Retail in Richmond

[eandslee]

By container store, you mean Ikea? 

[Brent]

Nope. Ikea would take up too much room.

http://www.containerstore.com/welcome.htm

Somehow Richmond doesn't have one...

Edited March 18, 2014 by Brent

[RVA-Is-The-Best]

Ikea definitely isn't an urban retailer (as much as we'd want it to be). They prefer suburban locations. Container Store should look into more urban locations, their store is smaller. 

 

If we had to have one "main street" for destination downtown retail, which street would you choose? Broad or Grace? (Grace)

[jbjust]

Container Store is a draw, but I don't think it's enough to be an anchor.

[Brent]

It certainly wouldn't be enough on its own. Most larger markets have only one or two. With all of the new developments on broad out in SP I expect to see one there soon. Would be nice to have it downtown. It seems to fit better with apartment living than suburban home... So many of the standard anchor stores are on the verge of extinction that it is hard to imagine anything substantial downtown.

[Wahoo 07]

Ikea definitely isn't an urban retailer (as much as we'd want it to be). They prefer suburban locations. Container Store should look into more urban locations, their store is smaller. 

 

If we had to have one "main street" for destination downtown retail, which street would you choose? Broad or Grace? (Grace

I prefer Broad for national chains/big box (like Peachtree Street in Midtown Atlanta), while Grace takes on a more local feel; akin to Magazine Street in New Orleans or King Street in Charleston.  

[ZUMAN]

Container Store would be awesome, but no, it's not anchor material.

[RVA-Is-The-Best]

Container Store would be awesome, but no, it's not anchor material.

 

It may not be anchor material, but really, anything like that would be a draw, and therefore a good start.

[RVA-Is-The-Best]

   

 

http://rvanews.com/features/wegmans-coming-to-the-richmond-area/111913

 

I won't summarize the article here. Just click the link and have some happiness.

 

EDIT: This is quite some big news, everyone is on top of this story.

 

Richmond BizSense: http://www.richmondbizsense.com/2014/04/23/wegmans-to-open-two-stores-in-richmond/

Virginia Business: http://www.virginiabusiness.com/news/article/wegmans-to-open-two-stores-in-the-richmond-area

Style Weekly: http://www.styleweekly.com/richmond/wegmans-comes-to-rva/Content?oid=2063009

Richmond.com: http://www.richmond.com/city-life/article_fecae652-cae8-11e3-bc06-001a4bcf6878.html

Times-Dispatch: http://www.timesdispatch.com/business/local/wegmans-groceries-to-open-in-short-pump-chesterfield/article_2ba7a362-cae5-11e3-be20-0017a43b2370.html

WRIC (ABC 8): http://www.wric.com/story/25319229/wegmans-to-build-stores-in-midlothian-short-pump

WTVR (CBS 6): http://wtvr.com/2014/04/23/wegmans-in-richmond/

WBBT (NBC 12): http://www.nbc12.com/story/25317993/wegmans-grocery-store-plans-stores-in-chesterfield-henrico

Richmond Magazine: https://www.richmondmagazine.com/blogs.php?blogID=e652b0a25cbd610019afa275c0983c50

 

The interesting thing about the Richmond Magazine one is that they asked a Whole Foods spokesperson about those rumors that they'd open a second store in the area (specifically in that Commonwealth of Virginia building on Broad St. in the city), and announcements for new Whole Foods stores will be released Tuesday, May 6. You bet I'll be watching that one.

 

So within the past year, the Richmond area is welcoming THREE new grocers: Aldi, Southern Season, and now Wegmans. Can the area handle it? It will be interesting to see.

Edited April 23, 2014 by RVA-Is-The-Best

[eandslee]

Whoa!  This is awesome news for the Richmond area!  I live sort of near a Wegman's up here in NOVA and every time I've gone in, I've thought about how awesome this still would do in Richmond!  You guys down there are going to LOVE IT!  Wegman's will undoubtedly love the success they will have in Richmond too!  Can't wait to hear when the first one will be open!

[jbjust]

I hate to say it, but I think Martin's will be the big loser in this.  They have really wasted what the Ukrop's built and turned it into just another meh grocery store with a worse selection than Kroger. 

[RVA-Is-The-Best]

I hate to say it, but I think Martin's will be the big loser in this.  They have really wasted what the Ukrop's built and turned it into just another meh grocery store with a worse selection than Kroger. 

 

You'd actually be really surprised as to how many people share your POV. If you read most of the comments on any of the "Wegmans coming to Richmond" articles, you'll notice a lot of people saying "Martin's will need to step up it's game" or "no more Martin's for us", etc.

 

A lot of people have disdain for Martin's.

[Brent]

People will continue to shop at the grocery store closest to their home. People will go to Wegmans to eat the free samples and to buy specialty items. Sunday shopping will still happen at Martins, Kroger and Food Lion.

[Brent]

http://www.timesdispatch.com/business/whole-foods-to-open-second-richmond-area-store/article_2af18230-d56c-11e3-948c-0017a43b2370.html?mode=jqm

The second Whole Foods IS going on Broad Street near VCU. Old state tax building? Maybe the old Sears (given the Sauers name)?

[jbjust]

Sauers owns the old state tax building (which already kinda looks like a grocery store).

[Icetera]

Some other info on The Sauer Center:

 

http://rvanews.com/features/whole-foods-coming-to-broad-street-near-vcu/112446

[RVA-Is-The-Best]

Some other info on The Sauer Center:

 

http://rvanews.com/features/whole-foods-coming-to-broad-street-near-vcu/112446

 

I wish they'd provide a little more information than just "urban mixed-use development and transformational development for this area of the city and will bring additional upscale retailers while preserving the area’s historic character and fabric.”

 

Renderings? Site plans? I'm too excited and am desperate to see what they have planned for that corridor. 

[eandslee]

A Nordstrom Rack just announced that it is coming to the Springfield Town Center about a mile from where I live in Northern VA...are they also planning to open one in the Short Pump area too? Check out this article from the RTD:

http://www.timesdispatch.com/business/retail/is-nordstrom-rack-coming-to-henrico/article_14e4aad4-92bd-5bcd-94de-a042c27de034.html

[Richmonopoly]

How many more area malls will need to fail before there is pent up interest in retail in the city's center?  

 

I've recently visited Norfolk, Greenville, SC, Charleston, and Savannah (similar cities to RVA) and think those places are light years ahead of us on the downtown retail scene.  

 

It's exciting to see the apartment and hotel conversions all around the Grace/Broad/5th/6th core, and even more exciting to imagine the retailers filling that mass of empty storefronts throughout.  

 

For instance, a store like Urban Outfitters could make a move into the urban core (versus being out in Short Pump) and make waves in the retail landscape of downtown.  This was done in Asheville, NC.  

 

The area has SO much promise!  I hope convention-goers and hotel visitors see the same (versus an empty retail dessert).  

[Blackbird Fly]

The listed cities probably do not have a Henrico Co. equivalent developing massive retail presence in multiple places directly adjacent to the city border (i.e. Willow Lawn, The shoppes at White Oak Village, proposed Walmart/retail development for 9 Mile Rd.). Henrico Co. truly cannibalizes the viability of Richmond city retail with their over saturation.  

[eandslee]

Here's a great article on the current retail situation in downtown Richmond.  It's not the rosiest of pictures, but there appears to be some promise:

 

http://www.virginiabusiness.com/all-headlines/article/why-retail-isnt-following-rooftops-downtown

[varunner]

the article failed to mention the Whole Foods coming downtown. i think if whole foods proves to be successful, you may get more interest from businesses along boulevard. 

 

Here's a great article on the current retail situation in downtown Richmond.  It's not the rosiest of pictures, but there appears to be some promise:

 

http://www.virginiabusiness.com/all-headlines/article/why-retail-isnt-following-rooftops-downtown

[Shakman]

the article failed to mention the Whole Foods coming downtown. i think if whole foods proves to be successful, you may get more interest from businesses along boulevard. 

The area of the future Whole Foods is about 2-miles west of Downtown.  Whole Foods will even be west of Belvidere.

Edited May 5, 2015 by Shakman

[Brent]

The article didn't mention the Walgreens that VCU ran off either. I heard that H&M looked at the CNB property (the large space fronting Grace). I've also heard rumors of a new drug store on Broad in that area.

[RVA-Is-The-Best]

The article didn't mention the Walgreens that VCU ran off either. I heard that H&M looked at the CNB property (the large space fronting Grace). I've also heard rumors of a new drug store on Broad in that area.

 

!!!?? source