Retail in Richmond

[Downtowner]

Yea coupe we got a letter about this in the mail since that Ukrops is right down the street from me all I basically got to do is hop the fence walk across the street to go their but I don't do that I only do that when I go by myself basically to go see my friend since he works at that one. But my mom really didn't like the fact that its closing that one and she hates going to the gayton crossing one or the one at the village since parking is a paine in the rear end. But all of their part time employees get to pick which one they want to go to and the full time get assigned to another one they don't get to pick which one they want to go to. But Yea it sucks.

[Cadeho]

So they'll close one west end store and open another keeping the number, the same. Too many.

[wrldcoupe4]

I've heard that Ukrop's might be interested in being part of the Wilton farm development...

[Cadeho]

Oh yay consolation! While that is good news there would be TWO to serve the east, that was dripping in sarcasm.

I really think it's a stupid idea for them to develop that farm all because no one wants to pay $2.25 for toll. Who can blame them?!

[StevenRocks]

and by the way... Ukrop's fried chicken IS the best in town.

If it's that good, I must try it

[wrldcoupe4]

haha You'll have to try just about everything else the grill and kitchen cook up too! November is the opening target for Roanoke I think...

They had some issues with that creek that will run beneath the store.

[StevenRocks]

It does seem to be moving along nicely now, though.

[Cadeho]

A creek underneath the store?!

Edited January 14, 2006 by Cadeho

[wrldcoupe4]

Stephen.. maybe you can answer this question:

How do Richmond's newest upscale malls compare to other upscale malls in the south?

I've heard that Crabtree in Raleigh and Southpark in Charlotte are nice, and I'm just wondering how they compare?

[burt]

Stephen.. maybe you can answer this question:

How do Richmond's newest upscale malls compare to other upscale malls in the south?

I've heard that Crabtree in Raleigh and Southpark in Charlotte are nice, and I'm just wondering how they compare?

I just hope Watkins Center (if it is going to be the next biggie) gets far away from that cutsey Richmond/Fan look and does something daring for the area. The Colonial and early 20th Century architectural look is a bit redundant, IMO. Albeit, Saks Fifth Avenue is a nice stand-alone contemporary addition to Stony Point Fashion Park.

Overall, I prefer SPFP's ambiance over Short Pump Town Center.

Edited January 23, 2006 by burt

[urbanvb]

I have yet to visit either of the Richmond malls. I really have plenty to do when I get up that way again.

[StevenRocks]

Stephen.. maybe you can answer this question:

How do Richmond's newest upscale malls compare to other upscale malls in the south?

I've heard that Crabtree in Raleigh and Southpark in Charlotte are nice, and I'm just wondering how they compare?

They're comparable, but just a little different.

Crabtree is a little less upscale that SPFP and SPTC, but they have more stores. It reminds me a lot of the way Regency used to be before "the fall."

SouthPark is closer in character to SPFP, but it's about the size of SPTC, and has a lot of the same nicer stores and eateries.

I like SouthPark a little better than both Richmond malls, but they're not especially different overall.

Edited January 24, 2006 by StevenRocks

[Cadeho]

I have yet to visit either of the Richmond malls. I really have plenty to do when I get up that way again.

And if you do, don't do anything I wouldn't.

Oh and by the way ... I've been thinking of this thing you call "lifestyle centers" or something... try this wonderful place to put one... it's somewhere between Belvidere, 95, and the river.

[wrldcoupe4]

you don't mean the downtown do you

well... seriously though... you're not proposing that Richmond plop something like MacArthur Center in the middle of downtown are you? I think there's plenty of buildings closeby that could create what lifestyle centers try to imitate.... a real urban retail/entertainment/restaurant destination. I can see it on broad and Grace.... I can see another along the Canal. I can also see that we need plenty of people living around and above these places too. It's happening and fast too!

[StevenRocks]

Richmond's downtown has such a rich retail legacy, a MacArthur-type project wouldn't work very well. I'd say there should be a massing of stores of some sort, but maybe not a mall or cookie-cutter lifestyle center.

[Downtowner]

I feel like if we were to have retail like the type you would see in a mall it should be in the form of an urban box shaped building or. Not the crappy subrban style. But I do wonder if those plans still exist for those big box retail stores to go in the area where the diamond is. Coupe have you heard anything else about it?

[StevenRocks]

The way retail builds today, it will be undoutedly be a crappy building, but it can fit into the urban landscape.

[burt]

Steven, it seems to me you refer back to Regency when it was in its prime. I guess I'm a snob, but when a major regional mall has J. C. Penny at one end and Sears at the other, it's hard for me to consider it a contender for truly "upscale". True, Brooks Brothers was there, Abercrombie and a few others, but I put it in a class with Chesterfield and Virginia Commons. Important upscale didn't arrive on the scene until SPFP and SPTC in my mind.

Question: Is it true that Metro Richmond has an inordinately high retail square footage? And how do sales stack up?

It's so nice to have a knowledgeable presence amongst us, Steven. Thank you for your expertise.

One more question! Has MacArthur lived up to its promise in Norfolk? There certainly is no question that Granby and neighboring streets have surged ahead in retail/restaurant appeal, but can it all be attributal to MacArthur? What about Waterside? Is it still a major player, and didn't it spark a revival after its opening in the 1970s that encouraged City support for the Super Mall?

And do you have hope for the Broad/Grace corridors in Richmond for retail revival?

Hahaha! All this should keep you up late tonight!

Edited January 24, 2006 by burt

[StevenRocks]

Steven, it seems to me you refer back to Regency when it was in its prime. I guess I'm a snob, but when a major regional mall has J. C. Penny at one end and Sears at the other, it's hard for me to consider it a contender for truly "upscale". True, Brooks Brothers was there, Abercrombie and a few others, but I put it in a class with Chesterfield and Virginia Commons. Important upscale didn't arrive on the scene until SPFP and SPTC in my mind.

Question: Is it true that Metro Richmond has an inordinately high retail square footage? And how do sales stack up?

It's so nice to have a knowledgeable presence amongst us, Steven. Thank you for your expertise.

One more question! Has MacArthur lived up to its promise in Norfolk? There certainly is no question that Granby and neighboring streets have surged ahead in retail/restaurant appeal, but can it all be attributal to MacArthur? What about Waterside? Is it still a major player, and didn't it spark a revival after its opening in the 1970s that encouraged City support for the Super Mall?

And do you have hope for the Broad/Grace corridors in Richmond for retail revival?

Hahaha! All this should keep you up late tonight!

For what it's worth, malls that trended totally upmarket in smaller markets like Richmond were a rarity until about 5 years ago, so when Regency was pretty typical of the hottest malls of cities its size until the latest upmarket revolution, even with Penney's and Sears.

Consider this: South Coast Plaza, arguably the hottest large mall in the country, has a Sears. So does Crabtree, and so did SouthPark until recently. Tysons Corner Center even had JCPenney a few years ago.

Richmond is among one of the most over-stored markets in America. that considered, it's also decomissioning a lot of excess retail space. The sales are excellent considering the situation, and as more obsolete retail gets torn down, the numbers will only improve.

Waterside started the ball rolling, and MacArthur continued it. I would call downtown Norfolk a retail sucess, but it's a measured one. MacArthur essentially took over Military Circle's leading role in local retail, and Military Circle's essentialy took on downtown Norfolk's secondary role.

Yes. I think that VCU coming up to brad Street with its expansion and the removal of so many old eyesores will only help the cause of downtown retail.

Thanks for the challenge and the appreciation

[Cadeho]

Ok, to me the west end starts west of Belvidere. VCU is good, but anything west of it is not downtown. Similarly, the Richmond Dock is not downtown, neither is Shockoe Bottom. Heck why not include parts of Northside as downtown too? No, I mean strictly in the rightful center of the city. We don't need a mall, but there needs to be somebody willing to be crazy off their butt able to take a daggone risk and stop being so scared. Maybe Wilder needs to try to attract some bigger names to downtown and give them and their customers some daggone breaks!

[burt]

Steven. Though it doesn't exactly fall in the realm of retail, it sort of does.

Do you know anything about CB5 the company that is putting in restaurants, bars and clubs at Riverside on the James?

See coupe's report and the web site in Riverside on the James thread.

Edited January 25, 2006 by burt

[StevenRocks]

Sorry burt. Never heard of CB5.

[burt]

Sorry burt. Never heard of CB5.

OK, Steve. Guess we'll have to rely on you solely for REAL retail .

[StevenRocks]

OK, Steve. Guess we'll have to rely on you solely for REAL retail .

I don't know as much about restaurants, man

[wrldcoupe4]

Glass & powder abruptly closed their Short Pump TC store on Sunday!

They cited declining sales at the mall, however, sales have been stronger than ever at their original Carytown location (further evidence that Carytown can compete with the best of the new malls).

Glass & Powder opened along with the mall in September 2003. The owners had expected sales to increase at the 3,000-square-foot store and at its Carytown location, which has 5,500 square feet.

But that didn't happen in Short Pump, Dickens said.

"Carytown has been growing and thriving, and Short Pump has been declining," he said about his stores.......

Dickens said sales at the Carytown store have increased. Sales were up nearly 15 percent in December and rose 6.5 percent for 2005 compared with 2004.

The closing took mall management by total surprise. They were given no advanced notice, and thought sales at the location had been strong. However......

Dickens also says it was a bad decision to locate in a mall.

"Customers thought it was weird for us to be in a mall. They thought of us as being rebellious and independent thinking," he said. "We operate much better as an independent store."

Edited February 8, 2006 by wrldcoupe4