>> Providence East Neighborhoods

[AriPVD]

Elmwood is still pretty cheap too, and lots of beautiful homes. Lower Doyle is an area that has tons of potential. And of course, condos Downcity--although most are outrageously expensive, one could argue that they have the best chance of appreciation.

[Cotuit]

I was up on Thayer the other night. The clothing store that closed on Waterman between Thayer and Brook, is becoming a Subway.

[billypc99]

You may also want to consider North Providence, but only if your Italian

[Garris]

I was up on Thayer the other night. The clothing store that closed on Waterman between Thayer and Brook, is becoming a Subway.

[provid]

If you ask me Thayer is starting to look rather nasty.

[Garris]

If you ask me Thayer is starting to look rather nasty.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Oh, trust me, it's looked nastier in the past :-). I do get what you're saying, though... The term I was thinking of was that it's perhaps getting more crass... Again, I think Cotuit and I have the right idea... Thayer needs a big developer type with an local sensibility to impose a more unified vision on that street, although some would argue that its eclecticness is its charm.

The problem is that I think building owners currently get pretty top-draw rents there. What incentive is there for anyone to upgrade their buildings if they're already raking in cash?

- Garris

[Cotuit]

I have a feeling we're going to see more chains and the eclectism will be moving more and more to places like Westminster Crossing and Olneyville. Look at Harvard Square.

[Garris]

I have a feeling we're going to see more chains and the eclectism will be moving more and more to places like Westminster Crossing and Olneyville. Look at Harvard Square.

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That's a really good analogy. As seemingly with many things, Boston analogies appear to increasingly work quite well with Providence. One can already say that Broadway and Westminster today somewhat have the edgy feel that Thayer did about 5-6 years ago.

- Garris

[Liamlunchtray]

I have a feeling we're going to see more chains and the eclectism will be moving more and more to places like Westminster Crossing and Olneyville. Look at Harvard Square.

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I completely agree. On one hand I'm really sad to see the Thayer St of yesterday dissapear but on the other hand I love there being more hip shopping areas in pvd besides Thayer. It used to be that the East side was pretty much all we had, so Im really looking forward to seeing more things in different parts of the city. I really think the Thayer St business association has done more harm than good over the years. It seems like they are constantly trying to push things upscale and away from it being a neat little strip of shops and restaurants for college kids and hipsters. We already have Pplace for upscale chain stores, so I dont really understand the desire to make thayer more of the same.

I was however very amused to see that the restaurant going into the Max's/Montanas space is called "Laguna" which you may remember was also the name of the restaurant that took over the Ihop location across the street. Now I'm just waiting for someone to open a "Spats" or a "Pecks Bad Boy"

Liam

[Cotuit]

I think we're going to see a lot of national chains coming in. Places that are too small for the mall, but that want the college market. It would be nice if it could stay local and independent, but it will also be nice for it to become stable. The other good thing about the chains is that they will do the facade work that the locals never could afford.

I'm not worried about the city losing it's local retailers. When Harvard Square turned into a mall, Allston benefitted, the same will hold in Providence's Thayer/Olneyville equation.

[Garris]

[snip] I love there being more hip shopping areas in pvd besides Thayer. It used to be that the East side was pretty much all we had, so Im really looking forward to seeing more things  in different parts of the city... [snip] It seems like they are constantly trying to push things upscale and away from it being a neat little strip of shops and restaurants for college kids and hipsters. 

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I agree with you here. Thayer used to be all the city had pre-mall in the way of retail, but it's so much more diverse now. However, it's easy to understand why all of the chains want to be on Thayer (and all college campuses around the nation, for that matter...). College students have become (correctly or not, depending upon who you talk to) one of the nation's most free spenders of a family's disposable income, and Brown students likely have more money to spend than the college average. Take that, plus a quite affluent surrounding neighborhood, and I can see why Thayer has become hot.

- Garris

[provid]

Were would chain retail go? most of the building really arent a good fit. The the problem with the street is that all the building just arent very nice nor big. Plus when you the book store moved out look and the store selling junk takes up took the prime spot, blah. If ask me the street will head downwards with the rent high as it is until something big happens.

Once everything is cooking, downcity will be a much nicer place to shop plus you can find a place to park for the most part. The Grant Block will provide all of wesminster parking needed to support metro retail ( in that direct area ).

[Cotuit]

The owners must be able to get people to pay those rents tough, otherwise they wouldn't be so high.

[Liamlunchtray]

I think we're going to see a lot of national chains coming in. Places that are too small for the mall, but that want the college market. It would be nice if it could stay local and independent, but it will also be nice for it to become stable. The other good thing about the chains is that they will do the facade work that the locals never could afford.

I'm not worried about the city losing it's local retailers. When Harvard Square turned into a mall, Allston benefitted, the same will hold in Providence's Thayer/Olneyville equation.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I would agree that the chain stores would do the facade work, but is it something that would actually be an improvement? I suppose if the desired effect is to turn it into a mall-esque retail area than the answer is yes, but as a whole I have not been very impressed by any of the new construction that has gone on in the area, and I think all it has done is drain thayer of it's charm. Look at what smoothie king did when they gutted the old Geoff's location. That building had been through a zillion incarnations over the years and no one had ever touched all of the gorgeous epothicary drawers, mirrors, etc. It was an incredibly beautiful space that lasted for eons without being molested, then Smoothie King comes in and just guts the place to replace it with suspension ceilings and ugly laminates? Why? To top it off the location isnt even open in the winter (which is very curious given the rent situation - One can guess that the markup on Smoothies must be pretty good ) On the upside none of the new construction on Thayer has been quite as hideous as the strip mall esque cinderblock building up on Hope St, but none of it has been all that great either. I think the Gap seems oversized for its space, and Johnny Rockets looks like some sort of odd beachhouse. It seems like each new building trying to take the look and feel of the street in some new different direction, but without any cohesion or plan. Its going to end up a disjointed mess of emotionless new buildings instead of the disjointed mess of goofy converted houses and whatnot. Not really a step forward.

Liam

[Nyuszi]

- Work is ongoing in the space on Wayland Ave to become "Chicos," which is apparently a women's casual clothing chain.

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Oh no! The only places I have ever seen Chicos are in horrible little ticky-tacky planned cities in Virginia near Dulles. They're the kind that have a "Town Center" that's just chain stores and restaurants plus office space and all housing is in developments that only differ by which shade of beige they paint the exterior. See http://www.restontowncenter.com/home.html

[Cotuit]

They're the kind that have a "Town Center" that's just chain stores and restaurants plus office space and all housing is in developments that only differ by which shade of beige they paint the exterior.  See http://www.restontowncenter.com/home.html

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Funny yet scary description.

[Garris]

Oh no!  The only places I have ever seen Chicos are in horrible little ticky-tacky planned cities in Virginia near Dulles.  They're the kind that have a "Town Center" that's just chain stores and restaurants plus office space and all housing is in developments that only differ by which shade of beige they paint the exterior.  See http://www.restontowncenter.com/home.html

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Not encouraging... We'll see how it works here in Wayland Sq. The guy who owns all the commerical property here I think would love to turn this area into a Reston Town Center (or a Garden City, to use a local analogy).

- Garris

[Cotuit]

D'Angelos next to Starbucks closed and is being replaced by an ice cream store. I much prefer ice cream!

[BBascule]

Not encouraging... We'll see how it works here in Wayland Sq. The guy who owns all the commerical property here I think would love to turn this area into a Reston Town Center (or a Garden City, to use a local analogy).

- Garris

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There isn't really a good Rhode Island analogy to Reston Town Center. Garden City would be a good one if this were 1940. But now it sits comfortably within the infrastructure of urban Providence, and isn't an added strain on resources or utilities. You'd have to imagine a new Garden City somewhere in the middle of South County.

This is especially true of Wayland Square. But in terms of a 'loss of identity' or 'sense of place,' it's always sad to see an area lose the shops that make it unique.

[foxpointer]

D'Angelos next to Starbucks closed and is being replaced by an ice cream store. I much prefer ice cream! 

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Don't fret, Cotuit, a Subway is opening in the space formerly occupied for several decades by Harvey LTD.

[CtownMikey]

I want VonDutch and French Connection in Prov

[Garris]

D'Angelos next to Starbucks closed and is being replaced by an ice cream store. I much prefer ice cream! 

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I think it's Cold Stone Creamery, which is yet another chain for Thayer Street. There was a Cold Stone Creamery in the bland Minnesota city I lived in previously, and it wasn't bad. I still prefer Ben and Jerry's and, even more, Maximillion's, which is amongst the best I've ever had.

- Garris

[Cotuit]

Don't fret, Cotuit, a Subway is opening in the space formerly occupied for several decades by Harvey LTD.

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How many Subways per square mile can Providence support? They're getting to be like Dunkin Donuts.

[Soren]

Don't fret, Cotuit, a Subway is opening in the space formerly occupied for several decades by Harvey LTD.

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That is just unbelievably depressing. What a bad trade.

[Cotuit]

Smoothie King?

They have cardboard up over the windows. Closing? Renovating? Anyone care seeing as smoothies are sooo 1996?

There's a new mediterranean place where the Pizza Grill was for two minutes next to Ben & Jerry's. I almost went in for lunch, but opted for Spikes instead.