The Retail Thread

[PacificNW]

"Target’s regular stores average 135,000 square feet, and SuperTarget stores average 186,000 square feet. The CityTarget stores, meanwhile, are 80,000 square feet to 100,000 square feet in size."

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/b...n-seattle.html

In Seattle:

Target the 103,442 square foot retail and garage space bound by 2nd Avenue, Pike Street, and Union Street, the Pike Plaza.

[2oh1]

Thanks Pnw! I guess I could have googled it to find the answer: KGW link.

It's the smallest City Target in the country at 89,000 square feet. Even shopping carts are a bit smaller.

I'm amazed it's even that large. It sure doesn't feel that large. I'm surprised by how late it's staying open.
M-F: 7:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
SAT: 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
SUN: 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.


On an unrelated topic... I wonder how the new Microsoft store is doing now that they've been open for a little while.

[Derek]

It hasn't seemed very busy the couple of times I've walked by it.

[bvpcvm]

My wife and I stopped by last night. I'm glad to see that it's open til 10, and the sidewalk on 10th was quite lively.

[PacificNW]

Derek....are you referring to the Microsoft store or Target?

I wonder if Target has options on the street level, or the floor above their second level, if, and when the space(s) become available?

[Derek]

The Microsoft store. I haven't been back in town yet since the new Target opened. I'm going to check it out tomorrow.

[2oh1]

Originally Posted by PacificNW

Derek....are you referring to the Microsoft store or Target?

I wonder if Target has options on the street level, or the floor above their second level, if, and when the space(s) become available?

I doubt Brooks Brothers is going anywhere now. They're now in a hotbed of foot traffic. Is anything else in the ground level? I assume the Culinary School is the only thing above Target...?


re: Microsoft Store

Originally Posted by Derek

It hasn't seemed very busy the couple of times I've walked by it.

Yeah. That was my experience as well. I didn't go in because it seemed creepily quiet.

[zilfondel]

Checked out the new downtown Target today. Was interesting, quite impressed by the place. Wide aisles, good variety of merchandise (albeit not the depth you would find at Freddie's), lots of natural light - more than most stores I've been inside, in fact.

The entrance layout and connection to the former atrium was kind of strange, but the wayfinding is beyond excellent - quite clear and simple signage leads you to where you need to go.

On the flip side, the amount of space given over to public circulation and lobbies was very considerable, I wonder what the reasoning behind it is beyond creating a sizable buffer zone between would-be shoplifters and the store. I should also note that there was an actual PPB officer standing guard at the entrance escalator when I visited, not your typical rent-a-cop.

I'm wondering if this is normal for other citytargets, or if they had special considerations for our city or the historic renovation created some unusual space-planning challenges.

[davehogan]

Originally Posted by zilfondel

I'm wondering if this is normal for other citytargets, or if they had special considerations for our city or the historic renovation created some unusual space-planning challenges.

Almost every Target I've been to that opened since about 2000 has had a larger than I'd expect space between the two sets of doors, suburban or urban. I'd assume it's just a loss prevention measure.

[Downtown_Gal]

I wasn't sure if this had been mentioned yet... it looks like it is opening this month.

http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/....html?page=all

Union Way: A gift to Portland pedestrians

Wendy Culverwell

Union Way, a new Portland pedestrian mall scheduled to open in August, blends historic touches including trusses with a modern aesthetic.

Project^ pulls the wraps off its $4.5 million gift to Portland this summer in the form of Union Way, a block-long pedestrian alley that stretches between the Ace Hotel in the city’s west end and Powell’s City of Books in the Pearl District.

Union Way is a 10,000-square-foot, 10-store retail development carved from two existing buildings flanked by Southwest Stark and Burnside streets and by Southwest 10th and 11th streets.

The southern entrance faces the Ace Hotel; the northern one faces Powell’s.
“The most profound thing we could do was connect The Ace and Powell’s,” said Project^ Principal Tom Cody, who developed the project with a long-time equity partner, Pat Kilkenny. Thomas Robinson of Lever Architects designed the unusual space.

Cody, who previously developed the Black Box at Southwest 13th and West Burnside, calls Union Way a satisfying solution to the challenge of creating something appealing in a partial-block building.

His company bought the building on the Stark side of the block and struggled with activating its interior areas.

“The question was, how do you monetize the deep part of the building. The answer was to buy the other building, create a street and double-load it,” he said.

The development team bought the garage on the Burnside end of the block. The project stitched the two together, keeping historical flourishes while carving a retail alley down the middle. A dozen or so skylights bring daylight to the interior and offer peekaboo views of the Brewery Blocks and other nearby buildings.

With Union Way, Project^ and Lever push the envelope for both downtown retail and indoor, public spaces.

Morgan’s Alley at the Morgan Building, 515 S.W. Broadway Ave., hints at the concept. Morgan’s Alley created a retail corridor in an office building but doesn’t extend the full block.

Union Way runs from street to street, with steel gates that preserve the view from one end to the other. ADA-compliant ramps handle the four-foot change in elevation and the developers even included public bathrooms.

The design is visually stunning as well. Lever preserved and exposed the roof trusses, then created a clean aesthetic with custom-milled poplar raised in Boardman.

The center is already nearly 70 percent leased with LaCrosse’s Danner brand taking a 4,000-square-foot anchor spot for its first-ever flagship store on Powell’s-facing side.

Other tenants include:
Quin, a candy shop from Saint Cupcake owner Jami Curl
Boxer Ramen from Micah Camden, owner of Little Big Burger, Boxer Sushi and Blue Star Donuts
Self Edge Denim of San Francisco
Steven Alan, a New York-based clothier
Spruce Apothecary from Craig Olson and Sean Igo, owners of Canoe
Cody said he wanted to fill the retail center with best-in-class operators who would help activate a pedestrian pass-through he describes as a civic gesture.

Union Way opens in August.

[maccoinnich]

Union Way has been partially open for a while. Quinn opened in early July. Steven Allen seems to have opened at some point in July. Looks like the rest of the stores are almost ready. It's worth checking out - a really great addition to downtown.

[pdxstreetcar]

Its awesome and these are great stores but they are really going to have to get the word out about this passageway to help the businesses inside. While its a great location, its connection to the north is messed up by Burnside and the main pedestrian flow is on SW 10th from downtown to Powell's front door.

[downtownpdx]

Skimming the racks: New men's pop-up shop in downtown Portland

By Laura Gunderson, The Oregonian on September 04, 2013 at 4:45 PM, updated September 04, 2013 at 6:23 PM

A Vancouver, B.C.-based online retailer specializing in custom-made men's clothing will open its first pop-up shop in Portland starting Sept. 12.

Indochino, which was founded in 2007, will open "Traveling Tailor" at 922 Yamhill Street, the former longtime location of Finnegan's Toys & Gifts.

"Traveling Tailor is our way of introducing Indochino's personalized approach to the world of menswear," Kyle Vucko, Indochino Co-Founder and CEO said in a company news release. "With Portland earning national attention for its unique style, the city was the perfect fit for our next event."

An online shop, but would be a nice permanent addition to DT.

http://www.oregonlive.com/window-sho...l#incart_river

[davehogan]

I bought some pants and socks at the City Target, and the staff was great. At the same time they took a minute to explain City Targets don't honor the same sales as Targets. Okay.

[pdxtraveler]

Originally Posted by davehogan

I bought some pants and socks at the City Target, and the staff was great. At the same time they took a minute to explain City Targets don't honor the same sales as Targets. Okay.

Probably because their costs are SO much higher. Redoing historic buildings or in San Francisco's case not historic but big redo. Most City Targets have parking structures too. Compared to the out skirts of cities where they usually are on land that is considerably less expense, slapping up a warehouse and paving over a few acres of ground and painting strips on it..

[pdxstreetcar]

I suspect much of it is the transport costs, they bought smaller non-big rig trucks just to serve this store. I think also the CityTarget's have more staff than a typical Target, because there are no shortage of people asking if they can help you, that is definitely not the case at a typical big box store.


Anyone notice that they didn't use the existing skybridge linking the 3rd floor food section of the store to the SmartPark?

[downtownpdx]

A couple of random shots from today ....

New shop in Pioneer Place:



Stadium Fred Meyer/Hollywood Video demolition on W Burnside:

[downtownpdx]

Fogo de Chao plans Portland location in former NikeTown space

http://www.oregonlive.com/dining/ind...l#incart_river



By Michael Russell | mrussell@oregonian.com The Oregonian
on December 02, 2013 at 6:48 PM

Fogo de Chao, the Brazilian steakhouse chain, plans to open a Portland location in the former NikeTown space on Southwest Sixth Avenue, The Oregonian has learned.

On Monday afternoon, brown paper lined the windows of the Public Service Building's ground floor at 930 S.W. Sixth Avenue, the former home of Nike's original showcase retail store. That first-ever NikeTown closed its doors for good in 2011, with a new Portland location debuting at 638 S.W. Fifth Ave. that same year.

Now, after sitting vacant for the better part of two years, the space is set to become the latest outpost of Fogo de Chao, the fine-dining Brazilian churrascaria known for its salad bar, its grilled meat sliced tableside and its cool caipirinha cocktails.
...

[downtownpdx]

New grocer fills void left by defunct Pearl District market

http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/...oice-spot.html

Wendy Culverwell
Staff reporter-
Portland Business Journal

A Southwest Portland grocer is taking over the 10,000-square-foot grocery spot recently vacated by Local Choice Produce Market.

John Attar, proprietor of Barbur World Foods, will open World Foods in February. The store will feature products from more than 55 countries.

World Foods, 830 N.W. Everett St., store will have a produce department offering organic options as well as a meat and seafood section and butcher shop, chef-run deli, and a beer and wine bar. ...

[downtownpdx]

TOMS picks Portland for third retail location

http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/...-location.html

Nov 3, 2014, 11:04am PST

Jon Bell
Staff Reporter-
Portland Business Journal

TOMS, the California-based company that donates a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair that it sells, will open a retail location in Portland later this month.

The shop, located in the Pearl District at 1235 W. Burnside St., will be the company's third retail location. The other two are in Venice, Calif., and Austin, Texas.

The Portland store, which will open on Tuesday, Nov. 18, will feature all of TOMS product lines, including shoes, eyeglasses, apparel and other items. There will also be a mobile coffee cart serving free TOMS Roasting Co. drip coffee, the company's latest product offering.

IPads and projectors installed throughout the space will share stories of TOMS' philanthropic endeavors, which include donating a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair purchased. Since its founding in 2006, the company has donated more than 35 million pairs of shoes. ...