Vacant storefronts in downtown Memphis

[DoctorGonzo]

I actually started an earlier post on the subject of opening up Main Street. I think it would really help street level retail, etc. on the street. There are streets in Houston that are just as tight, if not tighter, than Main Street than have light rail and vehicle traffic.

[bigshow1991]

i don't see how one would reason how just adding traffic would increase businesses. Peabody Place is one of the bussiest places downtown, and they are having trouble with finding stores. Even Beale St. has a few empty properties.

[Rardy]

i don't see how one would reason how just adding traffic would increase businesses. Peabody Place is one of the bussiest places downtown, and they are having trouble with finding stores. Even Beale St. has a few empty properties.

[tennreb]

I'm not sure adding traffic would be that much of a help. For one, it would likely eliminate or at least cut back on the outdoor dining on the street. I really like walking down Main. If they could spend $1 million beefing up security to eliminate panhandlers, it would have a huge effect on the street activity. I'm used to the panhandlers, but I find myself walking faster and with purpose in order to avoid them. It is impossible to just browse the street or take a stroll.

[memphica]

Traffic is not the key to business, while accessibility is great I'd pass 10 things easy to get to for the 1 that is worth getting too. Product what is there making me want to go??? That is the questions we have to ask. Safety that is another, while I personally would go down main any time of day i would not take my wife and 15 month old son. Private security, better lighting and stores that don't close when the sun goes down.

[fearlessvk]

Let's not overstate the "safety" and "panhandling" problems on Main St. I am a single woman, and I *do* stroll on Main St - every day and often at night too. Since I'm blessed with a job that has summer vacations, lately I've been taking 1.5 hour walks every single day all over downtown - I zigzag off Main of course but oftentimes I'm just walking up and down Main. I just got back from walking from Union and Main to South Main (couple blocks past G.E. Patterson) and then back up to Uptown all on main st, then back to the core via front st.

In all these lengthy walks all over downtown I've never once encountered any problems. Nothing.

Have people asked me for money? Yes.

Have drunk men occasionally made lewd comments to me? Yes. On Main Street....but also at the Flying Saucer. Hell, some of the drunk men making lewd comments at the Flying Saucer are the same ones who complain about how the panhandlers make lewd comments at women on Main St. Go figure.

Has any of this been a major issue? No. Has any of this made me rethink my decision to live alone downtown? No. Would I feel better living out east somewhere? ABSOLUTELY NOT.

Now I don't want to underplay other peoples' worries and if people are really uncomfortable because of panhandling then that is a concern. But if panhandling were an insurmountable obstacle to a lively retail district, then it's a miracle how places like SF, Portland, Vancouver, Montreal, and Washington D.C. support so much retail. Maybe it has to do with differing levels of tolerance and comfort in different parts of the country around that kind of street life, so maybe it's fair to say it's a bigger problem here than it might be elsewhere.

Anyhow, apropos of downtown retail, apparently TrackCouture, a store specializing in NASCAR-themed womens' clothing, will be opening on Main St. So, um....is that a good thing???? I guess anything is good at this point, but...... NASCAR-themed womens' clothing? Really? That's awfully, um, niche.

[tennreb]

Let's not overstate the "safety" and "panhandling" problems on Main St. I am a single woman, and I *do* stroll on Main St - every day and often at night too. Since I'm blessed with a job that has summer vacations, lately I've been taking 1.5 hour walks every single day all over downtown - I zigzag off Main of course but oftentimes I'm just walking up and down Main. I just got back from walking from Union and Main to South Main (couple blocks past G.E. Patterson) and then back up to Uptown all on main st, then back to the core via front st.

In all these lengthy walks all over downtown I've never once encountered any problems. Nothing.

Have people asked me for money? Yes.

Have drunk men occasionally made lewd comments to me? Yes. On Main Street....but also at the Flying Saucer. Hell, some of the drunk men making lewd comments at the Flying Saucer are the same ones who complain about how the panhandlers make lewd comments at women on Main St. Go figure.

Has any of this been a major issue? No. Has any of this made me rethink my decision to live alone downtown? No. Would I feel better living out east somewhere? ABSOLUTELY NOT.

Now I don't want to underplay other peoples' worries and if people are really uncomfortable because of panhandling then that is a concern. But if panhandling were an insurmountable obstacle to a lively retail district, then it's a miracle how places like SF, Portland, Vancouver, Montreal, and Washington D.C. support so much retail. Maybe it has to do with differing levels of tolerance and comfort in different parts of the country around that kind of street life, so maybe it's fair to say it's a bigger problem here than it might be elsewhere.

Anyhow, apropos of downtown retail, apparently TrackCouture, a store specializing in NASCAR-themed womens' clothing, will be opening on Main St. So, um....is that a good thing???? I guess anything is good at this point, but...... NASCAR-themed womens' clothing? Really? That's awfully, um, niche.

[fearlessvk]

I have not encountered any serious problems with the panhandlers, but I did have a friend that was attacked by one after he refused to give him money. Still, it makes me unconfortable and annoyed having to deal with them, and I'm sure a lot more people have stronger feelings about it than I do. A significant number of Memphians won't even come downtown because of it. Regardless of how sorry you feel for them, they are really hurting downtown. And allowing them to panhandle doesn't help them at all. It actually hurts them. Why do you want this behavior to continue?

[DoctorGonzo]

So, to try and remain on-topic, I'll ask about TrackCouture again - is this the kind of retail we want to see in downtown Memphis? Or, at this point in the game, does it not even matter what kind of retail we see? Is any retail good retail? Do we have to have lots of retail before we can afford to be picky?

[Fellowmann20]

I think that Main Street should be left as it is. I always like walking up and down it, and its one of the few streets downtown that has trees on it.

[northernbizzkit1]

I like how Main Street is right now...it seems like so much retail is heading into South Main whereas more and more residential is going into the portion closed to car traffic. Even in this part, the retail is almost like end caps to the street because most of the restaurants are on the corners of Main and Union or Main and Peabody Place. I think it works the way it is. I gotta say, tho...I like how Main is slowly becoming the destination shopping street to downtown. I don't think it's really 5th Avenue or Newbury Street; it's more SoHo if anything...and that's good!

[Rural King]

I think the TrackCounture is a fine concept. Will it work on South Main? I hope so. I mean if it was successful would that demean South Main? I think not.

The store apparently already has a internet portion that is up and running, this will be its first physical store and its HQ. The internet side may already be doing well enough to sustain a storefront for quite awhile as it gets established.

NASCAR is quite popular beyond what folks would like to give it credit. I know I watch a NASCAR virtually every Sunday with my girlfriend, who is a huge fan - thus a potential customer when we are Memphis. Something to think about when factoring in the appeal of such a store, even in downtown Memphis.

[Rardy]

I think we all know that Peabody Place has been struggling lately...and the departure of Ann Taylor Loft isn't helping that a bit. But an article in today's CA talks about Belz's plans to possibly bring in upscale outlet stores to the mall.

Personally, I think that would be terrific, and a great way to get suburbanites DT.

Article here>>

[tennreb]

I think we all know that Peabody Place has been struggling lately...and the departure of Ann Taylor Loft isn't helping that a bit. But an article in today's CA talks about Belz's plans to possibly bring in upscale outlet stores to the mall.

Personally, I think that would be terrific, and a great way to get suburbanites DT.

Article here>>

[northernbizzkit1]

I really hope they do this right, if it goes to outlets...in keeping with the restaurants and surrounding areas, I hope they go for decent outlets like Off 5th, J. Crew, Brooks Brothers, and stuff like that. If I remember correctly, Burke's is pretty junky. I'm glad they reference the Peabody expansion in the article...nothing too definite...I hope they take the vacant land by the Peabody Place Tower just because it'd get rid of another surface parking lot.

[Rural King]

I noticed the other day that the Tower Record location on West End in Nashville was now a FYE Music Store, which made me wonder if they had looked at taking over the Peabody Place location. It seems like a great location for a music store with its frontage to a lot of foot-traffic (tourist and otherwise). Any idea how well that Tower Records did? It seemed to be about as busy as most any other high-end name music store I ever go into in Nashville or Memphis.

As for the outlet mall idea, hey if it can possibly turn a profit and get customers coming through the doors then its a great idea to explore IMO. Sales are sales and tax revenue is tax revenue. The type of mall or stores within it I think will have little bearing on the surrounding developments.

On a side-note, the closing of 8 screens in the mall does not suprise me. A few screens in a downtown venue is great, but too many is just asking for empty theatres. There is simply to many other things to do downtown for the tourist and customer trade that comes downtown.

[northernbizzkit1]

On a side-note, the closing of 8 screens in the mall does not suprise me. A few screens downtown venue is great, but too many is just asking for empty theatres. There is simply to many other things to do downtown for the tourist and customer trade that comes downtown.

[Rardy]

Agreed. I'm curious as to how the hotel could expand to the former theatre site, tho.

[northernbizzkit1]

It couldn't be that hard... I mean you have some pretty large spaces, so you don't have to worry about load-bearing walls or anything like that. You could pretty much subdivide however you wanted.

I think the most difficult part might be leveling the floors...

Most of those theaters would make great conference/banquet facilities... You'd have a pretty sweet screen projection and sound system too!

[The Memphian]

I really hope they do this right, if it goes to outlets...in keeping with the restaurants and surrounding areas, I hope they go for decent outlets like Off 5th, J. Crew, Brooks Brothers, and stuff like that. If I remember correctly, Burke's is pretty junky. I'm glad they reference the Peabody expansion in the article...nothing too definite...I hope they take the vacant land by the Peabody Place Tower just because it'd get rid of another surface parking lot.

[northernbizzkit1]

I agree I am hoping they do this right as well. I travel to Prime Outlets in Lebanon, TN twice a year and have been waiting for upscale outlets to come here. It would really be great to have an Off 5th saks, Polo Ralph Lauren, Fossil etc. How does the panel see Neiman Marcus last Call succeding downtown? I hope they release more info on when this will happen soon.