We live just outside of DC in an ever-changing suburban/urban community. Older shopping centers are being replaced with mixed use development – mostly hip, boxy style apartments positioned above cool retail and restaurants. The largest of these in our area is always vibrant and busy. I guess these are replacing the indoor shopping malls. (I myself haven’t been to the mall since my daughter graduated from high school. I think we’ve both outgrown it.)
Our immediate neighborhood has been home to some pretty dingy old strip malls. As they undergo remodeling, I am always hopeful that some decent shops and restaurants will replace the old neighborhood supermarkets, cellular phone shops and dry cleaners that reside there. Most recently, a new strip mall was built which looked like it had space for about 4 stores. My imagination went wild with thoughts of a cool neighborhood pub, a bakery, a gift shop and then signs went up announcing that the whole mall would be filled by one tenant – a sandwich shop. Perfect, I thought! It’s always nice to have a local spot to grab a steak and cheese, or a reuben. What actually went in was a Vietnamese sandwich shop, and while Vietnamese sandwiches are fine, they are not exactly what I had in mind.
Across the street from the sandwich mall is another strip center that had deteriorated into such a state of blight I would get angry every time I drove by. When they began booting out the tenants and the remodeling began, I again got my hopes up. Maybe they’d put a Kohl’s in. There are no Kohl’s nearby and my sister-in-law always has such cute clothes from Kohl’s. Maybe a great date night kind of restaurant would open there. Maybe a deli with steak and cheese subs.
What actually went in were a dry cleaner, an expensive nail salon, and dentist. The best new tenant was a family pizza joint that had been kicked out of its long-time location. (There are steak and cheese subs on the menu!) Other new retail spots in our neighborhood have been taken over by yet more dry cleaners and nail salons, the U.S. Renal Care Center, and an Auto Zone. Not exactly the retail stuff of dreams.
Retail is definitely a changing environment these days. I just wish I agreed with the changes being made in my environment!
Our immediate neighborhood has been home to some pretty dingy old strip malls. As they undergo remodeling, I am always hopeful that some decent shops and restaurants will replace the old neighborhood supermarkets, cellular phone shops and dry cleaners that reside there. Most recently, a new strip mall was built which looked like it had space for about 4 stores. My imagination went wild with thoughts of a cool neighborhood pub, a bakery, a gift shop and then signs went up announcing that the whole mall would be filled by one tenant – a sandwich shop. Perfect, I thought! It’s always nice to have a local spot to grab a steak and cheese, or a reuben. What actually went in was a Vietnamese sandwich shop, and while Vietnamese sandwiches are fine, they are not exactly what I had in mind.
Across the street from the sandwich mall is another strip center that had deteriorated into such a state of blight I would get angry every time I drove by. When they began booting out the tenants and the remodeling began, I again got my hopes up. Maybe they’d put a Kohl’s in. There are no Kohl’s nearby and my sister-in-law always has such cute clothes from Kohl’s. Maybe a great date night kind of restaurant would open there. Maybe a deli with steak and cheese subs.
What actually went in were a dry cleaner, an expensive nail salon, and dentist. The best new tenant was a family pizza joint that had been kicked out of its long-time location. (There are steak and cheese subs on the menu!) Other new retail spots in our neighborhood have been taken over by yet more dry cleaners and nail salons, the U.S. Renal Care Center, and an Auto Zone. Not exactly the retail stuff of dreams.
Retail is definitely a changing environment these days. I just wish I agreed with the changes being made in my environment!