The State of Downtown Retail

[Lib]

For several years I have been saying that Greenville needs a high quality handmade sign company, like Hannaman Sign Crafters in Carlisle, PA. Mr. Hannaman's beautiful signs can be seen literally everywhere in the southcentral region of Pennsylvania. The City of Greenville has done a legendary job transforming downtown into an urban masterpiece, yet many of the businesses habitating the city lack an equivalent level of quality when it comes to their public image (visual appeal). Signs say a great deal about a business, even if they are misleading. In my opinion, if a company is willing to invest in a high quality public image, the probable result will ultimately be better business success overall.

Well said, Skyliner! You can't simply provide a good service/product and expect people to know that, when you have an ugly sign out front. However, there's no shortage of artists and designers (including myself) in Greenville, so it makes me think it has more to do with business owners than it does a lack of good options. In my experience, startups rarely see design & marketing as a necessary budget item, when it's really what can make or break the business.

[Greenville]

^

Did Sunrise Spa really use the Jimmy Dean sausage webpage as inspiration for their new sign?

http://www.jimmydean.com/

I propose that this place be called the Jimmy Dean Spa from this point forward. What do you think?

[goodbye]

Well said, Skyliner! You can't simply provide a good service/product and expect people to know that, when you have an ugly sign out front. However, there's no shortage of artists and designers (including myself) in Greenville, so it makes me think it has more to do with business owners than it does a lack of good options. In my experience, startups rarely see design & marketing as a necessary budget item, when it's really what can make or break the business.

Thank you Lib. You summed up precisely what I intended to say. It is the business owners who are at fault for the lack of creativity and investment in a quality public image. The City of Greenville does its part by developing and maintaining an incredibly rich environment for small businesses to thrive, but many of these businesses need to step up and realize what goes into the creation of a high quality, attractive public image.

I also wanted to correct an embarrassing mistake in my previous post. I made up the word "habitating" instead of using the correct word, "inhabiting". I'll simply credit that error to my current sickness, which is obviously affecting my brain quite a bit.

[goodbye]

I'll also add that there are certainly notable exceptions to the claim that businesses in Greenville lack a positive public image. I applaud the ones who have been careful to represent themselves accurately and with genuine quality.

[gs3]

There's a sign up on the window saying that, so yes i'm serious. It was also reported in the Greenville Journal. Why is it ridiculous? Would you rather have a vacant retail store instead?

Not sure where the vacumn store reopening as a vacumn store came from, but the store has now been painted and has signage up for Pierce & Parker.

http://www.pierceandparker.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?display=about

[GvilleSC]

A new paint job and a retail occupant sounds a like a great thing for Augusta Street!

[gs3]

Sushi Koji is opening a downtown location. It will be in the building on the corner of Main and Beattie that housed Flambe Cafe and then later the Betty Pearls expansion. I'm really excited this, as Sushi Koji is one of my fav sushi places. Expect a very nice, sleek interior.

[charlie swords]

Well said, Skyliner! You can't simply provide a good service/product and expect people to know that, when you have an ugly sign out front. However, there's no shortage of artists and designers (including myself) in Greenville, so it makes me think it has more to do with business owners than it does a lack of good options. In my experience, startups rarely see design & marketing as a necessary budget item, when it's really what can make or break the business.

As a graphic designer for a local Sign Company, and someone that has been in signs for about 10 years now, i'll put my two cents in here. #1 It is really hard to talk a business owner out of a bad idea, believe me I've tried, especially if they came up with the idea or logo themselves. #2 A lot of business owners starting out forget to put a budget for a sign into their plans, its usually the last thing they think of and they want it at the last minute and have nothing in their budget left for it. #3 you would be surprised at some of the terrible ideas "artists and designers" come up with and then leave it to folks like me to figure out how in the world to make it work, design agencies can cause quite a mess on the sign front.

and on the Blair Jewelers and Sunrise Spa...those are both terribly uninspired designs and about St. Clair doing good work, most if not all of their manufacturing is subbed out to wholesalers.

[Galley]

I stopped by the Gemstone Mine place today. Neat store, and very reasonable prices.

[gman430]

-For all the good things happening downtown lately, something bad was inevitable. Jimmy Johns has closed.

-Looks like a 10,000 square foot bookstore might be coming downtown. That's a big could and might.

-Not retail, but Fidelity Investments has leased space in the new Courtyard by Marriott building downtown.

-Permit signs are up on the former Healthy Lounge space on Main Street with a dumpster out front. Not sure what if anything is planned there.

[HomerJay]

-Looks like a 10,000 square foot bookstore might be coming downtown. That's a big could and might.

I'm extremely excited about the possibility of a bookstore. Would this be a national chain or - hope of hopes - some kind of independent operation?

[gs3]

-Permit signs are up on the former Healthy Lounge space on Main Street with a dumpster out front. Not sure what if anything is planned there.

I've heard rumors that this space will be a national retailer.

[gman430]

Not sure if it would be a national or local bookstore. It was listed on bidclerk here: http://www.bidclerk.com/project.1132627.html I'm not sure if the bookstore is what is going into Healthy Lounge either. However, i've heard the old Healthy Lounge space will also be a national retailer gsupstate. Not sure who though.

[Greenville]

I will be very disappointed if the large bookstore downtown isn't a national retailer. We need a reliable retailer with a track record of success to serve as an anchor. Now's not the time for a quirky local mom 'n pop type place to try their hand at such a large operation.

[gs3]

I will be very disappointed if the large bookstore downtown isn't a national retailer. We need a reliable retailer with a track record of success to serve as an anchor. Now's not the time for a quirky local mom 'n pop type place to try their hand at such a large operation.

So a Super Qwikees won't work for you?

[GvilleSC]

I will be very disappointed if the large bookstore downtown isn't a national retailer. We need a reliable retailer with a track record of success to serve as an anchor. Now's not the time for a quirky local mom 'n pop type place to try their hand at such a large operation.

I kind of am leaning the same way on this one... While I'd love to see a local place do well, I think the name recognition will help whatever place do better. It'd be bad to have someone get in there, fail, and scare off other retailers from trying at this point in time...

[goodbye]

I'd think a local place like The Open Book would do well in downtown. It rivals the national chains, in my opinion.

[HomerJay]

I will be very disappointed if the large bookstore downtown isn't a national retailer. We need a reliable retailer with a track record of success to serve as an anchor. Now's not the time for a quirky local mom 'n pop type place to try their hand at such a large operation.

It's unfortunate that independents get so little respect. Although national chains like B&N & Borders are good at what they do, there is nothing unique about them. A downtown B&N would be essentially the same as the Haywood B&N not to mention the B&N in every other city. Better than no bookstore, for sure, but certainly less than ideal. On the other hand, build a business like Powell's in Portland or The Strand in NYC and you've got something special, something people identify with your city.

I'll be very surprised if an independent comes in and I won't begrudge a national chain if they do instead. But, I feel compelled to speak out against the continuing homogenization of business in this country. Give me Coffee Underground over Starbucks any day.

[GvilleSC]

It's unfortunate that independents get so little respect. Although national chains like B&N & Borders are good at what they do, there is nothing unique about them. A downtown B&N would be essentially the same as the Haywood B&N not to mention the B&N in every other city. Better than no bookstore, for sure, but certainly less than ideal. On the other hand, build a business like Powell's in Portland or The Strand in NYC and you've got something special, something people identify with your city.

I'll be very surprised if an independent comes in and I won't begrudge a national chain if they do instead. But, I feel compelled to speak out against the continuing homogenization of business in this country. Give me Coffee Underground over Starbucks any day.

I think there's some strong arguments either way. However, I'd have to say that downtown is potentially on the cusp of something big (it's a relative term). The City is beginning to seriously look at ways to streetscape off Main, a lot of quality developments are in the phase of awaiting or under construction, and the economy is possibly on the uptick. So... I think the amount of positive vibes (through perceived stability, name recognition that a national bookseller could bring) would be huge in helping get downtown over its current level and on to the next... Just an opinion, but I think it's pretty realistic.

[Greenville]

It's unfortunate that independents get so little respect. Although national chains like B&N & Borders are good at what they do, there is nothing unique about them. A downtown B&N would be essentially the same as the Haywood B&N not to mention the B&N in every other city. Better than no bookstore, for sure, but certainly less than ideal. On the other hand, build a business like Powell's in Portland or The Strand in NYC and you've got something special, something people identify with your city.

I'll be very surprised if an independent comes in and I won't begrudge a national chain if they do instead. But, I feel compelled to speak out against the continuing homogenization of business in this country. Give me Coffee Underground over Starbucks any day.

It's not that I don't respect independent retailers. They fill an important niche and contribute to the charm of an area. But when it comes to bookstores, they don't usually do as good a job offering the things most shoppers are looking for (at least not on a large scale). Most people don't care if their bookstore is unique. They don't care if it's owned by Jim Bob who grew up in a mill village with nothing and worked hard to build a successful local bookstore. That's a sweet story, but at the end of the day people want to go somewhere that offers them the selection and price they demand. Borders and Barnes and Noble have a reputation for consistently doing that, and at this point in time we need a stable anchor downtown. It will literally take our downtown to the next level.

So a Super Qwikees won't work for you?

We can only dream!

[Galley]

I took my family to Jimmy Johns earlier this year. The service wasn't that great, and the place was very noisy. It was nice that they offered deliveries by bicycle, though.

[GvilleSC]

I took my family to Jimmy Johns earlier this year. The service wasn't that great, and the place was very noisy. It was nice that they offered deliveries by bicycle, though.

It was typically rather loud inside. I usually took my food outside and ate on either Spring Street or McBee Ave.

I guess with possible construction looming on the potential CVS next door, it may have hurt their business for a short period of time... It might have been a good time to get out...

[mallguy]

The only "chain" bookstore I could see coming downtown would be that one that has a branch at SouthPark in Charlotte- I can't remember the name. Borders is having financial problems.

There used to be an Open Book on N. Main, until at least the early 1980s- I'd guess that the store has dirt-cheap rent at Pleasantburg Shopping Center but how many people actually go there? The Open Book was "the place" until Barnes & Noble moved to town- there were Open Book stores at a few places around Greenville. I'd think that it could do well downtown, since it seemed to when it was there before.

[Greenville]

The only "chain" bookstore I could see coming downtown would be that one that has a branch at SouthPark in Charlotte- I can't remember the name. Borders is having financial problems.

You are thinking of Joseph Beth Booksellers.

http://www.josephbeth.com/Landing.aspx

[GvilleSC]

I'm sure that this has been mentioned before, but the building that houses Atlanta Bread Co. on North Main looks a million times better now that it's not pink and white. Its awkward balance of windows is much less noticeable and it's much more easy on the eyes now.