HomerJay
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Posts posted by HomerJay
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Greektown Grill leased 2,300 SF in McBee Station, units 101 and 102.
Greektown Grill is the new venture by the former owners of Carolina Grill on Woodruff. Apparently their taxes at that location were much too high and they're expecting this downtown location to be more viable. Let's see if they'll be more successful than Kozani was with Greek food on Main Street.
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I was under the impression that it was already annexed by the City of Greenville. I suppose I'm wrong.
It looks like there's a bit of the county in between the Furman campus and both TR and Greenville. I wonder if Furman owns that land too.
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I agree with greenvilleguy. If people don't like chains, well, don't shop at them. Let the rest of us shop where we want to as well.
How does this contribute to the discussion? Why not - If people don't like interesting, local or regional busineses, don't shop at them? Let the rest of us shop where we want to..
I know my reactions to these issues can sometimes be more pointed than they should, but there are legitimate issues to discuss here. My position is that Tupelo Honey will help make downtown Greenville more memorable and economically viable than would a Cheesecake Factory (or something even more generic and common, like an Applebees or Chilis). You certainly don't have to agree, and I'd like to hear other perspectives on the subject, but why dismiss that position by just telling me to get out if I don't like it?
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Main street should not have that many national chains. If Cheesecake factory wants to come to downtown...then builds off Main.
Yes. Some folks really want to turn downtown into a small scale version of Times Square, a place for dumb tourists to come, spend some money on flashy national chains, and leave. Tupelo will be good for tourism, but also good for locals.
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Bagels AND Tupelo Honey coming downtown? Finally, someone has heard my plea for more breakfast options! Let's hope Tupelo doesn't suffer from the same absurd waiting times you see in downtown Asheville and now in Knoxville.
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That would be FANTASTIC. It makes sense, since (1) Brooks Bros. does downtown locations (e.g., Atlanta, and I'm told that Founders Hall in Charlotte had one) and (2) cities comparable to Greenville (e.g., Knoxville) have it.
Brooks Brothers would also complement the female-oriented Anthropologie by catering (mostly) to men.
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Palmetto Shades on Main is closed. That location isn't working so well for retail for some reason.
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From later in the article: "A major bookseller the city has courted likely won’t come so White has turned to another. Likely it will be a bookstore in addition to something else — books and wine, books and coffee. Agnew doesn’t see a bookstore downtown. The book business is iffy on its own and there have been several iterations of bookstores on Main Street, including selling new and used merchandise."
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From the Greenville News - "Helen Sanders, a project manager for Hughes Development, which is building One, said so far no more leases have been signed for the retail space not occupied by Anthropologie, but interest has been high. It’s uncertain how many spaces will be available for retail, but probably six or seven, she said."
B&N is clearly not a done deal yet.
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So on Main, we'll have at least one Starbucks, Spill The Beans, Moe Joe's, Port City, and Coffee Underground. Eat your heart out, Seattle!
A couple of others come to mind, sort of. There's the place connected to The Westin, only open during the day I think. The coffee bar at Grille 33 was out of commission last time I walked by, but they could conceivably get things going again. I wouldn't be surprised if the Hyatt includes at least some kind of coffee kiosk to serve hotel guests. As a former Oregon resident, I'm pleased.
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You're saying there's "no need" for a Starbucks.
My questioning the need for Starbucks was more related to the number of coffee shops presently (and coming soon) on Main than my preference for other brands. That said, I had coffee tonight at the place that used to be Liquid Highway. I forgot the name already. While enjoying their outside seating area, it occurred to me that having a coffee shop with outdoor seating in Piazza Bergamo would be a very good thing, especially if they're open later in the evening. So, even though I still have questions about how many coffee shops can be supported in that area (Moe Joe's is opening soon), I now think including one in the ONE development is probably a good thing. I still think Starbucks overroasts their coffee so as to achieve a consistent flavor across all their stores.
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The community can provide input about whether or not the activity of the business is legal or not (e.g., no X-rated businesses) and whether or not the building meets zoning requirements, which can include requirements for signs, colors, etc. Apart from that, no, the general public's input is-and should be-limited to deciding whether not to patronize a business or not.
You're saying there's "no need" for a Starbucks.
Who is to say what the public's input "should be"? Is there any harm in people trying to lobby the leasing agent of ONE to try and recuit certain types of businesses over others? Or taking other action to encourage inclusion of a certain type of business? Or talking about it on a discussion forum? Maybe it's a waste of their (our) time, but that's their (our) business. Once a business moves in, sure, people can exercise their rights as a consumer. But, consumers can also act proactively and not simply wait for "choice" to be foisted upon them. And again, nobody is talking about having the government require the developer to get Starbucks or not.
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What stores are allowed downtown should be the decisions of individual property owners and the prospective tenants with whom they negotiate.
.. and citizens who live in this city have every right (responsibility?) to be part of the discussion. Property rights are all well and good, but we're trying to live in a society. Besides, we're just discussing what we'd like to see. Nobody is talking about forcing decisions about what brand of coffee is allowed to be sold downtown.
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I'd like to see downtown Greenville be more like downtown Asheville. There are some chains (Urban Outfitters comes to mind), but they are vastly outnumbered by local/regional stores. ONE will have at least one national retailer, probably more. I say that's enough for the immediate vicinity. The street really isn't that big - too many more and the character of the area quickly changes. Next thing you know, it's bland city.
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I'd love to see a 2nd Starbucks open on Main. Major metropolitan areas have Starbucks and Dunkin's on every block. And if One can attract them, go for it. I think it says something about Greenville's vibrant downtown that we're at least playing in those waters a bit. And besides that, who are we to say Starbucks isn't "ok" for the development? It's a good, solid company; from what I've seen in this market, a responsible corporate presence. So if One and Starbucks strike a deal, then it's up to consumers to prove whether that was ultimately a smart decision.
This brings up the recurring issue of what we would like our downtown to be. Like you say, Starbucks and Dunkin's are common and generic. They add no character to a city. Sure, they're not the worst business to have around. A local business like Coffee & Crema, on the other hand, keeps more money in the community, adds something distinctive to the downtown, and makes far superior tasting coffee than Starbucks. I know taste is personal, but I like to delude myself into thinking that if exposed to good coffee, people will eventually realize just how mediocre Starbucks actually is and will get over the brand loyalty they have been duped into. Corporate monoculture is not a good thing, especially in downtown Greenville.
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I'm gonna take a guess or two. I'm 85% sure Barnes and Noble is gonna locate in one of the ground floor retail spaces. Then I'd expect a Starbucks to open on the retail space that opens on to the plaza. As to everything else I'm not sure.
Barnes & Noble would be a welcome addition to downtown, but Starbucks? There's already a glut of coffee places on main and no need for that particular brand of burnt bean.
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I'd say about half of the MRED program students from the two years that I was at Clemson lived in Greenville. So, demand for housing will likely go up a bit with this move. However, don't assume that students will live downtown. MRED is more expensive than most Clemson programs and not all of the students come from money. I knew people who were sharing houses in other parts of the city and I'd expect that to continue.
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I know all about NU, TND, etc. Lemme ask you a question and answer this as honestly as possible: Say there was a new TND; sidewalks, mixed use buildings, housing of all incomes, commercial and park integration, but the lots for single family homes were 1/2 acre or more. Would you support this project? Thanks
It depends on the specifics, of course, but I don't see why not. 1/2 acre SF lots can certainly have a place in a true neighborhood, which is what I am ultimately looking for. But, as the percentage of those lots in the neighborhood goes up, the urban character becomes more difficult to sustain. At that point, you're into the familiar NU territory of creating better suburbias.
Your point about choice is a valid one and I'm not saying urban living is for everyone. I actually think one of the goals of NU is to expand choice, not reduce it. Some people want to live on large lots and don't care about walking or biking to places. Others prefer rural environments. Given a choice, however, I think an increasing number of people (particularly younger and older) would opt for more urban style living. Right now, that middle ground between low density suburbia and high density urbanism is hard to find.
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New urbanism is a design-based approach to urbanism that was "created" primarily by architects and urban designers. It is an attempt to resuscitate the desirable elements of "old" urbanism that have been largely thrown out the window over the past 50 or 60 years in favor of a suburban-style sprawl pattern of development. If some developers have used the term as a marketing device, to call the whole philosophy a scam or a ruse is a gross exaggeration that avoids discussion of the important economic, environmental, political and social issues that are implicated. The agenda is to encourage development that is compact, walkable, diverse, and economically and environmentally sustainable. You don't have to share those values, but if you insist on employing logical fallacies instead of engaging the discussion, you don't deserve to be taken seriously.
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New Urbanism is a ruse and a marketing ploy, itself. Greedy developers can put multiple homes on tiny lots, all under the guise of "environmentalism" "smaller carbon footprint", etc. while buyers who are oriented towards this type of thinking can feel good themselves by doing their part to be "green." It's greed placating guilt. A win/win.
Wow, this is one of the more cynical/ignorant posts I've read in quite a while. You can criticize aspects of New Urbanism movement, such as the tendency to focus on greenfield sites or build developments that are too expensive to support a true mixed-income population, but the principles of New Urbanism are solid. If you don't care about suburban sprawl and all the economic/environmental costs that go along with it, that's fine. Just own up to it rather than insulting thousands of people who you don't know a thing about.
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I wonder why he would not be happy. Jamaica Twist has been in that spot for many years. You can't move in and immediately start complaining about the neighbors who were there long before you.
She seemed to be complaining that Jamaica Twist was too popular and that people waiting to get in block the entrance to her business. It was a pretty lame objection, essentially saying that being successful is somehow a bad thing downtown. I also doubt that the popcorn store is open past midnight, so the later hours wouldn't affect her in anyway either. Needless to say, the BZA wasn't particularly sympathetic.
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New pizza place on Coffee, Vic's, right next to the also new Groucho's Deli. I tried a couple of slices and can preliminarily say that they can claim the title of most authentic New York pizza. Good stuff.
Also, at the BZA today, the new owner of the Jamaican Twist space on Main received a special exception permit to re-open a Jamaican restaurant and to stay open until 2AM on Friday nights. The owner of the popcorn store next door was not happy.
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Could they just ask the USDOT to do that or would it take an act of congress?
When are they suppose to start the narrowing of Stone (and I guess the rest of Main) anyway?
It's a USDOT matter, but I don't think it's an easy task to convince them to make changes. It would take political will on the part of Greenville and SCDOT to pressure them to re-route the highway. I recently spoke with the traffic engineer who worked on the Stone Avenue master plan. He hadn't heard of any significant progress or even efforts being made to start the process. Friends of Stone Avenue now exists mainly to keep reminding city leaders that the plan exists.
The master plan was adopted by the city, but it's more a statement of intent than anything else. There are plenty of master plans sitting on a shelf somewhere collecting dust. It's really a shame since the city spent a lot of money to bring in Dover Kohl to do the plan and they did good work. Every time I walk down that street I think of those renderings and dream of what it could be, rather than what it is, which is a noisy, difficult to cross, barren thoroughfare.
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The narrowing of Stone is the most important part of the Stone Avenue Master Plan. It would enable that street to evolve into a great neighborhood corridor and also function as an extension of downtown/Main Street. The narrowing is also the biggest impediment, since it is a US Highway. I think 276 should turn off Laurens at E. North to go toward downtown. That way, it would connect to Beattie/College, thereby giving access to Academy and Buncombe.
The State of Downtown Retail
in Greenville
Posted
Anthropologie to open in March. They're hiring temp workers to help with the store opening.