Waiting for Bloom

The new Bloom grocery store, on Columbia Pike and Gallows Road where the Magruders used to be, won’t open until “the fourth quarter of 2009,” says a Food Lion spokesperson. Food Lion operates 52 Blooms in Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Bloom stores have interactive information kiosks that allow shoppers to locate products, select wines, and print recipes and shopping lists. A company rep says the stories also offer DVD rentals, photo processing, and postage and shipping services—and you can expect the store clerks to occasionally break out into a rousing cheer.