Downtown Retail Continues To Evolve
Tomorrow, December 13th, marks the one-year anniversary of the ribbon cuttings for Good Works Furniture and Flamingo Bowl (read post). By May 2008, Good Works had already anounced they were closing (read post)!
I’m glad Flamingo is still around because I enjoy bowling. In the hospital earlier this year they had me bowl using a Wii as therapy to work on standing. I’ve got a bowling game on my iPhone, too. But nothing beats the real thing. I was left handed but I’ve practiced right handed darts, I need to try right handed bowling.
Earlier this week the well known CWE book retailer, Left Bank Books, opened a 2nd location at 10th & Locust. A few months ago, Crepes In The City, formerly a weekend-only production inside The Washington Ave Post, opened their own location. Change is inevitable. Some places will close while others thrive and more give it a shot.
Downtown long ago ceased to be the retail center of the region. The long shuttered St Louis Centre mall was a poor attempt to recapture that title.
As a downtown resident for over a year now I can tell you I’m generally pleased with the mix of retailers we have and as more buildings open up (now as rentals) we’ll continue to see retailers opening to serve the needs of immediate residents, locals, and visitors.
I wish Flamingo Bowl would have closed and Good Works remained open. I live across the street from Flamingo and you would not believe what is going on over there. People leaving the place and screaming profanity at 2am on a Tuesday night! It is exceptionally loud and they do nothing to monitor the traffic or noise coming in and out of that place.
I got a chance to shop at the new Left Bank Books today. I can’t tell you how nice it is to have a bookstore downtown again. Living in Soulard and working downtown is great, but I need more shops in the heart of the city. I could really use a good cycling and running store next!
We went to Left Bank on their first night and made our first purchase. Having them downtown might be very dangerous to my bank account.
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It’ll be nice when they get stocked up, ’cause now the shelves are still pretty bare.
I think downtown proponents should continue to focus on creating housing stock and any office space developement/renovation possible (Good Class A office space will only help downtown in the long run retain office workers). Retail will hold its own from there.
As far as a shopping destination. The best blog rumor I read at one point in regards to this subject was the Union Station and Ikea were negotiating. Replacing the street grid around the current 22nd street interchange for Ikea coming to Union Station would probably save the place. You can move Hard Rock, etc over to Ballpark since it is going to happen.
Another major tenant not yet in the area, like an Ikea, within walking distance from Macy’s is really the only way to contemplate downtown in my mind as a shopping destination. Turn the failed St. Louis Centre over to Ikea. The downtown Macy’s and Ikea might get some people to shop downtown for the sake of shopping. The Laural going forward, the skybridge coming down, Ikea replacing St. Louis Centre would jump start the Mercantile Exchange idea. Which in my mind is still a good development plan (mixed use of existing structures that will create even more housing stock).
What about Ballpark/Chinatown? 😉
I don’t know if you have watched any of the Channel 9 film of the river before all was torn down for the Arch grounds. It was an amazing area, dense and full of life from two lines of river boats lined up.
What is now is has become a huge dead zone could be revitalized and help downtown retail in a big way. I mean the center of the city was cut out of it, it is like cutting your heart out to save the body.
The location of the old cathedral and old court house marks the importance the site which are now vacant grounds surrounding the Arch.
Steve, you have been a strong advocate of the city grid, and I agree fully, the city grid should just go through the arch grounds. South of the Arch is especially a wasteland, but North also could accommodate the city grid. And forget about museums, it is good the Danforth’s ran out of money. Maybe 4 to 7 story row buildings would be a better fit, developed by individual developers rather than one massive developer (the old way)
This action would do more to stimulate downtown retail than any other effort. An international competition would do well for the Arch grounds and the connection to the rest of downtown.
Which brings up the other point. Mass transit that was clear and functional to downtown would certainly improve the chances of successful retail. I know one reason I avoid downtown is trying to find a place to park (even with the hundreds of spaces). Yet I don’t take transit because it is a mess.
Transit in the city should be a separate agency from Bi State, MoDot and East West Gateway, simply because they have no interest in supporting an ideal, sustainable, comprehensive transit system in the City of St. Louis,. Which in turn can support downtown.
A separate agency needs to be created, even if it is run by citizens. The political organization now in power simply cannot make the correct decisions. They have proven it beyond a doubt and the proof is the situation America is in. And it is not simply a auto crisis, nor a financial crisis, it is a crisis in governance.
I wished you would have mentioned that Paper Dolls is closing as well. While I do not routinely shop for womens clothing, I can say that this store makes a stupid guy look very smart in purchases/gifts for women. Same can be said for UMA, the selection available makes a person appear to be a relatively hip gift giver.
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Paper Dolls did open a store in Downtown Kirkwood and is thriving. Similar to 10th Street Italian making its presence known near Kirkwood on Dougherty Ferry road.
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I wish the best for Left Bank Books, and welcomed them with a purchase. They informed me that by the end of January they should be fully stocked. In addition, the owners of Rooster are installing a wine bar directly next store.
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My biggest hope for Left Bank would be to have very reasonable evening hours. If they plan on packing up at 6PM, as is currently listed in the store window, I think they will get very little of my idle time and money.
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The example of Rooster and the mentioned Crepes in the City, off prime time hours can be quite busy. The wonderful labor of love brought to us by Mary and her husband. This restaurant is by far my new favorite, not always for the menu, although much can be said for that as well, but the experience provided by the space and the staff. This restaurant reminds me what a small town atmosphere DT St. Louis provides.
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I think the only reason Salt of the Earth hasn’t packed it in is because they own the space, but I am worried for their continued viability. They have shed light on disturbing knowledge that many DT residents do not even know that they exist. It is one thing not to like the merchandise, it is quite another not to even give them a chance.
GMichaud, I’m trying to comprehend what the city would gain in trying to have their own transit let alone financing it (I would doubt if me or anybody else outside the city proper would really want to pay for its operations). The city has a tough time putting a lot of police on the streets and the schools are literally crumbling. I tend to favor some well placed street car lines tied to Metrolink. They can be built at a fraction of the cost and time (stimulus package) as well as operated by TDD funds. Otherwise, your looking at a general sales tax increase for any improvements. Which is the last thing downtown retail needs.
The best chance for Downtown is getting rid of the city payroll earning’s tax. A good example might be Paper Dolls, they are certainly have less taxes in Kirkwood then downtown. Which will go a long ways in making business decisions.
Design matters a great deal. Money is not the point. Everyone limits their thinking because of money. The money is not there etc. Money is our creation. What I am saying is that the governmental organizations responsible for planning transit do not necessarily concern themselves with devising transit plans that could help evolve the downtown retail environment that Steve is talking about.
I agree with street cars, most successful systems seem to be comprehensive, multi layered movement systems, with many alternatives for arriving at the same destination.
It should be clear the current power structure is not taking needed actions to help correct severe problems in the economy and in urban planning.
If the City of St. Louis had an award winning transit system it would spur economic development, retail, tax collections and everything else, downtown and around town.
Of course it has been preordained by the big land developers and their friends in MoDot etc that their method of suburban sprawl is the way it will be done. We have been living with those policies for over 50 years now, without discussion.
The money is there. So the real question is how do you create a dynamic transit system with routes that enhance downtown and downtown retail? It is a discussion that should be occurring no matter what the circumstances.
In fact I would say that we should have an idea of what a successful, comprehensive transit system in the City of St. Louis might look like. Do we know that? No.
If a great transit system cannot be conceived for the City, what hope is there to create an adequate transit system in the region?
Generally speaking, I think the leadership of the whole region needs to be shaken up.
The priority is to give people like Paul McKee 100 million dollar tax credits, not solve the regions problems.
So yes, money aside, an excellent design for transit traveling into downtown could bolster and support the evolution of retail business in the city center.
I’m a big supporter of transit, but I honestly don’t think our transit system, or lack thereof, is having much impact on whether or not our local economy is/will be getting any better. Transit requires density to be successful, it’s that old chicken-or-egg conundrum, and we have enough transit to support our current densities and ridership – the trick is convincing most people to a) use it and to b) give it more funding. And you’re right, we’ve been living with those suburban sprawl policies “for over 50 years now, without much discussion”, which have had a direct impact on density. But whether it’s sprawl or white flight or ongoing racism or our schools or crime or our earnings tax, many, probably too many, people continue to choose to live and work outside the city, whether it’s in the county, across the river, in St. Chuck or another part of the country.
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Better transit would be one component in attracting new businesses and residents, keeping existing ones, and supporting more-dense development, but a much bigger need is to make the city more safe, a better place to grow a business and a place where raising a family doesn’t require finding the money for private schools. The creative class wants to be in places that are cool and hip. MBA’s want to be places where their investments are safe. Soccer moms want the best schools for their kids. Nobody likes to pay more in taxes or to live in fear of losing their lives or their property. The hard reality is that St. Louis doesn’t rank very high on the perception meter in any of these areas. Yes, there are pockets that are hidden gems, but the overall impression, outside the city limits, is that there are better options.
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100 years ago, St. Louis was better than Chicago. 50 years ago, both were very similar. Today, Chicago has done a lot of things right to reinvest in and reinvent themselves and they’ve pulled ahead, by a substantial margin. Their suburban sprawl is infinitely worse than ours, yet they’ve made both their urban core and more and more of their urban neighborhoods the place to be. Prices are up and new construction is creating greater density. Transit played a part, but perception was and continues to be THE big driver in convincing people to choose Wrigleyville over Soulard, the Gold Coast over the CWE. Their politics are as dysfunctional as ours, their weather is worse and they have a lot of racism and poverty, just like we do. But for whatever, and probably for many, reason(s), urban living in Chicago is more attractive to more people than urban living is in St. Louis. We gotta change perceptions, it’s not gonna happen overnight, and it’s gonna mean making a bunch of small changes/improvements, not just searching for that magic wand or silver bullet . . .
As a Downtown resident and retailer let me remind everyone that PaperDolls is not closing simply due to the retail sales at this location. Matt Burghoff the building developer and co-owner of the store pled guilty to several charges recently and may be spending some time in jail. The Kirkwood location from my understanding has been sold to another party and will continue. PaperDolls did an incredible business at the Downtown store and has been a great neighbor. They unfortunately have had a few setbacks recently with the charges and jail time, the banks calling loans and the sole employee of the store leaving to have a baby.
Please do not let this sway your opinion of the DT retail environment. We have so many dedicated and aspiring business owners wanting to meet your needs during not only the holiday season but year round. Please give DT shopping a try. If you have a special request (hours, selection, whatever) just ask… We are here to serve you.
JZ, while I generally agree with what you are saying, I think there is an opportunity to sweep out the old and bring in the new. That will help change perception and reality. I am not fond of the piecemeal approach, that is the tactic used by MoDot etc to divide and conquer. That is they focus on minuscule or narrowly important topics to keep people from asking the hard questions.
Downtown retail success requires many components to be sure. However I think a jazzed up transit system to downtown could help now, meaning today. It could be accomplished through redesign of the current system and would not necessarily require more money. It may be as simple as reconfiguring the transit system in the city.
It is important to tap into the existing residents to help foster habits of supporting downtown retail (rather than go park in the vast lots of the Galleria).
While questions of density and other planning options are a little too much to go into with this thread. I would point to the skill of successful cities who position transit to create public spaces and create gathering places that feed the city center. In effect transit can be used to create density through various design methods. (All of this while making the system easier to use)
This is not being done in St. Louis. Nor do I feel it is a magic wand, but rather a hard nose discussion about the role of design.
So perhaps another way to ask the question would be: will a reconfiguration of the current transit system better able to serve downtown and other city retail, given the existing resources? My feeling that the answer is yes, perhaps a resounding yes. And going back to the point I made before, the people at Bi State, East West Gateway and especially MoDot could care less about another approach in the city. Their mandate is to run trains to the outer suburbs and in the case of East West and MoDot, build roads ad nauseum.
GM, I guess we’ll need to agree to disagree. I’m probably too cynical, But I think most shoppers won’t pay to ride transit or to park downtown when they have the option of free parking elsewhere. The only exceptions are when the free-parking alternative doesn’t meet their needs, be it specialty retail or the latest cool entertainment venue, or because it’s their closest option. The most successful transit component in Denver is the 16th Street Mall, where free buses run every minute and a half at peak times, stopping every block, acting like a horizontal elevator and enhancing the adjacent retail. That retail, however, consists primarily of services for downtown office workers and conventioneers (fast-food and sit-down restaurants, souvenier shops, a thriving Walgreen’s and specialty retail, like the Nike Store and the Hard Rock Cafe); the department stores and the world’s largest Woolworth’s are all long gone.
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Adding a streecar loop, for instance, to the traditional downtown here (east of Tucker), would likely have similar results to what Memphis has experienced – it will be used primarily by downtown workers at lunchtime and will attract a few transit wonks and a few urbanists at other times, but not nearly enough to make a difference. However, adding a transit link (even just frequent, free buses) to Washington, linking AGEdwards/Wachovia/Wells Fargo with Laclede’s Landing might be successful – it would draw on several existing bases, plus it would enhance the potential of the adjacent infrastructure. It all boils down to finding the dollars to fund it – in the long run it might succeed in driving reinvestment, but it won’t happen overnight, and I’m not sure if our current leadership has the stomach to take this big a risk, given the other pressing needs elsewhere in town. The streetcars work in Portland primarily because it’s perceived to be a cool place to live and work and because demand supports the higher cost of dense, multi-story new development in areas alike the Pearl District. I’m also pretty sure that it’s directly subsidized by the developments.
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The fundamental problem here is either a lack of demand or too diffuse a demand for both housing and retail downtown. The lofts on Washington, especially as you get further west, simply don’t have enough residents to support a vibrant transit system, nor is there enough retail to so NOW. Fill in the gaps, including on the adjacent blocks, and then transit becomes a lot more viable (that chicken or egg conundrum). But to be really successful, it needs to be “free”, either through subsidized passes or a local taxing district. Charging, even a nominal amount (like 50 cents), would likely cut ridership in half. Look at Union Station, there are many reasons it’s struggling, not the least being that you need to pay to park. (And to many people, Union Station is as much a part of “downtown” as is Laclede’s Landing or Washington.)
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Metro is eliminating the free-ride component of Metrolink, they simply don’t have the money, so if anything, we’re moving backwards, not forwards, in how we’re using our existing resources. We also face the hard reality that our home values, across the city, are many times less than their replacement cost – if it burns down, it’s cheaper to buy something else than to rebuild. There has been efforts to do new high-rise residential downtown, but the economics simply don’t seem to be there, so we’re faced with renovating the existing ones and working around all the vacant lots and parking lots. The bottom line continues to be the bottom line, and until we can create more demand, a lot more, for downtown real estate, we’re going to be stuck with more of the same.
“People leaving the place and screaming profanity at 2am on a Tuesday night!” Isn’t that part of the downtown living experience? If you want quiet, live in South City, well, parts of South City, make it Kirkwood, very quiet there.
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An Ikea in STL? That would be cool but I don’t see this city going for that, but I guess it could happen. Lets face it though, it will end up in West County next a Trader Joe’s.
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As I drove up Tucker toward the Shell station at Delmar the other night I thought about how it was one guy, Tom Perdue, that opened up 1227 in 1988 which in my opinion makes him the starting point of what you see today on Washington and the blocks around it. He is long gone from STL as far as I know but he took the first step. So where ever he is now props to him. A lot has happened in 20 years on Washington Ave.
Successful Transit I have been exposed to seems to enhance and improve the experience of the city. Good design can trump free parking. Transit creates its own density with skill in creating gathering spaces.
Thus the area in front of the convention center where Steve has pointed out many illegally parked taxis perhaps should have been a transit orientated plaza, accommodating taxis, pedestrians, bicycles, buses, horse drawn carriages and rickshaws. This would have required planning for such uses and perhaps reconfiguring the building and/or the street environment design at the time. In turn this gathering place would have generated coffee shops, restaurants, bars and so on.
The impact of design can generate economic activity. There are many opportunities for this type of thing to occur. What comes first, residents or the public amenities that serve and attract them?
In the case of transit, it is already there, and it is merely a question of determining if there are other approaches that could potentially strengthen downtown retail, (such as the gathering place above may have been able to do if it had been built).
As far as the Memphis example, I would point to the new multi modal station on Fourteenth Street also. They are both good ideas that in my view fail to integrate with the surroundings. In other words, what is the larger meaning to the community and how should projects be positioned to maximize their value to the public?
Drama, “architecture as frozen music†of Goethe and a stage for living is what I expect from the built environment. Anything less is a failure in leadership.
The only leadership I see is in Steve’s’ blog, and a few other blogs, but nothing in mainstream press or politics that would qualify as leadership to address the intractable problems of energy, the economy and the dysfunctional urban environment.
We’re getting closer . . . the new multi modal station on Fourteenth is actually not too bad functionally, although I’m not so sure about it’s contribution to the built environment (but given that it’s partially under the freeway and over the railroad tracks and essentially just a series of concourses, I’m not sure if it could ever be a great architectural statement). What’s really missing, as you alluded to, is a downtown circulator of some sort (bus or streetcar). The station works well if you understand the local bus routes; it doesn’t work well for suburbanites who barely understand how to ride Metrolink and may want to go somewhere more than a block or two from one of the other downtown stations.
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I’ve always thought that there’s a great opportunity to create another transit hub on the two half blocks on the east side of Broadway, between Washington and Convention Plaza. This would provide an ideal terminus for buses from both Illinois and north St. Louis, with great access to both freeways and bridges. Connect this location with the the new multi modal station on Fourteenth and you could probably grow a viable circulator system.
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I’m not sure if this would work better as one big route, running clockwise and counter-clockwise, or if it would be better as a north-south route, connecting the two stations, and an east-west route, connecting the north station with AG Edwards/Wells Fargo, but here’s my concept, going counter-clockwise: Washington(w) – Beaumont(s) – Market(e) – 14th(s) – South Station – 14th(n) – Clark(e) – 4th(n) – Convention Plaza(w) – North Station – Broadway(s) – Locust(w) – Tucker(n) – Washington(w). (And going clockwise, replace Locust with Olive and swap Broadway and 4th.)
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Bottom line, KISS, make it free, run it frequently, and you’ll probably create a winner . . . I’m just not sure downtown is salvagable, at this point, from its focus on the single-occupant vehicle (but I thought the same thing about downtown Denver). It all gets back to one fundamental, attracting more people – density increases costs, including the costs (and hassles) to drive and park. When the SOV is cheaper and easier, few people will put up with the hassles of using public transit. But there is always a tipping point where the hassles do become acceptable (compared to the SOV); it’s only then that transit will truly thrive.
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Unfortunately, the hassles that commuters will tolerate to get to work is the antithesis to what most shoppers will tolerate, which leaves two retail scenarios. Either downtown will evolve into a denser environment with specialty retail or it will devolve into a less-dense model and possibly attract more chain/suburban retailers that can attract enough business from downtown residents and the adjacent residential areas to make it. It all boils down to will folks in the Ville and Dogtown choose to shop downtown if a) a Target/Wal·Mart/Dierberg’s opens there and b) the parking is free, or will they continue to go out to Hampton Village or Maplewood Commons?
Nike is tearing down my neighborhood for a Nike-urbanism development. I have posted six videos about the problem on Youtube. To find the videos use the search at the Youtube website with keywords:nike university of oregon.