Wanted in Columbia: BullStreet, Free Times and Forest Acres

I was traveling last week, but there was a fair amount of retail news.

The State reports that 85 storefronts will be built at the Commons at BullStreet*, opening in the second half of 2016. Still no details on tenants.

The Free Time has a Volume 3 of their “What Columbia Needs” list. A couple of good ones, including a downtown multiplex and downtown small boat landing with parking.

And finally, there is opposition to the development at the old Cardinal Newman school in Forest Acres. I guess, I shouldn’t be surprised, but whatever goes there is going to generate traffic.  I’m not really sure what opponents to the project are expecting… that the property will just sit there unoccupied. Unlikely in such a hot retail corridor. (And yes, I understand that traffic is bad. That’s why companies will want to locate there, because there are potential customers driving by…)

I mentioned in my post on my publishing schedule that I'm thinking about renaming Wanted in Columbia and finding it a new home. Still researching options, but until then, I'll continue to post on Mondays here.

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* I hate it when corporations slam words together for unknown reasons. I think they are trying to be edgy by going with "BullStreet" as one word, but it just looks like a typo.

Wanted in Columbia: Bull Street and Costco

As the Christmas season approaches, I don’t expect much retail news. But there is a little bit:

Bull Street. We’re still waiting for details on Bull Street, which were promised by the end of the year. The Free Times has a story on the development of the property.

Costco. I drove past Piney Grove road the other day and construction is starting on the new Costco.

Wanted in Columbia: Palmetto Compress, Brookland, street names and Muschamp

Palmetto Compress. The State had an article about the Palmetto Compress site’s conversion into apartments. It’s an interesting look into renovating a historic building that has been underutilized for decades. The most surprising part to me: They are cutting an atrium into the center of the building.

Brookland. Looks like development will begin soon on the “Brookland” development in West Columbia. Right now, it’s just a big gravel lot on a major road, overlooking the Congaree River. West Columbia’s development is interesting to me. There’s a lot to like about that side of the river. State Street is awesome. The riverfront draws visitors. And then there is the chicken plant. They really need to move the chicken plant.

Street Names: Bull Street has street names. Soon, hopefully, we’ll know the names of some businesses located on those streets.

Muschamp: Welcome to Columbia, coach. We don't have an Apple Store, but we've got pretty much everything else you need.

Wanted in Columbia: New ballpark, Gold’s Gym and Del Taco

New ballpark. The Free-Times has a short update on Spirit Communications Park, the ballpark being built at the center of the Bull Street property. It seems to be coming along. I need to drive back in there and check it out. Still no word what will be surrounding it.

Gold’s Gym. Gold’s Gym is undergoing a name change, at least here in Columbia. The franchisee is switching from Gold’s to Müv. Kinda odd, but it sounds like it should pretty much remain the same. Driving through Lexington this weekend, they were in the process of taking down the old signage.

Del Taco. The old car wash on Harbison has been torn down and a Del Taco is under construction. Looks to be the first in the South Carolina. I've never eaten at one, but it looks like a Taco Bell.

Every Monday, I post a Wanted in Columbia update. See the most recent updates on the Wanted in Columbia page.

Wanted in Columbia: Mystery grocery store in Lexington, details x2 and food trucks in a vacant lot

Mystery grocery store. Hobby Lobby is coming to 378 in Lexington, along with an undisclosed grocery store. 

The identity of the new grocery store is the interesting thing here. The new Hobby Lobby in Northeast Columbia is getting a Fresh Market as a neighbor. The developer on the Lexington project – S.J. Collins Enterprises — does a lot of work with Whole Foods. Actually, almost all the example projects of their web site are Whole Foods developments.

Something like a Kroger seems more likely, but a Whole Foods or Fresh Market would make sense for the demographics in Lexington. And either of those stores would be a very big deal for that part of the Columbia area.

Details, Part I. The Columbia Star has lots more details, including renderings and site plans, for the Village Square development in Forest Acres that I mentioned last week. Looks like it could be a really nice development and a nice fit for the area.

Details, Part II. Mayor Benjamin commented this week that he expects significant details on the businesses coming to the Bull Street property by the year’s end. Personally, I’d be impressed with a couple of solid anchors and restaurants. I'm still betting on a P.F. Changs, here.

Food trucks in a vacant lot. In West Columbia, there are plans to turn a vacant lot into a food truck court. The idea would be that a selection of food trucks would always be there. Could be awesome, but doesn’t a food truck’s “magic” depend on the sometimes-it’s-there-sometime-it’s-not nature of the fact that it’s a truck. We’ll see, but it’s better than a vacant lot.

Every Monday, I post a Wanted in Columbia update. See the most recent updates on the Wanted in Columbia page.

Wanted in Columbia: First-to-market retailers

I’ve been thinking a lot about the new Bull Street Development. We know their recruiters are targeting first-to-market retailers — companies that are new to the Columbia market. And we also know they are targeting companies interested in reaching the business crowd and students.

I can think of numerous businesses already in Columbia that might want to open an additional location at Bull Street. But new to Columbia? That's a lot tougher. Looking over the Wanted in Columbia list, a couple of options stand out:

• Ann Taylor
• Apple Store
• Chop House
• Eddie Bauer
• IMAX
• Tupelo Honey
• PF Changs
• Teavana

None of these stores are in the Columbia market currently and all would be a pretty good fit for the target demographic. Problem is, I don’t see any of them locating to an unproven retail area. If you want to move into the Columbia market, though, your options are limited and Bull Street might be your best bet.*

Harbison** is getting much of the new investment, but it’s pretty much full. There really isn’t any room to build and Red Robin and Dave and Busters just took the last remaining large spots at Columbiana Mall. 

The Vista, Main Street, Forest Acres and Garners Ferry might appeal to some of these companies, but again, there isn’t that much quality space available.

Sandhills is really far out and off the interstate. Lexington is pretty far away from the core, too. If you want to build only one Columbia area store, it’s likely not going to be at Sandhills or in Lexington. And of course, Dutch Square and Columbia Mall are essentially dead. 

So that leaves the Bull Street Property as the best opportunity to move into the Columbia market. 

I think the new retail is going to be a tougher sell until we know what the foot traffic looks like. Restaurants would seem to be an easy fit with the baseball stadium, benefiting from pre- and postgame crowds. I think a top notch movie theater makes sense here because of it’s proximity to campus. (The Dutch Square Theater is nearby, but as we’ve established, Dutch Square is dying…)

We'll see. I'm in the camp that thinks Bull Street will be a success. In my opinion, the fact that no major retailers have been announced yet doesn't mean companies aren't interested. I really do think it's just the way retail works. But until the announcements start coming, we won't know if the types of businesses that will be occupying Bull Street will truly be new to the market, or just more of the same. 

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* Another option is that companies don't want to invest in Columbia. And while that might be true, I think it's more likely that they are looking for the right place to invest in Columbia. 

** Look, I know that many of you hate Harbison… I get it. But it’s the place right now that hits most of the demographic check boxes in Columbia right now.

Red Robin, Vacant Corners, Fast Pizza and Bull Street

Red Robin to Columbiana. I ended up at Columbiana this weekend and noticed that the old Spinnakers is being converted to a Red Robin. I’m not surprised that a seated dining is making a return to Columbiana. A little surprised that it’s Red Robin, though. I’ve never seen a Red Robin in a mall. But there are very few locations left around Harbison for a stand alone restaurant so this might have been their best option.

The State talks corners. If you’ve spent any time in downtown Columbia, you’ve noticed that numerous corners at major intersections are undeveloped or underdeveloped. The State gets to the bottom of it. I’m not sure the “city needs to add parking to spur development” argument makes a lot of sense. Basically, until these landowners decide to develop, we’ll have parking lots at major corners.

Blaze Fast-Fire’d Pizza. The State reported this week that Harbison will be getting a new pizza restaurant endorsed by LeBron James. It’s over near Academy and Guitar Center. Never heard of the franchise, but it sounds interesting.

Recruiting business for Bull Street. I’m more optimistic than most about the Bull Street Development than most. I stumbled across the Lennar Commercial retail recruiting site for Bull Street Commons. They are promoting the baseball team, the University and the downtown professional crowd to help sell the property. My guess is that this will be mostly bars and restaurants first, with retail following. They’ve said in the past that they are lining up retail partners that are first in this market and some that are first to the state. We’ll see. It would make a logical place for a P.F. Chang's…

I'm going to start posting a Wanted in Columbia update every Monday. Check out past posts, and the top 10 list, at my Wanted in Columbia page.