Retail you would like to see in Downtown Richmond

[Downtowner]

I thought since the Hampton Roads-Tidewater forum had one of these I thought what the heck the Richmond Forums should have one as well feel free to post any kind of Retail you here about or dream to see in Downtown Richmond or even the other Parts of the City.

[burt]

A Blooomingdale's at Stoney Point or Short Pump. Or maybe, down the road, at Watkins Center.

[wrldcoupe4]

I'd like to see something in the berry burke building and GRace st full of restaurants, shops, and apartments on upper floors. I can't name names but I just love to see retail there.

[burt]

I'd like to see something in the berry burke building and GRace st full of restaurants, shops, and apartments on upper floors. I can't name names but I just love to see retail there.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yea, coupe. And in all those other vacant stores along Grace, too!

[StevenRocks]

I think there's a need in Downtown Richmond for a multi-level Target store to serve the students at VCU and other downtown residents. There's nothing like that there now.

[wrldcoupe4]

I could go with that but it would have to be very urban. No sprawling parking lot like they pulled on us for that freakin Lowe's on broad. parking deck, target fronting the street, maybe with other small stores at the street level....I'd say go for it. Does target do this?

[wrldcoupe4]

and I still think that Circuit City should build a flagship store in downtown Richmond on multiple levels. Hell, if they moved their HQ downtown into a new tower, this could be on the lower floors! I'd also like to see a museum there dedicated to how electronics and technology have transformed Richmond.

[burt]

I bet none of you know that Circuit City started as Ward's TV which was a very small shop on West Broad near the old Sears building (maybe a good Target site?). Ward's sold TV's and other electrical appliances and then grew and grew. It is now Circuit City. That's why its headquarters is in Richmond.

A similar story was Best Products (now defunct) which started as a one-store operation in Richmond (not sure of the location) and expanded into an international company. The widow of its founder, Frances Lewis who still lives on Monument Avenue, is one of Richmond's most respected and noted cultural benefactors.

[wrldcoupe4]

I actually did know about Ward's....It's one of the things that got this museum thing in my head. didn;t know everything about Best but I always can see their old HQ off I-95 on my way back and forth to school....

[StevenRocks]

I could go with that but it would have to be very urban. No sprawling parking lot like they pulled on us for that freakin Lowe's on broad. parking deck, target fronting the street, maybe with other small stores at the street level....I'd say go for it. Does target do this?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This month's Architectural Record magazine shows some urban Target stores. When pressed to conform to an urban site, they can and will, and they produce some really nice stores.

[burt]

I actually did know about Ward's....It's one of the things that got this museum thing in my head. didn;t know everything about Best but I always can see their old HQ off I-95 on my way back and forth to school....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Best was famous for somewhat outlandish architecture - like a peeling, curved brick wall on it Midlothian TPK store.

[StevenRocks]

Best was famous for somewhat outlandish architecture - like a peeling, curved brick wall on it Midlothian TPK store.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I did a thread on Best Products showrooms a few weeks back:

http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=11913

[burt]

Great Steven. I'll read it in a while, but have to close out right now.

[wrldcoupe4]

and to think that out of the box design was destroyed by wal-mart and their big boxes that are sooooo bland and painfully uninspiring...

[burt]

I did a thread on Best Products showrooms a few weeks back:

http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=11913

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Just got around to visiting that site, Steven. Really wonderful pictures of outlandish buildings. Funny comment about the guy not wanting to visit the Houston store because he thought it was being demolished! Can't you imagine the daily flow of passing motorist wondering "when are they gonna finish tearing down that damned building?"

[StevenRocks]

burt, I always wanted a cool Best Products store in my neighborhood. Roanoke's looked like the boring version of Houston's (no tumbling bricks, just a stone parapet).

[urbanvb]

Here are a couple of urban Target stores.

[wrldcoupe4]

now that I wouldn't mind seeing popping up somewhere downtown!

[Downtowner]

yea one of those would be nice downtown I wish the lowes and kroger on Broad street would be urban.

[wrldcoupe4]

yea that's exactly what I was thinking. I can't believe the city planning dept. allowed such a suburban development.

[StevenRocks]

If the Lowe's and Kroger sites were smaller, then I feel like they would have been forced to come up with a more urban solution.

[vdogg]

Here are a couple of urban Target stores.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I actually prefer the second one. The first one looks too much like something I'd see in Nova.

[wrldcoupe4]

I'd say the second one looks more urban and the first seems kind of wanna-be urban

[Cadeho]

Best's original location was 4909 W. Marshall.

Wards' first address was 705 W. Broad.

[burt]

Best's original location was 4909 W. Marshall.

Wards' first address was 705 W. Broad.

When I lived in Richmond Ward's TV (now Circuit City) was in the block of Broad just west of the old Sear's building between Allen Avenue and Meadow Street. But, it's very possible that they had a store at 705 W. Broad before that, but I can't picture the 700 block of West Broad in my mind. Was it east of Belvidere?

I do remember Best's at that West Marshall Street address near Willow Lawn. I always thought it was an odd location, but despite that, it thrived.