for housewares --- gracious home would be at home in the new east bank flats project & a nice downtown destination shop. it's an alternative to the more familiar bed, bath & beyond, west elm, etc.:

 

http://www.gracioushome.com/gh/

 

 

ps -- maybe the clev's chinatown could pick up some more of the designer merch bootlegging action since it looks like ny's mayor bloomie is cracking down on it. hey, why not?  :laugh:

 

http://racked.com/archives/2008/02/27/racked_photo_special_chinatown.php#reader_comments

 

for housewares --- gracious home would be at home in the new east bank flats project & a nice downtown destination shop. it's an alternative to the more familiar bed, bath & beyond, west elm, etc.:

 

http://www.gracioushome.com/gh/

 

 

ps -- maybe the clev's chinatown could pick up some more of the designer merch bootlegging action since it looks like ny's mayor bloomie is cracking down on it. hey, why not?  :laugh:

 

http://racked.com/archives/2008/02/27/racked_photo_special_chinatown.php#reader_comments

 

Gracious home?  Are you kidding me?  I dont think that its a store that would fit in with a "described" upscale product mix the FEB is going for.

 

They already shut down the place in Cleveland...oopps. How did I know that?

what are you talking about? gracious home has both decently priced and expensive stuff. what do you think miele vacuum cleaners come cheap?

 

you know other than suggesting people camp out at the last day of ix shows and grab stuff (!) you have been awful meager on the "destination retail ideas" end lately mr. critical -- what housewares shop would say would fit in nice for downtown?  :whip:

what are you talking about? gracious home has both decently priced and expensive stuff. what do you think miele vacuum cleaners come cheap?

 

you know other than suggesting people camp out at the last day of ix shows and grab stuff (!) you have been awful meager on the "destination retail ideas" end lately mr. critical -- what housewares shop would say would fit in nice for downtown?  :whip:

 

I don't like gracious home!  Well atleast the store on broadway by my office.  It just seem like a bad Value City! Disorganized; never any product available; ill informed sales staff who has little to no product information or training; aisles of crap; Dirty store, etc....

 

If I had the opportunity to select the stores for downtown cleveland, we'd blow Madison, Rodeo and Michigan avenue right off the map!

yeah yeah yeah i can see you're against it mts! but what are you for?  :roll:

 

writing off tc, i think a lot of new retail in pesht/feb should be more unique if possible so it can suck in suburbanites too. so no bed, bath & beyonds.

 

so come on buck up -- downtown is gonna need a great housewares shop, right? so what ya got better? i'm all ears.

 

 

yeah yeah yeah i can see you're against it mts! but what are you for?  :roll:

 

writing off tc, i think a lot of new retail in pesht/feb should be more unique if possible so it can suck in suburbanites too. so no bed, bath & beyonds.

 

so come on buck up -- downtown is gonna need a great housewares shop, right? so what ya got better? i'm all ears.

 

 

 

I think BBB, although, not the best, but has brand power.  Those folks also need a pottery barn, WS(& possibly a WS Home), West Elm, the container store, etc.  but lets not go down this street, per say.

huh? why not go down this street? it's the retail thread isnt it?

 

so i dont get you -- those places have generally cheaper/less expensive merch than gh does, i thought your initial complaint was gh wasn't "upscale product mix" enough for feb?

huh? why not go down this street? it's the retail thread isnt it?

 

so i dont get you -- those places have generally cheaper/less expensive merch than gh does, i thought your initial complaint was gh wasn't "upscale product mix" enough for feb?

 

William-Sonoma and its brands are of higher price point than Gracious Home AND their product mix is extends to Luxury, upscale and midscale shoppers. 

 

Gracious Home has a woolworth feel to it.

ok, but displays aside the others you mention have overall woolworth's prices & merch compared to gh.

 

i think a william sonoma (or anything you mentioned) would be great, except the downside is ws is everywhere and anywhere and also has a strong online ordering presence. so it's not really so much an added destination or draw vs the malls/burbs.

ok, but displays aside the others you mention have overall woolworth's prices & merch compared to gh.

 

i think a william sonoma (or anything you mentioned) would be great, except the downside is ws is everywhere and anywhere and also has a strong online ordering presence. so it's not really so much an added destination or draw vs the malls/burbs.

thats where you're I think, no disrespect, you're wrong. 

 

When you group many high level, whether it be clothiers, restaurants, general merchandisers together on a street like Euclid, that experience combined with the assets of being in the CBD, are the draw that a mall cannot replicate.

 

If you took every single store in beachwood and plotted them down on euclid/prospect/Huron that draw, plus our dining and hotel collection, along with playhouse sq, gateway, etc. then downtown is a multipoint (omnipoint)destination.

no i disagree. in fact been there done that with tc in a sense.

 

i agree synergy is important, but you gotta take into account it isnt just the grouping together of shops along the streets. realistically, the draw factor is gonna be majorly needed too. it's not like the old days of downtown retail -- maybe the silver bus line will help people get around better, but its not like we have streetcars running all over the place anymore. it's extra effort and expense for most people to be shopping downtown (parking, etc.). if we just stick to shopping -- most shoppers will need more of a reason to not just go to the mall.

 

so therefore and soforth and forthwith i think you need some added shop uniqueness downtown to compete with the malls and the burbs.

 

also, and this is just me speaking philosophically, & not that every shop should be unique of course, but you are not 'supposed' to be able to get merch & things just anywhere that you get 'in the city.' that's part of what makes city shopping interesting.

 

 

I think your both right, but mrnyc has a good point about finding something you wont find alsewhere in the region (just remember the typical suburban mentality)

I know this is different but I do think that would have been the big factor in differentiating Tower City these last few years (something you couldnt find anywhere else).  Cause otherwise, I think people would have still thought it easier and safer to go to Beachwood or other malls.   

yeah, i just dont want to see any new big retail push, when it comes, to falter like tc did. so i think a lot of uniqueness is important.

 

of course things have changed since tc's boom days and the growing downtown residential development will be another big x factor for new retail.

 

speaking of newer trends in retail, a trend toward "pop up shops" keeps getting a lot of buzz. that could mean good things, at least temporarily, for older cleaned up empty storefronts as streetside retail really gets going:

 

http://www.trendwatching.com/trends/POPUP_RETAIL.htm

 

http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/feb2007/db20070206_949107.htm

 

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5040307

 

Delia's, Hollister, True Religion Jeans store coming to Beachwood Place.

Delia's, Hollister, True Religion Jeans store coming to Beachwood Place.

 

I think the "in the know" mcadrenaline has beat you to this news...  previous page..  :wink:

Delia's, Hollister, True Religion Jeans store coming to Beachwood Place.

 

I think the "in the know" mcadrenaline has beat you to this news...  previous page..  :wink:

 

yeah, but it was kinda speculation. Plus I added Hollister and the True religion will have its own storefront and won't be a store within a store at Saks.

I cant remember, but is Hollister another Limited brand.  The new Abercrombie? 

It's an Abercrombie brand - the one with the faux beach house entrance.

Oh yes.  It seems I get all those mixed up, with Ruehl (also Abercrombie) having quite the faux brownstone storefront and "exlusive club" atmosphere (right down to the salespeople). 

Delia's, Hollister, True Religion Jeans store coming to Beachwood Place.

 

I think the "in the know" mcadrenaline has beat you to this news...  previous page..  :wink:

 

yeah, but it was kinda speculation. Plus I added Hollister and the True religion will have its own storefront and won't be a store within a store at Saks.

 

I just heard about Hollister the other day, but it is my understanding that it will not be open for months...

 

if you go back and read my original post, the speculation is in regard to Burberry, A/X, and Ruehl/Gilly.

 

but that is correct that True Religion will be a separate storefront, but in the Saks wing. it should be opening in the next week or so.

 

I think Delia's will be very interesting...my guess is that they will not be around for long, especially if Beachwood does take it up a notch in the next few years. They would probably do better at other Cleveland-area malls that are less brand-conscious.

Buyers guide: Taking a look at how Cleveland's clothing stores and boutiques are stocked Filling the racks

 

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Kim Crow

Style Editor

 

What we have in Cleveland is a shopping impasse.

 

Readers complain that dowdy styles crowd the aisles of our local stores. Professional buyers say that fashion-forward clothing doesn't sell here, and they stock accordingly.

 

More at cleveland.com http://www.cleveland.com

Uh, that article was a bit long.....

Not that it will shock anyone, but I read the whole thing and enjoyed it! :-)

I think the article is unfortunate but true.

 

It is, however, too long. I'd love to see more of that kind of space devoted to national/international affairs.

I found it hard to believe that the "only" Dillard's store in the entire chain of 330 stores that gets special attention for upscale brands is Beachwood.  They don't have one other store at that level or in a more upscale mall in the entire country??  OR are they talking about in the Midwest division.

I found it hard to believe that the "only" Dillard's store in the entire chain of 330 stores that gets special attention for upscale brands is Beachwood.  They don't have one other store at that level or in a more upscale mall in the entire country??  OR are they talking about in the Midwest division.

 

I almost choked!  Nothing to add, but Dillards and "upscale" don't even mix!

I found it hard to believe that the "only" Dillard's store in the entire chain of 330 stores that gets special attention for upscale brands is Beachwood.  They don't have one other store at that level or in a more upscale mall in the entire country??  OR are they talking about in the Midwest division.

 

I think this is a bit of chicken-egg.  People go to Beachwood who are "label" shoppers.  This is the only place where Nordies and Saks are, and their market research put them there for probably some valid reasons.  It's not that there aren't ANY anywhere else, but in this area, the majority of people who look for high end brand labels like this are shopping in beachwood.  So it makes sense for Dillard's national to only put high end brands in their beachwood store.  They just wouldn't sell very many elsewhere because people aren't going to Strongsville looking for Armani, as an example.

I found it hard to believe that the "only" Dillard's store in the entire chain of 330 stores that gets special attention for upscale brands is Beachwood.  They don't have one other store at that level or in a more upscale mall in the entire country??  OR are they talking about in the Midwest division.

 

I think this is a bit of chicken-egg.  People go to Beachwood who are "label" shoppers.  This is the only place where Nordies and Saks are, and their market research put them there for probably some valid reasons.  It's not that there aren't ANY anywhere else, but in this area, the majority of people who look for high end brand labels like this are shopping in beachwood.  So it makes sense for Dillard's national to only put high end brands in their beachwood store.  They just wouldn't sell very many elsewhere because people aren't going to Strongsville looking for Armani, as an example.

 

OK, I can't hold back or I'll explode.  That dillards sucks, damnit, now I've admited I've been in there!!  When it was Higbee's it had much better mix of clothes and higher end selections.  If people, today, think that store is top notch...they don't know fashion!  uuuuuuuuuuuuugh! 

Well truly, people don't go to Dillard's or any of the other "anchor" stores if they're high fashion shoppers, they go to Saks or Nordies.  I was just saying the logic of them putting some of what they consider their higher end lines in the beachwood store vs. other stores makes sense because of their retail neighbors.

Well truly, people don't go to Dillard's or any of the other "anchor" stores if they're high fashion shoppers, they go to Saks or Nordies.  I was just saying the logic of them putting some of what they consider their higher end lines in the beachwood store vs. other stores makes sense because of their retail neighbors.

 

OK that I can agree with.  Down with Dillards!

"It's our only store that carries really high-end designers," explains Jerry Talamantes, director of public relations for Dillard's. "We have Escada, Alberta Ferretti, Donna Karan -- there's a customer base that supports it."

 

LOL!!!! considering those names as "really high-end" is a JOKE. Dillard's will always be a step below Nordstrom's and Saks.

 

I actually refuse to shop there because the customer service is simple awful. You have to go upstairs to a little customer service counter to return anything. Saks and Nordstrom any counter can take your return.

 

I feel like I'm shopping at Wal-Mart the way everything is organized and presented. Plastic hangars, and everything is smooshed together like a mess.

 

ugh. end of rant. I just cannot stand that store.

Is it weird then that I've never shopped at a department store? I suppose that probably makes me a "mid-tier" shopper. I hate Kohls and Dillards and can't afford anything in Beachwood Place. But if you go to T.J. Maxx, hollaatachaboy.

tj maxx is categorized as a "department store".

tj maxx is categorized as a "department store".

 

yeah, actually if you know where to look and stay away from certain stores, TJ Maxx is amazing. The one on Chagrin in Woodmere is great...I've seen Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Lacoste, Raplh Lauren, and lots of premium denim there.

I'm surprised the regular TJ Maxx stores (ie Woodmere) is classed as a dept store.  The bigger, more diverse versions, TJ Maxx & More (ie University Square/Hts) would seemingly more fit the description...

 

... yeah, I share MyTwoSense's contempt for Dillard's.  Those Arkansas hicks ran down the good name of Higbee's.  I contend, if Higbee's still owned the Public Square location, it wouldn't have died in 2000 and still be open for biz... Public Sq still hasn't recovered... Clevelanders w/ an eye for quality immediately turned away from Dillard's once they saw how poorly run it was...

... yeah, I share MyTwoSense's contempt for Dillard's.  Those Arkansas hicks ran down the good name of Higbee's.  I contend, if Higbee's still owned the Public Square location, it wouldn't have died in 2000 and still be open for biz... Public Sq still hasn't recovered... Clevelanders w/ an eye for quality immediately turned away from Dillard's once they saw how poorly run it was...

 

AMEN TO THAT!  That is why I think the folks in Chicago have the right to be upset with Macy's for eliminating the MF name.

... yeah, I share MyTwoSense's contempt for Dillard's.  Those Arkansas hicks ran down the good name of Higbee's.  I contend, if Higbee's still owned the Public Square location, it wouldn't have died in 2000 and still be open for biz... Public Sq still hasn't recovered... Clevelanders w/ an eye for quality immediately turned away from Dillard's once they saw how poorly run it was...

 

AMEN TO THAT!  That is why I think the folks in Chicago have the right to be upset with Macy's for eliminating the MF name.

 

This has definitely been a black eye for Macy's and they still haven't recovered.

... yeah, I share MyTwoSense's contempt for Dillard's.  Those Arkansas hicks ran down the good name of Higbee's.  I contend, if Higbee's still owned the Public Square location, it wouldn't have died in 2000 and still be open for biz... Public Sq still hasn't recovered... Clevelanders w/ an eye for quality immediately turned away from Dillard's once they saw how poorly run it was...

 

AMEN TO THAT!  That is why I think the folks in Chicago have the right to be upset with Macy's for eliminating the MF name.

 

Its funny though, Detroiter's don't seem so jaded 10 years post their absorption into the Behemoth (Hudson's).

Its funny though, Detroiter's don't seem so jaded 10 years post their absorption into the Behemoth (Hudson's).

HUH?  IIRC, Hudson's sucessfully merged with Dayton's (owner of target) to form Dayton-Hudson Corp (or whatever the official names is/was) so three was still name recognicition.

 

Which, to me, is different than taking over Higbee's and gutting it.  Or the current MF situation.

If Dillard's didn't take over Higbee's some other chain probably would have so I'm not so certain that it would still be open.

And Florida Guy brings it back on topic! :clap:

If Dillard's didn't take over Higbee's some other chain probably would have so I'm not so certain that it would still be open.

 

True, However, there is the possibility that we would still have the name or services associated with Higbee's.

 

Halle's and to a lesser degree Higbee's (while Halle's was still open) was known for service and brands.  Halle's was comparable to Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf-Goodman (ironically NM now owns BG) or I Magnin department stores.

 

I think that if Dillard's didn't want to "water down" Higbee's and move its books (the real reason for the shut down and the lower quality goods, merchandise and services) onto the Dillard's systems, the name would still be here.  Dillards clearly did not know what to do with a upscale chain of stores.

 

Now I'm even more depressed than I was 10 min. ago.  ughh

What, no choo-choos?!?!  :wave:

More Tower City news:

 

Store lineup changes again at Tower City

Posted by Zachary Lewis March 07, 2008 17:58PM

Categories: Breaking News

Just as people come and go at Tower City Center every day, so do the retail shops. Especially now, when retailers everywhere are folding or contracting.

 

The latest changes at the downtown mall were announced Friday

 

More at cleveland.com http://www.cleveland.com

Good to see them focusing on attracting local retailers.

If Dillard's didn't take over Higbee's some other chain probably would have so I'm not so certain that it would still be open.

 

I disagree.  Philly lost its local "Higbee's" in John Wanamaker in the late 90s and locals fretted.  But through Federated Dept stores and May's buying & swapping, the store became, in quick succession, a Hecht's, Lord & Taylor’s and, now, Macy's: all names known for high quality, esp the latter 2.  Dillard's was a clear step down and serious Cleveland shoppers turned away from it and it died.  Even at Beachwood today, Dillard's is clearly out of its league next to Saks and Nordstrom’s whereas the original Higbee's was not. 

 

Local chains have fallen like flies in this country; even Chicago's Marshall Field is now Macy.  It's just that Cleveland got the unlucky draw in Dillard's taking over its premiere local chain and the fallout has been palpable.

 

That Panera note is wrong. There is a deli in that spot now.

If Dillard's didn't take over Higbee's some other chain probably would have so I'm not so certain that it would still be open.

 

I disagree.  Philly lost its local "Higbee's" in John Wanamaker in the late 90s and locals fretted.  But through Federated Dept stores and May's buying & swapping, the store became, in quick succession, a Hecht's, Lord & Taylor’s and, now, Macy's: all names known for high quality, esp the latter 2.  Dillard's was a clear step down and serious Cleveland shoppers turned away from it and it died.  Even at Beachwood today, Dillard's is clearly out of its league next to Saks and Nordstrom’s whereas the original Higbee's was not. 

 

Local chains have fallen like flies in this country; even Chicago's Marshall Field is now Macy.  It's just that Cleveland got the unlucky draw in Dillard's taking over its premiere local chain and the fallout has been palpable.

 

 

I agree, that consolidation in the department store industry became rampant.  I think we got the unlucky draw of being one of the first markets to be hit by the consolidation and the Dillard's mismanagement of the Higbee's transfer. 

 

I also agree that today's Dillards pales in comparison to the Higbee's of yesteryear.

 

Wanamakers on the same level as Higbee's....naa.  The buildings are both spectacular. 

 

Hecht's and L&T were never known for "high quality".  Strawbridge and clothiers...ugh! that was a ghetto May Co.

Papyrus has also closed in Tower City. I should actually read the article next time.