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Companies that we would like to see downtown

Yankee Fan

By Yankee Fan
in Grand Rapids

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Scott4515 Crossroads

Scott4515

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From everyone's responses I really like the idea of ESPN Zone since this is a sports town that flies under the radar of typical sports town. Some other ideas would be:

Restaurants:

1. Potbelly's

2. If you want breakfast Au Bon Pain(Washington DC) is a great place to have coffee and eat pastries and other breakfast specialties.

3. O'Naturals (based out of Portland, Maine uses all natural and organic products)

Electronics:

1. Apple Store (great idea)

2. I would choose FYE over Best Buy or Circuit City

Entertainment

*Only one idea and thats a movie theatre. When your options are at Alpine,28th St, and Grandville we need one in the heart of downtown. You could even have it with an IMAX.

Extras

1. The Gap (if East Lansing can do it downtown then so can we)

2. The Cheesecake Factory

3. Dicks Sports

4. Family Video (only other option is the far west end of Leonard)

5. BW3 (once again east lansing has one so can we)

6. Bath & Body Works (even as a guy I can understand the market. You need something to bring women downtown just as much the guys)

...and last but not least and I may be going out on a limb but we should have a Gameworks! I seen it in Detroit and it was a blast.

Any of these would be amazing and since I write for Revue I want at least one of them to come so I can report on it.

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jas49503 Hamlet

jas49503

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Another piece I would have liked to post here was from a few weeks back about what is happening at malls with smaller more specialized stores going in where some of the old staples are failing. I haven't been able to locate those articles. Did anyone else read that? I would hate to see downtown Grand Rapids start with a model that is on it's way out.
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FilmMaker Whistle-Stop

FilmMaker

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Am I the only one who is mortified by the notion of so many homogenized national retailers being suggested? Sure doesn't sound like the way to create a unique destination identity for downtown GR when these suggestions are all already repeated ad nauseum around the city's perimeter... How in the world would these chain retailers make GR any different from any other mall development - let alone other cities?

Electronics

1. Apple

2. Best Buy - BIG BOX CHAIN

3. Circuit City - BIG BOX CHAIN

Furniture

1. Crate and Barrel/CB2 - CHAIN

2. Pottery Barn - CHAIN

3. Art Van (why aren't they downtown?) - BIG BOX CHAIN

Pharmacy/Grocery

1. Whole Foods

2. Meijer - BIG FOOTPRINT

3. Walgreens/CVS - CHAIN

Restaurant/Food

1. Bennigans - CHAIN

2. Panera Bread - CHAIN

3. Dairy Queen - CHAIN

Entertainment

1. Movie Theater

2. Indoor Rollerskating Arena

3. Arcade/Laser Tag room

Clothing/Apparel

1. Urban Outfitters - CHAIN

2. Gap - CHAIN

3. JcPenney - CHAIN

Misc

- Shoe Store

- Music Store (Instruments, etc)

- Sushi Bar

- Indoor Water Park

- Farmers Market

- Boat/Canoe Rentals

- Fishing Store

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witulski Unincorporated Area

witulski

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I agree - even the mighty "evil corporations" like McDonalds and Disney started with a local yokel with a pipe dream.

That said, some of the suggestions are a little strange - a FOURTH Best Buy in Grand Rapids? I don't think that's gonna be a big draw to downtown. At least an FYE, as mentioned above, would be a new store for the area instead of another Best Buy or Circuit City. Maybe these suggestions are coming from downtown folks who'd just like some closer versions of the stuff on 44th or Alpine?

I noticed that Apple and Whole Foods escaped the "chain" label in that post too... but - at least to me - they come off more like "destination" stores than the other chains do. These stores seem to inspire a little awe, or fandom, or loyalty, I don't know what to call it; that heightened interest level would make them work well as anchor stores for downtown. Perhaps that's why they got a pass in that list...? I might even count Crate & Barrel in with them myself, they seem like they could have that "air" about them... maybe an American Apparel... Dave & Buster's possibly... Trader Joe's (ah, if only)... In & Out Burger (okay, now I'm just dreaming)

Downtown, to me, needs a couple places with that "destination" feel instead of being loaded with more Best Buys & Circuit Citys. For instance, when Krispy Kreme opened down on 28th street, the line went around the building. Would opening day at Best Buy number 4 inspire that kind of excitement?

Oh, and I didn't know the Jimmy John's guys were around here... geez, it took them long enough to get a restaurant here

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blueradon Hamlet

blueradon

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Ok well since some people here started to take a hit towards my suggestions (and rightfully so in some aspects), I want to clarify that they are just suggestions. I'm not suggesting that every store that I put on that list MUST be in downtown and drive all the smaller stores out of the picture.

My point was in order for downtown to grow, you are going to need to set the tone for Grand Rapids as a place to shop. The only way you are going to GET more people to shop downtown is if there are places that they already shop in the malls that are a familiar name. Granted we need more local stores in there as well to have a good shopping diversity, but why are places like Michigan Ave in Chicago a very popular place?

I just wanted to provide a general idea of the types of stores that would fit well in GR. Best Buy and Circuit City would be a great store to put in downtown, unless there is a small local business that could do one better and setup their own electronics store downtown, that would even be better.

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jas49503 Hamlet

jas49503

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My point was in order for downtown to grow, you are going to need to set the tone for Grand Rapids as a place to shop. The only way you are going to GET more people to shop downtown is if there are places that they already shop in the malls that are a familiar name. Granted we need more local stores in there as well to have a good shopping diversity, but why are places like Michigan Ave in Chicago a very popular place?
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jas49503 Hamlet

jas49503

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I don't know if you need a ton of well known chain stores to generate shopping interest. look at downtown birmingham as an example. there are some chain stores but the majority of stores there are independent or little known chains. there is a ton of shopping activity. birmingham has good mix of shopping and eating as well as covienent parking (first two hours are free in all city lots/garages as well as metered street parking on every street) and is highly walkable. the entire downtown is probably 4 or 5 blocks square. downtown is also a very pleasant place to be which is important to make people want to walk around. obviously, there is no beggars, and everything is very clean.

I think that some stores like the GAP or something similar would be very helpful for convention business. I know, personally, about half the time I go somewhere for a convention that I will miss judge the amount clothes I packed or want to do something that I had not anticipated and it is nice to go to a familiar store to pick up a couple of items.

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witulski Unincorporated Area

witulski

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Michigan Avenue in Chicago is exactly what I was thinking of when I wrote about "destination" stores. The big draw stores there are not JCPenney, Best Buy, and Circuit City, but instead Neiman Marcus, Tiffany & Co, and Apple. Stores with a little bit of "ooh" and "ahh" to them. Stores that would bring a sort of "artistry" and civic pride that Best Buy, for all its usefulness, just wouldn't bring. In my opinion, one or a couple of those types of destination stores would really be a help to revitalizing downtown.

On the topic of artistry and civic pride, I'd love to see some showroom stores downtown from legendary locals Steelcase and Herman Miller.

Here's a Steelcase "Worklife Center" in London:

http://www.steelcase.com/na/london_england...ny.aspx?f=18686

290504e4e758417084f93bf1ec48d817.jpg

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Explorer Unincorporated Area

Explorer

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I really don't see the Best Buys and Circuit Citys of the world as an option at all. Not in this market, and not with how downtown is laid out. I think we are at a general consumer electronics saturation point. And by each of their numbers locally - I think they would both agree. Bottom line is: downtown can go many directions in terms of new retail draw - and they would all probably be an improvement. If a big box of any sort gets involved - personally I'd rather see something completely new to this market. Whether a Nordstroms, or Whole Foods, whatever... I'd rather have a company with new products, a new gimmick, a new feel altogether, and drive some excitement that way. Someone earlier alluded to the excitement that Krispy Kreme created when they opened up their store on 28th St. That was a big deal - who didn't know there opening date and jump in line soon thereafter?

Does anyone know of a comparable sized city that has a thriving downtown retail scene? I'm sure there are several great examples just waiting to be modeled after.

I don't care if they are big chains, local mom and pops, or whatever is in between - it's all growth, just keep the downtown feel.

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Prankster Burg

Prankster

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Am I the only one who is mortified by the notion of so many homogenized national retailers being suggested? Sure doesn't sound like the way to create a unique destination identity for downtown GR when these suggestions are all already repeated ad nauseum around the city's perimeter... How in the world would these chain retailers make GR any different from any other mall development - let alone other cities?
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