Norfolk Stores and Retail and Resturants

[mikeas]

Pho 79 is opening a location Ghent at the former Imperio Inca on 21st Street. I suspect they will do very well in Ghent with no competition.

[Telmnstr]

http://hamptonroads.com/2011/08/state-police-said-man-shot-i264-was-altercation

Shooting on 264 originated at The Palace on Plume.

Note that other black clubs were shut down for similar reason (Posh Dolche.)

Plume has ties to the city gov't that shut down all competition.

Will anything happen to Plume?

It's been a year and 8 months since the hackerspace opened.

Maybe it's because of the times I'm there and my attention, but it seems like the foot traffic that we used to always see heading from the Freemason neighborhood to downtown Norfolk has really dropped off since earlier in the year.

How is Granby Street doing?

[BFG]

I work third shift on weekends and drive through DT to get to my job. Granby still pulls a decent crowd, the 20-somethings who want a drink. Seems like the foot traffic has dropped off a bit since when I used to hang out down there (c. 2008), but again, it still gets a crowd.

I'd imagine Town Center is taking away a few people, and more could flock back to Norfolk after beach season ends...

[mikeas]

Summer is known to be slow for Downtown clubs/restaurants. Missing a lot of college students and the locals are heading to the beach. I really think Granby thrives in the winter months.

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http://www.altdaily.com/blogs/news-blogs/new-to-the-neighborhood-ginsbergs-goods.html

35th Street is seeing a resurgence centered around Kerouac Cafe, the recently opened coffee house geared towards artist and writers.

A record store and a new second hand clothing botique have opened in the same building in the past few weeks. Rumors about an electric bike/scooter store and cider bar have been floating around.

I predict that Park Place will develop into a desired urban neighborhood over the next 15 years...if we can just stop people from killing ODU students every few weeks.

[mikeas]

Plaza Azteca is taking over Guadalajara on Granby. They seem to do well wherever they go, it will be interesting to see if the location or the restaurant was the problem.

[Telmnstr]

Plaza Azteca is taking over Guadalajara on Granby. They seem to do well wherever they go, it will be interesting to see if the location or the restaurant was the problem.

I think it was the restaurant. Low cost Mexican = win. Not that I'm that cheap but it always seemed high priced, it was a question if the place was even open, and somewhat of a wild card.

I look forward to it.

[brikkman]

Well another day, yet another club on the chopping block for norfolk:

http://hamptonroads.com/2011/08/another-nightclub-faces-scrutiny-norfolk

I guess the task for has its purpose, but man this is starting to be questionable.

[jeffconn]

Buffalo Wild Wings downtown will open October 10. First 100 customers get free wings for a year!

[brikkman]

Definitely a good thing: http://www.wavy.com/dpp/news/local_news/norfolk/dozens-line-up-for-buffalo-wild-wings?ref=scroller&categoryId=20000&status=true

I wonder does this type of thing give Norfolk city leaders a clue? Everytime, with the expection of the market (because freemason people do not cook, lol), everything has been overally successful in DT or a favorite of most people. The mall, LRT, Wells, now BWW. They need a clue

[mikeas]

Heard a rumor that popular Richmond restaurant Croakers Spot is opening a location on 35th Street in Norfolk.

35th has been fairly run down for quite a while but some locals are trying to revive it with a second hand clothing botique, coffee cafe/vegan restaurant, and lots of ambition.

Also Jimmy Johns is now open on 21st Street near 201 Twenty One and will be opening an additional location in the ODU University Village adjacent to a new Boardwalk Burger and Fries.

Ghent and ODU seem to be booming... Someone needs to step up to the plate downtown!

[jeffconn]

Boardwalk Burgers and Fries' location on Monarch Way has a soft opening today, a few hours for lunch and a few hours for supper. Wednesday, it's open full throttle with one of those "free food for a year" gimmicks for the first college students that spend all night in line.

[urbanvb]

Well, another prominent retailer is leaving MacArthur Mall.

Restoration Hardware plans to leave

[Ghentite]

Well, another prominent retailer is leaving MacArthur Mall. Restoration Hardware plans to leave

With their strategy to leave mall atmospheres, they might be a good candidate for Granby St. north of Branbleton.

[mikeas]

Some new retail news for Ghent / Park Place.

7-11 is planning a store at 21st and Granby St. They plan to take over half of the Gayles Wigs building. Gayles will remain in the other half.

Ace Hardware has also announced plans for a store at 26th and Monticello.

Chipotle on Colley is coming along, rumor was they had to do a lot more work on the building than planned.

[BFG]

They're also putting one up at Princess Anne + Monticello beside the Rally's...it used to be a Miller Mart or Getty Mart, something like that.

In typical 7-11 form, that will make about 8 within about a 3 mile radius.

[Former Resident of HR]

Gayle's/7-11? Wow talk about the weirdest double branding ever...

[lil-bear]

When ya wanna get a wig and a 40!!!

[mikeas]

Keroauc Cafe / Path on 35th street has closed it's doors. I suspect it will take several business (ad)ventures in this area before things stick but I do give them props for trying something new in that part of town. There has been a lot of chatter in the community about doing something with the Rosna Theatre down there. I think it's going to take a larger scale project such as that to get 35th street alive again.

[Ghentite]

NICE! Urban Outfitters is finally coming to Granby. And it's in an ideal location for the kind of customer it targets.

http://hamptonroads....lk-council-told

Edited December 13, 2011 by Ghentite

[mikeas]

I really hope this drives more out of the mall retail opportunities for downtown!

I also heard about some loose plans to put additional retail with seperate outdoor entrances on the third anchor spot of MacArthur at the corner of Freemason and Monticello. Hopefully this will flow into the new Wells Fargo spaces.

If I owned the buildings I would be shopping the state for a downtown ABC store and I'd try to figure out why Navy Federal doesn't have a branch downtown in the largest "Navy Town" in the country.

[willy]

NICE! Urban Outfitters is finally coming to Granby. And it's in an ideal location for the kind of customer it targets.

http://hamptonroads....lk-council-told

$50 min. for jeans in this economy? Sorry to say, but it probably won't work. An Urban scaled down Target would be better I think. Offer products that are not in their other stores, but that are only found on their website. Walmart would work too. They have thousands of products that can only be purchased online. Why not have a store that has those in them? Anyway, if nothing else I do hope that it brings more retail downtown outside of the mall.

[Ghentite]

$50 min. for jeans in this economy? Sorry to say, but it probably won't work. An Urban scaled down Target would be better I think. Offer products that are not in their other stores, but that are only found on their website. Walmart would work too. They have thousands of products that can only be purchased online. Why not have a store that has those in them? Anyway, if nothing else I do hope that it brings more retail downtown outside of the mall.

I agree we need a Target and other stores as well, but this is a good start. It's a very popular store chain that is usually found in large cities. The location for this is great since their clothing appeals to the college and yuppy crowd. $50 acutally is not much more for jeans when you compare to other popular clothing stores such as Abercrombie and Fitch in the mall.

[VBIllini13]

$50 min. for jeans in this economy? Sorry to say, but it probably won't work. An Urban scaled down Target would be better I think. Offer products that are not in their other stores, but that are only found on their website. Walmart would work too. They have thousands of products that can only be purchased online. Why not have a store that has those in them? Anyway, if nothing else I do hope that it brings more retail downtown outside of the mall.

We have an Urban Outfitters here in Champaign, IL and it is always packed with hipster college students. I think this will be a great addition to Granby Street, and I'm glad the company is finally willing to take the risk and expand into Norfolk's downtown.

[BFG]

I went to the Urban Outfitters in Atlanta. It's more than just $50 jeans, which is honestly not much more than you'd pay at any other clothing store. There's also pretty funny novelty shirts and gifts there too.

I think it'll do just fine.

[willy]

I know it's more than just jeans, been to the one in DC (Chinatown). I will probably end up in there though with one of my boys, but they will be using their own money...lol. I truly would like to see this become a destination and help spur more and more stores DT.