Gilbert finalizes purchases of more buildings

[stasu1213]

Well you probably won't be seeing any Pawn Shops downtown. When Casinos opened in Detroit, the city made Pawn Shops one of the most highly regulated businesses around. They didn't want them clustered around the casinos, and the shops in the city already are heavily regulated from relocating.

As for other stores... John King is a great place to browse... I've averaged about $7.50 for most books I've purchased there. The more popular ones [[such as W. Hawkins Ferry's "Buildings Of Detroit") will naturally cost more. I haven't been there in about 3 years, so have prices gone up that much?

As for resale shops... it would be nice to have a "Bohemian" section of the city with all different kinds of stores catering to the secondary market. But isn't that what the Russell Industrial Bazaar already caters to?

I think that Gratiot from Chene to MacDougall to become that "Bohemian" section of the city. There are a men's clothing store as well as a newly opened women's boutique that had just opened a week ago. There is a furniture store, pawn shop, restaurant supply store[[ where I buy my silverware and pots from), a tatoo parlor, closed bicycle shop, and a couple of beauty shops. That area has great potential for the Bohemian flair. That is one area that Tony Goldman could wonders with.

[davewindsor]

Well you probably won't be seeing any Pawn Shops downtown. When Casinos opened in Detroit, the city made Pawn Shops one of the most highly regulated businesses around. They didn't want them clustered around the casinos, and the shops in the city already are heavily regulated from relocating.

As for other stores... John King is a great place to browse... I've averaged about $7.50 for most books I've purchased there. The more popular ones [[such as W. Hawkins Ferry's "Buildings Of Detroit") will naturally cost more. I haven't been there in about 3 years, so have prices gone up that much?

As for resale shops... it would be nice to have a "Bohemian" section of the city with all different kinds of stores catering to the secondary market. But isn't that what the Russell Industrial Bazaar already caters to?

I was there a year ago and I believe the book was called Detroit's Downtown Movie Palaces. They wanted 15 bucks for it--used. I bought it new with shipping from, I can't remember if it was Chapters online or Borders online, a few years ago for the same price. And there were other used Detroit books, but they were in the $20 - $40 range. Really?! Come on. I never bought anything there because the books I wanted were overpriced and being that I own a couple thousand books anyway, my desire for another used book is not that high. That's the first and the last time I went there. If I were to take my books to the used book store in Windsor, they'd give me 5 to 10 cents a piece for them if they wanted them; otherwise, they'd tell me to just donate it to the St. Vincent de Paul's or the Salvation Army where I could buy books for a buck a piece at their second hand stores. With that kind of markup, I don't see why it's an issue to sell books for a few bucks a piece.

Russell Industrial Bazaar has strange hours. I guess it's only open on the weekends? I went there during a weekday and 95% of the units were closed. Maybe I just pick the wrong times to visit. A lot places just seem to be closed when I visit.

[stasu1213]

If a Target, Kohls, or some other major retailer came downtown, that would be a huge statement. But at this point, any type of business downtown is a positive. I don't think you can just go "we need to have a Macy's" and that will be the end all and spark everything. You need the Mervin's, but you also need the no name coffee shops and mom and pop stores. It has to be intermingled, a patchwork of major retailers to bring in people and the smaller tenants with innovative products or ideas that gives the area a separate identity. Anyone can walk into Oakland Mall and find everything they need. What is unique about Detroit that will drive people to come downtown? I think Gilbert understands that. And lets make no mistake about it, the guy is investing to make money, as is any other investor. Nobody can blame him for that, but he's bringing a positive attitude and hope with it, so let him run with it.

An empty building in the downtown area could have Kohls, Target, and JCPenney inside of it. Each store could have a floor or two to itself. The building that Kresge was in could had been the perfect spot.

[bartock]

A mjor sports apparel store, a Radio Shack or another electronic store, a good clothing retail store for men, women, and children. An Office Max or any store that sells goods and equipment for the office rather work or home. coffee shops or cafes. movie theatre. Do I need to go on?

There are FedEx/Kinkos at Compuware and the RenCen. There is a Radio Shack on Woodward in Midtown, movie theatre in the RenCen, coffe shops and cafes in relative abundance. I'd like to know how the Radio Shack is doing...I've been there a couple of times and was not impressed. I would think that a "real" movie theatre is a long way off. As has been mentioned, a Target or some other retailer a step up from [[i.e., CVS plus clothes and more retail) the CVS stores in the RenCen and across Compuware would likely be the next test balloon. I would imagine, however, that it is a difficult task given its significant risk, factoring in the light population of downtown, the limited hours of foot traffic, and insurance costs. Kind of a chicken/egg thing...but this is where Gilbert's "all-in" approach may make something like this happen.

[bartock]

I think that Gratiot from Chene to MacDougall to become that "Bohemian" section of the city. There are a men's clothing store as well as a newly opened women's boutique that had just opened a week ago. There is a furniture store, pawn shop, restaurant supply store[[ where I buy my silverware and pots from), a tatoo parlor, closed bicycle shop, and a couple of beauty shops. That area has great potential for the Bohemian flair. That is one area that Tony Goldman could wonders with.

That furniture store [[Gardella) has been around forever and may be the best retail in Detroit.

[DetroitPlanner]

An empty building in the downtown area could have Kohls, Target, and JCPenney inside of it. Each store could have a floor or two to itself. The building that Kresge was in could had been the perfect spot.

That would never have been large enough. A Target alone would be too small for the building. My guess is that you never have shopped in this store when it was a Kresge.These are 120,000 sq ft stores. To add stories you would most likely have to make them 135,000 sq ft to accomodate movements between floors. How would you handle the semis that would deliver goods to be sold in a multi unit, multi-floor facility as you propose? Who would get priority of the freight elavator? JCP is making all of thier new stores very Kohls like in size, operations, and want single floor plans. All registers are getting moved to the entrances.

In Detroit's heyday these were multifloor stores because the market forced that. Most likely a developer would want to tear everything down and start fresh with retail on the main floor only. If you could find a building large enough to do what you propose, and I doubt that is possible, you would also kill all streetlife as there would be no reason to leave the building to check out what the store down the street had to offer. This would be good for the Hudson's block, no where else. If it was put on the Hudson Block then the rest of downtown would not have spin-offs. Its similar to Casino traffic going to MGM or Motor City. No reason to leave the destination.

[stasu1213]

There are FedEx/Kinkos at Compuware and the RenCen. There is a Radio Shack on Woodward in Midtown, movie theatre in the RenCen, coffe shops and cafes in relative abundance. I'd like to know how the Radio Shack is doing...I've been there a couple of times and was not impressed. I would think that a "real" movie theatre is a long way off. As has been mentioned, a Target or some other retailer a step up from [[i.e., CVS plus clothes and more retail) the CVS stores in the RenCen and across Compuware would likely be the next test balloon. I would imagine, however, that it is a difficult task given its significant risk, factoring in the light population of downtown, the limited hours of foot traffic, and insurance costs. Kind of a chicken/egg thing...but this is where Gilbert's "all-in" approach may make something like this happen.

The coffee shops that are downtown closes too early or are limited in space. Name a large coffree shop downtown that cater to the after 6pm crowd. Most of the larger coffee shops are inside buildings such as Compuware, GM, and The Guardian. They all or them closes at 6pm. The CVS on Woodward across from the Compuware Building sucks. The manaagement is horrible. The employees have a bad habit of not opening the store on time. Too many pandhandlers are hanging outside of the store.

Chief Goodbee is not having the police to walk the beat downtown. You rarely see them. That is why a lot of retail are questionable about opening a store downtown. Foot traffic will increase if one, office workers and residents feel safe about walking around; two, give pedestrians a reason to walk around after working hours. Once the stores and after 6pm coffee shops open in the area you will see more foot traffic

[stasu1213]

That would never have been large enough. A Target alone would be too small for the building. My guess is that you never have shopped in this store when it was a Kresge.These are 120,000 sq ft stores. To add stories you would most likely have to make them 135,000 sq ft to accomodate movements between floors. How would you handle the semis that would deliver goods to be sold in a multi unit, multi-floor facility as you propose? Who would get priority of the freight elavator? JCP is making all of thier new stores very Kohls like in size, operations, and want single floor plans. All registers are getting moved to the entrances.

In Detroit's heyday these were multifloor stores because the market forced that. Most likely a developer would want to tear everything down and start fresh with retail on the main floor only. If you could find a building large enough to do what you propose, and I doubt that is possible, you would also kill all streetlife as there would be no reason to leave the building to check out what the store down the street had to offer. This would be good for the Hudson's block, no where else. If it was put on the Hudson Block then the rest of downtown would not have spin-offs. Its similar to Casino traffic going to MGM or Motor City. No reason to leave the destination.

I had shopped at Kresges when it was open. That building is large enough for a City Target.

[DetroitPlanner]

I had shopped at Kresges when it was open. That building is large enough for a City Target.

125,000 sq ft? Carson's floorplate is huge compared to Kresge. Carson's took up nearly the whole block and was located in several buildings. It reminded me of Hudson's in that the floors did not always match up and there was an alley that ran through the store for semis delivering goods.
http://www.bizjournals.com/twincitie...te-street.html

I have been to the Target in MPS just to see how they did things. It was built new without store windows that traditional stores had. It will be interesting to see how they treat the windows. The MPS target had no window displays and the area street life was dead around it. [[This is partially because of MPS' infatuation with skybridges, but thats a different mattter all together!)

[stasu1213]

125,000 sq ft? Carson's floorplate is huge compared to Kresge. Carson's took up nearly the whole block and was located in several buildings. It reminded me of Hudson's in that the floors did not always match up and there was an alley that ran through the store for semis delivering goods.
http://www.bizjournals.com/twincitie...te-street.html

I have been to the Target in MPS just to see how they did things. It was built new without store windows that traditional stores had. It will be interesting to see how they treat the windows. The MPS target had no window displays and the area street life was dead around it. [[This is partially because of MPS' infatuation with skybridges, but thats a different mattter all together!)

Target could use the basement and the first floor in the Kresge building. The foremer Lane Bryant or Woolworth building could house a City Target. I would love to see Target, Kohls, and JCPenney experiment downtown for a month. Somerset Collection was a sucess doing it. There would be more people shopping at the Target experiment store.

[1953]

Went by this week and saw Bedrock Management guys going into the Lane Bryant building. Also, took some shots of the buildings and the block:

[Gistok]

Does anyone else remember those "semi-tacky" metal human sculptures out in front of Lane Bryant in the 70s/80s? They also had some benches out front I believe.