eyehrtfood

The last two pairs of Warby Parker glasses we have bought have only cost about $50 after out of network vision insurance and that includes all the special lens treatments and everything you normally pay extra for. Via the traditional insurance and doctors the glasses were costing $250-plus after insurance. And this place is trendy especially among college kids like my daughter and her friends - for them it's the only place to buy glasses. Van Aken will have a SEE I wear store the first in this market.

Get yer trendy, affordable glasses ($95 for most people) from one of the fastest growing retailers around - Warby Parker - an, as yet, officially-unannounced Pinecrest tenant, but hiring: https://www.ziprecruiter.com/c/Warby-Parker/Job/Store-Leader,-Pinecrest/-in-Cleveland,OH?ojob=ac91ab35a62838d933e279c1adae22c5 Will be very popular...

As one who has worked with Amazon for nearly 20 years - and knows the people, the culture and their modern, NEW campus well - this CLE offer of old buildings, no matter how well intentioned and transit-tied and near-term ready it could be, was totally out of synch with the Amazon I know. Hopefully, at least, this offer was made to stand out in the many likely competitive offers of land and new buildings, without transit.

The NW corner Richmond/Chagrin will be an independent, boutique hospital - $50-$60MM worth. 25 beds plus operating rooms, etc... It was to be offices or hotel work restaurants in several other ideas in recent years

If only Cleveland had an Ohio State or Pitt in town, as other regional big-cities have - and could keep 23% of that graduating class local! CWRU is well-respected, but small. Cleveland - and really, NEO - simply lacks that sizeable, major university that helps feed so many citites' local populations with grads year after year - and can't develop one overnight... A city like Indianapolis also lacks a major university - but an hour each way are Indiana and Purdue - without another major Indiana city to compete for the talent... Can't say the same for 3-C Ohio...

Obama flew a 757 "Air Force One" into Burke at least once... for campaigning, if I recall. Rolled right up to a press conference area.

Chuy's is confirmed at Chagrin Highlands South - found in Orange Village City Council minutes.

There is one Tweet from this week saying rumor is they are closing. That's all I could find online. A shame for the area At the same time, the downtown Chagrin Falls location is currently closed - but being gutted and expanded out and up with new modern diner look and bar (like downtown CLE).

Poaching: Williams Sonoma and Pottery Barn are the currently know major stores moving from another, similar retail center ans similarly sized stores to Pinecrest. Lateral move. Apricot Lane boutique (franchise) is closing in Chagrin Falls and going to Pinecrest, also. Moving: Red is moving from its current office park home to Pinecrest. Less a lateral move than needed step up that couldn't happen in current space. Whole Foods is building a new store about 50% larger than its inherited Wild Oats space - where a store that size couldn't easily be accommodated.

Work on widening the Transportation Blvd overpass over 480 has begun - with support columns going up now. This has been long planned to prepare for development at this exit, but is hopefully another plus to a hopeful IKEA Garfield Heights location.

I just got back from my first ever visit to New Orleans, and it is definitely in my top 5. What a wonderful, lively, unique city. If I had to bump one, I'd toss Montreal into the honorable mention category. Just got back from my first New Orleans trip in many years. Have to say it has about the greatest buildings/architecture I've seen in the US and I'm talking only a bit about the French Quarter or Garden District. What floored me most were the fabulous Art Deco and earlier 1900s buildings in downtown/CBD. Exceptional examples on nearly every block.

Local Oak and Embers BBQ opening a Pinecrest location this Fall: https://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2018/04/27/oak-and-embers-tavern-to-open-third-location-this-one-at-pinecrest?media=AMP+HTML

You drove 4+ hours just to eat dinner? I mean I'm guessing it could be good, but I can't imagine doing that for ANY restaurant! I know.. I know... We all have our things, right? (And it's <5 hours for me, RT...) But the fresh flour tortillas, 80s-style fajitas, jalapeno dip and tres leches cake are just crazy/craveably good. Oh, and the adjacent Elm&Iron home store is a nice after dinner local merchant.

That's great news - and it was on the short list of restaurants I thought might land in that very visible spot. It is a surprisingly good chain Tex-Mex place with fresh tortillas, salsas, dressings, etc.. reasonable prices and fun decor. My wife and I are hooked and have driven twice to Columbus in last two months simply to eat dinner there..

I recall seeing a story on TV in recent years about how a very poor town(s) in Africa had gone cashless - including residents setting up businesses via micro loans paid to them via a debit card, etc... The entire area ran on - was (relatively) thriving - because of cashless payments, though they had no paved roads and probably little plumbing, etc... If they can do it.... Also, in the US, things like parking meters have gone cashless in many places - and certainly there are many without credit cards who probably have to figure that out or can't park there. At the same time, I can think of people like my 70ish year old in-laws, who are already shocked when they see us using a credit card in a parking meter. They just don't get the concept of cashless - or at least for small purchases or payments. Not everyone is 20 and has rarely seen or used cash.

There were job postings for the Nespresso boutique at Beachwood Place earlier in 2018. Don't know beyond that... It is unusual for a lifestyle development like Pinecrest to not have a coffee shop announced as part of their tenant lineup, as Starbucks, if anything, are everywhere. I know downtown's Erie Island Coffee was on early leasing maps..

Good news on Brassica! Also, a "Mercer Van Aken" recently filed. Hunch: the promised, new Jonathon Sawyer concept, but could easily be a boutique or ? dor all I know - but "Mercer* is historically tied to Shaker Heights I believe. Lots of leasing competition on east side right now, though. Container Store, Kendra Scott, Bonobos, Brassica all originally meant for Pinecrest, but ended up at La Place, Eton, Van Aken, among others. Pinecrest's reliance on a significant # of locally owned franchises and boutiques concerns me. It screams of desperation, not vision. Despite some big names like West Elm, Vineyard Vines and REI, the opening year tenants are far different than some big names previously in play in leasing talks. If they could have signed big-name, deeper pocketed national names, I surely think they would have. We don't need another First Watch franchised restaurant, etc... Or a Scout & Molly franchised boutique (another of which closed in Crocker Park in mere months, recently..). And the trendy (and cheap) Warby Parker eyewear shop on a past leasing plan - which would have been a big draw - becomes a local "Eye Candy" glasses shop instead. What national retailers do you want? I don't follow your "desperation" comment ...is it locally owned businesses in general or just specific ones? Is it the Pinecrest location? Fairmount can spin this any way they want - but simply knowing the retailers/restaurants they were originally interested in/talking to - especially those that actually had letters of intent/nearly leases (I'm looking at you nada and True Foods Kitchen) vs the ones who will be opening - makes it clear that the plan didn't quite pan out. The major anchors/names of this development, at opening, will be almost exactly the same names that were signed or nearly so 3 years ago - with little else major added, other than a few stolen key retailers like Pottery Barn and Williams Sonoma. The biggest additions, in numbers, are locally owned or franchised boutiques and workout/beauty locations - GracyLane, First Watch, OrangeTheory, Woodhouse, La Belezza, etc) several of which already exist in the area, or even at other Fairmount-owned centers - and none of which were on their leasing maps/wish list 2-3 years ago (like Club Monaco, Restoration Hardware 50,000 sf gallery, Mitchell Gold+Bob Williams, Michael Symon Steak, Warby Parker, etc... were) Add to this the likely 4-6+ month rollout of new stores, instead of a single grand opening of most stores in May (despite 5 years of development to make Pinecrest happen) and it would seem that Fairmount doesn't have all their ducks in a row.

Kona apparently isn't happening at Pinecrest, despite plans approved by Orange in Summer 2017 - and their logo being on the signage along Harvard as late as this week. Yes, could end up across the street - or perhaps at La Place, in place of soon-to-be vacant Williams-Sonoma... etc...

Good news on Brassica! Also, a "Mercer Van Aken" recently filed. Hunch: the promised, new Jonathon Sawyer concept, but could easily be a boutique or ? dor all I know - but "Mercer* is historically tied to Shaker Heights I believe. Lots of leasing competition on east side right now, though. Container Store, Kendra Scott, Bonobos, Brassica all originally meant for Pinecrest, but ended up at La Place, Eton, Van Aken, among others. Pinecrest's reliance on a significant # of locally owned franchises and boutiques concerns me. It screams of desperation, not vision. Despite some big names like West Elm, Vineyard Vines and REI, the opening year tenants are far different than some big names previously in play in leasing talks. If they could have signed big-name, deeper pocketed national names, I surely think they would have. We don't need another First Watch franchised restaurant, etc... Or a Scout & Molly franchised boutique (another of which closed in Crocker Park in mere months, recently..). And the trendy (and cheap) Warby Parker eyewear shop on a past leasing plan - which would have been a big draw - becomes a local "Eye Candy" glasses shop instead.

I have eaten at Next Door in Boulder. Really great place. Appears they are expanding from Colorado to Midwest. A good thing!

Fusian is having corporate financial issues and doubt we will see them. Flip Side is being replaced by Shake Shack, but its 3 Palms sister will be there. Kona I have had doubts. Plans approved last Summer by Orange Village but no word at all since then. They have been looking in CLE for 15 years. Originally announced at Crocker. Sure could see them across Harvard from Pinecrest or in Beachwood in soon to close Willams-Sonoma prime corner space, etc. (Actually thought they were going to Legacy Village an old Stir Crazy space until today's announcement of wild mango.)

I probably was the source of that... Published reports had Nada interested in CLE in recent years: https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/print-edition/2014/05/16/david-falk-turns-up-the-heat-at-nada.html And "Nada" was clearly noted on store signage in Pinecrest renderings in past year, and I think on early leasing maps. So, there was clearly interest, though I understand it may not have come to pass. Search Fairmount Properties on Vimeo to see vid for Pinecrest from 10 months ago. Screen shot below... same logo and all - around 2:09 on the vid if you watch it. That's not a random name given the tenant. Other renderings of stores in fly-bys, etc... have been either obviously fake or intentionally named to reflect known or likely tenants. (Note: the name "Brassica" was also shown in the Pinecrest video above. That's another Columbus restaurant. A "Brassica Van Aken" recently filed a business name with state...Would be hard to believe if that's not the same restaurant... though different location. Lots of tenants being fought over on east side now. Things change...)

I probably was the source of that... Published reports had Nada interested in CLE in recent years: https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/print-edition/2014/05/16/david-falk-turns-up-the-heat-at-nada.html And "Nada" was clearly noted on store signage in Pinecrest renderings in past year, and I think on early leasing maps. So, there was clearly interest, though I understand it may not have come to pass. See "nada" with same logo and all - around 2:09 on Fairmount's Vimeo vid from 10 months ago . That's not a random name given the tenant. Other renderings of stores in fly-bys, etc... have been either obviously fake or intentionally named to reflect known or likely tenants. (Note: the name "Brassica" was also shown in the Pinecrest video above. That's another Columbus restaurant. A "Brassica Van Aken" recently filed a business name with state...Would be hard to believe if that's not the same restaurant... though different location. Lots of tenants being fought over on east side now. Things change...)

According to two stories I read, plus Pinecrest's own comments, Big Fun founder and Sweetie's owner are working together on this shop "Sweetie's Big Fun" - and we're both pictures today at Pinecrest. Will be more a camsy shop with Big Fun elements, they say, but should be a nice addition.

The brochure is full of retailers that no longer exist anywhere....