Page 2 of 5

Re: ?What New Retail Does Downtown Need?

Posted: Mon May 21, 2007 2:30 pm
by greentara
Hear, hear on Trader Joe's. What the heck do we have to do to get one here? St. Louis has three and that's BS. I'm not sure any of theirs are urban, though.

Re: ?What New Retail Does Downtown Need?

Posted: Mon May 21, 2007 2:34 pm
by chrizow
greentara wrote: St. Louis has three and that's BS. I'm not sure any of theirs are urban, though.
correct.  one in Chesterfield, Creve Coeur, and Brentwood (Galleria area).  i would burst into heart-shaped confetti if they opened a store within 5 miles of downtown.

Re: ?What New Retail Does Downtown Need?

Posted: Mon May 21, 2007 2:37 pm
by kc-vino
Downtown needs a good head shop selling the classics like pipes, incense, cool sending cards, beads, cigars, lighters, etc.  Their is one in the Rivermarket at Tawhead Scents but how about one in the Crossroads or the Loop (yea F'ing right) 

Re: ?What New Retail Does Downtown Need?

Posted: Mon May 21, 2007 3:43 pm
by DaveKCMO
bookstore - we'll probably get a borders with the P+L. no other bookstore would survive near it, unless it specialized in used/rare books (and if i remember correctly, there was one in the crossroads for maybe six months, then it moved elsewhere).

music store - see above and/or itunes. you will never see another new store dedicated to pre-recorded music in this town, and certainly not downtown if rents are on the rise. a vintage vinyl or used CD place might be make it (vintage stock?), but you can use westport as a barometer of support for such ventures.

electronics - downtown could definitely support a radio shack, regardless of the parent company's fortunes (i believe they're all franchises?)... can you even buy a cell phone in the loop? i think both best buy and circuit city have "express" concepts that are found in some malls. that would work quite well in P+L.

kosher deli - there is no strong jewish presence in or around downtown. the location of the kosher food festival should tell you exactly where all of KC's jews live (and shop). sure, that doesn't account for cupini's, but italian delis are definitely not as niche in the midwest. downtown could definitely support more delis in general, regardless of ethnicity.

clothing - i think the crossroads is a great location for a used, slightly-upscale clothing store... mcgee, perhaps? all the really well-known ones are run by churches or ladies auxiliaries and aren't downtown. arizona is a joke; go to the one in the west bottoms (revue?) and ask them to move. as for casual clothing, i'm hoping we get some decent chain clothing stores in P+L, but i think marshall's or TJ maxx would do well in the loop... and they have a history of locating in downtowns.

office supplies - there are several places that sell paper and office supplies, but are definitely not office max/depot quality. CVS sells some office supplies (inkjet paper!), more than i would ever need for my home.

wal-mart/target - as far as i know, there are no walmarts in downtowns anywhere, not even the neighborhood market (read: wolf in sheep's clothing) concept. i would avoid it even if we had one. there are only two urban targets that i'm aware of -- minneapolis and manhattan. i would like to know if there are others. maybe a family dollar or dollar tree?

video store - hmm... thing of the past. we'll all be renting/downloading movies soon, but a good temporary solution would be a red box automated DVD rental franchise (http://www.redbox.com/).

Re: ?What New Retail Does Downtown Need?

Posted: Mon May 21, 2007 4:03 pm
by LenexatoKCMO
I agree with Dave that media retailers like music stores, video rental, and non-mega/specialist book stores are all endangered species unlikely to survive. 

I would like to see an artisanal bakery - something along the lines of Wheatfields in Larrytown. Not only would it be popular with the residents, but the day shift folks would likely pick loaves up to take home in the burbs.  Plus it would make the neighborhood smell nice. 

I second the notion of adding more mainstream clothing chains: Express, Gap, Old Navy, whatever - it may not be my personal choice but you find these places in most vibrant DT's and they add a lot of life. 

Re: ?What New Retail Does Downtown Need?

Posted: Mon May 21, 2007 5:53 pm
by DaveKCMO
LenexatoKCMO wrote: I would like to see an artisanal bakery - something along the lines of Wheatfields in Larrytown. Not only would it be popular with the residents, but the day shift folks would likely pick loaves up to take home in the burbs.  Plus it would make the neighborhood smell nice. 
why not a second wheatfields? i'm sure all of the downtown restaurants interested in reducing their food miles would be interested in supporting them. there is that bread bakery on the westside... i wonder if their customer base is larger than just the neighborhood?

Re: ?What New Retail Does Downtown Need?

Posted: Mon May 21, 2007 7:11 pm
by greentara
Lots of downtown restaurants get their bread from Farm to Market, which is a local.
http://www.farmtomarketbread.com/where1.html
City Tavern's bakery supplies a few too, I believe. Not to say we couldn't use more! I think an authentic Jewish deli is a great idea, but it's more likely there would be a Jason's, which is OK.

Re: ?What New Retail Does Downtown Need?

Posted: Mon May 21, 2007 7:14 pm
by chrizow
greentara wrote: I think an authentic Jewish deli is a great idea, but it's more likely there would be a Jason's, which is OK.
there is a jason's downtown, at 11th and Main...the hours suck, though.

Re: ?What New Retail Does Downtown Need?

Posted: Mon May 21, 2007 7:26 pm
by KCTigerFan
Fervere is the bakery on the Westside.  Yes, it draws people from throughout the city and is also used by many of the top restaurants in town.  If you visit on a Saturday morning it is a constant stream of people coming in.  Most are not from the urban core.  It is by far the best bread in KC and some of the best I have ever had, period.   

http://www.fervere.com

Re: ?What New Retail Does Downtown Need?

Posted: Mon May 21, 2007 9:21 pm
by Brodees
DaveKCMO wrote: kosher deli - there is no strong jewish presence in or around downtown. the location of the kosher food festival should tell you exactly where all of KC's jews live (and shop). sure, that doesn't account for cupini's, but italian delis are definitely not as niche in the midwest. downtown could definitely support more delis in general, regardless of ethnicity.
I agree that Kansas City's Jewish population is more suburb-oriented these days (I wish this trend would reverse as KC used to have quite an affluent Jewish population), but I don't think that necessarily precludes the possibility of having a successful Jewish deli.  This city has plenty of ethnic restaurants which don't exactly have large representative populations from those ethnicities; plus, the bottom line (in my humble opinion) is that if the food and service are good and the prices are reasonable, it can be successful regardless of demographics. 

I know it's a stretch, but for it's size, Kansas City succeeds in supporting quite a diverse array of restaurants, so why not add this into the mix?  It sure as hell would beat the dreck from chains like Jason's and Schlotzky's ...

Re: ?What New Retail Does Downtown Need?

Posted: Tue May 22, 2007 7:29 am
by elextendo
Good bagels..could go with the jewish deli..I really miss a good cup of cheap coffee in a paper cup,and a chewy bagle with cream cheese ..and a paper folded under my arm like NY.

Re: ?What New Retail Does Downtown Need?

Posted: Tue May 22, 2007 8:21 am
by greentara
chrizow wrote: there is a jason's downtown, at 11th and Main...the hours suck, though.
My bad. I need to get down there one of these weekends after a river market trip and just walk around. Fervere sounds worth checking out, too.
elextendo wrote: Good bagels..could go with the jewish deli..I really miss a good cup of cheap coffee in a paper cup,and a chewy bagle with cream cheese ..and a paper folded under my arm like NY.
Mmm, chewy bagel....((glares at sad granola bar)) It would be nice to get a real bagel in this town.

Re: ?What New Retail Does Downtown Need?

Posted: Tue May 22, 2007 8:28 am
by aknowledgeableperson
Brodees wrote: I agree that Kansas City's Jewish population is more suburb-oriented these days (I wish this trend would reverse as KC used to have quite an affluent Jewish population), but I don't think that necessarily precludes the possibility of having a successful Jewish deli. 
Definitely am not 100% sure on this but the KC area does not have a true Kosher deli.  There may be some that might be considered Jewish but full Kosher they are not.

Maybe the chef can add some insight.

Re: ?What New Retail Does Downtown Need?

Posted: Tue May 22, 2007 11:26 am
by WSPanic
NY Deli on Troost is about as close as KC comes to a stand-alone Kosher Deli. They offer some Kosher fair - and seasonal Jewish items throughout the year. But, I don't think it's a kosher-certified deli. I would say it's a Jewish deli though - which is what most people consider a Kosher deli.

I'm was looking forward to trying Irv's market inside the Hen House near College/Antioch (I'm starting a job in Corporate Woods next week). But I fear it may no longer be there. Anyone know?

Re: ?What New Retail Does Downtown Need?

Posted: Tue May 22, 2007 11:29 am
by eclair
elextendo wrote: Good bagels..could go with the jewish deli..I really miss a good cup of cheap coffee in a paper cup,and a chewy bagle with cream cheese ..and a paper folded under my arm like NY.
Yes, Yes Yes.  We desperately need a good bagel spot downtown, asap.

Re: ?What New Retail Does Downtown Need?

Posted: Tue May 22, 2007 3:05 pm
by Brodees
WSPanic wrote: NY Deli on Troost is about as close as KC comes to a stand-alone Kosher Deli. They offer some Kosher fair - and seasonal Jewish items throughout the year. But, I don't think it's a kosher-certified deli. I would say it's a Jewish deli though - which is what most people consider a Kosher deli.

I'm was looking forward to trying Irv's market inside the Hen House near College/Antioch (I'm starting a job in Corporate Woods next week). But I fear it may no longer be there. Anyone know?
Irv's was Kansas City's only true kosher grocery store however it is no longer there.  At this point I think Hen House on 119th and Roe is the sole option for kosher meats.  NY Deli is more in the vain of what I'd like to see DT, but the couple times that I've been there I thought it was filthy and poor-tasting (plus the guy making my sandwich with a bandaged fingertip sans glove didn't help their case either).  I'm all for a bagel shop, too.

Re: ?What New Retail Does Downtown Need?

Posted: Tue May 22, 2007 4:18 pm
by NDTeve
Bookstore....maybe an outlet a la Nike Town?

Re: ?What New Retail Does Downtown Need?

Posted: Tue May 22, 2007 6:03 pm
by elextendo
I have all of our bread shipped in from philly..maybe bagels from ny?

Re: ?What New Retail Does Downtown Need?

Posted: Tue May 22, 2007 7:21 pm
by ComandanteCero
authentic bagels would be a score for the entire metro...... good lord that would be awesome.  You can't find good bagels in KC.

I've noticed CompUSA seems to have a lot of downtown store locations in cities (atleast i know there is one off Michigan Av in Chicago, and on Market Street in San Francisco).

Re: ?What New Retail Does Downtown Need?

Posted: Tue May 22, 2007 7:29 pm
by TheBigChuckbowski
I'll 7th bagels. The best and closest that I know of is Panera in Crown Center. That just doesn't cut it.