D.C.’s lone Superfresh, a retro mid-sized grocery store tucked in upper Northwest enclave Spring Valley, is on the market. A&P, the store’s parent company, declared bankruptcy in 2010 and announced two weeks ago that the D.C. Superfresh was among the properties to be sold off.

Councilmember Mary Cheh emailed residents last week with assurances that “several high-end” stores are angling for the property in bankruptcy court. The online chatter among neighbors heavily favors Trader Joe’s, but there wasn’t much enthusiasm for the idea among shoppers at the Superfresh this weekend.

Though the parking lot is dotted with BMWs, all shoppers interviewed cited good deals over better lighting and organic produce as their primary wish for Superfresh’s replacement. Chief among the concerns was keeping a cheap supply of wine in the neighborhood.

Frank Fitzmaurice has no opinion on Trader Joe’s, having never shopped there, but he’s sad to lose Superfresh’s low prices and cheap, expansive beer and wine section. Though Superfresh’s modest produce selection gets little praise from shoppers, several cite the deli departments as excellent. One customer points out that the neighborhood has a heavy elderly and student population that rely on Superfresh’s cheap options ($1.99 for Healthy Choice frozen foods!).

An A&P spokesperson said the company had no comment on potential bidders for the Superfresh location, but Supermarket News reported speculation in April that ShopRite or Bottom Dollar would be a likely buyer for Superfresh stores in Maryland. That appealed to some shoppers more than Cheh’s assurance of a “high-end” option.

“I’m not a big fan of very expensive grocery stores,” says Tony Kane. He has no preference for what chain replaces Superfresh but says he would “prefer lower-end.”