“I would say despair is what woke me up with that news.”
Emily Haas hadn’t even had her first sip of coffee when she learned that overnight a semi-truck had crashed into her favorite East Nashville grocery store, the Aldi on Gallatin Avenue.
Metro police now say the driver, a 34-year-old man, did it on purpose; he’s been charged with felony vandalism. No injuries have been reported.
For Aldi devotees like Haas, the news is a major bummer, as is the prospect that it may be some time before the damaged store can reopen.
For those who aren’t familiar, Aldi sets itself apart from other grocery stores with a few quirks, like having to deposit a quarter to rent a shopping cart. You can identify regulars because when they show up at your party or picnic with a decent bottle of wine or fancy cheese they’ll be quick to tell you what a bargain it was at Aldi.
“Yeah, I think I’ve done a lot of free marketing for Aldi,” says Haas, who once bought a stand-up paddle board there. (For less than a hundred bucks, she reports it held up well.)
The day before the crash, Haas put off grocery shopping. On a normal day, she’d drive past two Krogers and a Publix to reach the Aldi in East Nashville. But since the crash, its alluring display of broccoli-and-cheddar quiche feels farther away than ever.
Other stores exist, of course. Haas expects to soon make the pilgrimage up to the Aldi in Madison.
On Air - 90.3 WPLN-FM