Woodward Avenue Retail Development Activity

[DetroitDad]

Just got back from a stroll to Campus Martius and a swing by the Downtown CVS. I was surprised to see so many toys and new gadgets in their window display. Apparently they are selling Wii Fit, or something very similar [[some sort of video super fit game).

Meanwhile, work of some sort appears to be going on at the former Woodward Restaurant in the Compuware Building. I could see neon through the windows. A little further down the street you can peer into the windows of the Kresge Shops to see the progress slowly but surely happening. The new bakery in particular is coming along nicely, surprisingly with goodies already in the display case. On the State Street side of the Kresge Buildings, one can see what appears to be a woman's shoe store that definitely seems much nicer than what was going on over at the Russell Bazaar. The Kresge Shops seem more like upper end mini boutique stores rather than kiosks or lower end retail. I am becoming pleasantly surprised by the progress at the Kresge Shops.

Next door to the Kresge Shops is the new 5 and 10 Bar, with a flashing open sign in it's windows, though it did not appear to be open. Further down the street is the new nightclub; Vain, across from Oslo's Sushi and Good Girls Go To Paris Crepes. The new lights on that building are at least a shot of life to that block, if nothing else.

Still high vacancies and no sense of flow or cohesion, but it is nice to see that the Woodward Avenue Shopping District is more stagnant than anything else, or even moving forward, and not moving backward, as it had momentarily appeared to be with the rash of closings earlier this year.

As Gannon always says; Cheers!