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Roanoke Stores and Retail

soloextreme

By soloextreme
in Roanoke

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StevenRocks City

StevenRocks

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It's a bit disappointing, to be sure. It's a big parking lot surrounded by outparcel-style strips. I'm hoping it'll be more inviting when its completed than it looks now.

I haven't heard anything on if or when my article will get published. I can tell you without revelaing much that the stores without names lean towards over-35 ladies' fashion, tend to have popular catalogs and aren't in the market currently (except for one which is located across town in a similar development)

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designerjunkie48 Unincorporated Area

designerjunkie48

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It's a bit disappointing, to be sure. It's a big parking lot surrounded by outparcel-style strips. I'm hoping it'll be more inviting when its completed than it looks now.

I haven't heard anything on if or when my article will get published. I can tell you without revelaing much that the stores without names lean towards over-35 ladies' fashion, tend to have popular catalogs and aren't in the market currently (except for one which is located across town in a similar development)

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StevenRocks City

StevenRocks

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Well I guess that means it's a Chico's! It's definitely geared to over-35 ladies' fashion, and Lynchburg already has one at the Boonsboro center. I'm not gonna lie, this is a bit dissapointing!! I thought Valley View was really going to try and make a difference in Roanoke's retail selection, but I guess not!
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designerjunkie48 Unincorporated Area

designerjunkie48

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That's one of them, yes. But the clue was actually for a store that was already in Roanoke that's apparently adding a second location. They have red doors (hint, hint)

I wouldn't fret too much about Valley View. The stores outside are no reflection on what could be coming inside. Unfortunately. I don't know much about what's coming inside.

Don't forget SouthPark :)

There's a lot of missed retail oppurtunites here. Some of it is from perception of this place as backwater, other parts of it come from a lack of desirable retail space. The tide is turning though. We're gonna see some better stuff eventually.

Like I said, it's not all lost. The names that are being pulled in by The District don't usually come alone ;) I'll keep you posted if I find out anything.

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StevenRocks City

StevenRocks

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It's good to know that there may still be some hope. My only probably with Valley View Mall is that they insist on putting (excuse me) crappy stores in such as A Little Bit Hippy, Three Wings (American Indian Retail) and a fricken Dollar General. It especially looks awful down at that end of Macy's. I know my store manager of Macy's is pissed as hell at the quality of retail that is down at our end! But I guess it could be changing!

StevenRocks, do you think that some of the changes on the interior of the mall will come with the opening of the District in the springtime?? I do hate how Valley View takes forever to get stuff to happen. But I guess I will just never be satisified!

Again sorry for the rant, but it felt good to get it out!

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mclawsdrive Hamlet

mclawsdrive

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I sometimes get the feeling that Roanoke Times employees get ideas for new stories from our postings. The discussions on this thread about why certain upscale stores won't come to Roanoke are addressed in this article. I wish we could organize a group that could petition companies to come here. We all know that many of these stores would do well here, but their formulas just don't work for unique situations like Roanoke's.

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bmedguy Whistle-Stop

bmedguy

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Yeah, I wish there was a study showing just how much money is being spent in other localities because of the lack of appropriate retail. Starbucks, Panera and Fresh Market are doing just fine but it took them forever to get here.

I went with my wife last weekend to Winston Salem to shop because she loves J Jill and that was the closest (although I think one may have just opened in Greensboro). At any rate, the mall had an interesting layout. JC Penny's actually cut the mall in the center, so you had to go through it to get from one side to the other. It was like two different malls. At first I thought, ugh this is the same as what we have at home. One side was essentially a carbon copy of Valley View. The other side though had a much nicer feel and included J Jill, William Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Ann Taylor (not Ann Taylor loft), Banana Republic etc. I just don't buy the idea that a shopping area that included all those stores that so many people say they want and are motivated enough to drive hours to get to, wouldn't do well. The place would do very well. Retailers nee to get their head out of their ass and realize they would be drawing shoppers from Smith Mountain Lake as well as NRV, which are not included in our MSA numbers. It just makes me shake my head.

I'm with VAsportsreport and think having a development with these strores downtown would be ideal. I'm quite sure that people who shop at these types of stores would have no friggin problem with the "hassles" associated with coming downtown to shop. They would probably prefer it. Outside of that, perhaps an ambitious developer could do what Winston Salem did and build a new mall on the other side of Penny's at Tanglewood. That's a huge parking lot in front of Kroger and B&N that mostly sits empty. OK, end of rant. I know it will likely never happen, but I feel better for having said it. :)

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StevenRocks City

StevenRocks

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I went with my wife last weekend to Winston Salem to shop because she loves J Jill and that was the closest (although I think one may have just opened in Greensboro). At any rate, the mall had an interesting layout. JC Penny's actually cut the mall in the center, so you had to go through it to get from one side to the other. It was like two different malls. At first I thought, ugh this is the same as what we have at home. One side was essentially a carbon copy of Valley View. The other side though had a much nicer feel and included J Jill, William Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Ann Taylor (not Ann Taylor loft), Banana Republic etc.
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bmedguy Whistle-Stop

bmedguy

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Downtown would be a nice spot, but it has some of the weakest demographics in the area. A developer would have to work very hard to get national chains there.

You are the voice of reason and that is a good thing because it keeps us grounded in reality. The reason I'm so persistent with the dowtown idea though is because I've seen it work in other places. Take Indianapolis for instance. Circle Centre is a shopping mall in the heart of downtown that has been successful for a few years now. My parents live in Indiana, and when this was proposed no one lived downtown except scary poor people. :rolleyes: Demographics couldn't have been worse. In the mid 80's downtown Indy was a deadzone outside business hours of when people came to work. However, the city made an effort to make downtown a destination and focused efforts on projects like the zoo, canal walk and park areas, art museum, baseball (Triple A) stadium, Hoosier Dome (now RCA Dome) and Circle Centre realizing that the centrality of downtown made it fairly easily accessible to everyone, including the best demographics. It has worked. Businesses are thriving and people living in or near downtown has increased exponentially in the last five years especially. People came to live there AFTER the shops, restruants, park areas etc. blossomed because it became a much more attractive place to live. Just don't see why we couldn't make the same vision work here. Downtown is central and easily reached by the affluent parts of the valley, a little more so than Valley View as a matter of fact. Circle Centre took at least 10 years from the time it was proposed to come to fruition, so it took a great deal of persistence and turning of deaf ears to naysayers, who were abundant. I know we're a much smaller city, but doing similar things on a smaller scale would work in my opinion. Not trying to be contrary, just explaining where I'm coming from. What leaders in Roanoke needs to do is talk to folks in places like Indy and ask them how in the world they got places to come to this development that didn't have the right numbers.

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