Coffee & Rhetoric To Talk About Retail

15 comments

• E Erik B. January 23, 2008

  Please join a roundtable discussion at Coffee and Rhetoric on the relevance of big box anchors to revitalizing downtown Tacoma. Got an opinion on this?

  I am going to try to make it. Its not clear what is meant by a “big box anchor.” Does that mean trying to place a typical suburban “big box” store surrounded by acres of a parking lot in a superblock or does it simply mean a national retainer in the existing downtown grid?

  (I guess I will have to attend to find out)

• B Ben January 23, 2008

  I have this on my calendar as well, hopefully I can make it. There was a thread in the forums “Is Tacoma Mall the real downtown” where I proposed just this, adding a big box/anchor store to kick start the downtown shopping experience.

• C Crenshaw Sepulveda January 24, 2008

  Tacoma had department stores downtown, and not that long ago. Most of the building. One by one they closed their doors, some forever and some so they could move to the mall.

  Todays some malls are failing to thrive. There are websites devoted to the dying malls. Some malls are dying but the mall concept for retailing is not dying. The malls are adapting to provide a version of the downtown shopping experience along with the convenience of shopping at a mall. A smart mall operator can respond more quickly to the public’s requirements or, indeed, create for the public what they think they require. A mall is at a distinct advantage to a downtown area because it can respond more quickly when their business is under threat.

  In a downtown we worry about parking, security, historic preservation, and a host of other issues.

  Downtowns that have thrived or revived after malls are downtowns that provide alternative retailing experiences to malls. Downtowns that survive are downtowns that retain the classic elements of a true public place and thus provides a true alternative to the mall which is the opposite of a public place.

  Mall operators are pretty smart as a group. Again, they have the ability to adapt quickly and give the public what it thinks it needs and wants. Formidable competition for a downtown.

  The malls have thrived because they tend to cater to the perceived needs of our young people. If they capture each generation of young people they can insure their success. Today we have a small opportunity to give our young people an alternative to the mall and maybe stem the tide. More than anything our downtowns need to appeal to our young adults. If our young determine that downtown is cool then we will win.

  Big box retail, while it is till in our midst is old school. Do our young people buy computers at Circuit City or are they buying them online? Downtown has to provide what is not available online. Our old school retailers downtown tend to struggle as a group. What needs to happen is for the young adults of today to become the foundation of retailing downtown.

  Time after time I harp on how important it is to make downtown a downtown appealing to young adults. Upscale empty nester condos will do nothing to make downtown a better place for young adults and without the creativity and energy the young bring to a downtown the empty nesters will pretty much find downtown a dismal place to live and shop.

  Some will say, Sepulveda you are crazy (like I haven’t heard that before) we need Class A offices, we need light rail. we need anchor stores, big box, we need Whole Foods Market and the Pottery Barn. That will make downtown perfect. I just say make it work for our young and just see what downtown can become. Maybe I am crazy. Why do people say that the young are our future and then lose this lesson when it comes to downtowns?

• S sassy mcbutterpants January 24, 2008

  Mr Sepulveda,

  I respect what your saying about stuff for hip young people (am young myself,though not hip, and would like to be lured) but can’t we also have a like an H&M store and like a Fluevog store? Wouldn’t it be so cool to pick up some hot boots on your lunch break? Or let’s say I need a pair of jeans on clearence and a white tshirt? Where’s my Gap?

  Sass

• M Mofo from the Hood January 24, 2008

  Here’s what downtown needs for the upscale empty-nesters that C.S. mentioned:

  A glamour-shots photography studio.

  Mature women in downtown would just overwhelm that kind of place.

• C Crenshaw Sepulveda January 24, 2008

  It could be that sassy trumps hip, visit downtown Tacoma, it is “sassy” might be a good slogan for the BIA.

  Actually, I think the functional downtowns of old were a bit sassy. In reality the downtowns of old were a bit of everything and that is what made them appealing.

• C Christy January 24, 2008

  If it’s the young hip souls our downtown seeks, then we need more stores and bars to target that crowd. Urban Exchange, Cans, The University Book Store is not enough. Try adding Urban Outfitters, a Puma store, and 6 more dance clubs. Our downtown core will be brimming.

• S sassy mcbutterpants January 24, 2008

  ooh yes, dance clubs please.

• E Erik S January 24, 2008

  I’m willing to compromise, so let’s make a deal: how about another five (ugh) dance clubs and one good concert venue? That should still leave plenty of oomp-oomp-oomp for the Britney set.

  And NO the Tacoma Dome does NOT count as a music venue.

• M MG January 24, 2008

  So Cans is still open? I must have bad timing.

  A group of us stopped by on a late Saturday afternoon. Who doesn’t love a few casual beers and hang time Saturday @ 4-ish? It was closed. Stopped by this past Monday at 9:30pm – closed.

  I haven’t heard, oh lets say, exactly good things about it, but still wanted to check it out. When is it open?

• J Jacob Rose January 24, 2008

  CANS is still open. It was packed the other Saturday night when I drove by.

  I think they are going for more of a club atmosphere (see The Loft, they are the former owners) over the sports bar atmosphere it had when it opened.

• R RR Anderson January 24, 2008

  I’ll tell you what will excite young people these days… MODEL RAILROADING! Downtown lacks a Decent hobby shop!

  Kids love Slot cars, model rockets, balsa wood bi planes, typewriter repair kits, bag of knots, puzzles, box kites, bee keeping kits etc.

  By gum… what’s happened to America? We’re raising a bunch of ignoramuses!

• C Crenshaw Sepulveda January 24, 2008

  Not too many years ago there was a hobby shop in the Stadium District. Gone now but not forgotten. If your hobby needs are modest, the What? Shoppe on Broadway near Tully’s will do in a pinch. Got some real model glue there the other day.

• C Carmen Jones January 28, 2008

  For the record, I am not Sassy McButterpans.

  I recently had the unique opportunity to meet John Fluevog himself, which I wrote about last week in the coolest rag EVER, the Weekly Volcano.

  Coincidentally, Miss Sassy McButterpants also put this post here on exit133 about how awesome it would be to have a Fluevog shop in Tacoma.

  Ever since, I’ve been accused of being Sassy McButterpants around town, but we’re two different people. We just have excellent taste in the best kicks of all time :).

  Sassy, I’m sorry to report that after discussing it with the Fluevog crew when I was rocking it with them last week, we won’t see one of his shops in Tacoma anytime soon because he’s really focusing on attacking all major, mega metros.

  I’ll keep dropping the hints though :).

  Sincerely,

  Carmen, your social chameleon.

• S sassy mcbutterpants January 28, 2008

  Ms Jones

  I apologize for the harrasment you have received. I assure you I am not nearly so well connected as to have ever met a shoe god. Thanks for trying to talk some sense into him all the same.

  I did meet Kenny G once…but we didn’t talk Tacoma.

  S