The State of Downtown Retail

[benjamesriddle]

Great news for the Coffee and Dessert crowd! I'd still like to see another Coffee St. Bakery down the line.

[gman430]

Glad Dunkin is back underway. Any idea why they stalled?

Noticed the new pastry place last night walking by after the Drive game. Looks fun. Lots of various funky chandeliers hanging.

Not sure. I'm going off what the Greenville Journal said in this week's edition of TBA's. My guess though would be financing seeing how the one in downtown Columbia is/was also stalled for a while.

[gs3]

DT's construction. Looks like they are adding a patio in the back off Brown Street. This will create some better pedestrian flow / activity on Brown, being across from Brown Street Club and Dixie's.

[Galley]

That Zen meeting place, across from the Field House, had some folks in it. It appears they may be opening soon.

[Greenville]

That Zen meeting place, across from the Field House, had some folks in it. It appears they may be opening soon.

The Zen web site is clean and effective. Check it out:

http://www.zengreenville.com/

[GvilleSC]

DT's construction. Looks like they are adding a patio in the back off Brown Street. This will create some better pedestrian flow / activity on Brown, being across from Brown Street Club and Dixie's.

From this angle, this is looking like a pretty good addition to downtown. A lot better than their grammar on the DPC application.

[gman430]

Restaurant/bar by the name of West End Spirits slated to go next to Mojitos according to this application: http://www.greenvillesc.gov/city_governmen...hMainStreet.pdf

[Greenville]

Restaurant/bar by the name of West End Spirits slated to go next to Mojitos according to this application: http://www.greenvillesc.gov/city_governmen...hMainStreet.pdf

I am not sure what to think of this without more information, but at least it will fill a vacant spot on Main in the West End. That's progress.

[gman430]

ugh.....thats looks terrible and i say this not just as a Guadalajara customer but also a sign designer. It looks cheap, not as cheap as Cantinfla's but still not good at all.

Well, you won't have to worry about it anymore. The sign along with the coming soon banner have both been taken down.

[Greenville]

Well, you won't have to worry about it anymore. The sign along with the coming soon banner have both been taken down.

So Guadalajara won't be going where Cantinflas used to be?

[gman430]

So Guadalajara won't be going where Cantinflas used to be?

Doesn't look like it. The space is now up for lease: http://www.loopnet.com/xNet/MainSite/Listi...p;PgCxtDir=Down That block of Main Street from Coffee to East North Streets is losing it fast.

[Greenville]

That block of Main Street from Coffee to East North Streets is losing it fast.

[gman430]

My reference to that is from all of the empty retail/restaurant spots on that block of Main Street. Empty Benetz, Healthy Lounge, Rising Roll, work out facility, Bergens, and Catinflas spaces is a lot for that little area. Suprising to say the least seeing how Mast General Store is located there and they have more sales per capita than any other retail store downtown.

Edited May 6, 2009 by citylife

[goodbye]

Until Dunkin Donuts opens, there really isn't going to be much along that block that will bring people in after retail shops close in the late afternoon/early evening, other than Coffee Underground, Marble Slab, Sharkey's Pub, and City Tavern. It is way too "dead" and "dark" on that block now compared with recent years. I wonder if the City is actively marketing downtown to potential retailers these days? Main Street especially should have little trouble maintaining healthy business in the evening. I understand the RiverPlace and West End areas are hot right now, but it seems odd that a more established portion of a nearly "perfect" urban retail setting is either sitting vacant or closed before many people are in town for an evening.

[goodbye]

Here is a photo from Wednesday evening, April 29, at 6:29pm:

For more information about this photo, click here.

As always, there are plenty of people on the sidewalks, but only less than a handful of the shops seen in this shot are open at that time, and each of those only sells food and drinks.

[btoy]

Doesn't look like it. The space is now up for lease: http://www.loopnet.com/xNet/MainSite/Listi...p;PgCxtDir=Down That block of Main Street from Coffee to East North Streets is losing it fast.

I have a pretty good feeling this is just left over from before it was leased. My guess is that it just hasn't been removed yet.

Restaurant/bar by the name of West End Spirits slated to go next to Mojitos according to this application: http://www.greenvillesc.gov/city_governmen...hMainStreet.pdf

Unless they have changed ideas, last time this came before the DPC it was to be a Liquor Store.

[TREY]

I have a pretty good feeling this is just left over from before it was leased. My guess is that it just hasn't been removed yet

They moved to the old Rising Roll location across the street.

[gman430]

It looks like something might be going into the building located between Centerpiece Lounge/Restaurant and the parking lot on South Main Street in the West End. There were people working on the interior and exterior of the building earlier today.

[benjamesriddle]

Haven't they been working on it for a while now?

[gman430]

Haven't they been working on it for a while now?

Nope. They just started actually. Scaffolding went up on the front of the building earlier today.

[Lib]

I saw that when I drove by this morning. Anyone know what is going on there?

[Lib]

I know there are several people on here who have some good ideas about parking in downtown Greenville, so I wanted to post this. My company got a postcard inviting people to a City of Greenville Downtown Parking Meeting, Thursday the 21st. The card says "We hope you can join us to discuss ways to regulate the on street parking demand for downtown Greenville."

It's at the Westin Poinsett at 5:30pm Gold Ballroom in case you can make it.

[goodbye]

Perhaps signs directing people from Main Street to the many public parking garages would help? Each block or two would need a different set of directions, considering the relative distance between various garages. The last thing I want to see again is those pesky and unsightly parking meters.

[GvilleSC]

Perhaps signs directing people from Main Street to the many public parking garages would help? Each block or two would need a different set of directions, considering the relative distance between various garages. The last thing I want to see again is those pesky and unsightly parking meters.

Are you thinking signs like the ones that already exist on the traffic signal arms? Such as: instead of just saying "P" with an arrow, maybe telling how far these parking facilities are?

[gman430]

Mojitos is looking to expand already with an outdoor tiki bar on that empty plot of land next door to their current restaurant downtown. Also, the available sign has been removed from the former Rock & Ropes location. There were workers working on the interior and exterior of the building earlier today. Not sure what is planned for the building.