There is an ongoing topic that has grabbed the minds of all that follow charlotte's developement. The idea, to which I am talking about is, what exactly is the state of chalottes retail situation. The problem in charlotte is there is something like 1 sq. foot of retail to every 20 or 30 sq. feet of office in downtown charlotte. Thats pretty miserable. The highlight of it all is a Belk express in the overstreet mall. But that doesn't even count. In downtown charlotte there is around 1 million sq. feet of retail. When you see that number the common observation would probably be, "hey, thats not bad." Granted, there are only 3 retail centers, (southpark, carolina place, and northlake) within the charlotte city limits that have this much retail. The problem is, this retail is not oriented towards pedestrian and street level activity, giving downtown charlotte a dead feeling for 75%(sometimes more) of its 24 hrs each day. So what is going on with charlottes street level retail. So here it is, I offer you a couple case studies.
Tryon Street: The only Viable retail corridor in the CBD, but its anemic at best.

College Street:

College street of today....
College Street is an odd mixture of Parking decks and bars. College Street is not very will lit in most places, in dead everywhere except about 3 blocks, maybe more, and this is our first most immediate opportunity for a retail corridor.

Here's what's happening there
210trade 53 story condo
epicenter retail center included with 210trade
aloft hotel

Ritz Carlton 17 story 150 hotel
Bank of america tower 30+ Stories HIGH LEED Certification, shooting for gold or platinum
founders hall extension

Twelve hotel. 40 story 400 residences 150 hotel rooms

Founders Hall and Omni hotel renovations to accomodate retail.

Light rail 1/2 a block away.

Levine First Ward Village.

Whats being talked about:

1. Bank of America has been talking about reorganizing the founders hall space, in order to accomidate street level retail for a couple months, I've only heard about such, in one observer article, which doesn't seem to exist, or has been archived. Believe me when I say that Ken Lewis, in accordance to all that BofA has done for this city will do nothing but the best for this city. Founders hall will have a couple stores on the street level, much like the hearst has on its street level, nothing big, but at least something that will create activity.

2. Personally I would like to see the bar district extend towards the epicenter. An aquaintance of mine who is the general manager of Wet Willies in Savannah, Ga, said that they are opening up a location at epicenter, which will be great. Wet Willey's for those who aren't familiar, is a lowcountry chain daquari style bar/club, that serves only beer and daquaris made with grain alcohol (aka, you'll get drunk believe me be). We need a new theme tho, god isn't sports bars getting old for anyone else?

HOlding this back: Unfortunately this whole idea of making college street a bar district kinda gets a huge interruption by the ritz carlton (not that I'm hating on having a ritz, the idea of having one makes me happier than a sugar addict on haloween). I'm not sure if I am the only one with this opinion, but what ***** hotel (five star) wants to be stuck in with a buncha drunk college kids, hopefully being in a district such as that will be a plus for the ritz, but I'm not sure how Mr and Mrs. Rich are going to feel about stepping out of the lobby and getting mowed down by a buncha drunk lacoste wearing frat boys. Granted this is hypothetical, this is only if there is actually pedestrian activity between the bar blocks and the epicenter, because personally with exception of Wet willeys (if actually happens)

3. I am very underwhelmed when it comes to the raving brands retail that otherwise befits a suburban strip mall before it does a high profile uptown retail and entertainment location, I'm sorry I mean destination. Seriously folks could we have not done better????? This is a project costing hundreds of millions of dollars, and the best we can do is not just one chain, but an entire assortment of brands owned by the same company, what ever happened to variety? Granted this will be an improvement, it is not what people characterize it to be, it won't just be another section of the overstreet mall, there hopefully will be more variety. The fact that its a first of its kind deal for downtown doesn't hurt either. Lets just pray for a movie theatre, and a bowling alley, and I seem to remember some wispers about a house of blues, which a restaurant of such is sorely needed. I am waiting to hear of some retailers, but honestly it doesnt' seem like the retailers are even going to make a good fit with the complex that seems to be brewing. This is a huge opportunity we have to create another signature street, that parallels the most important one, think about it two signature roads paralleling eachother, BRILLIANT.

The Second to last resort.

I am so excited about the idea of downtown having more than 1.5 signature streets (tryon and trade{half for trade because it still isn't a full signature street yet}), that I nearly wet myself anytime something happens on college street, and then when things were announced on brevard too, well you don't want to hear what happened when I heard about that.

Brevard....

Whats going on there.

Bobcats arena,

Brevard Reconfiguration fit for retail.

Nascar Hall of Fame

Park Condos.

Other cool stuff

This is an opportunity that could be the last of its kind....
Seriously, how many spaces between two major hubs of activity in charlotte do we have? *Okay I can think of one, the space between philips place and southpark, which right now includes a burger king allen tates old building and allen tates new building. These are charlottes two present and future moneymakers (with exception of BofA stadium, but thats in another ward). The Bobcats arena has been visited by a million people. THe Nascar HOF is projected to have an attendence of 400k-1million people. There is a couple blocks between these two locations, and there is a huge amount of possibility.

If this road had any of the following I will be pissed.
1. Coffee Shop
2. Dry Cleaner
3. Liquor Store
4. Chain Restaurants ( this is to a certain degree, if it has some decency its okay, aka no RAVING BRANDS, and no outback type establishments)
5. A charlotte team store.
6. we don't need another steak place period. you can serve steaks but it better not be your specialty, let ruth chris, mortons, and mcintosh do that for you, (and the others around downtown)
7. anything that wastes the opportunity that we have been given with this idea.

Things I will be pissed if it doesn't have
1. a department store, or a large anchor (hell borders would make me happy)
2. A farmers market type deal.
3. some good nightlife, a "district" can't be 9-6, or whatever bible belt rules are. this has to be 24-7, or at least to closing time, whether it has to be bars in the basement resembling jeff's bucket shop off park road, which would be preferable. I would love to have shops and retail with bars either below or above it.
4. A popular midlevel clothing store. Be it gap, abercrombie, jcrew banana republic, or whatever. Honestly I would say gap, banana republic and jcrew, because A&F is not the target market that we are looking for. I want things that are equally as appealing to 25+ as it is for 25 and below, so a banana, gap or jcrew would fit. NO OLD NAVY ALLOWED, if I saw an OLD NAVY in the CBD I'd shoot myself
5. Some specific stores devoted to a designer, for instance.....
a. Marc Jacobs
6. High Level Collezioni or couture retail stores.
a. Gucci
b. Chanel
c. D&G
d. Armani
7. popular higher level brands
a. Seven for all mankind
b. Lacoste (somewhere between 5 and this one)
c. Rock and Republic.
d. Diesel
e. skies the limit
8. a upper level jeweler, hopefully tiffany & co. will be succesful this holiday season, and will be attracted to a location on brevard. I'd do backflips for a cartier.
9. HOTEL ROOMS, 1 W material, the rest Sheraton HOliday Inn material, there should be one ****+ per 4 generic IMHO.
10. A unique restaurant.
11. UNIQUE ARCHITECTURE, okay it doesn't haveta be that unique, but theres a cut off point. Maybe I have become spoiled by living in savannah, which is a city in that in one urban block you can have 10 different row houses that do not look the same, or even remotely alike. I would like this to be a colaberation amongst different designers, rather than a generic project where you walk 4 blocks and feel like you've only seen 1 block worth of worthy design.
11. Family oriented activities, downtown is for 2 things, working and drinking. There are three things that cater to the family in downtown charlotte (not including sports events).
a. Rays Splash Planet (havent been there but its existance is mind boggling and confusing to me), I can't imagine it being very fun, and if you have other info, please inform me of such.
b. Discovery Place, I can't hate on this place because I grew up here, I have my hands on the wall, and my dads company built it. I had at least 4 birthdays here, but honestly they became less and less fun as I eventually new the place better than my own neighborhood. The other birthdays I had were at the charlotte climbing center, which I understand is no longer in 3rd ward.
c. Imaginon: while its a great looking place and everything, not everyone wants to go read a freaking book.

So what am I getting at with this?

Hopefully the bowling alley and the movie theatre happen at epicenter, but if not the slack needs to be picked up here. I don't mean that there needs to be a go cart track in downtown charlotte, I just mean there needs to be a place to keep the munchkins entertained somewhat. I realize this is hard to do when keeping with the urban environment, but still if you consider the situation, it makes sense. Here is what we are attracting right now.
a. Business people who work downtown.
b. college kids who are drinking heavily.
c. Apparently people who like to loiter a lot. and drive in circles.
d. Singles looking for a good time.

Notice something? Only one of these groups makes an impact during the day. And thats letter a. Generally when you think of b-d you think of nightlife, which by no means am I excusing as good. But there has to be more than a nightlife, shall I call it... DAYLIFE. As a person living in savannah, I see people on the oddest days, at the oddest times, that are downtown. When I come to charlotte during the weekdays the only people I see are the people in there cubicles when I look up (exaggeration but you get the point.) There needs to be something that a stay at home mom or dad, or a person on vacation can take their kids to, and create economic benifits (remember imaginon is a glorified museum, not what our TV obsessed, movement craving children are used to). God wouldn't a skate park somewhere be great. This wouldn't be on brevard though unless it was teeny tiny. In case people haven't noticed there are a lot of families out there, and while they don't seem like huge capital opportunities, they are, they are the ones who are generally scared of downtown, the ones that live in the suburbs, and the ones who need to be inspired, actually persuaded to come downtown.

12. somewhere other than tremont to see a freaking good show.


LEVINE'S LAND in first ward.
The proposed first ward urban village has the makings of a absolute gold mine, I just wish there was some way to connect it to brevard. This is the biggest possibilty. There is a park, some streets. This could be our king street, this could be our midtown mile, this could be the greatest shopping district in the sunbelt, we just haveta work it. Fortunately when this "village" actually comes into fruition, there will be more retailers eying charlottes booming and unstoppable CBD, at least more so than what is going on now. So this should be easy. This could be an entertainment district that connects with brevard, well at least after walking a half circle around the arena, this could be wonderful. If it doesn't happen on college or brevard, this is a 100% will happen. If nothing happens on brevard, this will be our street. There will be something to anchor this street, I don't know what. Maybe charlotte will find something else mediocre in its history to glorify (such as racing) in order to attract tourists. Maybe we'll finally get an aquarium, or something who knoews.

* this is being redeveloped into high density stuff.


Comments and suggestions please, I would like as many ideas for beafing up this city as a shopping destination as possible, I'm honestly thinking about writing a formal address to city council and center city partners

I agree with you 100%!

But I would not worry to much right now. It is to early in the game for retail and all that stuff. It will come though, to Charlotte first, then Raleigh.

And it would be great if Charlotte could have its own midtown mile, just imagine how many people that draw out of the suburbs everyday. Hell, some might move uptown...lol

I think an aquarium would also be great. That would attraction you can never get tired of. (as long as it is big and nice)


So what is the deal with trump buying land in Charlotte? Is this just an investment thing, you know, turn around and sell it one day. Or will he build a tower here? Could this end up being the tallest in Charlotte one day?

i didnt read all of that, but i did read most of it. too much ADD for all of it. ;)

anyway, the comment on the aquarium - i want one so badly in uptown. i think charlotte is deserving of some sort of state-funded thing. a history museum, a larger science museum, a zoo, or an aquarium.

as for the retail you listed - that stuff is still a good 5 years away i'd bet. unless uptown sees a boom that extends this current one further down the road.

raving brands in epicenter - they saw that they could hook up with the overstreet and be near the bus station. i have a feeling they will offer 'good hours' but in the end most of their stuff will close down after dark. i'm not having high hopes for them, sadly. they saw a market there for their product (which is what people can get in the suburbs, and are used to), so they decided to move in and put all of their eggs in that one basket and hope it would work. i want them to prove me wrong.

as of now, uptown needs to concentrate on getting another grocery store, some small entry level retail when it comes to stores, and then move into the larger as our population grows and as we get closer to '09.

So I am confused, what retail has actually been announced for downtown Charlotte?

so far all we know is the raving brands restaurants in the Epicentre complex. Rumors are still showing strong support for the movie theater, but the bowling alley may be left out of the mix.

the Ritz-Carlton/BOA complex is probably the best bet for street facing retail right now, as there are rumors that BOA could be transforming Founders Hall stores to face the street. With BOA's current input in both NYC and Charlotte, they will do what they can to bring sufficient retail to their complex.

rdf21, you bring up good types of retail for each area. I like the upper-echelon type retail for the Ritz complex seeing as it is a high-class establishment. Brevard will be a good place to find mid-tier stores and maybe a book store. there have been rumors flying around about Borders and B&N.

also, knowing Belk's classiest location is in Southpark, maybe they could create one more flagship for uptown. An urban address is becoming more attractive for some retailers and it could help to put away those who call Belk a middle-class store. If belk could create their best store, meaning no huge 2-story store, but like ones in Chicago and NYC which are in buildings and span several floors, have a great urban design and classy interior, and bring in their nicest stuff, i.e. Lacoste, Boss, BCBG, Theory, Polo, Kate Spade, Coach, etc. then we could have a great catalyst for uptown retail. there should be no excuse for one of the largest private companies to not be a part of its hometown redevelopment. Knowing this is just wishing, i still can see some dept. store, be it Saks, Bloomingdales,or Belk, coming to a booming downtown.

Charlotte has been on many upscale radars since Simon took over Southpark and made it into a luxury retail. The problem being though is that most upscale retailers want an address all their own, without saturating the area around them with the same type retailers. Seeing as Southpark is almost maxed-out, the next "fashionable" place to locate should be downtown. if they are expecting double the uptown population, then why not influence it even further by bringing retail and activities that will bring the people. most of these new uptown condos are not going to be cheap, so capitalize on this incoming wealthy population. in a perfect world, since Nordies and NM are at Southpark, why not have Saks and Bloomies uptown. have the edgier retailers locate uptown, while the more established and traditional retailers, i.e. Polo, St. John, and Burberry go to Southpark. Uptown is craving for some urban styles, like FCUK, Chanel, Diesel, D&G, A/X, Seven, etc. in the future Charlotte is going to have a great retail scene in uptown. it has just had a few bumps in the road before it becomes a straight-away and an easy ride. remember, "if you build it, they will come."

Upscale stores will be a much easier proposition once the condo-buyers are physically relocated to Uptown. Once that happens, there will be a much more "real" market that potential retailers can rely on to patronize their stores; that makes the investment decision much more sound.

However... I think we may be getting a bit carried away with some of these visions of Uptown as a major upscale retail destination. I'm sure there will be some of that stuff, but I don't see it coming in large doses... and I certainly don't see any of it as a "necessity" for the city. This is not Miami; nobody is going to go that far out of their way to shop in a mid-sized city with no major tourist attractions. Uptown is in dire need of basic retail -- bookstores, music stores, mid-range clothing, even gift stores -- moreso than Gucci. I think it would be much, much wiser for the city core to develop as a stable, well-rounded urban center, rather than a two-trick shopping-and-business center with an "exlusive" air.

Upscale stores will be a much easier proposition once the condo-buyers are physically relocated to Uptown. Once that happens, there will be a much more "real" market that potential retailers can rely on to patronize their stores; that makes the investment decision much more sound.Amen to that!!! Some people think that major retailers will move to a place just because residential towers are under way. Unless the people actually live there, a retailer cannot take risks without losing big bucks for a very long time. In the not-so-distant future, our wishes for major retailers located Uptown will materialize. I am not sure Uptown is in that phase just yet, although it has pleasantly surprised us more than a few times in its recent history (i.e. several residential towers being announced at the same time) ;)

Since Justadude mentioned basic retail, and because I love bookstores, how far is the closest one to Uptown? Not that I am in desperate need, but even when I visit Wilmington I make frequent stops to Barnes & Noble :)

^ There is a small bookstore in the Bank of America atrium, but it's not the kind of place you'd go if you really love bookstores. The next closest one I can think of is in Dilworth...

Putting the majority of the retail inside the towers makes it intimidating for those who don't work in those buildings, or at least Uptown, to patronize those businesses (like me). That's what I hate most about it.