that is known for aggressively marketing tournaments at their properties.

*a Costco that is typically sited in robust retail markets.

*Bass Pro Shops and the fact the Orchard Valley center it is located in having sold to Grupe  Huber and is aggressively marketing and investing in the property.

*the city is working to place an electronic billboard along the 120 Bypass.

The quest for

a Trader Joe’s

Morowit said nothing would make him happier than announcing Trader Joe’s is coming to Manteca.

Commercial real estate experts have long noted Tracy and Manteca are Trader Joe’s kind of town.

Both have growth powered by Bay Area families already loyal to Trader Joe’s and have the household income that helps specialty markets thrive.

Manteca’s median household income is now at $95,000.

But that is only part of the story.

New neighborhoods south of the 120 Bypass where the bulk of new housing is being built have median household incomes in excess of $120,000.

And the fact Manteca for the last three years has been building an average of 1,200 housing units a year helps a lot.

“They (developers) look at that and housing projects that have entitlements,” Morowit said.

Various housing developers have invested significant funds in the entitlement process that, if all are approved, can potentially add in excess of 8,000 homes to Manteca.

They also want to see a community where people embrace housing growth, even if it is begrudgingly.

“A community that is anti-housing growth is the kiss of death as far as (commercial) developers are concerned,” Morowit added.

As for Trader Joe’s, Tracy was a logical first investment for them.

The former World Market location next to Best Buy on Naglee Road that has coveted nearby  freeway access was almost a ready-to-go site.

It also is part of a retail market that includes the 30,000 people of Mountain House.

Mountain House is by far the county’s most financially well-heeled community.

And like Manteca, Tracy, and Lathrop it is poised for growth.

The fact Lathrop already has a Sprouts strengths the chances Manteca will eventually secure a Trader Joe’s given the two grocer concerns have similar offerings.

Last new ‘supermarket’ to

open in Manteca was in 2019

Manteca’s last supermarket per se to open in Manteca was Food-4-Less on March 4, 2019.

That’s when Manteca has 49,500 residents, or about half of what it does now.

Under the old yardstick that existed at the time according to the late Bob Piccinini who founded SaveMart, grocery stores wouldn’t look at new markets unless there was at least 12,000 residents “underserved.”

In a nutshell, the expectation was a community of 50,000 has its grocery shopping needs “met” with four supermarkets beyond what might be called small grocery stores.

However, since 2000 Walmart and Target have aggressively entered the grocery market.

It has, for all practical purposes, giving Manteca seven grocery stores that includes a pair of SaveMarts, Raley’s, Safeway, and Food-4-Less.

The discount Grocery Outlet isn’t considered a large supermarket by industry experts.

At the same time, online grocery shopping from the likes of Amazon didn’t start until 2000 and barely registered that year. Amazon is now a major player in groceries.

It should be noted a third developer believes Manteca will have a bigger appetite  than just two or four new markets given its current population and growth.

The proposed Villa Ticino Village on Louise Avenue west of Airport Way includes anchor space for a supermarket.

There’s is a growing

cry for more dining

Morowit notes the clamor is not just for supermarkets.

People want more restaurants — particularly independent dining options from the classic mom and pop enterprises to the more upscale offerings one finds at Lincoln Center in Stockton with options like Papapavlo’s Bistro & Bar, Midgley’s Public House, Bud’s Seafood Grille, and Market Tavern, to name a few.

They also want entertainment.

That said, Trader Joe’s and WinCo keep topping the “want” list.

Decisions to locate new stores and restaurants is a private sector decision and not driven by the city.

That said, Manteca has made it an economic priority to create situations that are attractive to the private sector that is getting pickier and pickier with where they commit to brick and mortar locations in the era of online shopping and ghost kitchen.

As for mom and pop restaurants, they are typically in the mix — along with smaller scale chain dining options along with services such as stylists — that are targeted to fill in-line retail space that is:

*now under construction at the Manteca Crossings on the northwest corner of Atherton Drive and Airport Way.

*part of Marketplace at Main expected to break ground next month on the southwest corner of Atherton Drive and Main Street.

*planned at the envisioned Villa Ticino Village on the southwest corner of Louise Avenue and Airport Way.

*approved for a shopping center on the southeast corner of Louise Avenue and Airport Way.

*small commercial centers approved in connection with gas station\convenience stores at Airport Way and Lathrop Road as well as Daniels Street and Airport Way.

*part of the proposed ARCO AM/PM mini market on Pillsbury Road at Woodward Avenue.

Also in the hunt for restaurants is The Promenade Shops at Orchard Valley anchored by Bass Pro Shops and the center connected with Living Spaces across the way on the northeast corner of Union Road and Atherton Drive.

“They (the developers that are dealing with retailers and restaurants) definitely want to go along the 120 Bypass corridor,” Morowit said.

Other grocer options

open in Manteca

There have been three “ethic grocers” open in Manteca in the past year.

They include El Rincon Market on Yosemite Avenue just west of the downtown railroad tracks,  Raunak Bazar on Moffat at Woodward Avenue, and Kesar Bazar Farmers Market on South Main Street at Moffat.

They joined six other India ethnic markets and four Mexican markets.

That is in addition to more than 30 convenience stores and neighborhood markets.

There are also two convenience stores under construction on Airport Way — Rotten Robbie’s at Wawona Street and Maverik at Atherton Drive.

Six more convenience stores have either been approved by the city or are under review,

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com