UP|Asheville

Capital Center, Asheville

rooster8 — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 02:54:03 +0000

Probably not the best place for this bit of information, but the Wells Fargo and Bank of America buildings are for sale. Here's hoping we'll see a transformation with those buildings as well.

Wells Fargo For Sale

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Aloft Hotel?

orulz — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 23:29:04 +0000

This is what the Aloft looks like now (courtesy of Facebook.)

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Biltmore Square Mall

DigitalSky — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 15:57:09 +0000

Bass Pro is more likely than Macy's. Macy's is not building any new stores in the Carolinas, and never has as all of their stores are takeovers of Hecht's or Rich's.

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Biltmore Square Mall

rooster8 — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 15:01:54 +0000

There hasn't been any news about Bass Pro Shops since the rumor surfaced back in May. (There was also a rumor of Macy's going there.)

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Biltmore Square Mall

NCMike1981 — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 14:50:34 +0000

so has Bass Pro Shops made it official yet?

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Asheville Mall

ct36 — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 02:58:22 +0000

I went to the mall on Black Friday. I was there from around 1 to 4:30. It was extremely packed, and it really surprised me. Last year, there weren't too many people out anywhere. It wasn't much busier than an average Saturday. You know how you see the packed malls on Black Friday on TV? Well, that's how it was at the Asheville Mall. 2009 and 2010 almost seem fake compared to this year, being that it didn't seem to be crowded enough at all the past two years. It was really hard to get through the center parts of Belk since there were a lot of people passing through to get to the other part of the mall. It was a little tacky when people started to pay out at the Laura Mercier counter
They must have been short upstairs as the lines up there were around 15-20 people deep.
Ulta's line was probably also around 20 deep, and wasn't moving at all.

Don't even get me started on the South Asheville Target! We stayed there around 10 minutes before we decided it was ridiculous and left. The line was (if I and people I have heard from are correct) was from the Target store all the way to Office Max. Probably 1,000 people total. We went over to the Asheville Target (we were there by 12:30) and we found absolutely no line to get in the store, whereas I heard someone say at the mall their friend waited over 2 hours before they even got inside the store! From now on, we are going to the Asheville Target on Black Friday instead. It seemed like every store opened before they said they would (except Target). I really love Black Friday shopping! Can't wait until next years!

Also, I'm extremely surprised that Dillard's refused to have a sale. Aren't they doing poorly? I don't think they had a sale, since the mall opened at 4 and it was definitely not anywhere near open at 4. Things like this are going to finish them. Dillard's doesn't have sales like Belk and doesn't have brands and customer service like Nordstrom. I just feel like they are getting themselves into trouble. Dillard's just isn't exciting. Nordstrom has fabulous brands, nice stores, and amazing customer service. Belk has good sales, and can reinvent themselves with better brands and nicer stores. Dillard's stays the same. Year after year. It's a good thing that there is no Macy's in Asheville, because I'm not sure I can see them staying open with Macy's too. Belk generally has better brands and is more upscale than Dillard's in women's, however, Dillard's generally has a better/more upscale men's department. Another thing to point out is that Dillard's often has "double header" stores, and I, like most people. would much, much rather go to a 3 story 200,000 square foot Dillard's than having 2 separate stores 2 story store equaling 240,000 square feet. While it does give more space, it is often a pain and with the combination of Dillard's being boring and overpriced, I could definitely seeing people choosing Belk or Macy's rather than having to go to two separate Dillard's stores.

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Asheville Mall

ct36 — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 03:49:13 +0000

DigitalSky, on 31 October 2011 - 09:06 AM, said:

Kmart just put a new sign up for that store, it seems like Kmart has staying power in Asheville.

True but Belk also seems to be putting up new signs everywhere too, even if it's a 30,000 square foot store in a dying mall.

I went to the mall today, and it was packed (as usual for Christmastime).
Even though I used to sort of not like the Asheville Mall, lately I am liking it more and more. Of course definitely not at the rate of SouthPark, I may actually be getting to liking it better than Haywood. I mean it has all the general stuff I need. Usually I buy more expensive items not sold here very infrequently and can purchase during one of my quarterly visits to SouthPark, I think it's almost a different place from a few years ago with the new Barnes & Noble, renovated Belk, Ulta, etc. Now just for a renovated JCPenney with Sephora, Ann Taylor Loft and Express (my sister would be so thrilled, lol).
I'm still hoping Dillard's will eventually connect their stores, because I hardly ever take the effort to go down to the Dillard's men store when I can usually get most stuff at Belk for less. Heck the stores are just feet apart. Plus an exterior renovation to make it look like one store with two entrances would make a world of difference.

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Asheville Mall

DigitalSky — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 15:06:28 +0000

Kmart just put a new sign up for that store, it seems like Kmart has staying power in Asheville.

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Asheville Mall

ct36 — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 22:51:15 +0000

orulz, on 30 October 2011 - 10:34 AM, said:

Agreed that it's hard/annoying to get to. But old? When did it open? 2002? That's not old, even by big box standards.

But I would argue that the real solution to all the traffic congestion problems on South Tunnel Road is a Swannanoa River Road exit on I-240. Frankly, it's something that has been needed for decades, since long before the Target, Wal-Mart, Lowe's, or Best Buy were ever built. I really wonder why it wasn't included back when I-240 first opened in 1980. Swannanoa River Road is a numberd US and NC highway.

Building it now will be harder than it would have been before Wal-Mart was built, but it should still be possible.

See a map of an idea for how it could be done here.

I agree that it is way to new to just tear down, but the newer Target in South Asheville makes it look old. Living closer to the South Asheville store, that is the one that I go to the most, and even only around 3 years newer it still looks a lot newer. So the few times I go there it looks really old. I don't know, it's just that I went to the Kannapolis SuperTarget and it was so nice and new, and I love Jamba Juice! It was so big and I feel that Target is better than Walmart. I have heard that they treat their employees better, and the looks and the way they maintained the store was almost like comparing Belk at the Asheville Mall to the Sears there.

I actually think that could work. The only problem they would have would be the height of the interstate in relation to Swannanoa River/Tunnel Roads.

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Asheville Mall

orulz — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 16:34:03 +0000

ct36, on 29 October 2011 - 10:04 PM, said:

The Target on Tunnel Road is starting to look pretty old and is pretty hard/annoying to get to.

Asheville Mall

mallguy — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 12:15:42 +0000

orulz, on 11 May 2011 - 08:26 PM, said:

That would be Biltmore Park, although their retail selection is pretty limited.

Macy's also seems to be experimenting with freestanding stores similar to Kohl's according to the internet.

My point still stands. I see it as a possibility that the rather podunk appearance of Asheville Mall might push some retailers who would otherwise locate in a mall, to look downtown instead. In fact, IMO it's already happening; note Urban Outfitters on Haywood Street. It's not too far-fetched that the trend would continue, either; Charleston, for example, has mall-style retail downtown including at least one major department store. Not that I would mimic what Charleston has done to a T as it leans a bit too heavily towards chains and upscale, but something along those lines could probably work in Asheville.

Greenville, too, is getting a few national chains downtown; they would be otherwise suited for the decrepit-looking Haywood Mall.

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Asheville Mall

ct36 — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 04:04:07 +0000

Coming soon:
Encore (Shoe Department)-Between Sears and Dillard's North
Hallmark-opening in former Kirkland's
Mori Luggage & Gifts-(in former Sharon Luggage space)
Maurice's-opening in former Shoe Department space

Trade Secret has closed
Ulta has opened. It is really nice, but as always, doesn't have a big selection for men. I am hoping that JCPenney will renovate and open a Sephora.

There *is a space between GNC and Old Navy that is a temporary Halloween store now, and I can easily see Kirkland's moving there once it closes (probably next week). I would hate to see Kirkland's go because I think they have some pretty nice stuff there. It always smells like cinnamon in there and they have really nice picture frames and decorations.

More notes:
The Books-a-Million across from the mall has closed and Jo-Ann crafts & fabrics will be opening in its place
Haverty's is getting ready to open their new store in the former Circuit City.
Dick's has completely renovated their store.
Belk has added an upscale, nice Coach section to their handbag department.

The Target on Tunnel Road is starting to look pretty old and is pretty hard/annoying to get to. I hope Kmart will eventually close and they will raze the whole shopping center down there and build a brand new Super Target (hopefully with a Jamba Juice, haha)!
Then, tear down the Target, movie theatre, Michael's and everything on the hill. Then, they could add a new movie theatre (like the Biltmore Regal, only smaller), a new Michael's, On The Border Mexican Cantina (awesome!), another restaurant, and another few stores.
Then, tear down the Innsbruck Mall and build a Costco.

Then, there's also the many cheap motels on Tunnel Road that can be replaced with much nicer (but somewhat budget friendly hotels) like Hilton Garden Inn, etc. Heck even a new Super 8 or something would look much better than what they have now.

I just think that the area is pretty nice, but it definitely seems like since the recession has started to soften up there have been major improvements to the mall and South/Tunnel Road itself. The only flaw in my thinking is that Asheville may not quite be ready for all this yet, and the traffic would probably be a lot worse. I think that it would be really nice though having Biltmore Village then you can go a mile and get to the Tunnel Road stretch, while less expensive is still nice.

As for the mall:
Sears seems to be doing horribly (especially the Asheville store). With a 225,000 square foot store and with the few people in the store (usually less than 10 on an average day), I would expect sales per square foot to be about four times (if not more) less than Belk's spsf.
JCPenney renovation
Connect the two Dillard's stores. I mean come on, there's only about 5 feet in between both stores, so why not connect them? At least on level one. Have a new exterior too. I think they could easily make it look like one store from the outside. Preferably it would look like the Perimeter store that has two entrances on one side (one for each store).
If Sears closes, take both levels of the store and turn it into mall space. Then, add a Macy's in the remaining space and take up all of the Sears parking lot.
Then, add the tile in the food court wing to the rest of the mall.
It is a lot to ask for, but it's not too far-fetched over the next 5-10 years.
Even though some of these ideas are mostly wishful thinking, you have to remember that (I'm not sure if this has been posted yet) the Biltmore Square Mall will likely be turned into a mills-type outlet mall.

Davis Furniture will be torn down and replaced with an outdoor, lifestyle center. Belk and Dillard's look like they may be staying on, but I'm not sure.

Not sure about Bass Pro Shops, but they could easily fit it on the other side of Davis Furniture.

http://www.westmillcapital.com/portfolio/retail-development/blue-ridge-outlets/

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Aloft Hotel?

Jones133 — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 00:57:24 +0000

I was there this weekend and its up to about 4 floors now. Concrete pours still taking place....

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Asheville Weather & Climate Discussion

mediamongrel — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 11:49:47 +0000

Yesterday, September 16, 2011, the Asheville Airport's high temperature was only 57 degrees, setting a new record for the lowest high temperature. The previous record was 62, so in essence, we shattered it!

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I-26 Connector

cowboy_wilhelm — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 02:42:44 +0000

Well, with Governor Perdue's plan to accelerate urban loop projects, the I-26 connector project is back on the drawing board. However, according to the Asheville Citizen-Times, the funding is only for widening I-240 in West Asheville (Section A). Right-of-way acquisition should begin in 2018, with construction starting in 2020. In the most recent STIP, funding for the project had disappeared and delayed the project far past 2020.

Not sure what the widening alone will accomplish. Perhaps they're working on a method for funding the construction of the new bridge across the French Broad River (next Mobility Fund project?!).

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China Palace in Kmart plaza

mediamongrel — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 03:24:29 +0000

Thought it was going to be something good. Oh well.

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China Palace in Kmart plaza

Lootles — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 00:47:24 +0000

An AT&T sign has gone up at the building site.

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Asheville Weather & Climate Discussion

mediamongrel — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 23:59:49 +0000

Just a note...tomorrow, August 21st, is a record setting day for Asheville. Back in 1983 the temperature reached 100 degrees, an all time high for Asheville. Thankfully tomorrow we will be nowhere near 100.

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Asheville Weather & Climate Discussion

mediamongrel — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 23:56:48 +0000

Multiple record "max low" temperatures were set in July (and August) as of 8/5/11. They were July 10th (71), July 11th (70), July 12th (72), July 25th (70), July 30th (72), July 31st (71), August 4th (73) and today August 5th (71). More record "max lows" will likely be set this weekend with a very moist air mass in place, along with a stationary front stalled out over the area. Updates will follow.

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Ruth Chris coming to Biltmore Village

ct36 — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 01:25:57 +0000

I don't think it will actually look exactly like that, though, as the actual one is a two story structure.

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Ruth Chris coming to Biltmore Village

artworks1437 — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 00:26:37 +0000

There are a few renderings of the finished building on the Ruth's Chris site.
Here is the link: http://www.ruths-chris.com/sizzle/asheville/

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Ruth Chris coming to Biltmore Village

mediamongrel — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 12:34:04 +0000

Looks like they are almost finished with this Ruth Chris' steakhouse. Should be open by September, and taking reservations.

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China Palace in Kmart plaza

Lootles — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 23:42:37 +0000

mediamongrel, on 30 June 2011 - 09:10 PM, said:

What do you mean a "retail center?" It already is a retail center. In reference to Kmart, I found out via Sears Holdings public record tax info. that the Tunnel Rd. Kmart is the lowest performing of the four Kmarts in the area. (the other 3 being Skyland, Biltmore Mall, and Patton Avenue)

There's only 5 tenants left there Tuesday Morning, Dollar Store, Guadalahara, Hot Dog King, and radio shack.

Well, I did not make the sign and don't own the property so I don't know what they mean. I'm just telling you what the sign says. You'd probably have to go there yourself, find the contact information, and then call them up to find out what they mean.

In the actual building that houses the KMart, they are 100% occupied, I believe. And there is another business there - a gym or workout center in the former automotive department at the south end of Kmart. I'm not sure how many of the other perimeter spots opposite the Dollar Tree and Radio Shack are occupied. I think most are.

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China Palace in Kmart plaza

mediamongrel — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 03:10:04 +0000

Lootles, on 30 June 2011 - 07:32 PM, said:

The sign in front of the construction site says it's going to be "Center on Tunnel Road" or some such. I think it's going to be a retail center.

The East Buffet building on Tunnel Road was also demolished recently and I read that a Gorilla Car Wash is going there.

China Palace in Kmart plaza

ct36 — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 02:18:51 +0000

Lootles, on 30 June 2011 - 07:32 PM, said:

Probably wishful thinking but I wanted Bahama Breeze to locate there. There's absolutely no parking there, though.

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