Downtown Minneapolis Retail News

[proverfent]

Just what we need, another bargain bin for the riff raff downtown. Why can't we get some nice stores for a change? I guess we should start calling it Nicollet Outlet Mall.

This!!! Another outlet store downtown is annoying. I can absolutely only speak for myself here but I am sure many people, they may not be in this discussion forum, agree with how I feel. I am 27 years old and live downtown. When I moved here I looked forward to shopping at Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. Now they have been replaced with outlet stores which, personally, I feel should stay in the suburbs. I was recently in Salt Lake City and they have a full-fledged Nordstrom store downtown and they're downtown population is 15,000. I support the vast majority of retail entering the downtown market but we cannot fill downtown with Marshalls, outlet store, Walgreens, outlet store....

[mnmike]

Um, Saks was replaced with off fifth when you were like 15 then, and these are the kind of stores that do well downtown.

Ps, salt lake has tourists...downtowns with tourists and big convention business have more retail.

[grant1simons2]

These are the kind of places that are attempting to get that draw of shopping downtown back. If they're successful, then hopefully can see larger luxury brands back in the market. For now, there's always North Loop.

[dajazz]

Just what we need, another bargain bin for the riff raff downtown. Why can't we get some nice stores for a change? I guess we should start calling it Nicollet Outlet Mall.

This!!! Another outlet store downtown is annoying. I can absolutely only speak for myself here but I am sure many people, they may not be in this discussion forum, agree with how I feel. I am 27 years old and live downtown. When I moved here I looked forward to shopping at Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. Now they have been replaced with outlet stores which, personally, I feel should stay in the suburbs. I was recently in Salt Lake City and they have a full-fledged Nordstrom store downtown and they're downtown population is 15,000. I support the vast majority of retail entering the downtown market but we cannot fill downtown with Marshalls, outlet store, Walgreens, outlet store....

The Nordstrom in SLC is also an anchor to the $1.5 billion City Creek Center project that the Mormon church built, it's a destination mall that draws in a lot of locals from outside downtown (underground parking has thousands of spaces) as well as tourists, plus it's directly across from the Salt Palace convention center and the temple. As nice as it would be to have downtown (MPLS), I don't see it happening. The economics in SLC are different, land use costs are cheaper, it's easier for suburbanites to get to and use City Creek than a similar setup here would allow, and I'd be willing to bet that the church gave Nordstrom (and Macy's) a sweetheart deal to lock them into a long term agreement. Plus the only mall to City Creek that would compete for traffic/sales is Fashion Place in Murray which is 12 miles away, downtown Minneapolis has competition from Southdale, Ridgedale, and Rosedale which are all 7-10 miles away, not to mention the big mall in Bloomington that soaks up tourists.

[QuietBlue]

Jeez, people, we're still talking about a place that sells some expensive stuff at the high end of their price range. Some of you are acting like they're bringing in a dollar store or something. Nordstrom Rack should do well in downtown and will hopefully encourage other retailers to locate there as well.

Also, Minnesotans are notoriously thrifty/cheap (depending on how you want to look at it) when it comes to the amount of money they spend on clothing. It's not due to a lack of money, either, it's just that people have different priorities. There's a reason the state only has two regular Nordstrom's, and why they're located where they are.

[SamHartmen]

J...and will hopefully encourage other retailers to locate there as well.

Ok, fingers crossed QuietBlue get's his thrifty/cheap Dollar Store downtown.

[proverfent]

The thing is I, like many people who live in my building, have a pretty expendable income. We talk about wanting better retail and restaurant options downtown. Nordstrom Rack is not better retail but is another Rack store in the metro. We need/want new stores to enter the metro market, downtown. It can happen.

[SamHartmen]

The thing is I, like many people who live in my building, have a pretty expendable income. We talk about wanting better retail and restaurant options downtown. Nordstrom Rack is not better retail but is another Rack store in the metro. We need/want new stores to enter the metro market, downtown. It can happen.

Yes, and last time I checked all the new rents downtown were 1,000+ for a one bedroom. People shopping at these bargain barrels clearly don't live downtown. Maybe if downtown was to not just ban plastic bags, but also ban cardboard signs... Triple Five Group showed success at handeling the BLM protests, selling naming rights and roadway rights to them and let them manage it as a private mall roadway.


At least that way Mall Of America would stop pirating downtown (St. Paul) tenants.

[grant1simons2]

Please stop

[sushisimo]

The thing is I, like many people who live in my building, have a pretty expendable income. We talk about wanting better retail and restaurant options downtown.

I sense Grey Poupon may have been exchanged.

[xandrex]

Welp.

http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/n ... -minn.html

[EOst]

Well, that was deeply pointless.

[LakeCharles]

Well it's still better that they remodeled and made the nice corner entrance and then closed than if they hadn't done anything at all, right? Maybe we'll get another outlet store

[Silophant]

That was my thought as well. It should be pretty easy for something else to move in now.

[minntransplant]

Well it's still better that they remodeled and made the nice corner entrance and then closed than if they hadn't done anything at all, right? Maybe we'll get another outlet store

A Nike outlet store wouldn't be the worst thing to happen ... it would be nice if another sports/athletic apparel retailer took the spot.

[John21]

Nicollet Outlet Mall.

[Silophant]

Eh, I'm not going to complain about having active stores instead of locked doors.

[acs]

I tend to agree, however whether that eventually happens depends on if Sports Authority/what's left of it decides to hold on to their lease or not. Downtown has been bitten in the ass by tenants going out of business but still holding on to their long-term leases for empty buildings, see chili's, Solera, and Masa. I hope in the bankruptcy process they can cancel their lease and give the building owners incentive to fill the space again.

[acs]

Looks like my main concern won't happen here, thankfully. SA will be auctioning off their leases within a month, then we'll have a better idea what could replace them.

[Didier]

http://www.startribune.com/mercury-risi ... 381665361/

Blue Plate is taking over the former Brasserie Zentral spot.

This could be a good fit, finally. Blue Plate isn't perfect, but this should be cheaper and more accessible than some of the places that have recently gone under.