Norfolk Stores and Retail and Resturants

[okinawatyphoon]

When Macy's bought out Hecht's that ended any chance of Macy's at MacArthur, the brand is simply too watered down and too common now for MacArthur to bring them on. They want a national anchor with a very limited or non-existent presence in Hampton Roads, and will not settle for a Macy's, Pennys, or the like.

I'm glad. We don't need another anchor like that. Are we kidding ourselves if we tempt the idea of Bloomingdales or Neiman Marcus?

[lil-bear]

In what I was trying to say concerning Macy's, was to close Military Circle and build a full Macy's flagship store just as Dillard's did at MacCenter. Dillard's is at almost every mall in the area, but the MacCenter store is the best. The same could happen with Macy's.

The Macy's at Military Circle is sub-par!

Edited February 2, 2008 by lil-bear

[Weaver24]

In what I was trying to say concerning Macy's, was to close Military Circle and build a full Macy's flagship store just as Dillard's did at MacCenter. Dillard's is at almost every mall in the area, but the MacCenter store is the best. The same could happen with Macy's.

The Macy's at Military Circle is sub-par!

Yes the Macy's at Military Circle is not good, especially compared to the one at Lynnhaven and Greenbrier. They don't even have polo and alot of other merchandise. I heard that they were doing very good when they were Hecht's but when they changed over to Macy's, sales have dropped alot but they still make enough to sustain the store. I know some people who miss Hecht's. I don't think HR income isn't high enough for a Neiman Marcus but it may can happen. I think MacArthur should either consider making that anchor store vacant space into a outdoor shopping area...you know add retailers and make that part outdoor like Short Pump in Richmond or get something like Crate&Barrel or Dick's....not necessarily those two but something like those, which takes alot of space. That is what Lynnhaven and Pembroke is going to do with the old Lord and Taylor's space at Lynnhaven and the area behind Pembroke...they are going to make those areas outdoor lifestyle areas of shopping. I was in Pembroke yesterday and I noticed their Chick-fil-A inside the mall was closed and blocked off. The one in Military Circle closed over a year ago. I guess some Chick-fil-A's aren't doing that good inside some malls, and considering those two are old malls that had/have their down periods...I guess the profits went down. But it isn't a total loss because their are Chick-fil-A's outside of those two malls.

On another note, I wish they would fill some more of those vacancies on Granby Street but they did add a coffee shop and some small italian restaurant south of the NRHA building. I noticed that Harry's BBQ sign is still up but the restaurant is still not open.

[vdogg]

Does anyone have any solid numbers for MacArthur Center? Everyone keeps saying MacMall is in decline but no one ever offers anything but anecdotal evidence. I'm not saying that it is or it isn't but it'd be nice to have some facts that we can go by to figure out what is truly going on with this mall. I personally don't think it's as bad as people make it out to be but i won't pass judgment until I see some numbers.

[urbanvb]

^ I too would be interested in seeing the numbers. Anyone know how that cool furniture store is doing in MacArthur, the one owned by the owners of the late Bloom Bros furniture? That seems to be a neat place and with so much urban housing going up hopefully they can come together to find a niche. I noticed the Ethan Allen store in VB capitalized on the Westin so hopefully all these retailers can work together with their prospective homes and spaces to furnish.

[mikeas]

^ I too would be interested in seeing the numbers. Anyone know how that cool furniture store is doing in MacArthur, the one owned by the owners of the late Bloom Bros furniture? That seems to be a neat place and with so much urban housing going up hopefully they can come together to find a niche. I noticed the Ethan Allen store in VB capitalized on the Westin so hopefully all these retailers can work together with their prospective homes and spaces to furnish.

I always see people walking around but never actually buying anything tough that seems to be the same for every furniture store I've been in.

EQ3 is actually very reasonably priced considering everything in the store is made in Canada. When I move I'm buying a couch and a couple chairs.

[ace707]

Does anyone have any solid numbers for MacArthur Center? Everyone keeps saying MacMall is in decline but no one ever offers anything but anecdotal evidence. I'm not saying that it is or it isn't but it'd be nice to have some facts that we can go by to figure out what is truly going on with this mall. I personally don't think it's as bad as people make it out to be but i won't pass judgment until I see some numbers.

Last number I heard was that the mall was averaging 12 million visitors a year. I'm not sure if that figure was for the 2006 year or the 2007. If I can, I'll try to find a source/confirmation on this.

[ace707]

I always see people walking around but never actually buying anything tough that seems to be the same for every furniture store I've been in.

EQ3 is actually very reasonably priced considering everything in the store is made in Canada. When I move I'm buying a couch and a couple chairs.

I had a co-worker who bought a condo in late '06 and moved in early 2007 and she had bought furniture from Haynes and was disappointed with their service when delivering her furniture and returned it. She told me her experience and I suggested EQ3 and within a month she and her boyfriend ordered over $10,000 worth of furniture from EQ3 and she told me when they delivered that she loved it and the service was much better. She also thanked me for referring her to the store plus she liked their styles, designs, and flexibility. Just a quick story for anyone wondering if anybody has bought something at the store.

[Weaver24]

I think EQ3 has some nice merchandise but some people miss it, especially when they were constructing the barnes and noble and that part of the mall had barricades around the old FYE space. Everytime I go by there I don't see many people in it. I hope it stays. I still have Jeepers in my mind when I go over there.

Another store left the mall...Motherhood Maternity on the 2nd floor next to Nordstrom just closed. That area of MacArthur has a lot of closed storefronts. I wonder what store is going to close next. If new stores are coming...then they should put signs up announcing whats coming in because too many vacant storefronts doesn't make the mall look appealing in my opinion. I was at Lynnhaven and I noticed they have about 6-7 empty storefronts but they didn't barricade them...which makes them blend in more instead of having a bunch of barricades. They just opened up a Hollister in Lynnhaven and even though I am not a surfer..that store is awesome and has alot of nice clothes, etc. and is great for that mall. It was pretty packed too with all kinds of people in there. Maybe MacArthur will get one of those one day. It would be good for the mall. It really feels like MacArthur is missing stores that a mall should have. Military Circle is even worst.

Edited February 4, 2008 by Weaver24

[vtfan18]

EQ3 is hit and miss for me. I like the style but the quality is sometimes lacking. I wouldn't furnish my entire place in EQ3 stuff but you can definitely find a few items of good quality and price. Decorum is almost the same way, but much more expensive.

[adctvmonkey]

Oh wow, Hollister at Lynnhaven is a pretty big deal, at least for someone like me .

[hoobo]

downtownnorfolk.org has information about retail sales and tax revenue for FY 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006. It looks like FY 2007 is a little premature to report on. It looks like MacArthur Center total sales have plateaued at $250 million but retail sales now make 80% of that total. That means food and theater ticket sales have dropped off as has tax revenue since food and entertainment taxes are higher than retail taxes. Both JANAF and Military Circle have higher sales than MacArthur Center, though, I don't know if they consider JANAF and Military Circle only the malls or include surrounding retail. The retail centers ranked in terms of tax revenue from least to greatest are JANAF, then MacArthur, then Military.

Here's the link (PDF): http://norfolk.gov/Revenue/reports/sandr06.pdf

[Weaver24]

downtownnorfolk.org has information about retail sales and tax revenue for FY 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006. It looks like FY 2007 is a little premature to report on. It looks like MacArthur Center total sales have plateaued at $250 million but retail sales now make 80% of that total. That means food and theater ticket sales have dropped off as has tax revenue since food and entertainment taxes are higher than retail taxes. Both JANAF and Military Circle have higher sales than MacArthur Center, though, I don't know if they consider JANAF and Military Circle only the malls or include surrounding retail. The retail centers ranked in terms of tax revenue from least to greatest are JANAF, then MacArthur, then Military.

Here's the link (PDF): http://norfolk.gov/Revenue/reports/sandr06.pdf

I read one time in the paper that most of Norfolk's revenue comes from the Military Highway corridor. Downtown one year made 1 billion and the Military Highway corridor made 1.3 billion. When they say the Military Highway corridor, they include Military Circle, JANAF, and the other shopping centers/restaurants that are on or near Military Hwy...like the Wal-Mart, Target, Lowe's, Home Depot, stores at JANAF, restaurants, etc...not just the mall.

[NorfolkGal]

Anyone been to that new restaurant on Granby, across from Dominion Enterprises?

Colloseo Ristorante?

[Sky06]

Anyone been to that new restaurant on Granby, across from Dominion Enterprises?

Colloseo Ristorante?

I popped in there the day they opened to pick up a menu. They didn't have a dinner menu I could take with me since they had just opened, but I got a lunch menu. They said dinner prices were a little higher and more substantial than lunch. The lunch prices were very reasonable.

More to the point: Nice decor, Exec Chef is from Italy, lots of people in there on opening night (a Monday!). I might give it a try this weekend and report out. After ODU crushes George Mason!

Edited February 6, 2008 by Sky06

[vdogg]

El Pollo Loco coming to HR

Hmm... For some reason I thought they already had a location here.

[Weaver24]

El Pollo Loco coming to HR

Hmm... For some reason I thought they already had a location here.

You probably confused it with another Mexican type restaurant.

I heard that they will be remodeling the Target on Military Hwy this year it it will look like similiar to the one on First Colonial in Va Beach...so that is good. Also some restaurant with a ice cream parlor (non-chain restaurant but don't remember the name) is coming on Little Creek Road, near where it intersects Little Creek. It is where Peking Chinese restaurant used to be, across from Tread Quarters and next to a gas station.

[Former Resident of HR]

You probably confused it with another Mexican type restaurant.

I heard that they will be remodeling the Target on Military Hwy this year it it will look like similiar to the one on First Colonial in Va Beach...so that is good. Also some restaurant with a ice cream parlor (non-chain restaurant but don't remember the name) is coming on Little Creek Road, near where it intersects Little Creek. It is where Peking Chinese restaurant used to be, across from Tread Quarters and next to a gas station.

Or maybe it is was because we had this whole discussion when El Pollo Loco was supposed to open in August or so and have a Janaf location. Where the Citgo gas car wash is from what I recall... hence the topic being on here.

[willingwil]

Has anyone eaten at Doumar's lately? We decided to grab a bite to eat there the other day on a whim. We were fairly disappointed with the place the whole time. They certainly seem to be lacking the friendly neighborhood charm they had just a few years ago.

I'm just curious if anyone had any similar feelings about the place... perhaps we just went on a bad night when the server was just about to get off...?

[Sky06]

Has anyone eaten at Doumar's lately? We decided to grab a bite to eat there the other day on a whim. We were fairly disappointed with the place the whole time. They certainly seem to be lacking the friendly neighborhood charm they had just a few years ago.

I'm just curious if anyone had any similar feelings about the place... perhaps we just went on a bad night when the server was just about to get off...?

Been there a couple of time the last few months. Seemed no different than any other time. They can get real busy and come across a little stand-offish.

Edited March 1, 2008 by Sky06

[Weaver24]

Been there a couple of time the last few months. Seemed no different than any other time. They can get real busy and come across a little stand-offish.

Yeah the Doumars servers can be stand-offish and not that friendly at times. Is it me or is some of their food is bland at times. I do go there every once in a while and their shakes are pretty good.

Also I hear that Sharper Image has filed for chapter 11 and doing some reorganization with their company. I read that their stores sales have dropped alot over the last 5 years and 26 percent for the year ending in Jan 31, 08 from the previous year. They also have litigation issues with its Ionic Breeze Air Filter. The retail market is becoming weak as well and consumers aren't spending as much so that has alot to do with their declining sales with alot of its stores. Their location in MacArthur on the first floor near Nordstrom is the only location in HR. I heard that the company will be closing some stores (around 90 stores out of the chain's 184 stores in the country) but not sure which ones at this time...so it is possible that this may become another barricaded vacant storefront in MacArthur Center but not sure at this point. Also you can't use your gift cards or merchandise certificates at this time until the issues been resolved with their court filing. It would be a loss to the mall because in my opinion Sharper Image is a great store plus MacArthur doesn't have near as many "new-exclusive to the market" stores than it did when the mall first opened...so it would be another one gone.

Edited March 2, 2008 by Weaver24

[Telmnstr]

Has anyone eaten at Doumar's lately? We decided to grab a bite to eat there the other day on a whim. We were fairly disappointed with the place the whole time. They certainly seem to be lacking the friendly neighborhood charm they had just a few years ago.

I'm just curious if anyone had any similar feelings about the place... perhaps we just went on a bad night when the server was just about to get off...?

Went to Doumars last week (or perhaps the week before). First time in AGES. Shakes looked good and stuff, burger was.. I guess what you would expect. It was cheap compared to most of the Granby Street stuff. *shrug* It gets expensive going for lunch in downtown Norfolk everyday. The secret is like Famous Uncle Als and such. Not too much food, quick and pretty low cost.

[scm]

Downtown Provision store closes

Downtown Provision Co., one of the first retail businesses to cater to an influx of new residents into Downtown Norfolk, has closed its doors.

link

[vdogg]

Downtown Provision store closes

link

Hmm, seems like they had trouble competing with their new neighbor, "The Market at Harbor Heights", which is literally right across the street.

[lil-bear]

I know that the owner had said that the market opening up across the street was a concern of his.

It's just a shame that small businesses are closing because they can't survive against the Market Giants.

SAD

Edited March 4, 2008 by lil-bear