The State of Downtown Retail

[Greenville]

Well, it is going to be a distillery called Dark Corner Distillery so I don't think they can make Scotch, which I am sure is supposed to come from Scotland. Moonshine is the local spirit, isn't it?

Upscale moonshine, of course. The location is across the street from the Hyatt.

LOL, well I'm assuming that they are planning on offering more than just what they can make there. Otherwise, they will only sell 3-4 things, right? And that would be bad.

[GVLbikeNboard]

"micro-distillery" coming to old G magazine space?

http://www.mycroburs...13/draft/443847

Interesting! Can't wait to see how that goes.

Moonshine is the local spirit, isn't it?

Upscale moonshine, of course. The location is across the street from the Hyatt.

mmmmm. Moonshine and sprite. They work surprisingly well together.

[gs3]

"micro-distillery" coming to old G magazine space?

http://www.mycroburs...13/draft/443847

Should be an excellent addition to Main Street.

[gman430]

Well this looks interesting: http://www.greenvillesc.gov/PlanningZoning/PlanningApplications/Applications/2011/MARCH/BoardofZoningAppeals/03-17-2011/S-11-35-1AugustaStreet.pdf

[GvilleSC]

Well this looks interesting: http://www.greenvillesc.gov/PlanningZoning/PlanningApplications/Applications/2011/MARCH/BoardofZoningAppeals/03-17-2011/S-11-35-1AugustaStreet.pdf

I wish them well! Hopefully their strategy and offerings will make them a long term tenant for this somewhat hidden location. "The Velo Fellow"... I LIKE the name!

[gs3]

Well this looks interesting: http://www.greenvillesc.gov/PlanningZoning/PlanningApplications/Applications/2011/MARCH/BoardofZoningAppeals/03-17-2011/S-11-35-1AugustaStreet.pdf

Like the name, logo and the tagline.

What is currently in that space?

[Galley]

Like the name, logo and the tagline.

What is currently in that space?

Isn't that the former ice cream place by the entrance to Mellow Mushroom?

[GvilleSC]

Isn't that the former ice cream place by the entrance to Mellow Mushroom?

I was thinking it was the place downstairs that opens off the back of the West End Market..?

[Birdbrain]

I was thinking it was the place downstairs that opens off the back of the West End Market..?

Agreed. The application clearly indicates building space that 'Shroom is currently in, so it MUST be downstairs. (I simply can't imagine Mellow Mushroom leaving that location. Have you ever tried to get at table on a weekend night?)

Velo looks quite interesting!

[B&R]

Agreed. The application clearly indicates building space that 'Shroom is currently in, so it MUST be downstairs. (I simply can't imagine Mellow Mushroom leaving that location. Have you ever tried to get at table on a weekend night?)

Velo looks quite interesting!

The application says the space is currently vacant and also mentions that the owners are current owners and managers of Mellow Mushroom franchises in Greenville, Spartanburg, and Columbia. I am sure the idea is to create something for a somewhat different crowd than the usual MM clientele. Obviously convenient to try a new business so close to your existing operations.

[goodbye]

It's probably going into the space recently vacated by Red Clay Cafe.

Does anyone know if Saffron's Sidewalk Cafe still owns the space under Smoke on the Water?

[Danmire]

Does anyone know if Saffron's Sidewalk Cafe still owns the space under Smoke on the Water?

Coffee to a Tea moved from West Greenville into that space.

[GVLbikeNboard]

Coffee to a Tea moved from West Greenville into that space.

Good to know...I had no idea they moved.

[gman430]

Opening soon in yellow building just across Main Street from Liquid Highway:

[goodbye]

Does anyone know when Cabin Floor Records opened? I hadn't heard about it until this morning.

[goodbye]

There was a discussion earlier in this thread about Wal-Mart's latest small format stores and what impact such a store would have on Greenville's downtown area.

Here is a related article from Business News Daily, in which the debate continues as Wal-Mart launches its latest concept in Arkansas. Some small businesses are confident (or at least hopeful) that their customers will pay a little more money for better customer service.

http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/walmart-small-store-1096/

Edited March 17, 2011 by Skyliner

[GvilleSC]

There's lots of stuff on next month's DPC agenda. Most of it is proposals for signs, and renovations. There are two things of interest to me, though:

-Mac's Speed Shop will open in the West End across from the Fieldhouse. I'm a little concerned about their design, but it does still have the DPC to go through. It doesn't seem to fit the urban fabric and arrangement of Greenville, much less Main Street. But we'll see... here's the app: Mac's Speed Shop

-Also, Kozani Restaurant & Bar wants to add a banner sign and a mural on the exterior of the building. The images attached to the application seem really strange to me. Check it out: Kozani

What do you guys think?

[gman430]

I don't really have a problem with Mac's Speed Shop (exception would be the parking lot...get rid of it) seeing how it would go where an abandoned or at least abandoned looking building currently sits in the West End. However, that Kozani proposal makes me want to hurl. That mural or whatever it is does NOT belong on Main Street and looks way out of place. Just too busy looking in my opinion.

Edited March 19, 2011 by citylife

[GvilleSC]

I don't really have a problem with Mac's Speed Shop (exception would be the parking lot...get rid of it) seeing how it would go where an abandoned or at least abandoned looking building currently sits in the West End. However, that Kozani proposal makes me want to hurl. That mural or whatever it is does NOT belong on Main Street and looks way out of place. Just too busy looking in my opinion.

That's my biggest problem with Mac's. There seems to be an entry condition coming from the side of the building, which suggests an idea that parking will, or (they believe) should, always be the use of that space. Secondly, why not operate like EVERY other restaurant downtown and use the functionality of the wide sidewalk for your dining? If it's raining, people probably won't be outside anyway. Sun protection: umbrella.

[krazeeboi]

There's lots of stuff on next month's DPC agenda. Most of it is proposals for signs, and renovations. There are two things of interest to me, though:

-Mac's Speed Shop will open in the West End across from the Fieldhouse. I'm a little concerned about their design, but it does still have the DPC to go through. It doesn't seem to fit the urban fabric and arrangement of Greenville, much less Main Street. But we'll see... here's the app: Mac's Speed Shop

I'm guessing that this is how all of their venues are set up since the proposed design seems almost identical to the one in Charlotte at the very tip of SouthEnd on South Blvd: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=2511+South+Boulevard+Charlotte,+NC+28203-5011&layer=c&sll=35.202942,-80.864358&cbp=13,121.95,,0,0.04&cbll=35.203131,-80.864731&hl=en&gl=us&sspn=0.006295,0.006295&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=2511+South+Blvd,+Charlotte,+Mecklenburg,+North+Carolina+28203&ll=35.203129,-80.864729&spn=0.003796,0.009645&z=17&panoid=uPPW_N2MComm0yz7f75-aA

[GvilleSC]

I'm guessing that this is how all of their venues are set up since the proposed design seems almost identical to the one in Charlotte at the very tip of SouthEnd on South Blvd: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=2511+South+Boulevard+Charlotte,+NC+28203-5011&layer=c&sll=35.202942,-80.864358&cbp=13,121.95,,0,0.04&cbll=35.203131,-80.864731&hl=en&gl=us&sspn=0.006295,0.006295&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=2511+South+Blvd,+Charlotte,+Mecklenburg,+North+Carolina+28203&ll=35.203129,-80.864729&spn=0.003796,0.009645&z=17&panoid=uPPW_N2MComm0yz7f75-aA

Interesting. That makes me disapprove even more. They have the opportunity to add so much atmosphere to the Fluor Field area (I'm thinking something akin to what Barley's and Wild Wings offers to Washington Street) if only they would put their dining out front. Plus, being near the southwestern most terminus of Main Street, they could use the umbrellas and tables to help grab attention from the more patronized portions of the street.

Downtown Greenville is in NO way lacking dining options. It's going to be GREAT to have this old, vacant storefront renovated and occupied, but let's not reinvent the district's feel. This wouldn't fly across the river, and it shouldn't fly here, IMO. Thoughts???

[vicupstate]

There nothing to say they couldn't have outside dining on the sidewalk as well. Plus, from the looks of it, the sidewalk couldn't accomodate as many people as their side porch.

What is the difference between what they are seeking to do versus what Pomegranate or Zen already do?

[goodbye]

I actually like the Kozani mural idea. It would be different, but perhaps in a good way - something interesting to look at rather than another boring, blank wall (not that I sit or stand and stare at them, lol). While such images may seem out of place now, it could become the next unique landmark people recognize along Greenville's award-winning Main Street, not to mention a potential traffic generator for the restaurant.

Edited March 21, 2011 by Skyliner

[GvilleSC]

What is the difference between what they are seeking to do versus what Pomegranate or Zen already do?

Pomegranate's only entrance is from Main Street (not egress, but entrance). Side dining is fine, but I don't like the fact that they're proposing an additional side entrance and a significant amount of seating on the side of the building. It's taking most, if not all, of the proposed business' energy and placing it out of public zone of the sidewalk.

The proposal's new entrance faces a parking lot. Maybe I'm the only one who seems to think that there's a lack of respect for the setting by orientating a door away from the street. It's not for egress, so it's purely a desire by the owner's, and the drawings do say that it's a new door in a new opening. Doors that access side dining are fine on a edge condition. Entries are not, IMO.

Another beef of mine is with the sign. I think it's neat, but then again, this area has never been a commercial corridor akin to Laurens Rd. There's never been the need to attract attention of drivers going 50 down what used to be Pendleton Street. Why now? Why is there a vehicular/service station scaled sign being proposed? It's just shy of 28 feet tall, and not mounted on the building. If it's not authentic to its past, need, or scale, then it's hokey.

There just seems to me to be so many glaring issues that don't build upon the details of what Greenville has to offer. The only thing I really see this scheme having researched and respected is the success of downtown, the number of people that it attracts, and trying to play on that to make money.

Maybe it's just me.

[Greenville]

This corner location has so much potential. I always envisioned something multi-story and mixed use going there, to complement what we already have at the Field House. What's proposed seems like a waste of very prime land. Sure, it's better than an abandoned building and parking lot that formerly housed a wrecker service, but it falls well short of what it could be.

I hope the DPC does the right thing and denies this mediocre proposal.