The New Retail Thread

[kz1000ps]

I am still fine with Faneuil Hall being the stupid tourist aggregating grounds. Keeps the idiot outsiders away from the rest of the cities restaurants and bars. The smart ones know better.

The problem here is that Fanieul Hall and Quincy Market are a truly lovely urban setting, and if it weren't for the lowest common denominator retail/crowds I could very easily see myself enjoying spending time there. It reeeaaally wouldn't take much effort to make this a place for both tourists AND locals.

 

[kmp1284]

Hey now, it could be a bank.

On the other hand, a bank wouldn’t be tying up one of our precious liquor licenses.

 

[commuter guy]

Hey so this is a bit about less NEW retail/etc. I’ve heard that Faneuil Hall’s Christmas random lights on their trees got repo’d so they got taken away and I’m in Faneuil now seeing three 18 wheeler trucks taking things out of Quincy market. Anyone have any inside knowledge?

I'm wondering if what you saw is related to this: https://faneuilhallmarketplace.com/...ssic-passport-and-feel-the-thrill-of-standin/

I work in the South Market Building at Quincy Market. I was a bit surprised when I arrived at work and looked out the window to see large T-Rex plopped in the middle of the Market.

 

[theSil]

In my opinion, the Ferry Building in SF is the model that Faneuil Hall should aim to replicate. A well curated collection of vendors, skewing a bit upmarket, that appeals to both locals and tourists in a beautifully maintained space.

In fairness, they’re different in that the Ferry Building has a bit more room to work with and serves a purpose for commuters, but I see little reason that Faneuil can’t also be a place where Bostonians can gather.

 

[kz1000ps]

Hey so this is a bit about less NEW retail/etc. I’ve heard that Faneuil Hall’s Christmas random lights on their trees got repo’d so they got taken away and I’m in Faneuil now seeing three 18 wheeler trucks taking things out of Quincy market. Anyone have any inside knowledge?

Quoting to tie this photo in... Christmastime back in probably the late 1980s from here

 

[RandomWalk]

Carol Ann Bake Shop… That’s a name I haven’t thought about in a very long time. However, I just caught a whiff of my childhood.

 

[shmessy]

I'm wondering if what you saw is related to this: https://faneuilhallmarketplace.com/...ssic-passport-and-feel-the-thrill-of-standin/

I work in the South Market Building at Quincy Market. I was a bit surprised when I arrived at work and looked out the window to see large T-Rex plopped in the middle of the Market.

Yikes, if that doesn’t smell of commercial desperation I don’t know what does.
Seriously, this is the type of “attraction” that old deserted malls in Poughkeepsie resort to.
It’s as if people stopped going to Red Sox games and Fenway Park started offering free picnics with the players on the field after the game.

 

[stellarfun]

“The bottom line is, Faneuil Hall is a mess,” said George McLaughlin, a lawyer representing the merchants in the litigation. “Ashkenazy is just grinding the tenants for every last dollar and not doing anything to promote the place. . . . The worst thing in the world is to have a wonderful asset and not to utilize it for its potential, and to let it sit and gather dust. That’s what is happening here.”

Boston officials were able to intervene last fall because Ashkenazy had fallen behind on quarterly payments that total more than $4 million a year — essentially the company’s property tax bill — and also violated its lease because a contractor had put a lien on the property. Ashkenazy quickly resolved both issues.

The landlord then met with the locally owned tenants, to reach settlements on the back rent they owed, by waiving some amounts, and setting up payment plans for the rest.

There are other positives that the tenants mention, including long-awaited new businesses moving in. A Margaritaville outpost is slated to fill a restaurant space vacated by seafood chain McCormick & Schmick’s next summer, while another chain restaurant, Sugar Factory, will open in the two-story space where Anthem used to be, by Valentine’s Day.

‘Faneuil Hall is a mess’: As holidays approach, stores struggle with vacancies, fight with landlord - The Boston Globe

The famed tourism destination was once hailed as an urban renewal success story. Now it is plagued by empty storefronts and a legal battle between merchants and their New York-based landlord.

www.bostonglobe.com

 

[shmessy]

‘Faneuil Hall is a mess’: As holidays approach, stores struggle with vacancies, fight with landlord - The Boston Globe

The famed tourism destination was once hailed as an urban renewal success story. Now it is plagued by empty storefronts and a legal battle between merchants and their New York-based landlord.

www.bostonglobe.com

Looks like I called that in the previous post. That Dino-Land thing seemed like a clarion siren blaring "We've turned into the Pittsfield KMart!!!"

 

[curcuas]

Boston can support a Quincy Market designed not just for tourists downtown. That should be made clear to Ashkenazy and others. Honestly, I struggle to sympathize with the merchants running tourist traps that no local is interested in visiting.

 

[bdurden]

In my opinion, the Ferry Building in SF is the model that Faneuil Hall should aim to replicate. A well curated collection of vendors, skewing a bit upmarket, that appeals to both locals and tourists in a beautifully maintained space.

In fairness, they’re different in that the Ferry Building has a bit more room to work with and serves a purpose for commuters, but I see little reason that Faneuil can’t also be a place where Bostonians can gather.

Another example is Eastern Market in DC which manages to cater to locals quite well (admittedly, it is not as centralized as Quincy Market).

A few other examples are Broadway Market in Fells Point Baltimore or Findlay Market in Cincinnati.

It's disappointing to see that the "solution" to Quincy Market is a Margaritaville.

 

[bigpicture7]

I'll toss in what I think is a consummate example of what Quincy market could have/should have been like-
Cleveland's West Side Market:

West Side Market (Cleveland) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

www.tripadvisor.com

That, to me, is a key example of a market that is equally appealing to locals and tourists.

 

[aycaramba]

I'll toss in what I think is a consummate example of what Quincy market could have/should have been like-
Cleveland's West Side Market:

West Side Market (Cleveland) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

www.tripadvisor.com

That, to me, is a key example of a market that is equally appealing to locals and tourists.

So like very similar to the Boston Public Market

 

[DwnTwnr]

It's so funny that all of these places are based on the original idea of Faneuil Hall Marketplace. It is the one that started the idea of reusing spaces with small, local businesses. But that is hard. So the current owner/leaser started out by bringing in big brands like Uniqlo while completely ignoring important issues like maintenance or helping original small businesses. Those carts could be amazing but they mostly seem to sell mass produced junk.

 

[curcuas]

Eastern Market is a historic market hall; it's like if they *never* redid Quincy market --- it's mostly produce vendors and market restaurants. Findlay market fills the same role as do some of the Baltimore markets. The correct comparison is the "marketplace" they built on the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, which today has very few attendees --- they're all at the Broadway Market in Federal Hill or numerous markets and food halls around the city.

 

[bigpicture7]

So like very similar to the Boston Public Market

Sure, if the Public Market were 3x the size, more accessible to the local vendors who want to be there, and housed in a beautiful historical structure instead of the underbelly of a parking garage/RMV. So, yeah, just like the Public Market.

 

[Suffolk 83]

Sure, if the Public Market were 3x the size, more accessible to the local vendors who want to be there, and housed in a beautiful historical structure instead of the underbelly of a parking garage/RMV. So, yeah, just like the Public Market.

Boston Public Market is a successful venture and not unpleasant to be in, unlike what you're trying to say here.

 

[bigpicture7]

Boston Public Market is a successful venture and not unpleasant to be in, unlike what you're trying to say here.

I'm more familiar than you may think with how hard people worked to bring BPM online, and with the well-meaning aspiration to give local vendors a space that underlies it, etc.

But are you serious? We owe it to ourselves to recognize that Boston can and should do MUCH better than BPM. As a starting point in a journey, sure, BPM is a first step. It is not a market befitting a world class city, nor is it one that comes anywhere close to showcasing what the breadth of local vendors have to offer. There is nothing wrong with being honest with ourselves here. No one goes into BPM and says wow, look how much Boston has to offer!! That's just not what BPM is at this point.

Cleveland is far from a perfect city (and lags Boston in almost every dimension), but West Side Market is one area where they've smoked us. Part of why they can do that is that space is way less expensive over there and there's not been the pressure to convert the historic WSM to something other than what it's been for a century.

 

[bdurden]

Eastern Market is a historic market hall; it's like if they *never* redid Quincy market --- it's mostly produce vendors and market restaurants. Findlay market fills the same role as do some of the Baltimore markets. The correct comparison is the "marketplace" they built on the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, which today has very few attendees --- they're all at the Broadway Market in Federal Hill or numerous markets and food halls around the city.

I don’t think there is one correct comparison. However, the Baltimore marketplace has very little in common with Quincy Market.
The entire Inner Harbor of Baltimore is largely built to cater to tourists, conventioneers, sports fans, who come to/fro Baltimore without having to leave that area. It’s been on a downward slide for over a decade while some other areas in Baltimore thrive.

Quincy Market was never intended to live in isolation and while it is indeed touristy, it wasn’t conceived to simply usher in tourists rather to rehabilitate what was at the time a rundown area .

 

[Lrfox]

So this: https://boston.eater.com/2021/4/29/...ing-market-natural-wine-groceries-summer-2021 - is about to open at 110 Meridian St. in Eastie. I’m thoroughly confused by it as it seems like a hipster bodega that will be selling oysters, records, and high end snacks. But it’s a welcome addition to what was otherwise a dead space.

walked by this AM: