Metropolitan, Midtown Redevelopment

[Charlotte_native]

I think the city was so excited about the redevelopment of the site that they brushed aside any thoughts of making this project more pedestrian friendly, and dare I say, urban.

Combined with a propensity to approve anything offered up by any of the big developers in town regardless of whether is fits into planning or development strategies in place or whether the plans conform to urban ideals. This project is really coming off as just another shopping center that happens to have some condos and a skyline view.

I will say I like it far better than the old Midtown Mall and the capped creek.

[voyager12]

Hopefully the retail spaces that are supposed to be integrated alongside the greenway will help Met feel a bit more urban.

[NCN8ive]

Hopefully the retail spaces that are supposed to be integrated alongside the greenway will help Met feel a bit more urban.

I think this will be the case. I hope so anyway.

[Myrtle]

It should...it's definitely a step in the right direction, and with the revitalizations occurring everywhere around the 277 beltloop, it's bound to encourage developers N, S, E, & W of the loop.

[atlrvr]

Rumor is that there is supposed to be a West Elm coming to MetMidtown....West Elm is owned by the same people as Pottery Barn, but is a bit more modern in style.

[Neo]

Rumor is that there is supposed to be a West Elm coming to MetMidtown....West Elm is owned by the same people as Pottery Barn, but is a bit more modern in style.

That would be a great entrance into this market. IMO they have some nice products and would be the answer to a Crate & Barrel type store in close proximity to downtown.

[moving uptown]

That would be a great entrance into this market. IMO they have some nice products and would be the answer to a Crate & Barrel type store in close proximity to downtown.

west elm is like crate and barrel except cheaper (if i recall). i have bought some stuff from their catalogues and have been very impressed - how exciting for charlotte!

[DigitalSky]

West Elm* (not West End lol) will be a perfect complement to Midtown!!

Edited September 18, 2007 by DigitalSky

[Andyc545]

West End will be a perfect complement to Midtown!!

I was unfamiliar with West Elm so I just took a look at their website and am very impressed. Modern and cheap has my name written all over it.

[nyxmike]

The retail lineup is sort of reminding of Atlantic Station in Atlanta. H&M anyone?

[Raintree21]

Here is their website if anyone is interested.

[Andyc545]

Here is their website if anyone is interested.

It seems similar to Targets line in a way (modern and cheap). I wonder how these will do in a close proximity. I for one am extremely excited. I've been looking for the styles of EQ3 and ByDesign in south end without the extreme price tag. Very excited!

[lptk]

^ I think you'll be pleased with their stuff. In my experience Target and EQ3 (and Ikea) quality are about the same. By Design stuff is perhaps a bit better (some of it much better, but that's their very pricey stuff). West Elm merch I've purchased has been very good quality - much nicer than Target/EQ3. Perhaps not quite as nice as Crate and Barrel, but less expensive.

[dubone]

It is definitely a tier above IKEA and Target for price and quality. I don't believe much of their stuff is build-it-yourself flatpack of veneered MDF.

[JBGB]

It is definitely a tier above IKEA and Target for price and quality. I don't believe much of their stuff is build-it-yourself flatpack of veneered MDF.

Yessss!!!!!!!!! I hope this rumor is true West Elm is awesome! Similar to Crate & Barrel stuff.

H&M would be another perfect fit over there. Great Designer style clothes for way cheap. Please let Charlotte get some better stores other than what SouthPark provides.

[Charlotte_native]

Yessss!!!!!!!!! I hope this rumor is true West Elm is awesome! Similar to Crate & Barrel stuff.

H&M would be another perfect fit over there. Great Designer style clothes for way cheap. Please let Charlotte get some better stores other than what SouthPark provides.

Does West Elm have furniture and accessories in stock? My main beef with By Design and EQ3 is you can't walk out of the store with anything other then tiny knick-knacks. Everything has to be shipped here and nothing I've ever bought was on time (why does it take a month to ship something from Atlanta?). I love the stuff I've seen in West Elm catalogues and just wondered about actual stores. Anyone know?

Edited September 18, 2007 by Charlotte_native

[deacgirl]

Does West Elm have furniture and accessories in stock?

I love West Elm. We had one in my previous city and I was a frequent browser and sometimes shopper. I only had one experience with a furniture piece being out of stock- I decided not to pursue it, but I believe I could have ordered it from the catalog or waited for it to be restocked. Otherwise, I have several pieces and accessories and no complaints. The furniture is flat packed and requires assembly (which makes it a lot easier to get it home!) but it is much higher quality than Ikea and Target.

The best part about having one in town is you save on shipping costs, not to mention instant gratification and great sales! I would love to see one here.

[poplife88]

I love West Elm. We had one in my previous city and I was a frequent browser and sometimes shopper. I only had one experience with a furniture piece being out of stock- I decided not to pursue it, but I believe I could have ordered it from the catalog or waited for it to be restocked. Otherwise, I have several pieces and accessories and no complaints. The furniture is flat packed and requires assembly (which makes it a lot easier to get it home!) but it is much higher quality than Ikea and Target.

The best part about having one in town is you save on shipping costs, not to mention instant gratification and great sales! I would love to see one here.

Welcome to the forum and to Charlotte if you're relatively new to the city. By your last quote, I know what you mean by instant gratification. It may just be my downfall!

[dubone]

Coincidentally, my wife and I just marked up a west elm catalog the other day for a room we are decorating. We are likely to spend a grand or two from that, so that is maybe a hundred bucks in local taxes that would be collected if they had a store here.

But who know, we might spend more if we actually could browse it when we need stuff.

[Raintree21]

They started tearing up the Baxter Street Bridge today.

I noticed a while back some monster water pumps on the side of the road and today I saw that they were in use. Anybody know why they are diverting the water from the creek? I assume it's the creek.

[voyager12]

I was in Naples FL this past weekend. There is a West Elm on the way into town and the store looked very nice riding by.

[dubone]

I assume they are diverting the creek to reduce or prevent runoff from demolishing the bridge. It isn't easy to keep dust and debris from going into the creek without doing something like that.

[habarr]

Is there list of confirmed retail in Metropolitan Midtown?

Best Buy

Target

Home Depot

West Elm

Marshalls?

Trader Joes?

What else?

Any book stores or coffee shops yet?

[atlrvr]

Staples - confirmed

Marshall's - confirmed

I wasn't confirming West Elm earlier...just lumping it with Trader Joe's in the very likely category, based on credible rumors.

[DigitalSky]

So this will have a TJMaxx and a Marshall's?