Oddly, I think we all do. 

 

Actually, what's wrong with lamenting the lack of certain restaurant types downtown?  I may have chosen different words from BizBiz, but can't someone say "I wish there was a ____" without being told to open one himself, wtf?

There's lamenting, and then there's saying things like "NYC (meaning Manhattan) has ______". I'd love to see a Vosges chocolate boutique in the Warehouse District, but I also realize that 1. like KStay said, there's research involved and 2. it's likely that research would tell places like Vosges that while there are others like me, there might not be enough to 1. sustain their business and 2. make a PROFIT.

 

For further illustration - taken at approximately the same altitude, as to why downtown Cleveland might not have certain niche retail/restaurant outlets:

 

 

So I'm not saying there's anything wrong with lamenting lacks of certain, well ANYthing in downtown Cleveland - but there's usually a good reason.

 

^Well I can't argue with that- and I certainly agree that substantive comparison to wildly dissimilar places are never, ever helpful.  But "Cleveland is small" or "there must be market studies saying it can't be done" can't be the whole story.  Do we really think that this is the first year downtown could support a Vietnamese restaurant?  Or is this just the first year that a Vietnamese entrepeneur had the energy/time/money/opportunity to try one out?  Is there really no market for a Thai restaurant downtown?  Or are there just no Thai entrepreneurs in the city who don't have their hands full already.  Or an Indian restaurant in Ohio City...  I actually thought KStay was referring to market studies by Cadillac Ranch which made a lot more sense to me.

considering the dismal local status of immigration these days, i would guess it's some combination of a lack of ethnic/local entrepreneurs and also that franchised chains are quicker and easier to open. i would not at all be down about it tho, all of these things will come along in their own time. continue to redevelop and get bodies downtown and the more interesting food will follow. it always does!

Any restaurant does a study before opening (unless they are morons), I'm sure Cadillac Ranch did a study and that's why they are interested in opening a restaurant in that location.

Developers buy Midtown Cleveland property

Posted by Michelle Jarboe June 20, 2008 15:03PM

Categories: Real estate

Developer Fred Geis has teamed up with the Coyne and Asher families to buy 6 acres in midtown Cleveland for a project that could include shopping and offices or homes.

 

 

 

http://blog.cleveland.com/business/2008/06/developers_buy_midtown_clevela.html

 

^Wow, interesting.  Unless they are just planning to sit on the land for a long time and see what happens...then not so interesting.

 

I wonder how much it went for.  Surely much more than the $83k assessed value.

Man, this Euclid Corridor project is sure proving to be a huge waste of money.  We should have used that funding to build a fortified bus route to Mantua or Grafton!  Who would ever want to invest money into Cleveland???  :wink: :wink: :wink:

6 acres of Midtown property for $83,600 in close proximity to ECTP....Man I wish I had some extra coin to make some investments...

6 acres of Midtown property for $83,600 in close proximity to ECTP....Man I wish I had some extra coin to make some investments...

 

Seriously.

"Property records estimate the property's market value at about $83,600."

 

Wow, real sharp reporting there PD.  Per the auditor's web site, the estimated market value of one of the at least two parcels that were sold was $228k:

 

http://auditor.cuyahogacounty.us/repi/taxbill.asp?txtParcel=11813009

Looking through the county records, I found approx. 4 of the acres, but am not sure what constitutes the other 2.  It is the roundish building with all the windows out, plus a vacant lot to the immediate west.  Both of those properties go way back, but not all the way to Carnegie.

^Yup, that's all I could find too.  And I'm not sure why the County Auditor's site doesn't have the amount paid- the sale closed a month and a half ago. 

The address doesn't make sense -- 6700 Euclid Avenue? That's on the north side. Dunham Tavern is also on the north side. The article said the property is across the street from Dunham Tavern.

^I think even numbers are on the south side- Dunham Tavern is 6709.

^My office is on the south side of Euclid. We have an even numbered address.

Interesting. I live on Clifton and my address ends in an odd number. My office is on Lorain Road. It also ends in an odd number.

 

Uh oh. I just started a discussion on odd- and even-numbered addresses....

^On a Friday night!

You are correct. It is a Friday night!

^Sorry, that came out wrong.  "!" was the wrong punctuation and it was really directed at myself :(.

 

Anyhoo, back to Euclid, was it Oengus (or whatever his/her name was) that suggested some impropriety in the large property RTA bought and partly demoed in that area?  It would be really interesting to see a list of all the property transactions along Euclid over the course of the last few years and the price per acre.

I've heard that RTA's asking price for facade-less building is way too high.

The old buildings (I'm thinking a car dealership) at 6700 Euclid were being demolished yesterday.  Hopefully this is a sign that this project is a sooner rather than later affair.

The old buildings (I'm thinking a car dealership) at 6700 Euclid were being demolished yesterday. Hopefully this is a sign that this project is a sooner rather than later affair.

 

What project is it you are speaking of X?

Developers buy Midtown Cleveland property

Posted by Michelle Jarboe June 20, 2008 15:03PM

Categories: Real estate

Developer Fred Geis has teamed up with the Coyne and Asher families to buy 6 acres in midtown Cleveland for a project that could include shopping and offices or homes.

 

The deal, which closed in early May but was announced today, involved property at 6700 Euclid Ave., across from the Dunham Tavern Museum. The seller was Richard Cohen, local Grubb & Ellis broker Terry Coyne represented his family and the other buyers in the transaction.

 

The purchase price was not disclosed and was not listed in Cuyahoga County property records. Property records estimate the property's market value at about $83,600.

 

The planned redevelopment is one of many projects spanning the Euclid Corridor, the site of a $200 million transportation project to better link downtown Cleveland to the Cleveland Clinic and University Circle.

 

Geis and his brother, Greg Geis, head up Geis Cos., a Streetsboro-based developer and owner of industrial properties. The Ashers are prominent real estate investors who control property including downtown Cleveland parking lots and suburban industrial campuses.

 

http://blog.cleveland.com/business/2008/06/developers_buy_midtown_clevela.html

 

^The on-line County Auditor records still don't show the purchase price paid for this property which is kind of annoying.  Anyone know if there is a reason other than County Auditor record keeping problems why this is?

$83,000 for 6 acres in midtown???  for serious?

^Seriously... if I had 10 or 20 thousand sitting around I'd probably make a nice investment in that area right now!

$83,000 for 6 acres in midtown???  for serious?

 

Yeah, not really for serious, it was actually just lazy/crappy/inaccurate reporting by the PD:

 

"Property records estimate the property's market value at about $83,600."

 

Wow, real sharp reporting there PD.  Per the auditor's web site, the estimated market value of one of the at least two parcels that were sold was $228k:

 

http://auditor.cuyahogacounty.us/repi/taxbill.asp?txtParcel=11813009

^The on-line County Auditor records still don't show the purchase price paid for this property which is kind of annoying. Anyone know if there is a reason other than County Auditor record keeping problems why this is?

 

Perhaps the transaction was for the ownership entity of the property and not the land itself.  In that case there would be no transfer of title.

^There was a deed filed on May 9 conveying the property to its current owner.  I don't know enough about OH transfer tax law to know if the the tax and reporting the consideration can be avoided through a two-step transaction, but for Ohio's sake, I hope its laws are tighter than that.

 

There is a May 9 mortgage on the property for $1.5M which is probably a little closer to the amount these guys paid than what the PD reported.

It seems like people in Cleveland are won over by drinks. 

 

http://www.wkyc.com/news/local/news_article.aspx?storyid=94050&catid=45

 

Trend setter: Cleveland clothing store adds full service bar

 

CLEVELAND -- There are lots of places to buy clothes. But a store downtown on Euclid Avenue has added a little something extra to the shopping experience.

 

 

The M Lang clothing store has opened a cash bar in the middle of the sales area.

 

Located on East 13th and Euclid, the store has survived three years of the Euclid Corridor project. Now owner Mike Lang has made two bold investments. He's adding women's clothes after 20 years of selling only men's clothes and he's serving drinks at a full service bar. "When I dealt with the Department of Liquor Control, they said they've never heard of this," said Lang behind his bar. "There is no clothing store with a liquor licence."

 

Customer Tom Sarago is comfortable with the atmosphere of hanging clothes and hoisted mugs.

 

"I think you're more open to making a purchase," he said.

 

Giving people a free glass of wine or a cocktail is nothing new in upscale stores, but M Lang is taking that practice to a new level.

 

Not only did the owner have to invest in a liquor licence, but also about $40,000 in drinks and the equipment the state requires to serve and store them.

 

The owner believes the liquor sales will not only relax people looking at clothes, but he can encourage people to hang out with their friends. "If people want to do corporate events, parties, we can put the chill on buying clothes," he said.

 

The women's clothing has been in about a week. The bar's been in for about a month. All that brought Jackie York in from Playhouse Square.

 

"I wound up buying some ensembles," she said, wearing one of the yellow sweaters she bought.

 

The store is only open during business hours now, but Lang is ready to extend hours if his unique mix catches on.

 

Right now, he and his one salesman double as the only bartenders.

 

© 2008 WKYC-TV

Hey man, we're already becoming known as a food city.  Why not be the city with bars in retail stores too??? :-D

...not that there's anything wrong with that.

on a related note...the Gap has begun giving away deep dried cheese on a stick with every pair of ill fitting pleated khaki trousers. 

^does the Gap still sell khaki trousers? I guess we'll find out when one opens on Euclid next to the Cadillac Ranch  :-D

It seems like people in Cleveland are won over by drinks.

 

http://www.wkyc.com/news/local/news_article.aspx?storyid=94050&catid=45

 

Trend setter: Cleveland clothing store adds full service bar

 

CLEVELAND -- There are lots of places to buy clothes. But a store downtown on Euclid Avenue has added a little something extra to the shopping experience.

 

 

The M Lang clothing store has opened a cash bar in the middle of the sales area.

 

 

I bought a fair amount of stuff from him when I worked downtown. Suits are reasonably priced, although I did have one that completely came undone on me. That said, for the most part he sells decent quality stuff and isn't above throwing you some free shirts / ties when you buy a lot at once.

 

He's had a lot of interesting attempts at drumming up business, from advertisements castigating potential customers to "come out of your cul-de-sac", to offering free shipping (sign says "OK, you win, we'll ship it to you). He was also the one of the founders of that downtown retailer's group a few years ago (forget the name).

 

I give him props for being creative.

Same here.  The guy was good with service and I give him kudos for keeping a lively storefront over all these dark years on Euclid.  He also made sure I had a beer in my hand as I was trying on suits last year (pre-bar).  Unfortunately, nothing fit me the way I wanted to, so I had to pass.  Maybe next time, though!

He also made sure I had a beer in my hand as I was trying on suits last year (pre-bar).

Without a liquor license?

/\  Galleries and boutiques always serve alcholic drinks--do they all have licenses?

I think the shop owner was just giving away beer, just like galleries and such, not selling it.

Anybody know what might be going on at the Truman Building?  I noticed scaffolding was erected along the sidewalk in front of the building over the weekend.

i was wondering the same thing.  But i haven't heard anything.  I'm beginning to wonder if a piece of the building didn't fall down and they had to put the scaffold walkthrough up for safety reasons.  Last I had heard the Truman Building was the last building for sale on lower Euclid Avenue... I am certainly trying to find out if that has changed.

Where is the Truman building?

Just East of 1010 Euclid.

The Truman Building - note the netting on the cornice. That's been there for as long as I can remember. At least it has a 'green roof', nyuk nyuk:

 

 

I've been trying to figure out if the hunk of terra cotta shown missing in mayday's close up has always been missing or if that's the reason for the scaffolding.

It looks like a chunk of facade is missing, though I have no idea for how long.  I do hope this building gets a new life as condos or something.

I was under the distinct impression that this building was part of the County Administration project, and its sale to K&D is therefore pending. I was also under the impression that it, along with 1010 Euclid Avenue, received historic tax credits. Can anyone verify or refute?

Definitely not a part of the county purchase (or hence transfered to K&D).  Also definitely has not been awarded tax credits.  Unless something has changed very recently the building is owned by Dave Calabrese.

^And the website (crmonline.com) turns up as a non-functioning "placeholder":