What About Doscher's

Many in West Ashley held their breath until the decision to locate a new Whole Foods Market next door to Doscher’s IGA grocery store was announced.
Many were excited, seeing the announcement as a stamp of approval from a pricy national chain that West Ashley had “arrived,” that our money and time was equal to Mt. Pleasant.
Wherever Whole Foods had gone in the past, nearby homes enjoyed a measureable jump in value. Trader Joe’s soon followed. West Ashley was on its way.
But, what about Doscher’s? The venerable grocery has fed working families since the 1970s.
How would this effect the family-run institution’s future? Would they get bought out? Would they have to close shop as BMWs and Volvos vied for parking spots with late-model pickups?
Or would the two businesses, with admittedly different clientele co-exist and thrive, like two bulls at the same trough?
“Doscher’s has been serving the West Ashley community for over 40 years,” said Johnny Doscher III, who co-owns the grocery with his brother Ricky and his brother-in-law Wesley Haselden. “We hope to continue to do so for years to come.”
Sources close to the situation confirmed an offer to buy-out the Doschers has been made, and politely refused. Doscher said he has a lease that runs through 2020 with an renewal optional after that.
Others worry that traffic will intensify along that stretch of Savannah Highway abutting the Motor Mile.
“We are hopeful City of Charleston planners will make sure final plans will work out for everyone,” said Doscher, who said his store brings in between 25,000-30,000 visitors a month.
What will traffic counts become when Whole Foods likely opens next year is anyone’s guess.
“We hope that the increased demand to visit our area along Savannah Highway and Farmfield Avenue will not result in increased congestion or traffic gridlock,” said Doscher, the fourth generation of grocers in his family.
Deborah Pickering said, “I, for one, won’t stop coming,” as she pushed a shopping cart full of boxes of red rice and beans and boxes of cookies in preparation for a visit from her grandchildren.
Pickering said she’s been shopping at that Doscher’s for the past 35 years, passing multiple other grocery chains on her way from her home on Wadmalaw Island.
“I’ll shop at Whole Foods, too, I expect, but I’m not going to stop shopping here. I like the meats and the fresh produce,” said Pickering.
The meat department has long been a draw at the store. Butcher Norman Gaskins has been cutting meat there for more than 20 years, and boasts a wide following as one of the few remaining full-service butchers in town.
His meat section located at the back of the store is anchored by a wall of pork that includes everything from 5-pound blocks of Gusto brand of chopped ham to every body part of the pig that can be smoked and sold.
His full tenderloins go for $12.99 a pound – considerably less than the $29.99 per pound a grass-fed filet steak goes went for last week at the Mt. Pleasant Whole Foods.
“I ain’t afraid of competition; bring it on,” he said. “If you want to compare the two stores, look at my rib-eyes.”
Gaskins tossed forward a three-pack of bright red, beautifully marbled rib eyes. Price $5.99 a pound. Whole Foods, $21.99.
“I get them from Mexico, and they have the same strictures and regulations as we do here,” said Gaskins, whom many local restaurants have relied on for years to butcher their meats.
Up front on the bargain shelves, there sits a 7-pound can of Honest Value milk chocolate pudding that probably won’t be available next door when the new Whole Foods is opened.
Then again, shoppers probably won’t be able to find a $3,000 bottle of Petrus Bordeaux in Doscher’s, like the one that recently sold at Whole Foods.
There will be differences that, like America, could be great.