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Nashville Bits and Pieces


smeagolsfree

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On another note, this is one of the reasons why the Nashville - Memphis rivalry continues to exist. The fault lies on Part media, part citizens, and Memphis leadership.

 

Quote

Memphis Mayor A C Wharton even chimed in.

 

The Mayor then added, "So they may as well get over it, get used to it. This is just the beginning."

By the 11 a.m. press conference at Memphis City Hall, Mayor A C Wharton already had a response, "Get over it. I mean, there's gonna be more of this."

Then asked about the response from Nashville, Wharton said "Haters gonna hate, But we'll shake the haters off."

 

Why would a 65+ year old elected official say something that a high schooler would say..really?? The right response for the Mayor of Memphis should have been: "We welcome the residents of our sister city to come to Memphis and shop at the brand new Ikea store in 2016 and to visit the great city of Memphis to indulge in great music,world class food, and fun". Yet, he just throws fuel on the flame.

 

http://www.19actionnews.com/story/27641869/is-nashville-upset-about-ikea-choosing-memphis

 

Ok I'm done.

 

Nothing but an incendiary comment.  He'll get "his" ─ yeah, he will.  Eventually ─ maybe not in my remaining life of 20 years or so ─ but Memphis eventually will get a leadership which will be openly willing to work in concert with its sister citie(s).  One also can glean from that response a sense of hurt and cynicism, in a manner that would suggest that the Memphis top leadership has felt passed-over unfairly, and therefore it covets Nashv'l's popularity.  Memphis had best just look out, lest it gets an inquisition, as what happened to Detroit, a little while back, when they ended up bustin' some heads up there (corruption).  Memphis is fortunate that it hasn't turned into a "Gary".

 

I indeed do like visiting Memphis from time to time, and it's where I have to go catch the train these days, rather than have to drive down to Birmingham to do so (since Memphis and Newbern are the only stops in the entire state).  To an extent, I like what it has tried to do with Union Ave., Madison Ave., and Main St., although its DT still has that "Dodge City", ghost look, as a whole.

 

Until a fresh start can begin "upstairs", Memphis will continue to be sitting on its under-recognized assets.

 

-==-

Edited by rookzie
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Hey, I'll take The Paramount at 505 Church Street over IKEA!

 

Agreed, what is the big deal? Furniture you put together that comes out of a box? We sold this kind of stuff at Service Merchandise when I worked there in college from 1981-1985! It was pressboard back then, and it all eventually fell apart, especially if it got wet.

 

BUY LOCAL!

 

If you have to go to a chain store, like we have in the past, go to West Elm in Green Hills. Great furniture reasonably priced, and it does not come in pieces. It's actually built when you buy it!

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I used to hear this stuff all the time when I was in the hotel business from Memphians and people from Birmingham believe it or not. I remember a woman from Birmingham asked me if Nashville had a hair salon she could go to that had "modern hairstyles." I said "Modern Hairstyles?" "This is Nashville with high incomes, and celebrities at every turn, of course we have Modern Hairstyles."

 

I am not sure what she really meant by the question, but I think she was trying to say Birmingham was more elite than Nashville. 

Edited by Urban Architecture
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I used to hear this stuff all the time when I was in the hotel business from Memphians and people from Birmingham believe it or not. I remember a woman from Birmingham asked me if Nashville had a hair salon she could go to that had "modern hairstyles." I said "Modern Hairstyles?" "This is Nashville with high incomes, and celebrities at every turn, of course we have Modern Hairstyles."

 

I am not sure what she really meant by the question, but I think she was trying to say Birmingham was more elite than Nashville. 

Haha!!  I could send her to some of the hairstylists my female friends in the country music industry use and the lady would get sticker shock!  I can't believe some of the prices my friends pay for something I get done for about ¼ of the cost!

 

I think it's good that Memphis gets bent out of shape when good things happen here...and Memphis should be happy that some Nashvillians are jealous of their new Ikea.

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I don't really want to continue this, but here is the weekly email sent from ModerNash (Nashville's IKEA design and delivery store):

 

 

For those not yet in the know, IKEA announced yesterday that they're planning to open a new store in of all places... Memphis!! 
We wanted to be the first to say… bah humbug! We couldn’t be more bummed that our great city wasn’t chosen for this privilege.
 We believe Nashville is the perfect place for an IKEA store, but the IKEA gods have spoken and we did not make the cut :(
Although we would love the opportunity to serve even more IKEA customers through our 
design, delivery and assembly services
alas, it shall not be… (insert the saddest face you've ever seen).
 
 
To honor our grief, we will be holding a moment of silence at noon today at the ModerNash showroom. To mourn what could have been, and to dream of what still could someday be. Feel free to stop by on your lunch hour… we will lend you a shoulder and some Kleenex.
 Although we wish the Memphis store the best of luck with their grand opening (projected for Fall of 2016), we look forward to having an even closer store to keep all of your IKEA needs met!
 
spacer.gif
 
Thank you for your continued support and loyalty, and remember... when the gleaming blue box of IKEA finally chooses to grace the city gates of Nashville - we'll be here championing them each step of the way! 
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Good to hear.  Beats having to layover in Ontario, Ca, for a change.  Some of my remaining kinfolk still live in Alameda Co., and so getting there also won't always require another carrier into SFO and BART to Eastbay.

 

-==-

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Willfully holding back progress. I understand his argument about proximity and cost, but I couldn't imagine the price he'd ask for the Hawkins St property. 

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/blog/real-estate/2014/12/sorry-developers-auto-magnate-lee-beaman-is-not.html?page=2

I asked Beaman if he'd consider selling part of that land near the Gulch.

"I don't want to mess with the hassle, unless we can somehow keep most of what we've got and stick some serious money in our pocket," Beaman said. He added: "I will listen to somebody."

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Willfully holding back progress. I understand his argument about proximity and cost, but I couldn't imagine the price he'd ask for the Hawkins St property. 

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/blog/real-estate/2014/12/sorry-developers-auto-magnate-lee-beaman-is-not.html?page=2

I asked Beaman if he'd consider selling part of that land near the Gulch.

"I don't want to mess with the hassle, unless we can somehow keep most of what we've got and stick some serious money in our pocket," Beaman said. He added: "I will listen to somebody."

 

 

He's an ass.

 

EDIT: He has a point, but he's still an ass.

Edited by Vrtigo
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He is an ass, but I can see why he would not want to sub-divide. Compared to suburban car lots, it's a very small property. I see this as an all-or-nothing sell off for him, and I get that.

What I don't get is the "there is nothing in proximity" comment. Nissan moved to Metro Center and they seem to be selling cars. Murf Rd. has (had) an abandoned car lot waiting for a tenant.

What is so critical about Broadway? Hell, I drove to Huntsville for my last new car, because the deal was better than the Subaru dealership on Broadway. I also looked in Franklin, Gallatin, Chatanooga, and Memphis. To be quite honest, the reason I didn't buy from downtown is because of their limited inventory. They didn't have the exact trim level and color I wanted because they only had a handful of each model (I'm sure due to limited space). If anything, that's a good reason to move off of Broadway.

It's not like someone who lives in midtown is going to wake up one day thinking "I'm tired of walking, I should buy a car today" and then say, "well, the dealership is 5 miles away. That's too far to walk. I guess I'll never buy a car then. If only there was a fast bus that could get me there."

And for the record, before I shopped at the Subaru dealership on Broadway, I made darned sure that Lee Beaman didn't own it. But for everyone like me, I'm sure there is another Anti-Amp person that would make a point to buy specifically from him.

Edited by nashvillwill
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I don't see anything wrong with Mr. Beaman holding on to the Hawkins Street property.  That's not "willfully holding back progress," that is waiting until someone makes him an offer that he can't refuse. 

 

The Gulch is developing just fine, and still has plenty of room to grow.  So does Edgehill.  12South isn't being hurt by this, either.  The Beaman property on 12th is just one of several large parcels that may someday sport intense development.  But for now, the development in the Gulch needs to finish gelling along or north of Division (there are still lots of vacant parcels and surface lots there despite all of the announcements) and Edgehill needs to figure out what it wants to be once Music Row finishes decamping to the Gulch or Berry Hill.

 

As for the Broadway properties, at least Mr. Beaman has something happening on his properties, unlike the vast surface lots surrounding his dealership.  Not to mention the AP site.  And the Gulch/Midtown developers can find any number of possible locations for high-rise apartment/condo buildings.  It's not like the apartment craze will grind to an absolute halt if Mr. Beaman doesn't sell to them for the price that they seem to be asking currently.

 

All in good time.

Edited by bwithers1
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I agree with the point about Mr. Beaman. He employs lots of people and pays lots of taxes on his vast commercial spread.  I do not like to look at it... and his firm has made it so much less attractive too with the demolishing of (at least two) old style masonry buildings... and the addition of a huge, suburban crappola style showroom... but it is his property.  He's sitting on a gold mine.. and he doesn't have to sell it.  

 

Having said that, the city could at least plan to circumvent his property with a planned LRT line that does not run close to his property.  I think it would make a good route, not just an attempt to diminish his potential to benefit from a transit route, if the path went along Charlotte/Church/Hayes/21st/Division/5th/Charlotte. It would also have the benefit of being the first lobe of a multi-lobed system of LRT that could next extend across the river to E.N.... and use the Victory Memorial Bridge/Jas. Robertson Pkwy to extend to Main/11th/Shelby/KVB/5th/Charlotte.

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I don't fault him for holding. Sure, I wish something better was located at both sites, but it's his land. If I owned that land I would be looking out for my best interests as well.

I would want to make sure that his land is currently assed at fair market value. I don't know what his land is currently appraised at, but it needs to be what a developer is willing to pay him for it. A lot of times these assessed values are incredibly low.

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I don't fault him for holding. Sure, I wish something better was located at both sites, but it's his land. If I owned that land I would be looking out for my best interests as well.

I would want to make sure that his land is currently assed at fair market value. I don't know what his land is currently appraised at, but it needs to be what a developer is willing to pay him for it. A lot of times these assessed values are incredibly low.

 

5.99 acres at (tax assessor) value of $4.14M and another .8 acre at 330k.

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The thing is, he knows he doesn't have to sell.  He's financially secure...so why sell at the "market price?"

 

Basically, he's telling all investors out there, "if you want my land, come at me with an absurd number and I may be interested...and it needs to be for the entire amount of land I own...not just a piece of it."  He's just told everyone that he would sell...but it would have to be a number that looks very insane on paper.

 

I can't think of anyone who would probably offer what he wants...but at least he's put it out there.  There may be someone willing to try.

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Remember, Mr. Beaman wouldn't be just selling property... he would be selling his business, at least the site/location.  So he would likely need a replacement site.  And where could he find one with as much traffic as that location?  No point in getting angry at him for staying there. 

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