eyehrtfood

Jonathon Sawyer has been Tweeting today with "#trentina" and discussing Trentina preview dinner tonight (that's the name of the long-promised Italian restaurant he was to open in Uptown originally).. Further explored and found that he and wife are filming a Kickstarter vid for Trentina... So appears back on the table, but with some of his prior backers apparently leaving his other businesses recently (there was a comment about having to buy people out recently, I believe0 - appears this is the route he is going..(???)

Container Store rumored to be anchor of new Beachwood Place expansion. My statement on just façade work to remove Apple Store remnants at Legacy Village was confirmed by workman on site - though I realize that may not be the whole truth. The combined gelato/Apple/Smoothie/adjacent 2 spaces is about 7,500 sq ft.. (Brio-sized) http://www.joneslanglasalle.com/MediaResources/AM/Email/Retail/Legacy_Village_lease_plan.pdf

Doing some random online searching tonight and finally found written confirmation of Eton's long-presumed - and apparently now upcoming - expansion... All 60,000 square feet of it. (page 20) http://www.icsc.org/events-and-programs/details/new-york-national-conference/brochure This goes hand in hand with the vacancies seen in office buildings at west end of Eton, by Brainard, and with the recent Texas de Brazil filing for a Woodmere location. 60,000 square feet is roughly equivalent to the 9 easternmost store spaces in the current ETON (about 61K sf) - from Sur la Table to Bravo.... and would effectively take the development all the way west to Brainard.

Well that (armed robbery outside Katz Club) sure isn't a good thing... I'm not for armed citizens, but unfortunate these two didn't get some serious, immediate consequences for their actions...: CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio— Two men were charged Monday on suspicion of robbing two women at gunpoint outside the Katz Club Diner. Willie Parker, 19, of Cleveland Heights, and Justin Artis, 22, of Cleveland, were both charged Monday with first-degree felony aggravated robbery in Cleveland Heights Municipal Court. Neither has been arrested. Reports say the men approached two women walking from the diner to their cars about 12:30 a.m. Saturday. http://www.cleveland.com/cleveland-heights/index.ssf/2013/12/two_charged_with_armed_robbery.html#incart_river_default

My understanding is that they are simply renovating the sleek Apple space into something more akin to the architecture of the rest of the development, for future use Last thing Apple or Legacy wants is an identifiable but closed Apple storefront. No tenant is believed to be signed.

It would seem from a recent filing with the state that Texas de Brazil, the Brazilian Steakhouse chain, will be building in Woodmere - I'm assuming as part of an almost-inevitable Eton expansion (due to popularity and the new Pinecrest opening): http://www2.sos.state.oh.us/pls/bsqry/f?p=100:7:0::NO:7:P7_CHARTER_NUM:2226743 Stark's Crocker Park was previously announced as a 2013 Texas de Brazil opening - and that filing is still on record, but curious if two TdBs opening in CLE make sense - or if Woodmere wins out, as two TdBs in one metro (especially this size) is rare. If this opens at Eton, count Flemings, Hyde Park, Red & the soon-to-open XO as its neighbors.

An Aloft hotel in (tiny) Green Bay, WI is my company's default hotel for corporate HQ visits - and there have been varied opinions from our employees. I love the look/feel of the place - but others can't stand it... and long for the days of the totally out-of-date Country Inn & Suites where we used to stay... So I guess this is not an uncommon viewpoint. In the long run- the Aloft should be a great downtown CLE choice. Trendy and affordable.

Crocker is 30 miles away... so something like Urban Outfitters, not yet on the east side, could surely do so as a "new to east side" store... Something relocating from east side seemingly could do so if the 65% were met with other stores - but I read somewhere they didn't intend to poach from nearby centers.. Interestingly, the developer's own info on the project originally indicated 65% "new to NEO' - not "new within 20 miles"...

So, the restaurant Accent has closed at Uptown after only a year. It was always fully available on OpenTable on weekends, which is a good sign of a struggling spot, so I have almost been expecting this for awhile based on that. ... Was it the poor "around the corner" location that did it in,... and therefore isolated...or are other businesses to worry about? Hopefully not http://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2013/10/20/uptown-eatery-accent-closed-following-saturday-night-service

2016 is opening of convention hotel

Another Michelle tweet said 650 rooms, will break ground this year, will open in 2016.

Also, found liquor license last week for Sammy's Beach Bar (Sammy Hagar rum restaurant) - which is scheduled for concourse A also - just like one of the Starbucks.

"Eton Parking Woes" - in today's Sun hard copy paper: http://www.cleveland.com/chagrin-valley/index.ssf/2013/09/parking_woes_at_eton_chagrin_b.html Essentially says Stark owns all but one building from Eton to Brainard (Other than Alson's, I'd assume) - and to look for "parking" expansion though wisdom says it will be new stores/parking....

I called the Heinen brothers "heroes" in my PD comments today - and feel they are. Talk about commitment to your town! The most beautiful possible grocery space... a showplace... unique... unconventional... perfect... Wow - what a development... and the perfect catalyst to move further east with development down Euclid... And apartment development just got a giant boost. Now - what's next???

And should be noted that Beachwood Nordstrom is one of about 20 stores (out of around 120 full line stores) that will have Topman and one of 40 or so with Topshop. Nearest stores with either are NYC/PHL and CHI - no OH, IND, etc... Oct 4 is announced opening.

With Apple leaving Legacy Village - there has been a very noticeable decrease in cars in Legacy lot during the weekday hours when I regularly grab lunch there. Not sure what they have planned for new additions there, other than Ethan Allen and Granite City Brewery (both this Fall) - but they need a definite traffic driver. I have to think (with Apple always have 20-30 people in store + employees) they are losing 300-500+ customers/cars a day or more at Legacy - plus the spinoff business from those hitting other stores. Then, at Eton, they must have adopted plan B of parking remedy when Tiffany opened two weeks ago - on top of Apple changes (to get employees out of lot, parking down the street at Stark-owned corner office building) because what was once a lot in which it was hard to find a space is now (from my daily commute by lot) one with dozen or even 100+ prime spaces during dinner hours. I realize September is a hard month to read - with kids back to school, not quite shopping season, etc... but ast night at 7, and prior days/nights, you could have rolled a bowling ball from Bravo to Paladar and not hit much. Pre-Apple, or even a month or so ago, you couldn't have easily found a close space in the main/front lot during same periods. Now, have your pick. If Eton is still losing customers over perceived parking issues, it appears it is no longer the case.

Anybody have a clue how you can keep Hopkins functional while building or seriously re-building the terminal/concourses into a more modern, more accommodating airport? In PIT, IND and others - they've kept the old terminals running, while they built new, midfield terminals... and then switched off. A midfield terminal isn't possible with the lack of space between runways - and with the Hopkins footprint so small, there appears to be little/land to south (IX), west (NASA), east (237/factories) or north (480).. Add to that the fact that abandoning newly-enough-built D concourse - and its connection with C- isn't likely - and you basically would have to rehab C by adding length - or at least width - and tweaking other aspects - while keeping everything running. How can they expand?

I realize it's not all about population... there are many factors... and CLE airport is lacking in many of those you mention. However, CLE (the airport) and CLE (the area) need to figure out how to at least make the necessary changes to get in a position for the airport to attract the kinds of amenities (non-stops to Europe, adequate customs facilities) that cities of Cleveland's size, hub status and relative national importance (whether this is year 1913 or 2013) deserve. If the airport can turn wasted space into the fairly-enticing retail and restaurant options it now has - then there's got to be a way, for instance, to tweak a few close-in C concourse gates into an areas capable of handing UNITED international flights... Even two or three gates - built out to the east, etc... could offer more seating, allow larger planes (and let's remember that many US-Europe flights are now routinely on 757s, etc... - not jumbos..) and could be attached to a C customs facility that feeds directly into baggage claim... Just because we have a narrow, dated C concourse, doesn't mean there isn't a way to renovate a small portion of it into more of what's needed... If IND and SLC and others can build whole new terminals - without the flights that CLE has now- then why can't CLE figure out a way to do a more minor "international gateway" makeover... as noted above.

NEO (around 16th in population) - frustratingly - remains the biggest market in the country without a non-stop to Europe. Not something to be proud of... and something the business leaders/city have to start focusing on correcting. The cities adjacent to NEO in population include DEN, MSP and SEA - all with good or great connections to Europe and Asia. From my unscientific review, STL and SAC are the other top 25 markets without a non-stop to Europe.. . STL used to have non-stops on TWA (I took several) and Sacramento, with proximity to SFO - would seem less in a position to get or need one... PDX, CVG, PIT are all in the 23-26 range and all have one non-stop, it appears (we know CVG used to have many more) and CLT - right there in size with them - has an inordinate # of them. (The one that bugs more than any other is the Delta service to CDG from PIT... That PIT trumps CLE - with a non-hub airline, no less- while UAL ignores the market - is of special irritation...) Above 30th in market size - AUS, RDU and SLC all have a flight - and Las Vegas is unique...

Here is long-past Crocker department store speculation: "The only new department store to come to Cleveland will be Von Maur in Crocker Park." http://www.heartlandrebusiness.com/articles/DEC02/highlight2.html

Lord & Taylor might fit the bill, too.. no longer in Ohio... and looking... http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2013-06-28/business/fl-lord-and-taylor-20130628_1_lord-taylor-mizner-park-outlet

Maybe there was location confusion on Von Maur? Still my bet. Nothing else fits... (oh, wait - I changed my mind... see below) if not Von Maur and not the other two mentioned, I can't think of another that matches description. Unless either "upscale" or "department store" are loosely used....

Von Mari has been speculated for Crocker in the past, and that would be my guess. However, Von Maur is already in Ohio, so unless that "not in Ohio" part of the clue is wrong, it is not Von Maur... And either Bloomingdales or Neiman-Marcus, based on demographics and location and existing upscale retailers, would almost certainly focus east before west, if they were to hit CLE.(Not saying west isn't worthy... merely saying retailers play the odds and go where similar retailers are already established...)

Michael Symon's Lolita is now on OpenTable... A pretty big development for a restaurant that, due to small size and big popularity, can be a very difficult reservation to get close-in to the date desired.. Turned down many times when calling on the spur of the moment. This should make it much easier to plan. Now if only Momocho would OpenTable it...

The new Tiffany store opened at Eton today. It has the lamest, most pathetic, most second rate assortment of products I have ever seen at the dozens of Tiffany stores I've visited... Uhhhh... the assortment leaves a lot to be desired... That sounds more polite... But if you like lots of silver... and tiny little diamonds, I've found the store for you...