[MarkDaMan]

lucy goes downtown
by Playbooks and Profits blog
Monday January 21, 2008, 10:13 PM

As Ryan Frank will report in Tuesday's Oregonian, women's activewear retailer lucy is moving from Norhtwest Portland to the KOIN Center downtown. Brokers tell Frank that lucy liked the funky, large space of the old Regal theaters at the bottom of the tower. Perhaps lucy's execs hope the space inspires good design. VF Corp. bought lucy last year. lucy folks were not immediately available to comment on whether this means new jobs, too. Stay tuned.
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2008/01/lucy_goes_downtown.html

[Okstate]

Is there other retail in the immediate area? seems like a better place where they are now.

[pdxman]

That's exactly what I was thinking...The area around KOIN is a big dead zone except when there's concerts at keller. Doesn't really make sense but clearly they must know something we don't. :shrug:

[MarkDaMan]

I'm thinking, this will probably be their HQs and not a store location? Seems they like the space better for corporate and designer functions, but they are probably going to keep their stores in better locations. Would be a huge boon to the area to get a store over there though.

[urbanlife]

sounds like a big risk to take moving over there, there is almost nothing in the way of shopping in that part of the city...unless they plan on banking on all the business working women on their lunch breaks...that area is littered with them, and I don't mean that in a bad way. :haha:

[Dougall5505]

That's exactly what I was thinking...The area around KOIN is a big dead zone except when there's concerts at keller. Doesn't really make sense but clearly they must know something we don't.

I wish they torn down keller and changer it into a mixed use building with a performing arts theater. they are doing this in charlotte, albeit on a bigger block.
http://www.urbanplanet.org/wiki/images/thumb/f/f4/Wachovia_tower_charlotte.jpg/463px-Wachovia_tower_charlotte.jpg

http://www.urbanplanet.org/wiki/images/4/46/Wachovia_siteplan.jpg

[MarkDaMan]

I don't think it's Keller Aud. fault. She's surrounded by parking garages, an open park, a large road to the south and a bunch of buildings that don't even try to connect with their environment. It was Portland's first try at urban planning and if they updated and opened up Ira's Fountain, turned some of the first floor space in the parking garages into retail space, and built podiums(?) on the existing buildings south of Keller, that could be a terrific part of town. I think beautiful even prominent buildings of their time deserve to live a long life. It is the surrounding environment that is at fault and not Keller. IMHO of course...

[Dougall5505]

your right mark that whole area of downtown is littered with buildings with horrible street connections and parking garages.

[pdxtraveler]

This isn't the retail store they are talking about. It is their corporate headquarters. Their retail store downtown is at the base of the Henry in the Brewery Blocks.

[rsbear]

your right mark that whole area of downtown is littered with buildings with horrible street connections and parking garages.

To each his own. I like the area around KOIN and the South Auditorium area. It's kind of nice to walk around in an area that's not as congested as the the retail core, and the concentration of clean-lined uncluttered modern architecture is refreshing. Not the part of town to shop, dine or party, but I find it enjoyable for it's almost complete lack of those amenities. The above-ground parking garages do need to go, though.

[Tim the Enchanter]

Yeah it would not have made much sence to move a store there.