Norfolk Stores and Retail and Resturants

[mikeas]

Nana Sushi on Granby has closed. Their Harbor view (Suffolk) location remains. I'm not surprised considering the number of sushi establishments that exist downtown.

[757Duke]

Kincaids is closing in March, and will be replaced by a Brazilian steakhouse named Texas de Brazil.

http://hamptonroads.com/2014/01/kincaids-close-macarthur-center-march

[mikeas]

Wasn't the new Hilton supposed to have a signature national chain steak house too?  I think the region could use a Morton's or something along those lines.

[757Duke]

Morton's is in the same family as McCormick and Schmick's so that could always happen.

[BFG]

Wards Corner Harris Teeter is set to open February 19th...way sooner than I expected. I rode past the area yesterday and couldn't believe it was almost done.

 

http://hamptonroads.com/2014/02/harris-teeter-open-feb-19-wards-corner

[zeppelin14]

Can't read the article.

[BFG]

As soon as the page loads, hit the X button on your browser. That should allow you to read it before the dreaded paywall comes up.

[mikeas]

As soon as the page loads, hit the X button on your browser. That should allow you to read it before the dreaded paywall comes up.

 

 An even better alternative is to use Google Chrome's incognito mode.  Once you hit the limit on read stories just close and reopen the browser.

[zeppelin14]

So Military Circle Mall had a shooting yesterday, not really surprised. WAVY10 said the Norfolk police has responded to over 800 calls in the past year to that mall alone. Time to tear it down and redevelop.

[BFG]

That's at least the 3rd or 4th shooting I can recall at that mall...probably more than all the other local malls combined. And with anchor stores leaving, I'd think that this can't help matters at all.

[Goats_Gruff]

Just walked downtown last week to pick up some Norva tickets...

 

The restaurant that occupies the former Jewish Mother space is called "FM" and appears to be a carbon copy of the Jewish Mother. They weren't yet selling tickets out of the restaurant but an employee did say that ticket sales should be starting soon.

 

Glad to hear also that a new beer bar will be opening up DT soon...compared to even just a couple places in Ghent, DT is seriously lacking in the craft beer department.

[BFG]

Just read online (I think it was in the Pilot) that FM opens tomorrow.

[Goats_Gruff]

The "FM" sign up on the exterior looked to be made of paper or posterboard...I presume City Council has not yet made the trek down the block to review.

 

Ye olde DQ/Zero's combo on Colley has been undergoing floor and wall remediation the past week or so for the Noodles & Co. remodel. Haven't yet seen any construction on the small outdoor patio that lies just next to it.

 

Workers were also installing, from the labels on the material boxes outside, "acoustical wall panels" on the interior of the building that once housed Garden Gazebo on 21st. I heard that this store was formerly a Roses way way back in the day and one could still see the markings on the floor from the soda counter stools. Interesting to see if the floor will remain after the renovations for whatever it is that is going in there.

[jeffconn]

The old Rose's will become a Vitamin Shoppe in late March. I'm assuming it will only be the front half of the building. BTW, the sidewalk in front of the store still has old Rose's logos.

 

http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/content/en/stores/stores.jsp?lstState=VA#Norfolk

[BFG]

Chick-Fil-A on Monticello is looking pretty nice. They have "Now Hiring" signs up now, and when I drove past last night, you could see workers inside cleaning up. I'm guessing it'll open by the end of the month?

[Ghentite]

There will be a pop up shop at Palace Shops in Ghent through the month of May for indipendent small retailers.  Get used to seeing these all over Norfolk in the future as the city is putting together a program that will help fill empty storefronts with these.  It's a great idea.

 

http://norfolkliveblog.com/?p=955

[Goats_Gruff]

The pop-up shop idea is a great way to reinvigorate interest in these areas. It is delightful that so much progress has occured since the Better Block events kicked things into motion.

[urbanvb]

Check Fil A is opening it's store near Ghent March 27. The store is the first in the Mid Atlantic to feature a vintage look which is nice.

http://hamptonroads.com/2014/03/chickfila-schedules-march-27-opening-norfolk

[BFG]

http://hamptonroads.com/2014/04/norfolk-neighbors-frown-possible-dollar-tree-store

 

Stuff like this is why Downtown Norfolk's leadership pisses me off. It's sounding a lot like the food truck debate from last year. I'm all about raising the profile of DT, but let's not pretend this is going to jeopardize anything. Ever been to NYC? They've got tacky 99 cent stores on every single corner. And I know Norfolk is not New York, but with quotes like below, you'd think they were.

 

 

 

"There is nothing unique about a Dollar Tree," he said. "It flies in the face of the brand we're trying to build downtown, and that's a brand of boutique retailers and first-to-the-market retailers."

 

But the 7-11's okay, right?

 

/Wouldn't mind the Crate and Barrel though...

Edited April 15, 2014 by BFG

[mistermetaj]

http://hamptonroads.com/2014/04/norfolk-neighbors-frown-possible-dollar-tree-store

 

Stuff like this is why Downtown Norfolk's leadership pisses me off. It's sounding a lot like the food truck debate from last year. I'm all about raising the profile of DT, but let's not pretend this is going to jeopardize anything. Ever been to NYC? They've got tacky 99 cent stores on every single corner. And I know Norfolk is not New York, but with quotes like below, you'd think they were.

 

 

 

 

But the 7-11's okay, right?

 

/Wouldn't mind the Crate and Barrel though...

 

I think the city is more worried about who the Dollar Tree would attract downtown.  Downtown has a hard enough time fixing it's image that a Dollar Tree store puts it on very shaky grounds, especially right on Granby St. which they desperately want to be an upscale street for shopping and dining.

[Ghentite]

I think the city is more worried about who the Dollar Tree would attract downtown.  Downtown has a hard enough time fixing it's image that a Dollar Tree store puts it on very shaky grounds, especially right on Granby St. which they desperately want to be an upscale street for shopping and dining.

Agreed.  I also think it's the location.  They're looking to tie MacArthur Mall to Granby St. retail (Urban Outfitters, Brazilian swimwear store) and that's the prime thoroughfare to do so.  A Dollar Tree would sort of disrupt that.  But as they said in the article, if you bring a Crate and Barrel or Anthropologie there, it gives mall-goers a reason to keep shopping outside the mall and continue on up and down Granby.  Folks aren't going to leave the mall for a Dollar Tree.

Edited April 15, 2014 by Ghentite

[BFG]

Points taken there. Thanks for the clarification.

[Urbanlooker]

Agreed.  I also think it's the location.  They're looking to tie MacArthur Mall to Granby St. retail (Urban Outfitters, Brazilian swimwear store) and that's the prime thoroughfare to do so.  A Dollar Tree would sort of disrupt that.  But as they said in the article, if you bring a Crate and Barrel or Anthropologie there, it gives mall-goers a reason to keep shopping outside the mall and continue on up and down Granby.  Folks aren't going to leave the mall for a Dollar Tree.

I agree with you completely. You want to have retailers that will get people out of the retail bunker of MacArther and on to the streets, I have no problem with a dollar tree downtown but not in this location.

[jeffconn]

A Dollar Tree will actually get REAL LIVING people to shop in downtown, as opposed to those "boutique stores", which haven't exactly been rushing to rent those downtown spaces. How many years, or decades, has that building between Granby and Monticello been vacant? And many years ago, didn't that storefront used to be a WT Grant, a five-and-dime store?

 

Sorry, but a real vibrant downtown has a mix of retail, including discount stores, upscale boutiques, used merchandise stores, locally owned stores, chains, and whoever wants to put up shop there. After all those decades of no retail downtown, It would be idiotic to not allow anyone who's willing to pay the rent to set up shop.

[brikkman]

I guess i'm a little lost. I just googled map this place, it sits on corner of granby and market st?

when i came home, it was already a shop there, which I was happy to see.