The New Retail Thread

jass said:
I dont understand how a convenience store in a train station can go out of business
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Rent gouging, I'd say. Tasty Burger will/can pay a lot more than a convenience store.
 
datadyne007 said:
THIS IS NOT A DRILL.

Kanes Donuts is officially open in Boston today. 90 Oliver Street, International Place
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I'll give it another shot in a few months (hell, maybe in the fall when the tourists are dwindling), but I'm severely underwhelmed with Kanes "Hand Crafted" at 2IP.

I ski and when I do early morning day trips, a stop at Kanes in Saugus is part of my routine. I was thrilled to have them open within walking distance of my office. The crowds in the morning have been too much to deal with and the selection around lunch time has been poor. Both of those things are understandable given the hype that comes with the name and the recent opening. The doughnuts I've had (Red Velvet and plain Glazed) have been exactly what you'd expect from Kanes.

However, the atmosphere and sterility of the space (Kanes in Saugus is an experience) combined with the prices (they're more than double the Saugus location's prices) are a let down. I'll try again when they're more established so hopefully the selection is better; but for now, I'll wait until I'm in the Saugus area.
 
The RadioShack in Porter Square is now officially closed. This was a useful store for me, from time to time, and is in a good location in the Porter Square Shopping Center. I wonder what takes over that storefront.
 
bigeman312 said:
The RadioShack in Porter Square is now officially closed. This was a useful store for me, from time to time, and is in a good location in the Porter Square Shopping Center. I wonder what takes over that storefront.
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Watch it be a friggen TD Bank or something.
 
EATALY IS HAPPENING IN 2016

Early plans call for the marketplace to take over the existing food court at the Shops at Prudential Center. Eataly would add a ground-level entrance on Boylston Street with a cafe, leading to the marketplace and connecting to a new building that’s under construction on the Pru property. A restaurant and brewery, seating up to 300 people with a patio and retractable roof, would be added above the food court.
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http://www.bostonglobe.com/business...tial-center/IcIHoXb9ftKAFgwCFfBh0I/story.html
 
"Is happening" is dangerous phrasing. They have NOT signed a lease with Boston Properties yet.

Also, this is being discussed in the 888 Boylston thread.
 
The city still can't find a retail tenant for the anchor spot in that building. Which was what the Globe article was about...
 
Boston Globe 4/20/2015 said:
The city has set high expectations, saying repeatedly that it expects the Bolling Building — with 500 school employees, six retailers, and a start-up incubator — to be a catalyst for private investment in Dudley Square.

So far, things are off to a slow start.

Five smaller retail spaces on the ground floor of the building, all currently empty, were also supposed to open in February. Three businesses have signed leases: a cafe and convenience store by local restaurateur Solomon Chowdhury called Dudley Cafe, a branch of the Brockton-based fashion boutique Final Touch With Class, and an optical shop, Gallery Eye Care.

Tasty Burger and Dudley Dough Pizza Cafe, a project by the nearby nonprofit Haley House, are close to signing leases on the remaining two smaller units.
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.
 
Well, I jumped the gun there. Still though, good gets for Dudley.
 
I would expect things to start out slow, but it sounds like they are getting some critical pieces of the puzzle in place to attract a more "middle-class aspirational" (is that a thing?) clientele. I think a real missed opportunity for the area has been the new Tropical Foods which I absolutely had very high hopes for (I was a loyal customer before for certain hard-to-find ingredients and will continue to use it for those). It has the bones of a nice space, but somehow they've infused it with a tired convenience store vibe (a holdover from the last space). I think they would have done well to team with a higher-end designer--not that everything has to look like Whole Foods, but given the hopes for the area, some attention to materials, lighting, etc. would not have been misplaced.
 
Yup. And we got a notice from BP that they will be closing the food court permanently in a few months, as that will be part of Eataly's space.

We knew this was coming because several vacancies in the food court have gone unfilled for many months, whereas usually they can find a new vendor quite quickly.
 
I really hope this creates an opportunity for some smaller, low-priced restaurants out on Boylston.
 
Eataly is great and all, but losing the food court is a massive blow to not just the Prudential Center, but also the Hynes, Sheraton, Marriott Copley Place, and Westin Copley Place. Are there plans to relocate it? Seriously where are all the convention/conference goers going to eat? That food court was constantly bursting at the seams all day.
 
datadyne007 said:
Eataly is great and all, but losing the food court is a massive blow to not just the Prudential Center, but also the Hynes, Sheraton, Marriott Copley Place, and Westin Copley Place. Are there plans to relocate it? Seriously where are all the convention/conference goers going to eat? That food court was constantly bursting at the seams all day.
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I know it goes against the city's food truck regulations (can't be within 100 feet of competing brick and mortar restaurants), but maybe make an exception to allow 3 or 4 to park out in front? It's not a complete substitute, but I'm sure they'd do a good deal of business.
 
Perhaps the Hynes Court in the Prudential Mall can be reconfigured to accommodate a food court. They've already got a few food options there now. And in any case, wouldn't the Eataly Vendors ultimately fill in that void when completed? I think the only real loss will be Panda Express and Paradise Bakery--the other types of food in the court you can definitely find either at or within a short walk of the Prudential Center.
 
datadyne007 said:
Eataly is great and all, but losing the food court is a massive blow to not just the Prudential Center, but also the Hynes, Sheraton, Marriott Copley Place, and Westin Copley Place. Are there plans to relocate it? Seriously where are all the convention/conference goers going to eat? That food court was constantly bursting at the seams all day.
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Eataly (a huge feather in the cap for Boston) is a food destination which will draw people from all over the city and the metro area. Those convention/conference goers probably eat at numerous food courts (who hasn't) all over the country which serve all the same sorts of food but having those Eataly restaurants to eat at, that's a game changer. I predict that if the food court was constantly bursting at the seams all day, you'll see the same at Eataly.
 
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