CityLoft by Somerset Collection on Woodward

[Jowlska]

Yeah, Target would be great in the Downtown area. I would go there all the time. Are there any wild Target rumors floating around???

[dtowncitylover]

Went down. I wouldn't say I was "underwhelmed", but certainly not overwhelmed. Kinda what I expected. It was larger that what I expected, but with the people there sometimes it was elbow to elbow. I hate live models though, they freak me out.

[wolverine]

Yeah, Target would be great in the Downtown area. I would go there all the time. Are there any wild Target rumors floating around???

No rumors, but I think it would be crazy to assume they aren't considering it. I mean the Targets that have opened up here in neighborhoods in Chicago are places that have pretty awful histories. Cabrini-Green, south of Uptown, Roosevelt Road.....in the late 90's this would be unthinkable But it seems they come in when everything has improved. If downtown Detroit's population continues to grow, I'm convinced a Target may set up shop.

[Designerguy24]

They could build their new concept here like they are in Chicago. It's going to be called City Target here is a link to the article http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?sec...cal&id=7960001

[esp1986]

Yeah, Target would be great in the Downtown area. I would go there all the time. Are there any wild Target rumors floating around???

The most logical place for a Target would be in the Midtown area. The cost of building a store that big on the relatively small plots downtown is astronomical, especially given the perceived risk of opening a store in Detroit.

I know for a fact the ultimate plan is to try to entice a store like Macy's or the name I've actually heard from people at Quicken, Nordstrom, to come downtown. They are trying to rebrand Downtown as the upscale part of town, which is what it should be. Target doesn't exactly fit that motif. If Target were to want to open a store down there, I'm sure they wouldn't say 'No,' but their goal is a national retailer along the lines of Macy's or Nordstrom, to attract other retailers like some of the ones we see in CityLoft.

[cmubryan]

Definitely nice to be in a high-end store that carries mainstream brands jam packed with people that look like they would patronize Somerset or downtown Chicago stores. However, it should be noted that it literally is the size of one typical store. Better than nothing and a real great start! It was cool knowing that I was in my own downtown yet it felt like I was in downtown Chicago or NYC when I was in the store.

[dtowncitylover]

It's at least a decade away before any major retailer comes downtown. Even I'm not that optimistic. However, the downtown leaders would want to attract a department store that doesn't have a presence in the region, like Dillard's or a Bon-Ton store [[Bon Ton, Herberger's, Younkers, Boston Store, Carson's, ect., they would be an excellent choice because they're more middle class retailers). Perhaps one day a Bloomingdale's will open up downtown...

[D_Town]

^
Barney's NY would be better

[illwill]

I was merely using the Apple Store as an example. Nearly every high traffic store has them, often dressed in the same attire as store staff and looking like security, until you look at the badge. I am told by a family member in Chicago that the stores don't have to pay for them. Since the majority of crime in an area like that is theft, they put some of the officers in stores rather than just roaming the streets. That's what income taxes are supposed to pay for in an area like that. Businesses do so much more volume in business in an urban area like Chicago that they pay quite a lot in income taxes that pay for itself. Obviously Detroit doesn't have that luxury.

Please allow me to clarify the "cop in the shop" situation in Chicago. YES, these are Chicago Police Officers that you see in Chicago stores ALL OVER THE CITY but they're off duty Chicago Police Officers that are HIRED BY THESE PRIVATE BUSINESSES such as Apple for instance. The officers do this as a side job to make extra money. I'm sure it's no different than in NYC.

[Downtown Dave]

With a line outside on Friday [[behind a velvet rope!) I couldn't even get inside. Any reviews from shoppers? [[I would have been a "looker" more than likely... :-)

[D_Town]

With a line outside on Friday [[behind a velvet rope!) I couldn't even get inside. Any reviews from shoppers? [[I would have been a "looker" more than likely... :-)

I enjoyed the CityLoft. My mother and I went there Saturday morning after eating at the New Center Eatery.

Some Highlights

• Free Valet Parking across the street
• They were selling Coneys
• Nice Cadillac Displays
• Creepy live models lol
• Some what diverse selection of retailers
• The only store I noticed that had the most traffic was Coach
• Neiman Marcus has the largest display
• My mother bought a Coach and LV bag, I got some sweaters from Saks and a shirt from Tommy Bahama.
• Many retailers had gifts with purchase. I got 2 $25 gift card at the saks booth

A few negatives

• Mens items that all the stores had were bland
• Not many mens items to choose from over all
• The room is very small when you have a bunch of people in it

[WPitonya]

http://www.detnews.com/article/20110...own-Aug.-25-27

This is pretty good news! If anything, it will be one more finished, built-out space on Woodward, even when they abandon it.

[Detroitej72]

Hopefully they will extend this through the Christmas season.

[esp1986]

http://www.detnews.com/article/20110...own-Aug.-25-27

This is pretty good news! If anything, it will be one more finished, built-out space on Woodward, even when they abandon it.

Step one was the first spot. Step two is now the second. If the success continues, this may become a longer term thing. The sales were apparently very good, so all indications are that there is, in fact, retail demand in Detroit. If this continues, I would suspect that they decide not only to extend this into the future, but even possibly expand to every weekend through the holiday season. This is great news though. The fact that the retailers want more space is encouraging, with the same number of stores being represented [[with a few coming and going) they are addressing one major concern, that the spaces were very small. Great news, keep it going!

[Danny]

City Loft will be re-open for phase two on August 26th and 28th.

[gthomas]

Great! Continue up and down Woodward from Campus Martius to Grand Circus Park.

[Flintoid]

The Merchants Row area really is showing some potential. Remember the Detroit Shoppe at Somerset was only supposed to be a pop up shop, but its been there for almost a year now. Let's hope this happens with CityLoft [[with some expanded hours of course)!

[MSUguy]

Reminder bump


Business for its inaugural event last month was so brisk that CityLoft has nearly doubled its space for this month's event. It now occupies about 7,000 square feet at 1441 and 1433 Woodward, in the Merchants Row building.

When it opens at 10 this morning, CityLoft is expected to include Saks, Sur La Table, Pottery Barn, Paradise Pen, Lilly Pulitzer, Brookstone, Marmi, Au Courant optical, Brooks Brothers, the Gap, Coach, Eddie Bauer and the Detroit Shoppe.

http://www.freep.com/article/2011082...xt|FRONTPAGE|p

[Zacha341]

They were doing jazz, pop and R&B karaoke out in front today [[Saturday) with three young women doing dance skits and routines. Looked like alot of fun... as I drove by a couple times.

Reminder bump

Business for its inaugural event last month was so brisk that CityLoft has nearly doubled its space for this month's event. It now occupies about 7,000 square feet at 1441 and 1433 Woodward, in the Merchants Row building.

When it opens at 10 this morning, CityLoft is expected to include Saks, Sur La Table, Pottery Barn, Paradise Pen, Lilly Pulitzer, Brookstone, Marmi, Au Courant optical, Brooks Brothers, the Gap, Coach, Eddie Bauer and the Detroit Shoppe.

http://www.freep.com/article/2011082...xt|FRONTPAGE|p

[downtownguy]

File this under Skipper's Rule, but according to a business owner on Woodward, the city is negotiating to have the shops expand and occupy all floors of the Elliott Building next year. The Elliott Building already has a storied past in retailing. Built in 1894 by William Elliott, it originally housed Elliott's dry goods store. In 1899, S. S. Kresge Company opened their first store in this location. It's a 6-story building at the south end of the city block where City Loft by Somerset Collection is located now. As I recall, the previous owner lived in New York but was working with Kraemer Design Group to convert it into lofts in the mid 00's. Apparently, the city controls the building now.

I always thought that would have been a great adaptation of the old Hudson's Building, albeit on a much grander scale.

Remember, this is just hearsay, but you hearsaid it here first.