Fill This Space!
Y’all can’t seem to get enough retail talk this week, so here’s a question that’s current and has been on our minds. Who would be the perfect tenant for this space?
This is the old Chelsea Heights showroom in the 700 block of Pacific. It’s located in between Meconi’s and Urban Tanning Spa. Matador and Capers cover the corners of the block. Suite133 is a few doors down. It’s 2500 square feet. In your opinion, what business, or type of business, would you like to see be successful here? Why?
We have no financial stake in it and we don’t know the broker, but the neighborhood pride is pretty strong. Given its proximity to our office… we have a few opinions.
31 comments
S Squid January 25, 2008
Men’s clothing. The only place in Tacoma to get men’s clothing outside the Mall is Franco’s.
M michael g. January 25, 2008
Tractor Tavern, Tacoma branch! Or — distant second — a good shoe store (I had to buy shoes in Seattle recently for want of a good store here).
E Erik S January 25, 2008
I’ll second the Tractor (or a Tractor-Sunset hybrid) and would be pretty well pleased by a wee True Value or grocery.
J joel413 January 25, 2008
Based on what that block currently contains, another restaurant woul dprobably have the most success. There’s a pub, there’s a deli/take home, there’s Matador…
Downtown has Indochine, Pacific Grill, Sea Grill, Spaghetti Factory…Grouchos, melting pot, Harmon, Swiss, the Rock… And a bunch of others.
What about something like a Mandolin downtown, a non-chain coffee house for the north end of downtown, that’s more than your Beauty and the Beast and not a chain? Or something like Antique Sandwich Company…
G George January 25, 2008
A used book store
D drizell January 25, 2008
How about inviting St. Helens Cafe down to Pacific? Of course, they’d have to change the name. With only 2500 sf of space, maybe they would actually look busy for once.
Wait a sec…doesn’t Meconi’s have good fish and chips too?
E Erik Hanberg January 25, 2008
An all-night garden gnome wholesaler.
S sassy mcbutterpants January 25, 2008
Cosy italian restaurant! Dim lighting! Tortellini in creamy prosciutto mushroom cream sauce for 9.95!! This is my dream… maybe it could be called something fun like “Nascosto” and have candles on the table and hot waiters.
I in-tacoma January 25, 2008
a place to have shows like a chopsuey for tacoma would be amazing
N NSHDscott January 25, 2008
Not another full-size, full-price restaurant. There are plenty in the area and parking gets a bit tricky sometimes. Plus, I bet Capers is the next restaurant to follow St. Helens Cafe. That place is nice inside, too bad it seems like no one is ever there to enjoy it. $9 sandwiches and salads and little else may do that to a Tacoma restaurant. Hopefully a better-targeted restaurant can take its place.
I’d be happy to get:
• A low-priced restaurant or deli. The only one in the area is Hal of a Sub, which is fine, but I’d love something more. (No, not teriyaki!)
• The little hardware-type store others have suggested. The closest are Gray’s Lumber (not close) and HD/Lowe’s (really not close).
• HQ for Tacoma Streetcar?
• My favorite idea, by far, is a liquor store! The previous downtown store closed years ago and was never replaced, so now the closest is 6th Ave (not close). BUT, because of the limited size of this space, and with the sensitive nature of potentially supplying cheap liquor to the wrong people in the wrong area, establish this one with two caveats. Stock it with only mid-range to high-end liquor, and only open it from 11:00-6:00. This inventory and schedule is appropriate for downtown workers and shoppers and not for street drunks and punks.
M michael g. January 25, 2008
Erik S. – I like the Tractor-Sunset hybrid idea even better.
One more idea: A good breakfast place (Chow Foods, are you out there?).
E Erik S January 25, 2008
Jacob – I like the Monsoon/Tempest angle also. Do you think that another bar there would oversaturate that strip or would it do just the opposite by building a sort of critical mass of bars?
Michael G – I’m always in favor of another breakfast place. Maybe something like the oft-rumored Tempest spinoff, a sort of St Cloud’s/Hi Spot type place. Another good idea.
J jdub January 25, 2008
Drug store/ retro soda counter. Bring back the 50s vibe, finance it through drugs sales and see if people will line up for good old counter malts and shakes. Real ice cream! Although 2500 sq feet is pushing it. I figure 1000 sq feet for counting pills another 1500 for 6 stools and a counter. get Infinity Soups for winter times, and a dog broiler for summer with tables outside. There’s nothing better than a malted or a sasparilla fountain in the middle of summer. (relax and try Don’s in Ruston after running around with the kids all day on errands). For the adventurous minded, how about godiva chocolate shakes, malts with cream de cassis? Just to fit in the fur coat sorts.
Its too small for a hardware store, not a day goes by when I need something that I miss Coast Hardware.
E Elliot January 25, 2008
Three words: Conveyor Belt Sushi.
I know there’s one at the mall. I’m not going to the mall for dinner. Or for much of anything else, for that matter.
I would also go for a late night coffee shop. We need more in this town that’s open late. The fact that Bertilini is the only place for coffee after 10pm is insane.
E Elliot January 25, 2008
Oh, and to the question of whether you can have too many bars and clubs in an area: No, you can’t. That’s what makes an area worth going to, you can hop.
B Brooks January 25, 2008
Along the lines of a Tacoma branch of the Tractor Tavern, my hope would be a Tacoma branch of either Sonic Boom or, even better, Easy Street Records. Food options on that end of Pacific seem to be well covered.
A Andrew January 25, 2008
Mellow house music???
Uh-oh!
Acid jazz alert!
J Jake January 25, 2008
From CBA:
“100% Leased Building with upside in rents.”(though there is a space vacant)
They use the same marketing remarks for the leased space as they do for the for sale listing for the building.
Listed in the Office Space section (though the space is a retail space)
Not listed in Retail section at all.
PDF shows one office space and one retail space available. (probably outdated)
Maybe the problem isn’t Tacoma, its demographics, etc.
Maybe it is the Commercial Brokers who just have no time to keep up / update with their listings?
C Christy January 25, 2008
See’s Chocolates.
D D. Voelpel January 25, 2008
Hey, Derek:
What’s upstairs over the ground-floor retail space? Can a tenant combine the two spaces?
Downtown definitely needs authentic Italian. But I doubt the space can accommodate the kitchen and the dining area required to support it.
J Jake January 26, 2008
Obama ’08 Campaign Office???
E Erik S January 26, 2008
Too ephemeral.
B broadweezy January 26, 2008
Unless you live in a new condo building with a fitness center, there’s no place downtown to work out. I’d be happy with a small gym or fitness studio.
On the other end of the calorie-spectrum, a handmade candy shop/confectionerie/ice creamery would be a fun, unique and local addition to downtown.
J Jake January 26, 2008
There is the YMCA. We really do need another major gym downtown. The Y is pretty busy during peak hours.
D Daniel Blue January 27, 2008
TWO WHEELED
LOW IMPACT
HEAVY DUTY
MESSENGER
HEADQUARTERS
a small hive of ultra fast green messenger bicycles and motorized local transporters. hey russel, these xippers are faster than email.
the back of the place could be deployment, and the storefront could be a hub for scooter and bicycle culture. it could be both a support the the business community (lunch delivery from any downtown restaurant) and a much needed splash of metropolitan culture, like the nobel piece prize winner, Muhammad Yunus, wrote about in his book: Creating a World Without Poverty: How Social Business Can Transform Our Lives.
T Tressie January 27, 2008
Mike was a gonna do a scooter/bike shop in the Dome District…but I haven’t seen him in a long time…
So, 2/3 words…..dim sum duh.
D Droid16 January 28, 2008
Home base for the Segway Tours of Tacoma. Squadrons of Segways embark down to Ruston, through Point Defiance, back to Old Tacoma, through downtown past the Convention Center, circling Tollefson Plaze then up to and winding down the grand staircase of UWT across Bridge of Glass, along the Thea Foss Waterway and back up to downtown and the Chelsea Heights showroom.
Yes.
A altered chords January 28, 2008
It’s a fairly small space. How about a cobler? I’ve got 10 pairs of shoes in my trunk. They’ve been there about 2 years. Guaranteed business for the cobbler that moves in!
M morgan January 28, 2008
Bring back Bimbo’s! We need more Italian restaurant options!
E Erik S January 29, 2008
While having my first cup of coffee this morning and waiting for the brain to warm to a steady idle, I listened to an old Blasters record. Listening to the early ’80s roots/rockabilly revival sounds of No Other Girl, I decided that what we really need in that space is a an all night cafe. For extra awesomeness and profitability, I’ll say something along the lines of Seattle’s Five Point or Hurricane, but smaller and with better coffee. 24-hour food and coffee, plenty of hours of booze.
As cool as PSP is, the city misses the (select) late night eats offered by the Busy Bee. The closest thing that I can think of in the downtown area is the Hobnob.
All roads lead to the Dog House.
D Dominic Accetturo February 1, 2008
I am the listing agent. I read everyone’s comments. They’re great! I will institute them into my marketing.
Can’t be a restaurant. A restaurant would cost $300K in seismic upgrades to the building. We have specialty shops looking at leasing.
I did the Matador lease and nearly everyone on that block. I’ll keep working to add to the neighborhood.
Who’s St. Helen’s Cafe?