Virginia Beach Stores, Retail, and Restaurants

[rusthebuss]

Congrats on the wedding dude! I might try that place soon! I use to love Hilltop brewery so I'd imagine I would love this place as well. German Beers are the best!

[PeninsulaKiddo]

Sounds like a great place

AND congratulations!

[hoobo]

Pembroke Mall wing reconstruction

I'm gonna win the posting race.

So, um, anybody know anything beyond the hush-hush shenanigans of Pembroke Mall's owners?

Edited August 2, 2006 by hoobo

[urbanvb]

Wing of Pembroke Mall to be razed for new stores

VIRGINIA BEACH -- Pembroke Mall's transformation will take another step this fall with a demolition that will make way for new retailers.

The mall's 100,000-square-foot north wing, including the former Dillard's department store, will be razed. Negotiations are ongoing to bring a mixture of retail, entertainment and restaurants to the site at the back of the mall, with the intent of complementing the Town Center development across Virginia Beach Boulevard.

story

Really makes we wonder if Target is part of this transformation. Not sure if a Target would fit with all the additional retailers it sounds like they are targeting.

[vdogg]

Wing of Pembroke Mall to be razed for new stores

story

Really makes we wonder if Target is part of this transformation. Not sure if a Target would fit with all the additional retailers it sounds like they are targeting.

So are they building a new wing or will this be raised and replaced with a "Peninsula Town Center" type development? They way they say "compliment Town Center" makes me really curious what they're planning. It doesn't sound like target would fit in. Also, if they do redevelop that portion into a PTC style concept can we expect the whole property to redevelped into such a fashion in the future? This article really raises more questions than it answers.

[rusthebuss]

I hope they do a open air type of development there. I think the mall defeats what the TC is trying to become for that section of the city.

[vdogg]

I hope they do a open air type of development there. I think the mall defeats what the TC is trying to become for that section of the city.

Exactly, I would love to see it go open air myself, but i'm not holding my breath. We'll just have to wait and see how this plays out.

[urbanvb]

Yeah, it does raise lots of questions. I have always thought in terms of only the old Furniture Liquidators store being demolished but the article states the whole north wing is coming down. But there is very few stores (if any) that are of any significance that remain in the north wing. The only store that was doing well in that wing (a hobby shop) has already been relocated near Kohls. So, if they do tear down the whole wing perhaps they might be room for a Target, if they are indeed recruiting them. I do question though how many restaurants can Pembroke support. TC already has plenty and there are quite a few in the Pembroke area in general.

[urbanvb]

This could be a fairly large addition to the mall if you take in account the whole north wing and all the parking surrounding it. In order for them to utilize all the available space I am hoping a parking deck would be considered.

sitePlans.pdf

[urbanvb]

Here are a few other tidbits of info from the mall's website:

During the demolition and redevelopment of the north side of the mall, a new mall entrance will cap the north wing. The mall

[hoobo]

This could be a fairly large addition to the mall if you take in account the whole north wing and all the parking surrounding it. In order for them to utilize all the available space I am hoping a parking deck would be considered.

If you notice on the site plan, there are thin red lines. The portion to the west is owned by Sears. The northwest corner is owned by Kramer Tires. The southeast corner belongs to Shell. The only way to redevelop the property into a PTC development would be for Sears to sell its property to the developer or cooperate in such a plan. If this was the old Sears, I'd think they'd be on board, but this is the Eddie Lampert Sears. He grabbed the company for its land holdings. The Pembroke property isn't going to be sold anytime soon considering the value has plenty of room left for growth.

But back to the North Wing development. Target could still be part of this as a 2-story store. Or they might be eyeing FX. My money is on a new Regal at which point the old Pembroke 8 and Columbus 12 would go. Maybe Target or Walmart would go at the old Columbus 12. And yes, there are a lot of restaurants now, but these places still have waits on weekday evenings even after a few years of being open. I could really see a Border's and Urban Outfitters/Anthropology as anchors with relocations of Pac Sun and Journeys. Maybe J.Crew, Express, and the area's first Quicksilver and other stores in the 13-30 age range leaving the older stores to TC.

[urbanvb]

The Daily Grind Unwind at TC has free wi fi. Works great!

[vdogg]

Other changes in the works as Pembroke mall redevelops

Other scenarios include a major anchor replacement and a pedestrian-friendly development similar to the one across Virginia Beach Boulevard, the Town Center of Virginia Beach, according to Theresa Creef, Pembroke Mall

[hoobo]

Other changes in the works as Pembroke mall redevelops

Sounds like they're still trying to get a deal done with Target, but at this point are leaning towards alternatives.

[urbanvb]

One or more big box retailers

sounds like Target to me. But if they decide on the big boxes additions then how many big boxes could they fit?

[StevenRocks]

sounds like Target to me. But if they decide on the big boxes additions then how many big boxes could they fit?

Depends on the chain. Most big boxes are between 20,000-100,000 square feet, with a typical size of around 35,000 square feet.

[urbanvb]

wouldnt seem like though they would have more than one big box retailer

hey steven, are there different types of targets? like some more upscale than others?

[hoobo]

Depends on the chain. Most big boxes are between 20,000-100,000 square feet, with a typical size of around 35,000 square feet.

I thought a big box is supposed to be at least 50,000 sqft?

Anyway, according to wiki, Targets average 95,000 to 135,000 sqft, so 100,000 sqft seems inline especially for an "urban" store. A good example would be the one at Springfield Mall. It's 2-stories and looks like it has a similar footprint as the Penney's and Macy's there.

I'm sure Target and Wal-mart want into Pembroke CBD, but are trying to figure out where's the least expensive: Pembroke Mall (for Target), the FX property, or the Columbus Regal if a new Regal is built at Pembroke Mall. And if the Columbus Regal space seems small, some Targets out here have roof-top parking.

[vdogg]

I thought I posted this already but I didn't see it.

Gordon Birsch delivers the goods

If you are a fan of fresh brewed beer, you

[rusthebuss]

I thought I posted this already but I didn't see it.

Gordon Birsch delivers the goods

I remember you posting it but I think it was in the TC thread.

[hoobo]

Oh, yeah. The Taphouse. Now I remember it. I hoped to check it out when I turned 21, but it closed before then. A couple doors down in that shopping center was another great place, Thom's Coffee House. I guess the only places that work at that shopping center are B&J's, the movie rental store, and West Marine.

So I did a search of Blue Coral restaurant cause it opened up out here. Turns out its part of the Outback Group which also includes Fishbone, Carabba's, Cheeseburger in Paradise, Fleming's, and Roy's. Blue Coral is a new concept. I can see a Blue Coral or Roy's expanding into Norfolk or VB. With Ruth's Chris and the expected Morton's, I don't see a Fleming's unless up in NN. HR already has the first three chains as well as Outback.

[hoobo]

This is my response to Tel's sarcastic comment about grabbing some Taco Bell tacos during intermission at PAC. It got me thinking, what food options are there at TC? There's fast food, casual sit-down, and upscale sit-down. What about fast casual like Panera Bread, Au Bon Pain, Chipotle, and Corner Bakery or upscale fast food like Quizno's and Baja Fresh? These are the real staples of working stiffs as is evident by Jason's Deli and Schlotsky (if it's still there). Or even a local option like D'egg in Norfolk. That would be nice.

[StevenRocks]

hey steven, are there different types of targets? like some more upscale than others?

There are merchandise differences in each market and each store, but I'd guess about 70% of Target merchandise is the same from store to store.

I thought a big box is supposed to be at least 50,000 sqft?

Not always. It's pretty much dependent on the merchandise sold by the store. For example, few would dispute Best Buy being a big box, but it rarely operates stores larger than 45,000 square feet.

[metalman]

Jason's Deli is great. The Shlotzsky's is still there. Also, the Bagles 'N More on the corner of VB Blvd and Constitution is great!. It used to be Chesapeake Bagle Bakery. Everything is practically still the same, but the owner just left the franchise and decided to do it on his own. He already had a HUGE costumer base. I'm sure he's making more now on his own than with the Chesapeake Bagle franchise. They are some of the best bagels and they have great foccacia bread/sandwiches too.

BTW- The Daily Grind has some great coffee. Finally, an alternative to Starbucks!

Edited August 12, 2006 by metalman

[vdogg]

How big is this Kroger (or Trader Joes) supposed to be? They've cleared land all the way up to independence. (the bank is of course still there but the land between the bank and the vitamin shoppe strip center has been cleared).