Business

Lidl Grocery Comes to Ward 7

THE AFRO — It looks like Ward 7 will get a another grocery option as Mayor Muriel Bowser announced plans to bring Lidl Grocery to the Skyland Town Center.

Published

7 years ago

June 2, 2019

Oakland Post

By George Kevin Jordan

It looks like Ward 7 will get a another grocery option as Mayor Muriel Bowser announced plans to bring Lidl Grocery to the Skyland Town Center.

“Lidl is a fantastic grocery store – a grocery store that we are proud to be bringing to the residents of Ward 7,” said Mayor Bowser in a press conference. “Lidl knows what we know: Every corner of Washington, D.C. is a great place to do business. As we continue working to make our city’s prosperity more inclusive, this partnership is a reflection of the work we are doing to bring high-quality resources and amenities to every part of our city – amenities that will set our families and neighborhoods up for long-term success.”

Bowser along with Rappaport Development and WC Smith made the announcement this week during RECon, the yearly gathering of International Council of Shopping Centers, held in Las Vegas, NV. The Skyland Town Center is a sprawling 18-acre project located at the intersection of Good Hope Road, Alabama Avenue and Naylor Road, Southeast.

Lidl US, which is an international company, started in Ludwigshafen (25 miles south of Frankfurt) in 1973, according to the site. By the 1990s the store increased its imprint across Europe making its way to the US in 2017.

Today the company operates, 10,500 stores across 29 countries. They have 65 stores in nine states along the east coast. Lidl will utilize 29,089 square feet of the Skyland space. CVS will also make its home in the town center.

“We are committed to opening stores in the most convenient location for our customers,” said Johannes Fieber, CEO of Lidl US in a statement. “We selected Skyland Town Center because it offers District residents an easily accessible, convenient and visible site. Understanding the history of the site and the tremendous anticipation from the community, we look forward to building a store customized for the shoppers of Skyland Town Center.”

Landing Lidl was a collaborative effort between Rappaport and WC Smith, who spearheaded the retail and residential leasing, along with District Government, and others like Skyland D.C. and the Washington East Foundation, who have been on the Skyland redevelopment for 15 years.

“Lidl’s decision to locate at Skyland Town Center means that our future residents will have a top-quality supermarket at their doorstep,” says WC Smith CEO, Chris Smith. “WC Smith has long been active in this part of Southeast, Washington, as we manage 4,300 apartments in Wards 7 and 8. Having Lidl so conveniently located will provide a significant boost to the neighborhood and a much-needed service to the people who live there.”

The road to bringing an anchor store to Skyland has been a long one with many people grateful for this week’s news. Councilmember Vincent Gray (Ward-7) said in a press statement:

“I am pleased that Lidl U.S. will open one of its full-service grocery stores in Ward 7 at the Skyland Town Center. We have worked long and hard to bring a solid anchor to Skyland,” Gray wrote.

“This is a significant step toward providing more food options and helping to ensure the future of the East End as a desired location for retail and hospitality opportunities.

Since my return to the Council, I have introduced three East End bills focused on ending food deserts in Wards 7 and 8 by incentivizing greater economic development and bringing needed amenities to the East End. One of these bills targets nine development sites in Wards 7 and 8, including Skyland, for retail, restaurants and full-service grocery stores. Securing an anchor for Skyland after Walmart reneged on its commitment to open a store at Skyland is an incredible feat.”

Skyland Town Center will offer over 135,000 square feet of retail space and 450 to 500 residential apartments. About 263 apartments will open in 2020. Construction on the project started in 2015.

This article originally appeared in The Afro.

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

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4 days ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.