You'd think that a 123,000-square-foot grocery store that also sells jewelry, toys, small appliances, linens, home accessories and furniture (yes, furniture) would be overwhelming. After all, Eating Our Words once had a full-blown panic attack inside the similarly sized (and fully overwhelming) H-E-B on Bunker Hill at I-10. But the brand-new Kroger Marketplace store in Rosenberg manages to make it work, and work well.
After our visit, in which we laid out all of the offerings that the store has under one roof, a friend of ours remarked, "So...basically like Walmart, then?" To which our answer was, "Not at all." The store manages to seamlessly integrate both a nearly 3,000-square-foot home goods/furniture section with a large and bountiful grocery store without becoming jarring. It helps that it's far more sedate than a Walmart -- no achingly bright florescent lights or neon yellow "ROLLBACK" signs hanging from every available surface. Just calm earth tones, a pleasant Seattle's Best coffee shop with wi-fi, charming lanterns hanging from the lanes and broad, wide aisles.
It almost made us jealous of the folks way out in Rosenberg. This was the kind of Kroger we want down the street from us. Disco Kroger will simply have to do for now.
For many more images and details about the new store, visit our slideshow.
