Shopping

[TD]

SO!? a vacant restaurant space, one will fill it in due time.

[Florida]

SO!? a vacant restaurant space, one will fill it in due time.

In due time! I'm seeing some patience coming out of TD... that's awesome. I wouldn't mind seeing another restaurant there... although, that seems to be a very dead location for anything... that EASTERN portion of the Governor's square mall.

[DaiDreamer5]

In due time! I'm seeing some patience coming out of TD... that's awesome. I wouldn't mind seeing another restaurant there... although, that seems to be a very dead location for anything... that EASTERN portion of the Governor's square mall.

Is that the part near Sears? I always felt trapped in that corner. There is no exit out on the bottom floor and few exits on the top floor. It's sort of funny cause the exit near Penny's is on the top floor, but I don't feel quite as contained...

[Florida]

Is that the part near Sears? I always felt trapped in that corner. There is no exit out on the bottom floor and few exits on the top floor. It's sort of funny cause the exit near Penny's is on the top floor, but I don't feel quite as contained...

Are you sure DaiDreamer? I could swear there was an exit/entrance near the old Morissons. But its been a while. And I thought first floor access was available to Sears near the Lawn Mowers and Tires. I need to get over there and clear this up... because I'm confused.

[DaiDreamer5]

Are you sure DaiDreamer? I could swear there was an exit/entrance near the old Morissons. But its been a while. And I thought first floor access was available to Sears near the Lawn Mowers and Tires. I need to get over there and clear this up... because I'm confused.

Maybe there is. I really don't know. I'm usually not at that end of the mall since I don't like it.

[Glenn]

And I totally know what you're going thru with the harassing Kioskers... I was trying to leave the mall just a few days before Christmas, not a dollar in my pocket, when this woman at a Nail kiosk wanted to sell me a finger nail file set and lotion for my girlfriend... to make a long story short, she scammed me and I walked away with 3 of them. I felt like such a sucker. But never again.

Wow TJ......she must have been mighty FINE! You put it on your debit card but then planned to take it back??? U R 2 Funny MAN!!!

[Glenn]

Forgive me if this has already been discussed elsewhere but I couldn't find it if it has....what really needs to be addressed is all the vacated retail buildings around town. A few have been given new life but there are many others waiting to be saved. Publix will soon be vacating the Apalachee Parkway @ Blairstone location to move to their new digs at the corner of Blairstone & Park. And Albertson's has already vacated the other corner of Blairstone @ Apalachee. These are both prime retail sites that deserve to be revitalized. Rhodes is going out of business so now that spot at Apalachee Parkway & Cap Circle will be vacant again. The old Sams site on North Monroe is still a huge vacant eyesore waiting for something but we don't need another Wal-Mart in it's place. Kraft Nissan did a nice job going into the old Winn-Dixie on Mahan but the old Winn-Dixie on Market Street still sits vacant. I've heard that Publix won't be renewing their lease on Mahan across from Procter's but I couldn't get good info on where they might go & Walgreen's is leaving that center also to build a new store on the SW corner of Mahan & Cap Circle so that center will be in decline soon. I'm all for quality growth but I hate seeing perfectly good sites vacated & left to rot & rust becoming community eyesores. Someone did a really nice job redeveloping the old K-Mart shopping center site on Monroe @ Tharpe & we need more redevelopment projects like that elsewhere in Tallahassee.

[Florida]

Wow TJ......she must have been mighty FINE! You put it on your debit card but then planned to take it back??? U R 2 Funny MAN!!!

FINE!!! LOL! She was a monster! I think that's the reason I was afriad to say no!

[Glenn]

Forgive me if this has already been discussed elsewhere but I couldn't find it if it has....what really needs to be addressed is all the vacated retail buildings around town. A few have been given new life but there are many others waiting to be saved. Publix will soon be vacating the Apalachee Parkway @ Blairstone location to move to their new digs at the corner of Blairstone & Park. And Albertson's has already vacated the other corner of Blairstone @ Apalachee. These are both prime retail sites that deserve to be revitalized. Rhodes is going out of business so now that spot at Apalachee Parkway & Cap Circle will be vacant again. The old Sams site on North Monroe is still a huge vacant eyesore waiting for something but we don't need another Wal-Mart in it's place. Kraft Nissan did a nice job going into the old Winn-Dixie on Mahan but the old Winn-Dixie on Market Street still sits vacant. I've heard that Publix won't be renewing their lease on Mahan across from Procter's but I couldn't get good info on where they might go & Walgreen's is leaving that center also to build a new store on the SW corner of Mahan & Cap Circle so that center will be in decline soon. I'm all for quality growth but I hate seeing perfectly good sites vacated & left to rot & rust becoming community eyesores. Someone did a really nice job redeveloping the old K-Mart shopping center site on Monroe @ Tharpe & we need more redevelopment projects like that elsewhere in Tallahassee.

Oh, I forgot...they also did a nice job with redevelopment of the old Lowe's building on West Tennesse. And I'm glad Wal-Mart decided to stay there & expand rather than totally vacating the site. Also, I heard that Steak & Shake is moving up near the corner of Tharpe & Cap Circle NW & that Wendy's is also building at that same intersection. Gem Mazda has filed paperwork to move to that intersection also. Does anyone know of any plans for the old Budweiser distribution warehouse on Tharpe since they moved out to Midway?

[EbonyGardens]

Forgive me if this has already been discussed elsewhere but I couldn't find it if it has....what really needs to be addressed is all the vacated retail buildings around town. A few have been given new life but there are many others waiting to be saved. Publix will soon be vacating the Apalachee Parkway @ Blairstone location to move to their new digs at the corner of Blairstone & Park. And Albertson's has already vacated the other corner of Blairstone @ Apalachee. These are both prime retail sites that deserve to be revitalized. Rhodes is going out of business so now that spot at Apalachee Parkway & Cap Circle will be vacant again. The old Sams site on North Monroe is still a huge vacant eyesore waiting for something but we don't need another Wal-Mart in it's place. Kraft Nissan did a nice job going into the old Winn-Dixie on Mahan but the old Winn-Dixie on Market Street still sits vacant. I've heard that Publix won't be renewing their lease on Mahan across from Procter's but I couldn't get good info on where they might go & Walgreen's is leaving that center also to build a new store on the SW corner of Mahan & Cap Circle so that center will be in decline soon. I'm all for quality growth but I hate seeing perfectly good sites vacated & left to rot & rust becoming community eyesores. Someone did a really nice job redeveloping the old K-Mart shopping center site on Monroe @ Tharpe & we need more redevelopment projects like that elsewhere in Tallahassee.

Real Talk. I see a lot of potential in former retail spaces, it's idiotic to let them sit and become eyesores.

[Florida]

Real Talk. I see a lot of potential in former retail spaces, it's idiotic to let them sit and become eyesores.

Publix is responsible for 4 of the empty stores on Glenn's list. Considering they've been so successful in this market and throughout the state no one wants to spend money anywhere else for their food. Winn-Dixie and Albertson's continue to hold on to the Tallahassee market by a piece of thin rope.

1. Publix @ Tharpe and MLK: Closed so they could build a larger, newer store. That store was Tallahassee's first Publix. And although it may not have looked like it, it was in bad shape.

2. The Publix at Apalachee Parkway: Will close soon when the Governor's Crossing Publix is complete. Its only a part of the progress Publix is making in our market. Moving to newer facilities is a part of business success and I applaud Publix for showing they appreciate their customers by giving us better stores to shop in.

3. Albertson's: Who can survive that close to a Publix? Its a wonder they held on as long as they did. I'd keep a close eye on all of the other Albertson's to see if the same thing doesn't happen to them. I believe we have 3 remaining, N, Monroe, W. Tennessee, and Thomasville Road.

4. Winn-Dixie Timberlane: Closed because that wealthy area and Winn-Dixie dust didn't mix well. The store on Kerry Forrest is barely hanging on, and will likely continue to exist because its become part of the neighborhood. But Winn-Dixie is in trouble all across America. They're strength probably lies in more rural areas. If they don't come up with something quick, Tallahassee might see 4-5 more empty stores.

5. Winn-Dixie Tharpe @ Old Bainbridge: Was one of the few that was abandoned so Winn-Dixie could relocate into a new facility. They built the store at the Corner of Tharpe and High when they closed this one.

The other two major concerns I have in terms of empty stores are the Old Wal-Mart/Sams stores. I'm still trying to figure out why Sams had to close it's West Tallahassee location. I think both stores could have done well given the other was built on the east side of town, and Sams had a strong base on the west. This whole plan to build another Wal-Mart in its place is not wise to me from a Community perspective. The Wal-Mart may eventually go up and put up a tall sign so people from I-10 will see it and pull in. I will do well if built given the character of the people that live out there, but I'm still not happy with their decision to close.

[psycuda]

Maybe one of the current malls could add an outdoor lifestyle component to it. It wouldn't have to be too much, a few restaurants with visibilityalong a main road (John Knox, perhaps, or Governors Square Blvd.and a few stores mixed in. An example would be the Eastview Mall in suburban Rochester NY, where a small lifestyle addition was put onto the front of the mall (Entrance 2) and is going great guns.

[EbonyGardens]

That's what I'm thinking. The shot you posted up looks real good. Governor Square could do something similar, put a few tables in front so ppl could eat outside the mall.

[poonther]

The Gov. Square property would have a hard time handling this type of development directly on the property b/c it's pretty well maxed out. The slopes around it would make it even harder even if there was room. If I recall correctly (I wasn't living here at the time) they had a heck of time fitting in the new Dillards.

That said, I'm all for this type of addition to our malls. At Gov. Sq. it would have to go in the back behind Dillard's across the road and you really could not walk there b/c of the slope. Isn't where Marshall's and Bed Bath and Beyond already this type of thing? I've been thinking that once Publix leaves the shopping center across the Parkway, they should just tear down that eye-sore and rebuild it as a lifestyle center. Yeah yeah I know K-mart is still there, but it's gonna die one day, so we might as well put it out of its misery now.

Tally mall did this just a tiny bit w/the leftovers of Service Merch. The addition of Shoe Carnival and Ross was good for those vacant bldgs. I shop at neither of them, but still it's good to see something go in there. Now would Tally Mall have some room for this type of development behind the mall? Remember where the old putt putt golf was?

Speaking of putt-putt, that's another sign I had removed. For several years (not months I mean years) after the putt-putt closed, the signs for putt-putt remained at the south and north entrances of the mall parking lot. That drove me nuts. You'd think the property manager would have noticed this and had them taken down, but NOOOOOOOOOOOO. A couple of phone calls and boom they were gone.

[Florida]

Speaking of putt-putt, that's another sign I had removed. For several years (not months I mean years) after the putt-putt closed, the signs for putt-putt remained at the south and north entrances of the mall parking lot. That drove me nuts. You'd think the property manager would have noticed this and had them taken down, but NOOOOOOOOOOOO. A couple of phone calls and boom they were gone.

Poonther, you're too much. I'm going to start noticing some signage that I don't like and report it to you so you can get the job done.

[EbonyGardens]

Good job poonther, that sign was making my eyes hurt. @signage. Once Publix on the Parkway closes, Gold's Gym could move from its downtown location to where Publix used to be.

[Florida]

Good job poonther, that sign was making my eyes hurt. @signage. Once Publix on the Parkway closes, Gold's Gym could move from its downtown location to where Publix used to be.

Then what would occupy the former Gold's Gym location?

I say they should move in a bowling alley/ family entertainment center where the Albertson's is.

I'd take a wrecking ball to the entire Publix plaza... move all of the other stores to the rest of the Retail Space at Governor's Crossing in the creation of a lifestyle shopping center, as it Governor's crossings will be ALL 4 CORNERS of Blairstone and Park Avenue. I think a lifestyle center with a new Toys-R-Us, K-Mart, Pet Store, Party Store and a few new stores thrown into the mix would be a great refreshment for the area, and especially those old stores (ToysRUs, and K-Mart) suffering at their current crusty facilities.

Meanwhile... I'd totally level the old Publix shopping center. I'd use some of the propety to widen that intersection there. And I'd probably use that vacated space and build a complex similar to the Metropolitian Corporate Center out on Thomasville Road at I-10. I think a complex of buildings similar to the Farmer's and Merchants Bank would be attractive, and charming for Tallahassee. There we could have doctor's offices, law offices, barbershops, real estate offices, state offices, and other private companies. I think that would look great leading toward Florida's Capitol building.

[Glenn]

^Nah man wasn't me. I'd report something like that to my "buddy" over in zoning.

My new endeavor is to get the very tall old Steak and Ale sign removed from the property. There's a restaurant there now and they put a much lower sign for their property, but just blacked out and left the tall S&A sign. That's a clear violation of the sign code b/c you can have only one sign for your biz fronting Monroe. Since it was a local owned biz, I gave them a complete year to remove the old sign before I reported it. It's been awhile since I reported it and hopefully something will be done soon. Next time you drive by, notice it and once you do you'll always notice it.

P.S. My first job in planning was working in zoning enforcing and regulating the sign code. Boca Raton has some of the toughest sign code regulations in the country. It's made me very sensitive to signage.

Poonther....I agree. I say it's time for that ugly, old Steak & Ale sign to be gone. Sick 'em Dawg!

[EbonyGardens]

A nightclub could occupy the former Gold's Gym location. Given the space, the majority of the club would have a dance floor, a spot for the DJ and a place for folks to get their drink on.

[Monticello-1827]

psycuda, exactly! a "life-style center" would be a great addition to tallahassee. they built one over in Jacksonville, Florida called St. John's Center. Has anyone been there? I think that could be something that could really add something different to the area instead of another strip mall. Below are two articles I found on it.

St. John's Center Article

St. John's Center Article #2

[JaxNole]

psycuda, exactly! a "life-style center" would be a great addition to tallahassee. they built one over in Jacksonville, Florida called St. John's Center. Has anyone been there? I think that could be something that could really add something different to the area instead of another strip mall. Below are two articles I found on it.

St. John's Center Article

St. John's Center Article #2

I live in Jacksonville and I have been to the Town Center numerous times. Our UP thread can be found here.

The layout of the Town Center is nice in some parts, though the big box section that contains stores like PetSmart, Target and JoAnn fronts large parking lots. As you move toward the more upscale stores and restaurants, parking becomes scarce and a more pedestrian setting emerges. The second phase will have more prominent retailers and apartments, townhouses and hotels will come online soon. It's a welcome addition to Jacksonville and if you're visiting, come check us out!

[Florida]

I live in Jacksonville and I have been to the Town Center numerous times. Our UP thread can be found here.

The layout of the Town Center is nice in some parts, though the big box section that contains stores like PetSmart, Target and JoAnn fronts large parking lots. As you move toward the more upscale stores and restaurants, parking becomes scarce and a more pedestrian setting emerges. The second phase will have more prominent retailers and apartments, townhouses and hotels will come online soon. It's a welcome addition to Jacksonville and if you're visiting, come check us out!

That sounds like a very attractive development. Kinda what I thought Bull Run would become, but I've been terribly disappointed. This would work well as part of the Welaunee Development. Imagine passing it on I-10. Something like thius would jumpstart east Tallahassee.

[JaxNole]

The first time I visited Tallahassee was in 1990 and since then, our capital has grown tremendously. I think it has matured better than Gainesville has. Each time I visit, I notice something new and better, but not necessarily sprawl-induced. Many of you want better things to happen for your home and it's perfectly understood, but I don't think some of you realize how great Tallahassee has become. I'm not saying any of you are complaining at all; if that's how I come across, that is not my intention. Despite the 70s-style decor of Governor's Square and the not-so-wonderful traffic around Tennessee and Monroe, our capital has done a fantastic job. Tallahassee pride!

BTW, Jacksonville now has a Guthrie's. Let the tradition of penny dipping begin.