eyehrtfood

Not sure if CLE will miss the big store trend or not or if small stores are more for Europe, etc... The original CLE plan was for around 350K sf which is on the bigger side (recent Indy opening <300K sf but Columbus around 350K sf). What I do know is that IKEA generally only makes new store announcements on Tuesdays or Thursdays in US... with rumors usually breaking the prior day, so am paying more attention on Mondays and Wednesdays for the coming months. Today is Wed so when I saw the post pop up... Well...

I was looking last week at booking the United non-stop to Milwaukee in April and the fare was $199 roundtrip (likely matching Southwest which has been as low as <$100 RT at times) - when I have previously seen it or bought it 2x-3x+ that amount on United when there was no competition = understandable...

They have been doing demo of old spaces and then foundation work (Old Apple, Smoothie, Chipotle, former Ecco, etc.. everything other than Bar Louie and Brio) for about 2 months. Steel started going up in last week or so... finally taking shape. Note: original leasing agent for Pinecrest, who helped sign all the major tenants, moved to Steiner (Easton developer) last Fall and appears to have stayed local. Pinecrest lost momentum after she left - losing some to Van Aken, for sure. Steiner leases for Legacy Village - and it wouldn't surprise me if some original Pinecrest targets ended up at Legacy...

It's no secret that Playhouse Square (Gina Vernaci, who heads the Broadway Series) and Disney Theatricals (Thomas Schumacher, who oversees their Broadway shows) are strong partners - and CLE is rewarded with favorable, early tour stops for Disney shows (like Mary Poppins in their Summer sweet spot for 4-5 weeks several years ago) .. However, despite their huge (often #1 in US) subscription base at PHS (45,000 is the most recent number) - CLE keeps getting trumped with regards to new show pre-Broadway tryouts launching here - a big money maker and prestige driver (Denver premiered Frozen last year.. and had The Little Mermaid premiere prior, etc.. Toronto had the pre-Bway Aladdin, etc...) So, with more Disney stage shows in the works, and lucrative arrangements to be made for them, it's possible that other factors, beyond just retail, could be at play here if a Disney Store is rumored. That could be to try and curry favor, via PHS' support of a store, or to plan for future theatrical engagements and their spinoff retail sales. Who knows? But, what is true is that Disney and PHS are well known to each other.

Is it Shake Shack? (sarcasm and reference to the Pinecrest thread) While I certainly don't want to jump back in my dirty Shake Shack water (Pinecrest) - and this isn't the big deal/Disney-worthy news being rumored, it is burgerish: when DMK Burger, the Chicago chain, announced likely, new CLE locations as few weeks ago, "17th and Euclid" was one of them... So may be a new eatery destined for PHS whether in this new building or an existing one. https://www.google.com/amp/s/articles.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2018/02/5_dmk_burger_bar_restaurants_c.amp

Agreed.. or even "CAN-reds" (sort of how people here say "Le-BRAN" from the Cavs.)

Quite a few more stores signed up vs what's listed on site (in various pages) - including some announced in other ways but not shown (Graeter's, etc...) - some 80% or more retail is leased but likely that's in square feet not in storefronts. And development opening in stages over months not all at once.... Looks very behind on unofficial May original timeline.. only REI opening then. (Answering question: West Elm new... Not at Legacy...) Fairmount is a local company and not savvy like a national company would be... Very poor social media and PR on this development. No excitement. No buzz. Where is the info about a Graeters!?! I haven't heard that one yet but that would be great! Graeter's has been on leasing plan for 2.5 yrs. . Quietly confirmed in March 12 post on Pinecrest ("Discover Pinecrest") Instagram page...

The last time I was there (right before Christmas), there were no vacancies that I saw. With the addition of American Greetings' HQ and the additional phases of townhouse construction and the new hotel (as well as the earlier phases of homes and apartments), it has a pretty good mix of on-site traffic sources. You are correct that there are few vacancies in the original part of the development - from Bar Louie/Burntwood on the north end - to Dicks/Cheesecake in the middle - to Gap/Banana Republic on the south end. However, if you walk past the Lululemon/Michael Kors stores in the newish American Greetings blocks, about 60%-70%+ of the space on the new south end is empty/boarded over, by my visual estimates, including the entire AG complex' first floor retail space... Never built out or leased. Open stores include Orvis, Starbucks, Homage, 3Palms, and a few others. This new space is more than two years old now and several ptior years in the planning, so has to be a bit disappointing for Stark to still be mostly empty.. Everything circled in blue on the attached was new Crocker construction on south end, adjacent or part of the American Greetings building(s), with the first stores opening around November 2015.. All light grey areas are still vacant retail spaces 2+ years later... Circled pink retail spaces are occupied.. Large uncircled/occupied space on bottom left is the AG HQ. Existing Trader Joe's on bottom right outside lines

The Whole Foods is still totally empty inside... Driving by, you see a finished exterior and can see throigh entire interior, wall to wall... Likely months and months and months off til completion.

Wow, the Bonobos is a big "get" for them, in addition to the previously announced Shinola.. Bonobos is a hot casual and business fashion brand, esp among a younger adult group... and is actually more of a showroom from which you order vs take home goods you buy. A bit surprised that Warby Parker, the rapidly growing eyewear company ($95 trendy glasses) isn't yet announced for here or Pinecrest. Have heard rumors... It's time for a CLE outpost.

Quite a few more stores signed up vs what's listed on site (in various pages) - including some announced in other ways but not shown (Graeter's, etc...) - some 80% or more retail is leased but likely that's in square feet not in storefronts. And development opening in stages over months not all at once.... Looks very behind on unofficial May original timeline.. only REI opening then. (Answering question: West Elm new... Not at Legacy...) Fairmount is a local company and not savvy like a national company would be... Very poor social media and PR on this development. No excitement. No buzz.

Drury Inn hotel, Cooper's Hawk restaurant, office building plus 1 more unnamed restaurant.

Corner Bakery: Franchise plans for Cleveland cancelled for now... Something noted about corporate pulling plug on franchisee.

For those who can access WSJ - here's a fascinating read about the Charlotte airport... and what dehubbing, or the fear of it, can do.... Their approach is the opposite of what CLE has been doing.. and is really almost offensive to travelers... at least in $$$ - but productive. (For those who can't access - it basically explains - finally - why a metro much smaller than NEO, with a modest # of local passengers but huge connecting #s - has 700 flights a day to 170 destinations, far more than they should have - 90% on American with almost no low price competition - but extremely high fares, to boot - and why the CLT airport wouldn't have it any other way and does nothing to irritate American. They don't want to be the next dehubbed Pittsburgh, it's said, so they do everything to limit competition... Good for American due to extra low passenger costs - their most profitable hub. Great for business travelers, connection-wise.. Horrible for consumers, cost-wise.) https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-an-american-airlines-monopoly-works-for-charlotte-1519225740

Love the HQ/employment aspect but HATE the cramped/3-seats-across/rear engine ERJ145 planes CommutAir flies exclusively - especially when United is switching to the vastly superior, spacious, more modern ERJ175 (4-seats-across, engines on wing) on so many routes. Let's hope that their local presence doesn't leave CLE with a disproportionate # of flights on this smallish plane - especially on routes like Cleveland to Chicago / Newark / Boston / Houston - all of which still have this equipment on flights daily - and shouldn't have to.... After hundreds of flights on them over the years, I now actively avoid this plane when booking...

It must be noted that the American Greetings end of Crocker, ready to take retail tenants for probably the better part of two years, is still mostly empty - with seemingly few prospects - including 100% vacancy on the ground floor the AG building, itself.. This from a shopping center that used to have a waiting list to take the spots of outgoing retailers. They built too much....

Van Aken has been officially very quiet with regards to tenants - with this a mostly comprehensive list of announced tenants: http://www.shakeronline.com/news-and-events/new-construction/van-aken-district-tenants Based on a recent business name filing with state using "Van Aken" as part of name, it appears that Brassica (highly rated Columbus restaurant owned by the Northstar Cafe team...) is joining the development... For those who keep track of such to things, it has 631 Google reviews with an average 4.8 / 5.0 stars... Kinda crazy high... A nice addition - notable in that Brassica is prominently seen in a prime Pinecrest ront corner location in a 2017 promo video...

It would appear that this was a franchised location (fairly uncommon for them) - not a corporate one - with horrible word of mouth/reviews. Franchise operators certainly have been known to get in over their heads at times.

Outlets/off price stores are a hot part of retail right now. I know my family probably buys 90% of our clothes/shoes/accessories at (especially) Nordstrom Rack, TJ/Marshall's and outlet stores for key brands like Vineyard Vines, Lacoste, Lucky Brand, Lululemon (yes, they have true outlets) even Shinola... NEO has a mid level selection of outlet and factory stores but many key brands and/or hot stores, like the ones above, are missing. There are potentially many uses for Tower City, but regular or upscale mall has been done there and exists already in the suburbs. If retail is going to happen then an off-price/outlet destination would be a draw to many. And the days if outlets needing to be I. Woodbury Common, an hour outside NYC, is the gold standard of outlets - they'd be wise to copy... + add some bigger box uses, too.

As a Clevelander, this short list today pretty much made me sick.. It wasn't Cleveland's exclusion, but our regional competitors, that concern me - especially Columbus. To me, as Ohio un-team-player-like as it sounds, Cleveland loses in 101 ways if the HQ2 ends up there - be that in loss of already weak state focus, loss of well-paying workers either living here or who now will never consider here, propping up of a city that doesn't need it as badly - or 98 other ways. I am also more than disappointed in Amazon going with all the logical choices. Detroit, etc never stood a chance. .

i agree it's a shame Beachwood Place has such visible security to keep teenagers from making this a nighttime gathering spot. At the same time, they have a serious investment to protect - one that's been tainted via interior and exterior fights and crime - and if this keeps them out of the headlines and makes these events less likely to happen - and some customers feel more comfortable visiting, well...

Comings/Goings - Beachwood Place: A Nespresso (coffee) Boutique opening (no mall announcement but saw recent job postings...) Unclear if in the mall or at LaPlace, which is shown on GGP website as part of mall. In other cities these are destinations/hot spots though unclear if it will have a full cafe like some do (Beverly Hills, etc...).. Originally rumored for Pinecrest... Interesting 2nd hand rumor from local real estate insider last week: Bloomingdale's looking at possible store at or adjacent to Beachwood Place (even mentioned buying homes on some property, which may be confused with Richmond Rd homes mall bought and torn down for expansion). This seems totally "rumor" only - especially Bloomingdale's as the retailer, I just don't buy it (perhaps there was confusion with another retailers actually interested in building there) - and against everything going on in retail today... BUT, the Maggiano's closing/two empty mall front restaurant spaces, stalled western side expansion and total quiet on the mall expansion front for tast year, plus the very competitive market coming with Pinecrest and Van Aken added in 2018, makes me think something of some sort may be up. Side mall note: the weekend evening (and occasional other period) "no unsupervised juveniles" policy does appear to have noticeably changed the nighttime mix of shoppers - and both security and police are very visible at entrances. I know there are likely different feelings about the policy on this board, and we all can feel as we feel, but as a shopper, on several recent evenings, I can say that the mall was both fairly busy and had a much more "family" vibe to it... (icluding many actual families and still a wide range of shoppers and ages). Cedar Creek Grille's sister restaurant, Lindey's Lake House, in planning stages at LaPlace, including expansion, and on recent city zoning agenda. The Michael Kors store on mall first level has closed (one of about 120 stores closing nationwide for this retailer...) Legacy Village: Construction fence/trailer now up for new Arhaus - and interior demolition appears to be beginning. Entire Crate&Barrel side parking lot now turned into construction area, over to side of Brio. Crocker Park: Blue Sushi and Sake (Omaha based small chain) announced and Cantina Laredo Mexican beginning construction near Hyatt Place. Note: retail on American Greetings end of Crocker, including entire first floor of building, remains probably 75% vacant some 18 months or more after completion. Challenging environment.

Sorry you never got to experience Quaker Square mall. It was once quite awesome, especially at Christmas. Wait, was there a mall there? I was only at Quaker Square once years ago and only remember a hotel. Did I miss something? There was a grouping of small shops on multiple floors of the old Quaker Square building - loosely a mall - with a nice restaurant in the basement level - as I recall. The Quaker Hilton was there with rooms in the old silos (or whatever the cylindrical storage areas were) - though I believe those are now dorms(?) or apartments...?

Yes it is LOL. Sure it's not the 60's-90's version, and is called a "Lifestyle Center", but come on. It's still a shopping centered anchored by large format retailers with some residential on its own isolated property. Lifestyle center is just a real estate term meant to make people think they are getting something new, when all they are getting is a repackaged mall. In the Cleveland area most of the malls in the stable middle class areas are doing fine. That includes the two mentioned above as well as the three others in the area. So we are down to five or six, when as late as 2001 we had around 10 malls. I almost didn't put Crocker, but I don't know anything about the other west side malls so I couldn't comment on them lol. Is Great Northern still going or is South Park the main one? I heard Parmatown is like the West Side version of Richmond. Never been to any of them except Crocker so that's why I put it. I recognize that even if it's a mall, it's not the type of mall that's going "dead." Great Northern is still popular and doing fine as a "regular" mall - and the strip centers around it do very well. though Southpark always seems the liveliest of local malls (but sometimes more in a teens hanging out kind of way). Parmatown has actually been remade into a surprisingly nice, new strip center - with big box anchors and on the perimeter restaurants like Mission BBQ (which I drive 40 minutes to enjoy...) and Piada. It is now NOTHING like the disaster that is the Richmond mall. (A decade+ or so ago, Westgate mall was dead and remade into an even nicer grouping of strip retail buildings... a poor man's Crocker)

Those Twinsburg roundabouts on Liberty and 91 are criminally small. Dangerous. Whether or not the traffic circles in, say, Pepper Pike at Lander are roundabouts or not - they are large, wide - understood by motorists - and work very well