Nightlife vs. Retail

[RestedTraveler]

I think this demographic being hard to pinpoint may be because the folks here have mood swings (figuratively). I can't really speak for everyone, but I can certainly speak for myself. There are times where I'm jonesin' to go get a hotdog with steamed onions and mustard and a main street root beer from you for $2.50. There's times when I'd rather go get a Blackberry Slushin' Joe at Port City Java. Other times, I'd rather go to Wild Wings or Sticky Fingers. It really depends on what strikes my fancy (and that of my wife - things are a negotiation almost always once you're married) when I leave the house. And, almost always, our decisions are based on what we can do with the kids moreso than what we want to do ourselves. Also, keep in mind that not everybody wants a hot dog on a hot summer day when a cool frozen coffee drink is just a short walk away. I'm sure things will pick up for you during the cooler months.

As for shopping, you're right. We base a lot of our decisions on what suits both us and the kids. We almost always go to Mast on the weekends. It's both friendly to us as well as to our kids. The other stores downtown ... less frequently for the same reason. Dining offers many more options downtown, but they're still very limited really, especially with two young children (both 6 or under).

One thing I'd still love to see downtown that would be extremely family (and kid) friendly is a good old fashioned chocolatier / confectionary shop / bakery. Paris Cafe Bistro is OK, but it's not exactly what I had in mind. I'm thinking something along the lines of what you find on Main Street USA in the Magic Kingdom at Disney World. A place where the window is full of candied apples, carmel apples, sprinkle-covered apples, peanut-covered apples, etc., where the cotton candy is fresh every couple of hours and where hot toll house cookies are coming right out of the oven and you can even get a couple with a slab of vanilla ice cream between them for a sandwich. If someone could open such a place and still keep the prices reasonable, that'd be awesome.

[Dogs On Wheels]

I agree with you RT.

I wasnt complaining about buisness, everything is actually ok.

Just pointing out that the problem isnt the price of things downtown, its what they want.

The other day I had a guy ask me how much a dog was. So I told him $1.50. He said i was priced too high. As he started to walk away, right in front of me one of the pedi cabs asked if he wanted a ride. He said he wanted to go to the hot dog king. The lady said it would be $3.

He agreed and took his ride to the Hot Dog King for $3.

Im not complaing at all. To each his own, but just goes to show you its not always price but what someone finds value in or what they are in the mood for.

[Greenville]

I 'll have to throw in the Earshot plug here....maybe not for books but CD's and DVD's...if they don't have it they will order it....i was a frequent Manifest shopper growing up & grew up down the street from the people that bought it out to open Earshot and my brother does the marketing....so believe me its a solid store that wants to be in this town and one of the only retailers downtown that is trying to market to the younger age groups, not to mention they sell beer, wine and coffee and have the only mix & burn stations around (at least that i know about)..

sorry for the gratuitous plug-

Thank you for reminding me about Earshot. I have not lived in Greenville since the downtown location opened, so I completely forgot about it. The pictures I have seen look really great, and the "make your own CD" feature is very cool as well. I look forward to checking it out soon!

[charlie swords]

I still say we need a Jillian's downtown, i know they were trying several years ago and there was a big uproar about it but i think it would be a great addition...come on - Beer, Video Games, Skee-ball, pool...who won't like it

[Dogs On Wheels]

I still say we need a Jillian's downtown, i know they were trying several years ago and there was a big uproar about it but i think it would be a great addition...come on - Beer, Video Games, Skee-ball, pool...who won't like it

I think a 'Dave and Busters would fit this city better than Jillians. But yes thats the type of stuff that would be nice.

[breed]

One thing I'd still love to see downtown that would be extremely family (and kid) friendly is a good old fashioned chocolatier / confectionary shop / bakery. Paris Cafe Bistro is OK, but it's not exactly what I had in mind. I'm thinking something along the lines of what you find on Main Street USA in the Magic Kingdom at Disney World. A place where the window is full of candied apples, carmel apples, sprinkle-covered apples, peanut-covered apples, etc., where the cotton candy is fresh every couple of hours and where hot toll house cookies are coming right out of the oven and you can even get a couple with a slab of vanilla ice cream between them for a sandwich. If someone could open such a place and still keep the prices reasonable, that'd be awesome.

My 11-year-old daughter plans on opening a Kilwin's on Main Street once she finishes college... so if you can wait another 10+ years...

[gDriver]

Nightlife or retail??? Yes. We need more of both options, in my opinion. Greenville has gotten better in terms of variety of clothing options. However, a20 is the only retail store that I frequent downtown. To my knowledge, they are the only store that carries Diesel and J Lindberg for men in this town. When I really get ready to shop for clothes I go to CLT or ATL. Not b/c I want to, but b/c thats where the variety is.

As far as nightlife, we need upscale clubs. IMO, G-ville has enough bars but the club scene is awful. I wish we had a nice jazz cafe, not just a jazz night. A sophisticated dance club would be nice. Dixie Tavern and 221 just don't make the grade in my book. How about a party/club zone that's free of the alcohol restrictions that were recently imposed by the city council.

Maybe we should take a hands off approach to the question of nightlife or retail. Or at least, not handicap one in favor of the other.

[vicupstate]

Interesting discussion. I think a significant local component is needed to keep the DT product offering unique. I problem I do see with that is that many times, especialy at night and on weekends, the locally owned shops are not open.

I realize that it is more difficult for mom-and pop establishments to maintian long hours, but I think they would benefit greatly from doing so, as would the city itself.

Main Street is indeed in need of an 'anchor' of similiar size to Mast General (or larger). Howfully, it won't be much longer.

[greenvillehawk]

Nightlife or retail??? Yes. We need more of both options, in my opinion. Greenville has gotten better in terms of variety of clothing options. However, a20 is the only retail store that I frequent downtown. To my knowledge, they are the only store that carries Diesel and J Lindberg for men in this town. When I really get ready to shop for clothes I go to CLT or ATL. Not b/c I want to, but b/c thats where the variety is.

As far as nightlife, we need upscale clubs. IMO, G-ville has enough bars but the club scene is awful. I wish we had a nice jazz cafe, not just a jazz night. A sophisticated dance club would be nice. Dixie Tavern and 221 just don't make the grade in my book. How about a party/club zone that's free of the alcohol restrictions that were recently imposed by the city council.

Maybe we should take a hands off approach to the question of nightlife or retail. Or at least, not handicap one in favor of the other.

I agree with you on this, Greenville should have a party/club zone or district that could compete with the likes of nearby Atlanta and Charlotte in order for the younger generation not having to always travel to find a decent nightlife scene.

[trippdaddy]

The other day I had a guy ask me how much a dog was. So I told him $1.50. He said i was priced too high. As he started to walk away, right in front of me one of the pedi cabs asked if he wanted a ride. He said he wanted to go to the hot dog king. The lady said it would be $3.

He agreed and took his ride to the Hot Dog King for $3.

Isn't the hot dog king just a block away from Main/McBee? I can't imagine paying three bucks to get a ride for one block. Maybe I'm just cheap!

[trippdaddy]

Greenville has gotten better in terms of variety of clothing options. However, a20 is the only retail store that I frequent downtown. To my knowledge, they are the only store that carries Diesel and J Lindberg for men in this town.

What is a20? I haven't seen/heard of it.

[Greenville]

I agree with you on this, Greenville should have a party/club zone or district that could compete with the likes of nearby Atlanta and Charlotte in order for the younger generation not having to always travel to find a decent nightlife scene.

I wholeheartedly agree. This is important as we move forward, especially with respect to the "coolness" factor and the "retaining young professionals" issues discussed in the Vision2025 planning several years ago.

[gDriver]

What is a20? I haven't seen/heard of it.

Its located at 717 S Main St. Its near the fork of Main and Augusta. You can get to it from either street. The men's clothes are at the entrance on Main.

[charlie swords]

Its located at 717 S Main St. Its near the fork of Main and Augusta. You can get to it from either street. The men's clothes are at the entrance on Main.

there is also a location now at The Shops At Greenridge...i have know idea if the selection is the same b/c i have been in neither of them...

[803metlife]

I agree with you on this, Greenville should have a party/club zone or district that could compete with the likes of nearby Atlanta and Charlotte in order for the younger generation not having to always travel to find a decent nightlife scene.

I definetly know Greenville has had alot of sucess with Main St. as a place for younger people. What other places similar to Main St where the young go for night life?

[motonenterprises]

There are lots of things spread around Greenville to do. I love the place! I know some folks that come here from Charlotte. Apparently their downtown at street level is not as active, at least thats what I've been told. I found that shocking with all of the beautiful buildings there.

[goodbye]

Of course there are plenty of activities in downtown, but other parts of town are big with younger people, from what I can tell. They include Cherrydale, Woodruff Road, Haywood Road, Pelham Road, parts of Augusta Road, and other places I may be forgetting. Simpsonville and Mauldin have their areas for young people as well.

[gDriver]

Of course there are plenty of activities in downtown, but other parts of town are big with younger people, from what I can tell. They include Cherrydale, Woodruff Road, Haywood Road, Pelham Road, parts of Augusta Road, and other places I may be forgetting. Simpsonville and Mauldin have their areas for young people as well.

There is no doubt that Greenville has a large quantity of bars scattered throughout the town. I don't think anybody would dispute that. But, we're talking about making dt an attraction. You have two choices at the bars dt, band or no band. Everything else is about the same.

I'd like to draw a distinction between bars and clubs. Take a moment to go to the following links for clubs:

http://compoundatl.com/

http://www.mansionmiami.com/index2.html

http://www.thecitycancun.com/home/

jazz cafe

www.thejazzcafenc.com

Now, I didn't bother getting websites of bars b/c we all know what they look like...we live in Greenville. The websites are for multimillion dollar clubs. I don't think that G-ville could support something like that at this point. However, I think we could sustain higher quality of clubs than what we have.

As far as dt CLT. All the white collars leave at 5p. A lot of the restuarants are only open for lunch. The young people get there at 9p and start partying. We're fortunate to have activity dt throughout the day.

a20 on Woodruff only sells women's clothes. a20 dt sells clothes for women and men.

[linkerjpatrick]

Of course there are plenty of activities in downtown, but other parts of town are big with younger people, from what I can tell. They include Cherrydale, Woodruff Road, Haywood Road, Pelham Road, parts of Augusta Road, and other places I may be forgetting. Simpsonville and Mauldin have their areas for young people as well.

There's nothing saying you have to cram a deversity of everything downtown on Main Street. It's great that it has more life than it did some time ago. Even though it would be neat to have a movie theater or department store downtown it's really not the best place because of parking, etc. I love the fact we have a place like Cherrydale that is close to downtown but on the outskirts enough to have it's own disctinctive identity. In fact the construction of the Cherrydale shopping center has basically created a new community for the northern part of town. In recent times people have begun to say, "It's in the Cherrydale area or I live in the Cherrydale area." We even have a new school called Cherrydale Elementary.

[adrockc2]

Even though it would be neat to have a movie theater or department store downtown it's really not the best place because of parking, etc.

I really don

[greenvillehawk]

There is no doubt that Greenville has a large quantity of bars scattered throughout the town. I don't think anybody would dispute that. But, we're talking about making dt an attraction. You have two choices at the bars dt, band or no band. Everything else is about the same.

I'd like to draw a distinction between bars and clubs. Take a moment to go to the following links for clubs:

http://compoundatl.com/

http://www.mansionmiami.com/index2.html

http://www.thecitycancun.com/home/

jazz cafe

www.thejazzcafenc.com

Now, I didn't bother getting websites of bars b/c we all know what they look like...we live in Greenville. The websites are for multimillion dollar clubs. I don't think that G-ville could support something like that at this point. However, I think we could sustain higher quality of clubs than what we have.

As far as dt CLT. All the white collars leave at 5p. A lot of the restuarants are only open for lunch. The young people get there at 9p and start partying. We're fortunate to have activity dt throughout the day.

a20 on Woodruff only sells women's clothes. a20 dt sells clothes for women and men.

gDriver, we are thinking just alike on this topic, I've recently been to both the Compound in Atlanta and the Mansion along with Opium Gardens in Miami this summer. If Greenville could have a smaller scale nightclub like any of these, it will be a BIG plus for the younger generation (young professionals) to have somewhere to go to meet and have a great time with like-minded individuals. The bars are not an issue, but having some diverse options for nightlife downtown would be great for this city.

[btoy]

I would like to see something along the lines of Athen's 40 Watt Club or Atlanta's Tabernacle in Greenville. I had heard that the owner of the 40 Watt looked at Greenville but was scared away by the owner of some other club, forget which one, who told him he would never get people to come to the type of shows that the 40 Watt Scedules, which I think is crap. I think they would find plenty of success.

[linkerjpatrick]

I really don

[EDPro]

I've had similar discussions with friends of mine and one interesting concept that has popped up is the change in attitude of younger people towards downtown.

In the mid-90's, when I was a student at Furman, we would go to Henni's, Addy's, Court Street Cafe, etc., but we literally were going to those individual bars/restaurants. Now, as a thirtysomething, my friends and I just go downtown. Once we get there we meet up wherever we end up at. (Does that make sense? Back then we went to an individual establishment, now we just talk about going downtown in general.)

It's anecdotal, but I think it is an important point. Enterntainment districts are fun, but I don't think they promote a healthy, vibrant dowtown as a whole.

Another personal example occcured to me during Artisphere. On Sunday, I went d-t a little after noon. Met some friends at Artisphere, went to a game at West End Field, grabbed drinks at Sharkey's, ate at Chicora Alley and met other friends at Blue Ridge later on. Admittedly this was an extreme case involving literally miles of walking, but we never noticed until the end of the day.

And the more I interact with Clemson and Furman students, I think they really understand what a special place Greenville is and will be. While we really can't compete with the size of Charlotte or Atlanta or the natural beauty of Charleston, if you're looking for a very livable, vibrant, small to medium-sized city as a young person, Greenville has to be close to the top of your list.

[Greenville]

I've had similar discussions with friends of mine and one interesting concept that has popped up is the change in attitude of younger people towards downtown.

In the mid-90's, when I was a student at Furman, we would go to Henni's, Addy's, Court Street Cafe, etc., but we literally were going to those individual bars/restaurants. Now, as a thirtysomething, now my friends and I just go downtown. Once we get there we meet up wherever we end up at. (Does that make sense? Back then we went to an individual establishment, now we just talk about going downtown in general.)

It's anecdotal, but I think it is an important point. Enterntainment districts are fun, but I don't think they promote a healthy, vibrant dowtown as a whole.

Another personal example occcured to me during Artisphere. On Sunday, I went d-t a little after noon. Met some friends at Artisphere, went to a game at West End Field, grabbed drinks at Sharkey's, ate at Chicora Alley and met other friends at Blue Ridge later on. Admittedly this was an extreme case involving literally miles of walking, but we never noticed until the end of the day.

And the more I interact with Clemson and Furman students, I think they really understand what a special place Greenville is and will be. While we really can't compete with the size of Charlotte or Atlanta or the natural beauty of Charleston, if you're looking for a very livable, vibrant, small to medium-sized city as a young person, Greenville has to be close to the top of your list.

Very well put. Excellent points!