Pete's Deli to move out of Crossroads Mall

[weill]

Advance Auto Parts plans to expand its offices into the Pete's deli space, which measures 3,700 square feet and can seat about 100 people. Chris White, who owns Crossroads, said last year that the interior portion of the mall would become office space for Advance Auto's corporate headquarters. Why cant they build in downtown!!! this is horizontal progress, we need vertical!!

Pete's owners have considered moving the cafe to an empty spot at Towne Square Shopping Center, just behind Crossroads. But no lease has been negotiated there yet, said Millie Moore, who leases spaces at Towne Square and owns Retail Real Estate in Roanoke.

When asked why they stayed at Crossroads though they only had a month-by-month lease, Lisa Hale said Crossroads owners promised that they could remodel the space to have an outside mall entrance.

The fate of other retailers near Pete's is questionable. Top Nails, a nail salon beside the cafe, will have to move from its space, but its lease ends in eight years at Crossroads, said owner Sony Nguyen. He said he does not know when the shop will move to a new spot at the mall.

But Dollar Duz It across from Pete's has not been told to move yet, said the store's manager. Its lease is up in October.

Meanwhile, loyal customers won't necessarily be left in the dark about Pete's eventual move. They can sign a book at Pete's with their phone numbers. Pete's employees will call all customers to tell them where its new restaurant will set up shop, Lisa Hale said.

[StevenRocks]

That deli has been there since 1966. It's the last original interior tenant at Crossroads. This is a sad day indeed.

The mall owner is a jerk. He should have let them stay open long enough to find another space.

[weill]

well i think there is a nail shop open there too

[StevenRocks]

well i think there is a nail shop open there too

They have eight years left on their lease according to the paper. I'm not sure what will happen there.

[weill]

i wouldnt be suprised if Advanced bought them out, I thought that Crossroads was going to try to be a 'mall' again

[StevenRocks]

i wouldnt be suprised if Advanced bought them out, I thought that Crossroads was going to try to be a 'mall' again

Advance is only leasing their space. I figure after they get finshed destroying what's left of Crossroads' formerly histroric interior, they'll move and leave a crappy space that nobody wants.

Crossroads has always been a mall, but it's been really dead inside for over two decades. With all that retail space nearby and malls at a low point in popular culture, it would be hard to get the place to come back alive in its current form.

The new owner doesn't know what he's doing. It would be smarter to tear the place down in phases and build new rather than beat on 40-something year old bones. There are some great spaces in that mall, but if they're not going to try to preserve any of them, there's no efficient way to convert them to something else.

[weill]

if they did decide to tear it down, what would go in its place?

[StevenRocks]

It's prime commercial land. Almost anything could be built there, within reason, and succeed.

[weill]

makes sense, except another mall, valley view is to close

[StevenRocks]

makes sense, except another mall, valley view is to close

It'll be different stores than Valley View. There's plenty of retail that isn't here that could be.

[weill]

plenty is correct. but right now the land is basically Advanced Autos

[StevenRocks]

plenty is correct. but right now the land is basically Advanced Autos

Like I said before, they're only leasing the space. I figure they'll crap out in about five years or so and want to move to a new site. They always do. Roanoke is littered woth former Advance faclities.

[weill]

maybe they can build downtown instead of sprawing out

[StevenRocks]

Not likely. Advance is a very suburban kind of company. They like the big sprawling office parks better because they get more free parking.

[weill]

well, atleast we have a big name company here in Roanoke. I think Louisville is real lucky with Yum! Brands HQ'd there.

[weill]

Advanced Auto Parts announced early Friday morning that they will not move into Petes Deli, though Petes will move out as scheduled. Weird moves going on.

News Link

[StevenRocks]

It's a cover. They're moving into the deli space, but they've gotten so much bad press over it, they're trying to do damage control.

[weill]

well only time will tell, hopefully a local company wont lie to us...

[StevenRocks]

I wouldn't call it an outright lie; maybe a distortion of the truth.

[weill]

so Pete's is leaving because of their lease, right?

[StevenRocks]

so Pete's is leaving because of their lease, right?

Yeah. They were on a month-to-month lease, so they were easy to dump.

[weill]

are they going to buy a space of their own?

[StevenRocks]

Supposedly they are looking at several spaces nearby, including an old restaurant space at Towne Square.

[weill]

oh ok, well atleast they wont be gone.

[StevenRocks]

Nah, they're way to popular to just disappear. They will be out of commission for a few months though.