Downtown retail

[Manolos]

H&M is very likely. They are undergoing HUGE US operations. I think people in the US right now hold H&M at some sort of high-end position because they seem few and scattered, however, in the northeast, H&Ms are at a lot of malls. In Europe, they are as common as the Gap. H&M has plans to exponentially increase their number of stores in the US within these next couple years. I think Nashville, in the direction its going, can definitely land an H&M, most likely at the Mall at Green Hills.

[marckrejci]

I think Nashville, in the direction its going, can definitely land an H&M, most likely at the Mall at Green Hills.

[NewTowner]

H&M is very likely. They are undergoing HUGE US operations. I think people in the US right now hold H&M at some sort of high-end position because they seem few and scattered, however, in the northeast, H&Ms are at a lot of malls. In Europe, they are as common as the Gap. H&M has plans to exponentially increase their number of stores in the US within these next couple years. I think Nashville, in the direction its going, can definitely land an H&M, most likely at the Mall at Green Hills.

[Manolos]

The thing about H&M is, they are opening dozens of H&Ms simultaneously, and most of these are not going in urban areas, rather the suburbs. In Phoenix alone, H&M is in talks with 4 separate locations. Given the facts that you have shown, I wouldn't be surprised if in the near future, both malls land an H&M.

[bhamsly]

I just wanted to add my two cents. I live in Birmingham and I know that Nashville has a larger metro population base than Birmingham, however, I don't understand how you guys don't get some of the things that we get have we get them. I know that you all have things that we don't have here, however, I know a lot of the stores that you all talk about, have looked at Birmingham such as Nordstrom's and Crate and Barrel because the high interest from this area, yet they have said in the past that Birmingham just doesn't have a high enough population. I know that we have a very large number of wealthy people so that is not an issue. I also don't see why Nashville doesn't have anything like Saks 5th Ave (high-end retailer), Macy's before their merger, CPK-California Pizza Kitchen (we have 2), Louis Vuitton (we have a small boutique inside of Saks), World Market (we have 2), lifestyle centers (The Summit and The Pinnacle), etc. I would expect you all to be like Atlanta and get everything before Birmingham. If there is something in Nashville before Birmingham, we soon will get at least one of them. People here are desperate for Tiffany & Co. in which you have at The Mall at Green Hills. Brombergs (a Tiffany-type store with many locations in Birmingham) has pretty much taken over Birmingham, not allowing Tiffany's a location in some of Birmingham's wealtiest areas. The Summit, Birmingham's upscale lifestyle center, has Brombergs and everyone is wondering where a Tiffany's would locate(even though Birmingham has numerous wealthy areas and shopping areas) since The Summit and Mountain Brook(one of the wealthiest cities in the country) both have Brombergs. Perhaps we will get some of the other retailers that you all have in your Green Hills Mall in The Summit's planned 5th expansion.

[convulso]

^ dude...what's your question? why doesn't nashville have some of the things bham has? why doesn't bham have some of the things nashville has? bham has a wealth demo, sure, but what city doesn't? hell, even detroit has wealth out the azz, and people stereotype it as a washed-up rust belt town.

i'm a bham fanatic - believe me - but i don't see the point of this post. not being critical; i just literally don't understand what you're trying to say. bham doesn't have tiffany and nashville does? nashville doesn't have macy's and bham does? so where do we go from there?

i think the days are gone when bham is a 'competitor' with nashville, let alone atlanta. let bham be what it is. it's my favorite city in this world. but i don't think it's appropriate to come on a nashville retail thread and boost it. i doubt nashvillians care.

my apology if i have misunderstood you.

[Richard Lawson]

I believe a California Pizza Kitchen will be opening sometime this year in Nashville but in the Green Hills area. At least that's what I remember reading. Isn't it one of the restaurants coming to the Hills Center? My partner works at a CPK here and his boss told him they were opening a location in Nashville in August. So that should be just around the corner.

I'm completely shocked there isn't a Crate & Barrel in Nashville.

[ATLBrain]

I don't claim to understand the thinking of retailers' planning for new markets. However, I suspect that they tend to follow the pack more than blaze new trails (understandable given the large investments required). I've noted one opinion above about CS and GH diluting their "total" potential b/c of the distance between them (15 miles?). Another theory is that they get trailing information on demographics for markets that they're not already in. I found Marckrejci's info quite interesting, but I was wondering if it was based on 2000 figures or 2005.

Having lived most of my life in Atlanta, I have seen suburban malls pop up (seemingly) indiscrimately. I'm too young to remember when we didn't have a SFA or L&T or NM to shop, but I remember the more recent additions and they followed the pack to the shopping "meccas"... C&B, Nord, even Borders when it first came here in the early 90s. Interestingly, retail follows rooftops and Green Hills apparently hasn't added the rooftops (however they do have the density). In contrast, Cool Springs has the growth, but it's not a tested market for high end (like SFA or NM etc.). So given that scenario, the high end stores will NOT come to NSH until Mall of GH expands to allow their presence there. Once the other companies see the success of the ultras... Cool Springs will come around a bit later with the second-tiers like Nordstrom and Bloomies.

One more thing about GH, there have been rumors of a hotel there for years now. Apparently, John Rochford of Bedford Place fame is ready to go ahead. I do think one will be essential to lure shoppers from other cities in the region like B'ham, Louisville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, etc.... b/c that's the kind of stores they are (somebody called them destination stores). I wonder what kind of rumors Richard may have heard lately. Names, plans, etc.?

[bhamsly]

I just wanted to add my two cents. I live in Birmingham and I know that Nashville has a larger metro population base than Birmingham, however, I don't understand how you guys don't get some of the things that we get have we get them. I know that you all have things that we don't have here, however, I know a lot of the stores that you all talk about, have looked at Birmingham such as Nordstrom's and Crate and Barrel because the high interest from this area, yet they have said in the past that Birmingham just doesn't have a high enough population. I know that we have a very large number of wealthy people so that is not an issue. I also don't see why Nashville doesn't have anything like Saks 5th Ave (high-end retailer), Macy's before their merger, CPK-California Pizza Kitchen (we have 2), Louis Vuitton (we have a small boutique inside of Saks), World Market (we have 2), lifestyle centers (The Summit and The Pinnacle), etc. I would expect you all to be like Atlanta and get everything before Birmingham. If there is something in Nashville before Birmingham, we soon will get at least one of them. People here are desperate for Tiffany & Co. in which you have at The Mall at Green Hills. Brombergs (a Tiffany-type store with many locations in Birmingham) has pretty much taken over Birmingham, not allowing Tiffany's a location in some of Birmingham's wealtiest areas. The Summit, Birmingham's upscale lifestyle center, has Brombergs and everyone is wondering where a Tiffany's would locate(even though Birmingham has numerous wealthy areas and shopping areas) since The Summit and Mountain Brook(one of the wealthiest cities in the country) both have Brombergs. Perhaps we will get some of the other retailers that you all have in your Green Hills Mall in The Summit's planned 5th expansion.

[convulso]

ah, i see what you're getting at. i apparently read your earlier post with crossed eyes.

my apologies - sorry to have misunderstood your intent.

[Manolos]

CPK is like any other restaurant, simply looks for openings. I dont think that really has to do with the population as nashville metro isnt that much larger than birmingham metro. Retail looks at a lot of things before opening, location, demographics, other retailers around. Simply put, much of the reason the Summit has a Saks is because Saks was headquartered in alabama. Given that and your discussion of luxury retail, not too sure why you are confused as Nashville gets basically everything before Birmingham. Nashville has only seen an explosion of luxury retail recently where green hills saw a number of stores open up this past year.

Also, there is a freestanding LV boutique in green hills. There are also World Markets outside Nashville in TN.

Similarly, I don't think Tiffany's is hesitating to enter the market because of a local retailer. There are many factors to consider before a luxury retailer enters a market.

[Lexy]

Myself and many of my 20/30-something aged friends reguarly make road trips to Atlanta, St. Louis, and Chicago to visit stores like H&M, Crate & Barrel and Ikea BECAUSE they're very affordable and trendy. I wouldn't call these stores high end, by any means. We go there to save a buck but stay in style.

Each time we do this (and I'm sure we're not alone), we're taking our "tourist" dollars out of Nashville and into these cities. Nashville has a growing younger marketplace, and this should be embraced by retailers and developers to keep consumers like myself from taking those dollars outside of our MSA.

[marckrejci]

I found Marckrejci's info quite interesting, but I was wondering if it was based on 2000 figures or 2005.

[bwithers1]

H&M also builds urban stores, all the bleedin' time. The last thing Nashvillians should want is a suburban or mall-based H&M, when perfectly nice urban getups exist all over the country and world.

[memphian]

Have we seen any office-to-condo conversions yet? While I will agree that National retailers can add a lot of draw to an area I'd still like to see some local stuff too. The only problem with local retailers is that they're assortments can be really niche-specific.

Also, we tend to look at retail as purely a store selling goods. Do interior design firms (something that could be attracted to the new housing boom downtown) count as retail? O'Moore or Watkins Institute should really look into opening a school-run business for design. O'Moore could even go a step further and have a clothing store showcasing student designers.

Maybe it is a daydream but it seems doable if the conditions are correct.

Other local/regional retailers I'd like to see downtown in the CBD:

American Ace Coffee Shops (we have an awesome homegrown brand that needs some new life)

Gus Mayer (expanded store offerings like in Bham - could be an anchor of sorts)

Metropolitan Deluxe (left Green Hills but downtown could be a fun place)

Davis Kidd (is Nashville big enough to have a smaller location in DT?)

Also downtown needs a source for daily home needs like soft goods (towels, sheets, blah blah)

Dollar General could also spruce up their space.

-just some ideas.

[thanner]

Downtown sorely needs a good bookstore. I would even settle for a great newsstand that sells lots of magazine titles, including international stuff that's hard to find elsewhere. I'm surprised that there's not one single bookstore downtown. When I buy my daily New York Times I have to get it at Starbucks or Walgreens in the Arcade. Although I'd like to see an independent retailer move in, I think a downtown Barnes and Noble would be wonderful for downtown workers and residents, and it would definitely be motivation for other retailers to move in the CBD.

[Nashvillain]

Downtown sorely needs a good bookstore. I would even settle for a great newsstand that sells lots of magazine titles, including international stuff that's hard to find elsewhere. I'm surprised that there's not one single bookstore downtown. When I buy my daily New York Times I have to get it at Starbucks or Walgreens in the Arcade. Although I'd like to see an independent retailer move in, I think a downtown Barnes and Noble would be wonderful for downtown workers and residents, and it would definitely be motivation for other retailers to move in the CBD.

[elguapo731]

My wife and I considered opening up an independent bookstore downtown. We did our research and found that it prob wouldnt do too well right away, the risk was greater than we were willing to accept. Bookstores are pretty hard to get off the ground and very hard to maintain at a profitable level. Nationwide bookstores haven't been doing to well as less and less people are actually reading. We were looking at the old Ranstad location at St. Clouds. I still think this would be a perfect location for one but I won't be the one opening it up.

Most availiable spaces downtown are pretty small. I believe a used bookstore could possibly make it since they require smaller spaces and overhead is a lot lower. A store similar to the one in Cummings Station or a Rhino Books could probably do well but my wife and I felt more living had to open up downtown before a bookstore could become profitable.

[thanner]

My wife and I considered opening up an independent bookstore downtown. We did our research and found that it prob wouldnt do too well right away, the risk was greater than we were willing to accept. Bookstores are pretty hard to get off the ground and very hard to maintain at a profitable level. Nationwide bookstores haven't been doing to well as less and less people are actually reading. We were looking at the old Ranstad location at St. Clouds. I still think this would be a perfect location for one but I won't be the one opening it up.

Most availiable spaces downtown are pretty small. I believe a used bookstore could possibly make it since they require smaller spaces and overhead is a lot lower. A store similar to the one in Cummings Station or a Rhino Books could probably do well but my wife and I felt more living had to open up downtown before a bookstore could become profitable.

[ATLBrain]

Anybody been to Powells in Portland, OR? Or Half-Price, Book Nook or McKays closer to home... it's the kind of place that would do well near the gulch. I wouldn't be surprised if one of the national chains pioneers the gulch with a store. I could see that well before other big retail. Can you imagine if Davis-Kidd opened on the first two levels of the ICON or comparable building?

[Jeeper12]

Anybody been to Powells in Portland, OR? Or Half-Price, Book Nook or McKays closer to home... it's the kind of place that would do well near the gulch. I wouldn't be surprised if one of the national chains pioneers the gulch with a store. I could see that well before other big retail. Can you imagine if Davis-Kidd opened on the first two levels of the ICON or comparable building?

[FromParkAveToTN]

Do you guys think a Hugo Boss and a store like THE SHOP () would do well downtown?

[Jeeper12]

Do you guys think a Hugo Boss and a store like THE SHOP () would do well downtown?

[thanner]

Do you guys think a Hugo Boss and a store like THE SHOP () would do well downtown?

[ariesjow]

No way. Nashville is a LONG way from having upscale retailers downtown. If we got a Hugo Boss it would be at Green Hills or the Galleria. I doubt we'd get a Hugo Boss--but I was surprised when LV and Tiffany moved here. Now I think a lot more high-end stores would move here if GH had the space.

I'm not familiar with THE SHOP, but looking at their Web site, they would be a better fit in our city. Their stuff is a little high-end for us, but we have stores like highbrow furniture that have done well on 8th Ave South, for instance.

I honestly just don't see national retailers moving to downtown Nashville. Our tourists aren't going to shop at Banana Republic or Urban Outfitters, like the tourists in Portland or Miami do. I've talked to the workers at American Apparel on Broadway and at least one clerk said she thought the store location was a mistake--they should have located in Hillsboro Village or even the Elliston Place area. According to her, tourists walk in and are immediately baffled by this trendy clothing store amidst the kitschy souvenir shops.