Jump to content

Downcity/Providence Retail

AriPVD

By AriPVD
in Providence

Recommended Posts

Garris Town

Garris

Posted
Posted

Its a bar with light food and ( I think coffee and such )

:( Not what I was hoping for... That partially explains the kind of bizarre blacked out windows. Oh well, still waiting for the "Daily Bread" of downtown... Maybe the place going into the old Urban Kitchen site will be the one...

- Garris

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 2.5k
  • Created
  • Last Reply
Liamlunchtray Burg

Liamlunchtray

Posted
Posted

Shoes store on Westminster opened and so did biggles toys. Shoe store is very nice and the toy store is cool. ( the toy store was rather busy at 5:00 on a sat night lots of little kids running around)

I was actually there at around 5pm myself with my wife and 2 kids. It was busier than I expected and the kids really loved it. Certainly a good replacement for Zoinks and Uncle Sigs. The stock is still a little slim (and a few things had Toys R Us price tags on the (?)) but we liked it quite a bit. I hope they do well. We also stopped at Symposium for the first time. I was really impressed. I hadnt been downtown on foot in quite some time and it was fantastic to see all these shops open and busy on a Saturday evening. I also walked by Peerless for the first time in many a moon. It made me realize how much I miss the Met Cafe. Even though the renovations are great, it kind of bums me out to think of how many fantastic shows I saw there.

Liam

Link to comment
Share on other sites
gregw Hamlet

gregw

Posted
Posted

I also walked around Westminster on Saturday. I think it's really turned a corner. There were quite a few people and a good vibe.

THe Peerless Bldg renovation is superb. I love the blue painted cast iron columns on Westminster. (Bought some excellent Macoun apples inside.)

The shoe store was busy as was the toy store (I was hoping for some more alternative toys more along the lines of Uncle Sig's on Hope St.)

Does anyone know the status of the Old Projo Bldg hotel project? I noticed For Lease signs on the bldg. I hope that doesn't mean the hotel idea fell through.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
CtownMikey Burg

CtownMikey

Posted
Posted

I had a great saturday evening/night in Providence. Everything was extremely busy.. the mall, the streets, the clubs. I actually ate at that restaurant inside of Nordstroms... I had no clue that it was there until last night. Nothing too special but I enjoyed it :)

One of the best things was that there was no traffic (for me atleast).

I just soooo can't wait until the biggie projects and hotels are completed =)

P.S. Will any more stores be opening on Westminster before Black Friday?? Nov 25th I believe..

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Garris Town

Garris

Posted
Posted

I also walked around Westminster on Saturday. I think it's really turned a corner. There were quite a few people and a good vibe.

Does anyone know the status of the Old Projo Bldg hotel project? I noticed For Lease signs on the bldg. I hope that doesn't mean the hotel idea fell through.

I too was downtown yesterday, in my case from about 10:30 PM to 1 AM snaping photos. At those hours, the streets (both automotive traffic wise and sidewalk traffic wise) were packed. Lots of people at the Union Station restaurants and bars, City Cafe seemed active, and lots of people heading too and from clubs. The Providence Police and RISD security folks were all visible, and I felt completely safe everywhere (except for a corner of Kennedy Plaza where some very drunk guys seemed on the verge of a fight).

I agree that Westminster has a completely different feel than even 4-5 months ago, when I wrote a pretty blistering post here on how far it had to go. I still think there's way too much vacant streetfront space and the all the retail down there in that narrow canyon is practically begging for more standout perpendicular signage to get noticed (I walked by the future sites of the toy store and the shoe store twice before noticing them the other day). I attribute this miraculous turn around to two things:

- The RISD 15 West building: Almost overnight, there's now tons of young people (and being RISD students, pretty funky, hip, edgy looking young people) everywhere, on every sidewalk of downtown, at all hours.

- The Westminster lofts, especially the Peerless, coming online: I never walk down Westminster now without seeing numerous people plying the sidewalks, often coming in and out of the apts buildings there. Again, a huge difference.

Combine that with the usual mix of people going to bars and clubs, suits at restaurants like Cappricio, wanderers like me, etc, and suddenly downtown feels alive.

My personal feeling is that the next meteroic impact on downtown won't be the Westin or even 110, but Grants Block. Watching the demolition ongoing this past week drove home for me how absolutely central this location is, being in the middle of everything. It's the center point of both Westminster and Weybosset. That'll be the first new construction in that part of those streets in how long? If it nails its mission of public/residential parking, compelling ground level retail, and yet more bodies living on those two streets, and does it wrapped in a distinctive cloak of style as Ari seems to suggest will be the case, then wow... Good luck Cornish! Do this one right...

As for the old Projo Building hotel project, perhaps Ari can answer that one from what he's heard. I seem to recall those "for lease" signs being on the building since I've been in town...

- Garris

Link to comment
Share on other sites
CtownMikey Burg

CtownMikey

Posted
Posted

being at a club last night made me ask this question.. about those cops of horses... what the heck is the point??

That horse took a dump on the corner of richmond and pine.. and you could smell it from spikes to PPAC ALLL NIGHT..

the horses need to go.. especially if they just leave that mess there

Link to comment
Share on other sites
gregw Hamlet

gregw

Posted
Posted

Visibility. Had a police car passed you would you have even noticed? Who cares if a horse takes a sh*t. People coming out of bars and pissing on the sidewalks is worse in my book.

They should just shovel that horse stuff into the flower beds. Great fertilizer!

I think the demolition of Travelers Aid and the adjacent Donkins Donuts has already done a lot to make the area more inviting. That stretch along Union St. used to give off incredibly bad karma. A surface parking lot there would be a big improvement, nevermind Grant's Block.

I still get a bad vibe along the north side of Weybosset where Axelrod's used to be down to Saki's. Does anyone know if the Saki's condo project has stalled? I haven't seen any activity there in a while.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Cotuit Megalopolis

Cotuit

Posted
Posted

There's another home furnishings store opening in the ground floor of the Cosmopolitan. Tough location.

The store at the Cosmopolitan is called Lilly Pad apparently. They have a note in the window explaining the stores concept and a few other things (I didn't read the whole thing, I was trying to make it to K. Plaza to catch a bus). They also have a row of definitions in the windows for words like 'design' and 'style' and whatnot. I didn't see that they had posted an opening date yet. Nor did I see a website. Also, for some reason they didn't take the corner location there, rather the one closer to the Sportsmans Inn. That corner location seems so sweet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Cotuit Megalopolis

Cotuit

Posted
Posted

Starbucks is opening at 1 Financial Plaza.

In the spot up against 15West that used to be some newstand-ie gift-ie kind of place? I wonder what that means for Hilton's proposed Starbucks, will we have 3 Starbucks downtown? We'll be like a real city. :lol:

I saw that the spot where Tim Hortons is going was being gutted yesterday.

Where's that?

The white tower with Soveriegn in the base.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Cotuit Megalopolis

Cotuit

Posted
Posted

Last month Providence Monthly printed that Legal Seafoods was 'moving' from Warwick to GTECH. This month they printed a retraction, Legal's is not 'moving' from Warwick, the Warwick location is staying open, but the retraction said nothing about if Legal's is still going to GTECH.

Theres a new store opening next to Biggles Toys selling "modern gifts."

Its called something like '249'

DCI on Westminster had a sign reading 11/19/05 as the opening date. ( Not sure; store did not look anywhere near ready when I was in biggles.

These are both the same thing, right?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
provid Hamlet

provid

Posted
Posted

Yeah. I think so. Store is called DCI

Do you think that starbucks is where karats closed? I would rather see a local place do well rather than starbucks but I think they picked a great spot ( between waterfire, risd dorms and just the everyday people working in the area ) Do we know if it is franchise ( Biltmore ) or company owned?

Also Butterfield put signs on on Wesminter ( opening DEC )

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Cotuit Megalopolis

Cotuit

Posted
Posted

Do you think that starbucks is where karats closed? I would rather see a local place do well rather than starbucks but I think they picked a great spot ( between waterfire, risd dorms and just the everyday people working in the area )

That's the only retail spot in One Financial. There is a cafe/sandwich place in the Textron Building which I've heard is pretty good (haven't been) and seems to do a good business. As far as I know they are local. Au Bon Pain in 50 Kennedy Plaza is always packed as well, so is the DD on Westminster. I think Starbucks will do well here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
virgo20 Whistle-Stop

virgo20

Posted
Posted

That's the only retail spot in One Financial. There is a cafe/sandwich place in the Textron Building which I've heard is pretty good (haven't been) and seems to do a good business. As far as I know they are local. Au Bon Pain in 50 Kennedy Plaza is always packed as well, so is the DD on Westminster. I think Starbucks will do well here.

Coffee shops will never fail in R.I. It's funny because I know of a Dunkin Donuts on Park Avenue in Worcester that went out of business a few years ago. That would never happen here. :rofl: Downtown is starting to breathe again...That's great!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
HartfordTycoon Town

HartfordTycoon

Posted
Posted

Coffee shops will never fail in R.I. It's funny because I know of a Dunkin Donuts on Park Avenue in Worcester that went out of business a few years ago. That would never happen here. :rofl: Downtown is starting to breathe again...That's great!!

That would never happen in Hartford either. There have to be like a million Dunkin Donuts here. There are 4 or 5 Downtown alone and they are literally like around the corner from one another. It's ridiculous actually.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Garris Town

Garris

Posted
Posted

Coffee shops will never fail in R.I.

<cough> Brewed Awakenings <cough> (sorry Cotuit...)

There are 4 or 5 Downtown alone and they are literally like around the corner from one another. It's ridiculous actually.

I think those who have lived in NYC will agree that there's little as crazy as the pharmacy situation in Manhattan. They'll be, like, 2 Duane Reed pharmacies on the same block with a CVS and Walgreens across the street. And it will be that way for blocks. They're all locked in mortal combat with one another...

will we have 3 Starbucks downtown? We'll be like a real city.

No kidding! I don't have quite as huge a deal with Starbucks as I do with other chains. They tend to draw people to an area and almost has the effect of putting a "stamp of approval" on a place. "Oh, if a Starbucks is here, this place must be worth my time and presence." Downtown has needed that kind of "stamp" for a while, kind of what we all wanted an Apple Store to be. For a certain demographic, I imagine American Apparel will have the same effect. I think the Starbucks there will draw people to surrounding locally owned businesses the way few other merchants could. I don't think it's a stretch to say that Starbucks has "made" the new Wayland Square...

That's a fantastic place for a Starbucks downtown, though. The RISD students will own that place and pack it every minute its open.

- Garris

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.