Beukeboom

Is it just me or does Dave & Busters seem to be aimed at people who grew up on Chuck E. Cheese's? It sure looks that way to me judging from the television ads.

I've pretty much gotten everything in terms of clothing I want from them with their 75% off clearance and was hoping to catch them when they put the housewares stuff on clearance, too but they kept it all upstairs and left everything full price so I finally gave up. I could have used some of it but can't afford the full prices. I haven't been there in a while. Please describe the sad state?

While my wife and I were in Sarasota last spring, she wanted to try Ruths Chris steak house and it was quite expensive. And frankly, it was overrated. Even though the interior of the building was extra fancy, the ambiance was terrible with everything extremely loud, the service was no better than the good steak restaurants here in Tallahassee and frankly the steaks weren't any better than Marie Livingston's for example. Actually when they were in business, Nicholson's steaks were superior by far than the ones we had at Ruths Chris. Their "seared at high temperature" claim is a gimmick IMHO. I just wasn't impressed and felt that they do not live up to the self-promoted hype.

How about Honest Bubba's Discount Dollar And Used Tires Store to replace Dillard's?

A proposal really isn't much to go on. Nothing official as of yet.

We do? Last I heard nothing has been finalized nor permits, studies, etc. filed. Has something changed since then? As far as I know, it is still just a rumor from the property owner.

I think the Democrat got burned in the past with letters to the editor and are more cautious about whom they allow on their pages. Back in the pre-internet days, I'd write letters to the editor on a few occassions but didn't want my real name associated with it so I used a comic-book character alias and the address of Doak Campbell stadium and they published it. No big deal really, but I think some recent letters to the editor may have made the editors more cautious. Just an idea.

Dillard's had a lot on sale at 75% off when I went there last Saturday. Bunch of shirts in my size but that's not what I needed. Tried to find some pants my size on sale and all I could find was one pair of brown pants. I need navy blue so I resigned myself to buying two pair of overpriced Polo's. Dillard's had plenty of blue pants in their store brand but all of them have the dreaded "expando-waist" which I despise. A clerk explained to me that the Tallahassee Mall Dillards is one of the stores where other Dillards send their excess for sales. Apparently the size I wear is quite popular and disappears quite early.

I was disagreeing on a couple of small points, that's all. Minor quibbles. Not your entire POV. Mainly I was disagreeing with comparing Tallahassee's potential suburban flight to Jackson's since the situations are completely different. It's sort of an apples-and-oranges type comparison. As I said, a minor thing. How many years was it when they did completely renovate the interior? It doesn't seem to have been all that long ago, or has time flown by? I still remember how it was before the expansion. It was in TERRIBLE shape back then.

I disagree somewhat on this point being that the main reason Tallahassee doesn't have a larger suburban flight by businesses is that the county has placed many barriers that have limited such flight. I firmly believe if those barriers were removed, the suburban business flight would increase dramatically. I am very familiar with the history of Jackson's tale of suburban flight and it began when Hinds County (keep in mind Jackson has suburbs in Hinds, Rankin, Madison, Copiah AND Simpson counties) allowed a mall to be built outside the city limits and then refused to enforce the state's "blue laws" (religious based laws strictly limiting business activities on Sundays). The mall quickly became hugely popular especially being opened on Sunday unlike malls in the rest of the state especially the Jackson mall at the time and various shopping centers. This really hurt city businesses of similar ilk and they put pressure on city leaders to do something about. One of the desperate measure seriously considered but shot down legally was an emergency annexation of the mall that was open on Sunday so they could enforce the "blue laws." Once this was legally shot down and it became apparent that operating on Sundays didn't cause the planet to explode but enforcement was spotty, a very few other businesses within the state started exploring the possibility of opening on Sundays despite the blue laws. The first one to do so post-Jackson was Edgewater Mall in Biloxi. Local leaders there were wise enough to know that the added business would aid the ailing beach economy so they turned a blind eye to the Sunday sales but for a long time, only the Edgewater Mall was opened on Sundays. Other shopping centers and individual businesses remained closed on Sundays in Biloxi although no one was enforcing the blue laws. However in the vast majority of Mississippi county governments, the blue laws were strictly enforced. Over time, several legal challenges to the state's blue laws were fought and although I don't remember specifics on that the bottom line is that over time, more and more businesses, especially malls and shopping centers, chose to remain open on Sundays to conduct business. And even though the blue laws no longer exist in the State of Mississippi codes of ordinances (at least I THINK so) many rural and small-town businesses still honor the concept of closing on Sundays. Anyway, it was way back then (78-79 to early 80's I seem to remember) when that county mall opened and flourished that began the massive flight of businesses to Hinds County and outside the city limits of Jackson. There was serious bad blood between the city and county that lasted for years. Plus the city government of Jackson remained stubborn in its committment to the blue laws for a long time even after they could have relented keeping many businesses inside the city limits. Furthermore, to attract more businesses not only from within the city limits but from outside the state, Hinds County officials offered many financial and zoning incentives that proved very attractive during the 80's and 90's which was the heyday of the suburban flight of businesses. So naturally such a massive suburban flight of businesses to Leon County from within Tallahassee city limits would not occur as much as they did in Jackson since the situations are vastly different but it is my opinion that if the restrictions currently in place by Leon County were removed, there would be a marked increase in commerical suburban flight. For example, the north Monroe Wal-Mart/Super Wal-Mart situation (ex-Sam's Club location) wouldn't have even been an issue because Wal-Mart would have simply purchased property just outside the city limits (old airport north of Lake Jackson or somewhere on 90 near the Interstate perhaps?) and built but the current restrictions make that financially unfeasable I would imagine. While I was working for WCTV and they wanted to explore the possibility of building on the property they already owned on County Rd. 12 it was discovered to be too costly due to county restrictions. At one point it was discussed to purchase property just north of the Florida/Georgia line on which to build but for whatever reason, that was nixed. Anyway, pardon my ramblings, but that's my take on the topic. The bottom line is that I believe the main thing preventing commercial suburban flight from occurring in Leon County are the restrictions already in place by Leon County officials. As further evidence (and this I will keep brief) is that it seems that in recent years whenever a city or county business has expanded beyond what its physical plant can handle, they move outside the county (Gadsden County, especially Midway seems to be a popular destination). Ring Power moved out there. One of the beer distributors did the same. Both WTXL and Fox49 moved to Midway. And from what I understand more businesses are either in the process of moving out there or at least exploring the possibility. If the proposed mall on DeVoe Moore's property doesn't happen for whatever reason, I would be willing to think the developers would think long and hard about building it in Midway near the I-10/Hwy 90 interchange. However, as Dennis Miller says...that's my opinion...I could be wrong.

To some extent that's already the case. And would be more prominent but the county has so many growth and business restrictions that fleeing to the outskirts slowed to a crawl long ago.

Need a favor from all... If any of you go to Dillard's, please let me know when they start putting their spring and summer clothes on clearance. I need some pants but can't afford the $60-80 per pair they normally sell for and when they have 'em marked down on 25-30% that ain't enough. I am waiting for the 75%+ off clearances.

Building them is one thing. Filling them is quite another.

It's just the opposite for me. The Dillard's in Tallahassee Mall has a better selection of clothes my size and also more clothes go on clearance there that are my size.

Thanks. It's going to be a pain to get clothes to fit me near where I live now. Other than Nic's Big & Tall, there's nothing much on the north Monroe side of town carrying 2X which is what I need and pants/shorts in at 44 or 46 inch waist (depending upon the manufacturer). Goodies has some shirts but never had pants my size. Wal-Mart down on west Tennessee is the next closest. When the powers that be finally approve the Super Wal-Mart at the old Sam's location on north Monroe i'll have a place to shop nearby but by that time, I may be down to regular sizes that I can find anywhere.

For whatever it's worth, I got official word (about as official as it can get without getting it directly from HQ) but according to a clerk at Dillard's at the Tallahassee Mall they will be closing their doors January 2008 when their lease comes up. So 2007 marks the last year Dillard's will be in the north side of Tallahassee. --- Ooops...I just got caught up with comments and now see what I reported above is old news. Please excuse. I'm still bummed because even though I've lost over 170 pounds since March of 2006, it's still difficult to find clothes that fit me well and the Tallahassee Mall Dillard's was my best bet.

I saw a pic online somewhere of construction of one of the beach t-shirt shops. This was a month or so ago. Anyone up to date on their progress? When they complete it and are open for business I'm going to ask my mother-in-law to pick up a couple of shirts for me.

Frankly, the Coliseum is quite tiny compared to other places I have seen. They need to increase the seating capacity by at least 25% IMHO.

And just how much "atonement" is needed for the state of Mississippi as a whole? And for how long? Or will this be a perpetual thing with people considering southern states, Mississippi included, to have committed "unpardonable sins"? I'm sorry but I get tired of folks blaming the entire state perpetually for the sins of a few from the past. If justice hasn't been done, then pursue justice fairly. But continually holding the state responsible even to this day with the current generation who had absolutely nothing to do with the sin originally is irresponsible and woefully unfair. Personally, as someone born and reared in Mississippi, I find what Seale did abhorant and his punishment should fit the crime, but there are those who hold me, as a former Mississippian, partially to blame even though I was only a wee child when the crimes occurred simply because I am originally from Mississippi. Is this fair? When will those people finally forgive the state (and southern states in general)? Or will they hold it over southern states like the Sword of Damacles forever?

Just a clarification, when I was referring to the Edgewater Shopping Center, I meant the strip mall across the parking lot & road from the Edgewater Mall. What's the progress on that shopping center and are there any signs put up indicating any specific businesses returning there?

The last time I was over in Biloxi visiting my inlaws, I noticed the construction going on at the Edgewater Shopping Center. It's good to see it finally being rebuilt. Anyone know what businesses, if any, are planning on moving in once construction is finished? I hope the New Orleans Gumbo Company returns. My wife and I ate there pre-Katrina and didn't get back until post-Katrina. I just hate seeing the coastal area going condo like Panama City Beach has become.