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Re: Downtown Minneapolis Retail News

Posted: January 6th, 2015, 9:04 pm
by uptowncarag
Fair enough -- I probably should have clarified that my points about suburban design were aimed at the furthest of the far exurbs, the area where I grew up (and which I most quickly associate with the broader term "suburbia"). Look up Shakopee on Google Maps, and you'll see what I mean -- miles upon miles of uninterrupted, low-density residential land use, with neighborhoods disconnected from one another and/or designed in curlicue, backtracking, non-walkable patterns. This can't be good for the frequency or breadth of anyone's social interaction, especially for those who aren't vehicularly endowed (teens, some of the elderly, members of one-car families when the car is spoken for)...

And the 3-mile comment was not intended as an indictment of automobile use. Trust me, I wouldn't walk for a three-mile errand, either. My intended target was the design of these places -- the very fact that most homes are located so far from basic amenities that one would essentially have to drive.

What's more, neither of these critiques is an attack on any person. Suburbia contains wonderful folks and jerks just like any other place, and certainly also contains some people who share in many or most urbanist ideals. My point was that the design philosophy and demographic uniformity embodied by extreme exurbia may play a role in making panicky, reflexively anti-Other worldviews more likely -- not that everyone in the suburbs thinks this way.
You shouldn't make fun of the suburbs, especially planned developments. It is a big decision to choose between gray or tan siding.

Re: Downtown Minneapolis Retail News

Posted: January 6th, 2015, 9:05 pm
by seanrichardryan
slate and sandstone.

Re: Downtown Minneapolis Retail News

Posted: January 27th, 2015, 8:39 am
by xandrex
Just saw a tweet from Adam Voge at Finance & Commerce that says Saks Off Fifth is stay downtown and moving to City Center.

Re: Downtown Minneapolis Retail News

Posted: January 27th, 2015, 8:46 am
by Silophant
Cool! It'll be good to have something on the ground floor again. Seems strange, though, that they fire-sold all their inventory, and even furnishings, if they were only moving across the street.

Re: Downtown Minneapolis Retail News

Posted: January 27th, 2015, 8:56 am
by acs
Maybe they'll be upgraded to a regular Saks when/if city center is renovated?

Re: Downtown Minneapolis Retail News

Posted: January 27th, 2015, 8:57 am
by xandrex
I doubt it. I think this will still be an Off Fifth location. Ali Kaplan is pretty well connected in the retail biz and she specifically tweeted about Off Fifth. https://twitter.com/AliShops/status/560086105840975872

Re: Downtown Minneapolis Retail News

Posted: January 27th, 2015, 9:01 am
by xandrex
Sam Black posted a press release he got on Twitter:

-Off Fifth store
-40,000 square feet
-Opening April 2016

Does this mean all the bellyaching from Strib commenters about "losing a department store, getting a Walgreens" can end? Nahhhhhhhhh...

Re: Downtown Minneapolis Retail News

Posted: January 27th, 2015, 9:01 am
by acs
Right I'm not saying this won't open near-term as a Outlet location, just that when city center is renovated sometime down the line it would make sense for them to ditch their furnishings anyways and upgrade to a full store.

Re: Downtown Minneapolis Retail News

Posted: January 27th, 2015, 9:09 am
by TommyT
I tried doing a google image search for Walgreens Marquee Store but it just brings up a whole bunch of pictures of all types of walgreens store. Anyone have an idea of what a typical "Marquee Store" looks like? I really liked the pic that the business journal had of a flagship store in Chicago with all that glass. Any chance they'll open up the Saks building and put in a lot more windows? I'd certainly hope at least some. Would be a shame to have the "cinder block Walgreen" feel downtown with small or no exterior windows.

Re: Downtown Minneapolis Retail News

Posted: January 27th, 2015, 9:10 am
by IllogicalJake
Probably gives them a chance to buy all-new fixtures. I'm sure Saks would like their new store to be as up-to-date as possible. I know we did similar things wayyy back when I worked at Old Navy as it moved from a mall to a standalone B&M.

Re: Downtown Minneapolis Retail News

Posted: January 27th, 2015, 9:11 am
by IllogicalJake
I tried doing a google image search for Walgreens Marquee Store but it just brings up a whole bunch of pictures of all types of walgreens store. Anyone have an idea of what a typical "Marquee Store" looks like? I really liked the pic that the business journal had of a flagship store in Chicago with all that glass. Any chance they'll open up the Saks building and put in a lot more windows? I'd certainly hope at least some. Would be a shame to have the "cinder block Walgreen" feel downtown with small or no exterior windows.
It sounds like they haven't quite defined what a marquee store is exactly yet. If they have, I'm not sure they've opened one. We may be experiencing something new for the W, even if it's not as fancy as the flagship store. I hope they're able to open it up quite a bit, though.

Re: Downtown Minneapolis Retail News

Posted: January 27th, 2015, 9:23 am
by xandrex
Based on what Walgreens was quoted as saying earlier, it seemed like it was going to offer a lot of what the flagship store did, so maybe that but smaller?

I would love to have one like the Chicago flagship. It was a beautiful store to be in.

Re: Downtown Minneapolis Retail News

Posted: January 27th, 2015, 10:02 am
by bapster2006
Oh yea, I was there when they built Saks. Good news for downtown.

ImageGaviidae Common construction 1988 by bapster2006, on Flickr

Re: Downtown Minneapolis Retail News

Posted: January 27th, 2015, 10:14 am
by bubzki2

Re: Downtown Minneapolis Retail News

Posted: January 27th, 2015, 10:15 am
by twincitizen
Journal: http://www.journalmpls.com/news-feed/sa ... nter-space

It's going in the old Office Depot space, ground level and skyway level. You have to figure they're going to open up that effing corner entrance at Nicollet & 6th, right?

Here's a floor plan for the first level of City Center: http://shorenstein.com/wp-content/files ... 271427.pdf

40,000 sf sounds about right, seeing as how the street level has about 24,000 sf.

On the skyway level, however, it looks like they will displace a couple restaurants: http://shorenstein.com/wp-content/files ... 012714.pdf

I wonder how that works out...between Baja Sol, Au Bon Pain, and LeeAnn Chin, not all will be able to find spots in City Center. Perhaps some will relocate across the street to skyway level spaces in Gaviidae I & II (RBC Plaza). I doubt they're interested in moving down to the wasteland that is the ground level of City Center.

Re: Downtown Minneapolis Retail News

Posted: January 27th, 2015, 10:16 am
by Silophant
Sam Black posted a press release he got on Twitter:

-Off Fifth store
-40,000 square feet
-Opening April 2016
Huh. The Strib article says it'll be 16,000 square feet. That's quite a discrepancy.

Edit: Re twincitizen's post:
Ah, maybe its 16,000 sq ft of the old Office Depot space, and also 24,000 more square feet in other space. Also, I'd assume if they were cool with an outside door across the street, they'd be cool with an outside door here. I hope.

Re: Downtown Minneapolis Retail News

Posted: January 27th, 2015, 10:25 am
by xandrex
^Strib may have missed including both floors?

I walk through City Center daily for work, but I can't think of what is located above office depot. There is a Leann Chin and Au Bon Pain or whatever, but I assume it would be "behind" those further down the skyway/hallway.

Re: Downtown Minneapolis Retail News

Posted: January 27th, 2015, 10:29 am
by twincitizen
See above links for ground level and skyway level plans of City Center. Leann Chin, Au Bon Pain, and Baja Sol are all directly above the Office Depot space that Saks will take over. Those restaurants will most likely be moving.

Re: Downtown Minneapolis Retail News

Posted: January 27th, 2015, 10:36 am
by Silophant
Yeah, that whole corner is about 16k sqft total, so they're all gonna have to move. Unless Saks also got some of the 3rd floor or basement to get to 40k, but I doubt it.

I wonder if Shorenstein could subdivide that big space by the hotel to get all of those restaurants new space on the skyway level? I also doubt they want to move to the wasteland downstairs.

Re: Downtown Minneapolis Retail News

Posted: January 27th, 2015, 10:44 am
by TommyT
How long is the typical lease on a place like those restaurants? Could it be City Center would get more profit out of Saks than the three of those combined and just chose not to renew their leases? That could also explain why the opening date is so far out. I believe that's what happened with Caribou in Capella Tower is that they wouldn't renew the lease to make room for Peace Coffee.