tigereye Posted January 20, 2007 Share Posted January 20, 2007 Get ready for this........last night, got to see many of my peeps who used to work at MBar. It did officially close on Saturday (1/13) BTW. Most of them landed gigs in midtown. Well, last night, I saw the former GM of the place, Carlos. He told me why the club went down. It had nothing to do with business. It had everything to do with who was gonna replace MBar at the old Citizens Bank site. MBar is gonna be replaced by a WAL-GREENS For those who dont know, the Site is at the corner of Main and Preston Alot of us have campaigned for a grocery store downtown. Now while Wal-Greens is a CVS-Clone, in reality, its also the closest thing downtown has ever had to a full fledge grocery store. I guess the transformation of Downtown into a more friendlier residential component has begun. So how do you feel about this? You against the CVS-Close raiding the Downtown nightlife scene. Or are you for this mini grocery store helping downtowns residential aspirations? Discuss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted January 20, 2007 Share Posted January 20, 2007 MBar is gonna be replaced by a WAL-GREENSFor those who dont know, the Site is at the corner of Main and PrestonAlot of us have campaigned for a grocery store downtown. Now while Wal-Greens is a CVS-Clone, in reality, its also the closest thing downtown has ever had to a full fledge grocery store. I guess the transformation of Downtown into a more friendlier residential component has begun. So how do you feel about this? You against the CVS-Close raiding the Downtown nightlife scene. Or are you for this mini grocery store helping downtowns residential aspirations? Discuss.I guess it must be a small Walgreens because i didn't think MBar was big. And if it's small, I don't think they'd have a grocery section but one never knows. For years, there used to be a small "neighborhood" grocery store on Fannin/San Jacinto (kind of near Christ Church Cathedral) but they closed sometime during rail construction if i'm not mistaken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted January 20, 2007 Share Posted January 20, 2007 I think it will be a good thing and it's sorely needed in that immediate area. while the CVS is only a few blocks away, it's a good distance from quite a few of the residents.How this affects what mainstreet should be like will be interesting. I wonder if there will be fewer people wandering the street and more going into the clubs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feufoma Posted January 20, 2007 Share Posted January 20, 2007 While I think that we have more than enough pharmacies in Houston (is the population really aging that much...or are we just a bunch of wussies that depend on a panacea for every ache?), this is certainly better than just another club moving into the space. I know the location and I agree that it doesn't look very large. But at least something is going to be there. I guess the CVS just a few blocks down the street isn't sufficient??? I'd much prefer a small grocery moving there. You know, fresh produce, flowers, sundries. Like other cities have... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ V Lawrence Posted January 20, 2007 Share Posted January 20, 2007 I think that's sucks seeing MBar turn into a Walgreens/CVS. I remember seeing a couple vacant spots right there on the Main Street Square. Why would they want to close down a club when they could have gotten the same size space in vacant spaces across the street? Now we still have vacant spots on the supposedly hottest clubbing area in Houston, a popular club is closed, and we have a drugstore to show for it. It's not even a grocery store. That's not the answer to a Flagship or Signature store downtown, if needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted January 20, 2007 Share Posted January 20, 2007 I think they wanted a prime "corner" location and it seemed to fit the bill. I'm sure that if you lived downtown and you felt crappy, getting out of your loft to go a block as opposed to several blocks, would be more appealing. now the question is, will it be 24hrs? If only another residential tower/loft would open up! that would certainly provide more people for the area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N Judah Posted January 20, 2007 Share Posted January 20, 2007 Pffft. They can always put up another bar somewhere else. In the meantime, I hope that that CVS loses business and shuts down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalparadise Posted January 20, 2007 Share Posted January 20, 2007 Yeah... they were making plenty of money, but because Walgreen's wanted the space, they closed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 or more accurately, "Bought out."That means that wallgreens is very optimistic to be in downtown if they're willing to ask for a prime spot like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigereye Posted January 21, 2007 Author Share Posted January 21, 2007 (edited) I guess it must be a small Walgreens because i didn't think MBar was big.Not actually. MBar had 3 floors, as well as an unknown 4th floor. 1. You had the main floor ground level. 2. You had the basement, complete with a bar and restrooms. The was also a secret lounge behind the bar, this was where the old vault used to be for Houston Citizen's Bank. The boilers were also back here as well, but they were to the left and down the hall. The vault is still intact. Some very wild things happened back there ...hehe, I'd rather not elaborate. But if you open both areas up to eachother, you have a very large area. 3. You had the upstairs balcony level overlooking the main floor. Now if you get rid of the balconies for one complete floor level, you have an area exactly as large as the main floor, which is very large. 4. The level no one ever saw. Offices and another lounge. Its above the balconies. Only accesible via the back right corner staircase thats on the way to the basement. Most took this staircase to get to the balcony level. The stairs continue form there....but most were too drunk to realize it and go up further. I feel this area is large enough for a full scale Wal-Greens including grocery section - mius the drive through of course. Sadly enough, the only way this happens is with the grand ornate architecture of the interior of this building being gutted for the bland cookie-cutter acrchitecture you would expect to find from a grocery store. That would be the real loss. Everyone associated with Mbar, myself including, have pretty much vowed never to go in there when it makes its transformation to Wal-Greens...its just goona be sad. If anything, I would have prefered MBar to be bought out by someone who would have preserved the all aspects of the architecture of this building, interior included. Tillman Fertita would have been great. Imagine a Vic & Anthony's with seating in that grand lobby... An excellent opportunity to creat something grand, will instead go by the wayside. And then there's the block itself, which, has taken a hit. Gone are Mbar and Opus. Infact, IIRC, that whole block is shuttered, except for tha one small club in between MBar and Opus that's still in operation. Edited January 21, 2007 by tigereye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Double L Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 (edited) or more accurately, "Bought out."That means that wallgreens is very optimistic to be in downtown if they're willing to ask for a prime spot like that.^^^^That is incedible. Edited January 21, 2007 by Double L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 Not actually. MBar had 3 floors, as well as an unknown 4th floor.I know about the various floors but i sincerely doubt Walgreens would build a multi-level store. I liked the interior of the building, i just hope it isn't gutted to build some sterile store with cheap shelving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdbaker Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 I think they wanted a prime "corner" location and it seemed to fit the bill. I'm sure that if you lived downtown and you felt crappy, getting out of your loft to go a block as opposed to several blocks, would be more appealing. now the question is, will it be 24hrs? If only another residential tower/loft would open up! that would certainly provide more people for the area.Ding. Ding. Ding. We have winner. ^^As a downtown resident, I couldn't be happier to hear this. Several people mentioned that there is already a CVS a few blocks south of MBar, which is true, but it's not that simple. This type of redundancy is essential for a bona fide pedestrian neighborhood. Case in point, I live seven blocks north of the Main St. CVS, but I rarely walk there. It's a 15-20 minute walk, which translates into a 30-40 minute round trip, making it walkable (if barely) but less efficient than driving to the CVS on West Gray. The Mbar/Walgreen location is only three blocks away. This translates into translates into a 10-15 minute round trip, which is quicker than driving to W.Gray. It does sound like a big deal, but it is. The tipping point is somewhere within those extra 4 blocks.Why does this matter? First, I would pay 5-10% more in rent for this conveinece, and I suspect I'm not alone. Not using your car can become very addicitive. Second, this means one more person (that isn't homeless or club hopping) is on Main St after business hours, which in turn makes all those other Main St. store fronts a little more valuable. While bars and resteraunts are great, it is impossible to understate the value of having everyday necessities within 5 minutes of your front door. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houstonfella Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 Ding. Ding. Ding. We have winner. ^^As a downtown resident, I couldn't be happier to hear this. Several people mentioned that there is already a CVS a few blocks south of MBar, which is true, but it's not that simple. This type of redundancy is essential for a bona fide pedestrian neighborhood. Case in point, I live seven blocks north of the Main St. CVS, but I rarely walk there. It's a 15-20 minute walk, which translates into a 30-40 minute round trip, making it walkable (if barely) but less efficient than driving to the CVS on West Gray. The Mbar/Walgreen location is only three blocks away. This translates into translates into a 10-15 minute round trip, which is quicker than driving to W.Gray. It does sound like a big deal, but it is. The tipping point is somewhere within those extra 4 blocks. Why does this matter? First, I would pay 5-10% more in rent for this conveinece, and I suspect I'm not alone. Not using your car can become very addicitive. Second, this means one more person (that isn't homeless or club hopping) is on Main St after business hours, which in turn makes all those other Main St. store fronts a little more valuable. While bars and resteraunts are great, it is impossible to understate the value of having everyday necessities within 5 minutes of your front door. Whoa... not using your car in Houston? Can't even get the concept. But you guys have fun with walking and the train. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 It's good news when downtown can start attracting retail business that isn't strictly aimed at the tunnel crowd. It's the little conveniences like this that may help attact more residents over time. They do more to improve downtown as a neighborhood than a lot of clubs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Double L Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 MBar was really nice. I'm surprised it was bought out. If Walgreen's is that willing to buy out a successful establishment for a central location, then that bodes well for downtown's outlook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ V Lawrence Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 Isn't the Houston Pavillions project somewhere around that spot? Why couldn't that project include a 24-hour grocery or drug store? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 no, HP will be located at Bell Station. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 no, HP will be located at Bell Station.Isn't it at Dallas and Main, cateycorner from Foley's? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 Isn't it at Dallas and Main, cateycorner from Foley's?If you look at the Map on the HP thread, you might be able to glean the information from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 If you look at the Map on the HP thread, you might be able to glean the information from there.Yep at Dallas. I guess the Bell reference threw me off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 Yep at Dallas. I guess the Bell reference threw me off.Not a problem. Glad to help clarify. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WesternGulf Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 It's good news when downtown can start attracting retail business that isn't strictly aimed at the tunnel crowd. It's the little conveniences like this that may help attact more residents over time. They do more to improve downtown as a neighborhood than a lot of clubs.Ditto. There's nothing like it in the area. These are the type of businesses that will have you seeing actual residents walking around on a Sunday night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Great Hizzy! Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 Just a thought, but if M Bar was doing well enough and the owners felt passionate enough about it, wouldn't they consider finding another location DT? There are a couple of available parcels, I'm sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Native Montrosian Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 Does anyone remember a Walgreens on Elgin at Main, I think? My doctor was in the red brick house on Caroline @ Elgin, and I remember going to a Walgreens a few blocks away. When my sister & I were cleaning out after my father passed away in 1997, I looked in a box of ancient electric blankets and found a bottle of paragoric prescribed for me in 1967!! This was when some strength of it was available over the counter, so I must have been really sick. I remember that it was from that Walgreens - wish I had saved it just for the bottle. I'm sure I hid it there so I wouldn't have to take it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pwright1 Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 That's a perfect spot for a Walgreens. I like Walgreens over CVS. They seem to have more of a variety than CVS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montrose1100 Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 I think this is great, a good step towards rebuilding the Downtown Houston -should- have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Javi Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 I know a few remember, but there was a Walgreen's on main and rusk (or walker). I'm glad they are coming back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tierwestah Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 Not sure why they had to wipe out the MBAR when there's so much Vacant space. I still thinkWalgreens will be cool for downtown. Now let's hope a few urban style HEBs or Krogers will follow suit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
what Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 I think this is great, a good step towards rebuilding the Downtown Houston -should- have.Amen ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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