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Cotuit

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  • 2 months later...

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It's amazing how much Thayer is changing...

- Supposedly the Gap is going...

- The Pizza Grille was open for like, what, a month or two? (too bad, it was great and cheap).

- Cafe Java is gone (no loss there). A chinese place is opening instead?

- A West Indian clothing store (??!!??) is replacing the College Hill Bookstore?

- Something new is being built in the storefront along Angell next to Smoothie King.

And this is all in like a few months time. Anything I'm missing? Supposedly, the rents for businesses here are out of control. Also, talk about an area that could benefit from a huge parking garage hidden behind some storefronts and apartments...

Garris

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- The Pizza Grille was open for like, what, a month or two? (too bad, it was great and cheap).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That closed? That was supposed to be like the flagship of their national chain. Oh well. I went in once, it was pretty good, but the whole experience was just odd to me for some reason.

The video store is closing (Edsas?). I don't really get what's going on up there. The rents are high so places are closing, but a place like the Gap that can afford the rent is closing because the amount of business they need isn't there. Do these landlords have people lined up to pay these rents. In Your Ear is still for lease, it wasn't like they had someone waiting to come in.

The fact that they can charge high rents makes me hopeful that the place won't be decimated, that there remains a demand, but that doesn't seem apparent from what is happening currently.

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That closed? That was supposed to be like the flagship of their national chain. Oh well. I went in once, it was pretty good, but the whole experience was just odd to me for some reason.

Ok, I'll admit, I really liked it. Their buffalo chicken wraps were great. This is from their website:

"Thank you, Providence, for helping us to define and refine the Pizza Grille

concept.

As of November 29, 2004, we have closed the doors of our Meeting Street

location. We have enjoyed serving you and we appreciate all the

encouragement you gave us these past few months.

We look forward to serving you again in the future - watch this space for

news of our new locations.

Sincerely,

The Pizza Grille"

The new gourmet pizza place near Totilla Flats on Hope, while expensive (and likely spelling their doom in that neighborhood), is fantastic. Best pizza in Providence in my opinion (I think Providence pizza is grossly overrated as a whole and, save for Caserta, fairly expensive for what you get... My runner up for best is Fellini's).

The fact that they can charge high rents makes me hopeful that the place won't be decimated, that there remains a demand, but that doesn't seem apparent from what is happening currently.

Yeah, I don't know what is going on there. I've never quite been able to figure Thayer out. It's range of retail and restaurants, for such a relatively small commerical area, is enormous. You have Sushi X'press and Smoothie king, then you have Adesso and Paragon. You've got Oop!, and then you've got Urban Outfitters. You have Store 24, and then a place that sells $600 eyeglasses. Somehow the Gap can't stay in business there, but the guy selling cheap Asian-themed rugs can. Weird...

Out of curiousity, do you have any idea what is going in next to Smoothie King?

Garris

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Out of curiousity, do you have any idea what is going in next to Smoothie King? 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

On Angell? Nope, the sign on the building used to be an asian place, thai or something. I don't know if the same place is reopening, or if it is something new. I think whatever it is, it'll be a full service restaurant.

I only ever went into the Gap once, and they didn't have what I wanted and sent me to the mall. :rolleyes:

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  • 2 weeks later...

On Angell? Nope, the sign on the building used to be an asian place, thai or something. I don't know if the same place is reopening, or if it is something new. I think whatever it is, it'll be a full service restaurant.

I only ever went into the Gap once, and they didn't have what I wanted and sent me to the mall.  :rolleyes:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So how is the neighborhood by Hope? The area in the immediate vecinity of the Whole Foods strip?

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  • 4 weeks later...

I was up on Thayer Street for the first time in a few weeks yesterday, I saw that the Gap is becoming a City Sports. Seems like a good fit for the area, and if we must have a chain store, I like that it is a New England based chain, they are headquartered in Willmington, MA, this will be their first Rhode Island store.

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I'm bummed to hear Max's is closed. I just went there for the first time this fall. Enjoyed a redsox game there.

Hope the falafel place doesnt go anywhere. Its bad enough we lost In Your Ear. If we lose falafels... well... i'll just have to hang out at the gap.

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So how is the neighborhood by Hope? The area in the immediate vecinity of the Whole Foods strip?

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The Doyle Street area has probably the best potential for renewal in Providence, next to Broadway.. Lower Doyle has some great turn of 1900s houses, that are just begging to be done over..

The only problem, as I see it... Is the development on Pleasant Street.. Looks like affordable housing, like an army of run down grey houses... Too bad.. Lower Doyle is ripe for the picking.. Just needs a concerted effort from 5-10 landlords and bang.. It will be nice...

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  • 2 weeks later...

The Doyle Street area has probably the best potential for renewal in Providence, next to Broadway.. Lower Doyle has some great turn of 1900s houses, that are just begging to be done over..

The only problem, as I see it... Is the development on Pleasant Street.. Looks like affordable housing, like an army of run down grey houses... Too bad.. Lower Doyle is ripe for the picking.. Just needs a concerted effort from 5-10 landlords and bang.. It will be nice...

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There are plenty of people who live around Doyle and like it plenty. But rents/prop values/taxes are increasing, as Mount Hope is the next obvious spot for renewal/gentrification. And a lot of them are the same people/families who were renewed out of Fox Point decades ago.

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Looks like affordable housing, like an army of run down grey houses... Too bad..

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Not so fast there...

Have you SEEN the most recent affordable housing projects in Providence? In all respects, they generally come out better than market rate projects. Check out the Melrose/Adelaide Redevelopment project, Elmwood Neighborhood Revitalization project, among others...

"Affordable" housing does not necessarily equal low-quality housing. I think in many cases the market-rate folks have the low-quality part of the equation down pat.

I'd love to post some photos up here to illustrate, but haven't yet figured out how to post images directly...Is this even possible? :blink:

Any help with this would be appreciated!

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I'd love to post some photos up here to illustrate, but haven't yet figured out how to post images directly...Is this even possible?  :blink:

Any help with this would be appreciated!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You need a place to host your images online, see this thread for more information.

I use Photobucket for my image hosting. If you have highspeed internet through Cox they provide a limited amount of free space for their customers, I can let you know how to access it.

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  • 2 weeks later...

hey guys, new to the site, but i have to say that I love

all that i've read, including some great discussions on Providence.

I live in Boston, but I do have some ties to Providence. I was

the creator of a Save Buddy website, that garnered some attention

during the sendoff of beloved Mayor Cianci. (Don't bother to try and find

the site, I didn't keep up with unfortunately, and some porno jerk found

his way there). Anyway, I'm considering purchase of a multi - family

somewhere in Providence. I wanted to buy in MA, but I think there's

way more value in RI. So, that being said, where would someone

recommend I look considering a budget of probably $300K. I know

the East Side is too expensive, so I'm looking for other ideas.

Thanks!

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I always say Federal Hill, because I live on Federal Hill and I love it. One of our members The Ank (I think) has bought some properties on Federal Hill/West Side. I think $300k would go quite a ways in Providence. You could get something move in ready for that, or you could buy a good sized (multi-family) fixer upper and get a good return.

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I agree with the suggestion for Federal Hill/West Side. However, with prices going up there, nice places to look next would be Pawtucket and East Providence. Those two towns are still dirt cheap even compared to Providence, and they're arguably "where it'll be at" if prices keep escalating here.

- Garris

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