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Mixed-Use Development At 1111 Main St.


Urbannizer

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Sure hope the retail at this location is something other than a target. downtown shopping district should be something of a destination, not a place to grab some TP and pantene on your way home from work.

 

With all of the new residential development in Downtown, a target would do really well. Whee else can someone buy some TP and Pantene in downtown? People living in DT, shouldn't have to leave DT to buy basic necessities.

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With all of the new residential development in Downtown, a target would do really well. Whee else can someone buy some TP and Pantene in downtown? People living in DT, shouldn't have to leave DT to buy basic necessities.

 

I don't disagree with anything you said, just the location. This location needs to be something special if it's to be the linchpin of the shopping district.

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Let's not forget that there is an urban CVS two blocks from this site downtown where residents can get all of their toiletry needs  :)

 

CVS_zpsodpvv1ws.jpg

 

I'll stop by the CVS on my walk home from work when I need things urgently but generally I just use Amazon Prime. I've gotten really good at bulk ordering and I always have two day lead time for items. I only travel outside of downtown for clothing (need to ensure fit) and books / vinyl records (like to support local book / record stores). Everything else ("necessities", electronics, food - Instacart or Favor app), I get delivered.

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Let's not forget that there is an urban CVS two blocks from this site downtown where residents can get all of their toiletry needs :)

CVS_zpsodpvv1ws.jpg

Since its conveniently located for me, I do go to that CVS for a variety of reasons and needs. Heck so much, I even got a CVS card recently lol

But if City Target opened up at 1111 Main, CVS may lose some of my business. Urban CVS has some things but due to its space constraints, it can't jam everything in that small store. By comparison, a 90,000 sq ft City Target will likely provide way more goods than the current mini-CVS.

Edited by tigereye
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What would be nice is a small book store in downtown...Brown Book Shop is nice for technical books but lacks any variety

 

Although there were a lot of mixed views about it, we did have a Books-A-Million at GreenStreet (then the Pavillions).

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Although there were a lot of mixed views about it, we did have a Books-A-Million at GreenStreet (then the Pavillions).

 

And before that, there was a bookstore (Book Stop, maybe?)in the Park Shops. I'm not optimistic that retail bookstores that don't have a particular niche have much of a future anywhere.

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Rents are generally prohibitive for small book stores in urban centers. Harvard Square once had about 15 booksellers, now it has 1 or 2 outside of the university bookstore, which is obviously not a market-based lease. Rice Village 15 years ago had 3 used booksellers with another one not far away on Bissonnet; now all are gone except Half Price Books.

 

Then again, Book People in Austin does a thriving business in a prime location next to the Whole Foods, and Powell's Books in Portland occupies a full city block in the heart everything. The lesson seems to be, if the market doesn't support going small, go big.

 

Also, I wouldn't close the door permanently on brick-and-mortar bookstores, especially not used ones. If vinyl records can make a comeback, so can books.

 

 

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Its funny how things change. When I was a young boy my parents would go down town on Saturday and take us to the movies at the

Metropolitan or the Loews. We'd then go over to either I think it was called Simpson's diner across the street, or walk over to Walker I believe and go to the James Coney Island and eat dogs at the old school desks. After that my mother would march us over to Foleys or Sakowitz for some things, go down the street for shoes and then get an ice cream treat on Main next to the theaters. That was shopping in Houston when I was a child. Too bad we lost all that when they opened Gulfgate and Meyerland. Then came the really big malls like

Sharpstown and Memorial City which caused everything to close downtown and move out to the burbs.

Its ironic and along with the trolleys and interurbans we had a fairly nice mass transportation system.

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Rents are generally prohibitive for small book stores in urban centers. Harvard Square once had about 15 booksellers, now it has 1 or 2 outside of the university bookstore, which is obviously not a market-based lease. Rice Village 15 years ago had 3 used booksellers with another one not far away on Bissonnet; now all are gone except Half Price Books.

 

Then again, Book People in Austin does a thriving business in a prime location next to the Whole Foods, and Powell's Books in Portland occupies a full city block in the heart everything. The lesson seems to be, if the market doesn't support going small, go big.

 

Also, I wouldn't close the door permanently on brick-and-mortar bookstores, especially not used ones. If vinyl records can make a comeback, so can books.

 

actual B&M bookstores aren't going to go away completely. Amazon killed quite a few, but what isn't already dead, probably (hopefully) won't die. That is such a good thing.

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  • 4 weeks later...
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  • 2 months later...

nope, which is a sign of bad news to come imo

I am of the opposite opinion.

I would rather this building stay in its current state and evolve into some major retail option if the Dallas Corridor picks up as a shopping district than to demolish it in favor of a souless box which most likely be it's replacement.

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  • 1 year later...

Pg 13.

 

http://www.downtowntirz.com/downtownhouston/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/FS-2016-Main-Street-Market-Square-final-report-UPDATED.pdf

 

The Authority issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for the development of 1111 Main and 1010 Lamar as part of the Shopping District series of projects beginning in fiscal year 2015. The project is still in early development and if it is successful and a mixed‐use project is developed on the site, the Authority anticipates that public incentives may be needed to achieve a significant soft goods retail component in the project in fulfillment of the directives from the Mayor’s Retail Task Force.  

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4 minutes ago, Urbannizer said:

 

On ‎6‎/‎17‎/‎2015 at 0:13 PM, H-Town Man said:

And it's gonna take money

A whole lot of public money

It's gonna take plenty of money

To do it right...

 

Paraphrasing George Harrison.

 

 

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Translation: We, the city of Houston, want badly to see fancy retail in the 1100 block of Main, but we don't want it badly enough to actually shop there to the extent that the economics will work. So we will pay tax money to any retailer who will set up there, to make up for the lack of money we will pay shopping at the store.

 

If it's tax reductions to jump start retail as happened with the DLI, then I can be for it. That would be consistent, and the DLI did its job. Still a little icky though.

 

 

Edited by H-Town Man
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Downtown foot traffic has picked up, while the homeless population in that spot has gone down. 

There is still no big draw to Main Street Square though.

Forever 21 is ok, but not enough.

The Park Shops and Greenstreet are too inward facing.

 

As far as department stores go are they still popular?  I'm not sure what it's going to take to Jumpstart retail but I think it has to be visual.  People need to be able to see in. 

 

I think low end retail would work wonders here for now. 

Lower end than even Macy's. 

With the Galleria, ROD, Highland Village, River Oaks and Rice Village all in close proximity I don't see much high end coming to downtown soon. 

 

Don't laugh but I would put in Ross, Marshalls, Target,  a general goods store, a Houston souvenir shop, A sports merchandise shop,  a smoke shop, Petsmart, expand that CVS, bring in an urban version of Specs, throw in some restaurants,  bars and about a dozen lower end retailers such as Rainbow,  Old Navy, Bath and Body works, Lids, Sephora. That will keep the nearby residents interested.  Once the crowds become regular we can step up the game. I do think we may need something like a Williams Sonoma soon.  Something with  home goods

 

 

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  • The title was changed to Mixed-Use Development At 1111 Main St.

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