Retailers You'd Like To See

[AmericanUrbanDesigner]

With downtown Charlotte residential booming...and the metro rapidly maturing...which retailers do you wish were here???

For me,

In central Charlotte: H&M, Saks, Belk, Horchow or Chef, Filene's Basement, Barnes and Noble or Borders...

In the metro, IKEA.

[monsoon]

Enough of the national chain store retailers. All of them have become nothing more than distributers for Chinese manufactured goods.

I would much rather see DT Charlotte populated by local establishments and offering items that you can't get anywhere else. Or at least with a local flavor.

[AmericanUrbanDesigner]

Enough of the national chain store retailers.    All of them have become nothing more than distributers for Chinese manufactured goods. 

I would much rather see DT Charlotte populated by local establishments and offering items that you can't get anywhere else.  Or at least with a local flavor.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I agree Metro....but (IMHO) we need to create a critical mass before local entrepeneurs will feel confident enough to stike out on their own... I'd LOVE to see local retailers eventually steal the show from the nationals!!!!

[nyxmike]

I'd like to see an Armani Exchange store, but I'm not counting on it, for awhile atleast. I would also be suprised if they opened an IKEA anytime soon...

I think a good mix of national and local retailers in downtown would be nice (In a way, they both rely on each other). I think a local one just opened recently - Bruce Julian's or something like that. Anyways, I think Saks should be in the Elizabeth Redevelopment project, and not out in the suburbs of South Charlotte. I am really glad that project on Park Road failed, lol.

In downtown/Elizabeth project, I'd like to see some local stores, service type stores (grocery, Comp USA, etc) as well H&M, Saks, Banana Republic, Gap, Urban Outfitters (would of made sense to put the store someplace URBAN), Tiffany & Co - or any type of jewelery shop, Ann Taylor/Loft, shoe stores (An Aldo, Athletes Foot, Foot Locker, Payless, etc) some bookstores, more coffee shops, a BAGEL STORE (there really aren't any local bagel places in Charlotte - correct me if I'm wrong) such as Manhattan Bagel (I know they have Einstein Bros. Bagels, but it is inside and it would be nice to have another one, but like Starbucks on Tryon Street). Even though I don't shop at some of these stores, they just look good to have them, especially in/around downtown.

If they come, I would expect to see them in EpiCentre, the Elizabeth project, Midtown project, or in Levine's plans (whenever he decides to actually do something)...

Anyone know when they plan to release tenants for any of these projects??

[peaceloveunderstanding]

Enough of the national chain store retailers. ohmy.gif All of them have become nothing more than distributers for Chinese manufactured goods.

I would much rather see DT Charlotte populated by local establishments and offering items that you can't get anywhere else. Or at least with a local flavor.

AMEN!!!!!!

There is nothing special about most of those stores, I can buy everything on the Internet. Lets get something unique where people from California come to Charlotte to get.

[hueion39]

Belk belongs downtown...

[AmericanUrbanDesigner]

Belk DOES belong downtown! Bravo! Their flagship store, of some grand design, should "come home"... Not many American cities can claim their own department store anymore...Belk should be a part of Charlotte's emergence as a great city.

[AmericanUrbanDesigner]

I don't think IKEA is stretch for NC...they have stores in metro DC/Baltimore and soon in Georgia. Our demographics are at least as good or better than Georgia and we are on the "supply route" that serves both markets...

[atlrvr]

Belk does have a store downtown.....in BofA Plaza Bldg......

[DigitalSky]

well in Charlotte, I'd like to see SuperTarget, Kroger, Saks - Raleigh's got all of em.

[dubone]

I really do wish that they had kept the original belk facade on trade street. oh well.

I think that Belk will eventually come downtown, even if just with a smaller store. I think the chances are actually better for this if it eventually leaves eastland. They might make the play to close eastland and split the dif by opening in mint hill and intown.

I definitely agree with monsoon that we need small-scale street level boutiques, but we also agree that we need the national names to bring shoppers downtown.

I think we need:

- a sampling of big box: home improvement, general purpose, and electronics somewhere within 2 or 3 miles of uptown (we are getting lowes and target) but a best buy/circuit city would be good.

- a major bookseller like b&n or borders

- the clothing stores that are in every mall (by law ) gap, banana, express, limited, vic secret

- 2 department stores (i hope saks goes to hawthorne/elizabeth intersection) and Belk (as i mentioned above)

[SmellyCat]

I know they're all chains, but I'd still like to see a Banana Republic, Brooks Brothers and Crate & Barrel uptown.

[StevenRocks]

Enough of the national chain store retailers.    All of them have become nothing more than distributers for Chinese manufactured goods. 

I would much rather see DT Charlotte populated by local establishments and offering items that you can't get anywhere else.  Or at least with a local flavor.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

While local flavor would be ideal, a mix of local, regional and national retailers should be a goal. That way you have the familiar AND the ubiquitous.

Even the local mom and pops sell cheap Chinese imports. The retailers aren't the problem, it's the vendors who don't believe Americans deserve jobs and a federal government that encourages companies to put Americans out of work by making it eaiser and more financially lucrative to make stuff offshore and import it back.

Everyone, I don't mean to be contrary but it had to be said...

Now that I've spoken my peace, I would love to see Belk back with a full-sized store uptown, as well as Saks. Crate & Barrel, Design Within Reach, Macy's and IKEA would be nice, too.

[bork]

Some more grocery chains to help drive down Teeter's prices!

[jb4563]

Some more grocery chains to help drive down Teeter's prices!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I want Hannford's back...I guess Lowe's Foods will do.

[UptownGrrl]

Crate & Barrel, H&M!

[Neo]

Considering that Belks is HQ'd here, I'd really like to see them open a flagship store downtown. The Home Depot EXPO and Target would have been on my list, but since they're coming I guess I can scratch them off. I'd also like to see Marshall Fields open a store somewhere in the metro.

[Miesian Corners]

You can hang up Marshall Field's and Filene's. Filene's was part of May Company which just got purchased by Federated. Federated is still figuring out what to do with the Lord & Taylor, Marshall Field and Bloomindale's monikers. They're basically branding everything as Macy's.

[QC704]

Considering that Belks is HQ'd here, I'd really like to see them open a flagship store downtown.  The Home Depot EXPO and Target would have been on my list, but since they're coming I guess I can scratch them off.  I'd also like to see Marshall Fields open a store somewhere in the metro.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I was thinking about that the other day. I wish belks had kept a flagship store downtown like say marshall fields in DT Chicago and Macy's in NYC.

[orulz]

I agree Metro....but (IMHO) we need to create a critical mass before local entrepeneurs will feel confident enough to stike out on their own...  I'd LOVE to see local retailers eventually steal the show from the nationals!!!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think you have it completely backwards. Local entrepeneurs tend to care about the city and its environment, and can be much more willing to take risks. Huge corporations only care about their bottom line, and they will only enter into a business venture if they are convinced it's a sure thing.

Take a trip to downtown Asheville. There are hundreds of shops, restaurants, bars, and venues, and hardly anything could be considered part of a national chain. Let's see...

-There are the three hotels: the Mariott Renaissance, the Best Western, and the Days Inn.

-For restaurants, there's the Subway near the Grove Arcade. If you push the boundaries a bit the Tripps Restaurant on College might fit in too.

-The CVS on Haywood certainly counts, and the Napa Auto Parts on S. Lexington is kind of on the border.

-As for banks, there's the Wachovia, the BB&T, and the RBC Centura (all based in NC, by the way.) The other two downtown banks, Asheville Savings and HomeTrust, are local operations.

Hard as I try, I can't think of anything else. That's literally a drop in the bucket of all the retail establishments in DT Asheville. I'm not missing something am I?

[dubone]

I think you have it completely backwards. Local entrepeneurs tend to care about the city and its environment, and can be much more willing to take risks. Huge corporations only care about their bottom line, and they will only enter into a business venture if they are convinced it's a sure thing.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think you are right to a large degree, and there are certainly PLENTY of local small business retailers in the parts of town that national retails would shun. I think the diverance for downtown, though, is that lease rates are high for street-level retail. To enter that level of business, you must have financial backers like banks, which often must be convinced of return on investment.

[alslex1]

Filene's Basement

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Filene's owned by May Company was bought by Macy's, they're planning on converting most stores to Macy's or Bloomingdales. Due to this there probably won't be anymore Filene's Basement locations. There are Hecht's stores in Charlotte are there not? They're going to Macy's/ Bloomingdales as well. We have already had our "Macy's change over" here in Kentucky from Federated dept. stores. They are doing nice things to the stores, fixing them up and carring more upscale brands... so its not all bad!

[StevenRocks]

Filene's owned by May Company was bought by Macy's, they're planning on converting most stores to Macy's or Bloomingdales.  Due to this there probably won't be anymore Filene's Basement locations. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Actually Filene's Basement and Filene's of Boston haven't been connected since the '80s. Currently Filene's Basement is owned by Retail Ventures, an Ohio-based company that also operates Value City and DSW Shoe Warehouse. So a Filene's Basement could be a possibility for uptown Charlotte.

[Rufus]

personally i would like to see a saks in downtown charlotte. that way there could be a shift in retail attention from the outlying malls and back into the downtown like it used to be. there should also be some stores that aren't anywhere else outside of NC downtown, giving it a local feel and pride. Downtown needs to regain its prominence as a retail and cultural center, not just as a business center.

[AmericanUrbanDesigner]

I heard/read that Saks may come to one of the Elizabeth Avenue projects...however, one of their "boutique" stores would likely do very well downtown...