The New Retail Thread

Despite bouncing back after their fire in 2015, The Blue Room and Belly Wine Bar at the One Kendall complex will close July 1st:

https://boston.eater.com/2017/6/13/15790438/blue-room-belly-wine-bar-closing-cambridge

I guess I'm a little sad since The Blue Room was there for so long, but the Kendall Area is becoming quite competitive restaurant-wise. I can't say I'll miss them that much amidst all the other options. Nonetheless, something in the restaurant business that lasts 20+ years is somewhat of an institution around here...
 
estyle said:
That's also a great view of the former Barnes and Noble building. I hope they manage to somehow reclaim that horrible two-story base.
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Speaking of, lrfox, that H&M deal the incoming owners of the old Barnes & Nobles that your friend was touting to you months ago appears to be generating nothing but the sounds of crickets chirping. Have to think it collapsed, despite the way your friend was hyping it to you as an absolute done deal... otherwise, one would have to believe that all the highly paid real estate attorneys for a global retail giant somehow, just this once, have been incapable of executing a deal for their client H&M... despite [presumably] having signed literally 100s of leases for them before and thus having accumulated a backlog of vast experience/data points. And that's just... hard to believe.
 
DBM said:
Speaking of, lrfox, that H&M deal the incoming owners of the old Barnes & Nobles that your friend was touting to you months ago appears to be generating nothing but the sounds of crickets chirping. Have to think it collapsed, despite the way your friend was hyping it to you as an absolute done deal... otherwise, one would have to believe that all the highly paid real estate attorneys for a global retail giant somehow, just this once, have been incapable of executing a deal for their client H&M... despite [presumably] having signed literally 100s of leases for them before and thus having accumulated a backlog of vast experience/data points. And that's just... hard to believe.
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I asked about it a few weeks ago but didn't want to post anything because I got nothing of substance. She said they're now "looking to open a 4-story store at Faneuil Hall." I asked for specifics and she couldn't give me any. My understanding is that the only location that would fit would be the current Abercrombie spot, but I don't know they're leaving.

Anyway, I'm taking it with a grain of salt from now on. I think she acted like she was more of an insider on that front than she really is. So I apologize for the inaccuracate info- i usually try to be pretty confident when I post "rumors."
 
Lrfox said:
I I think she acted like she was more of an insider on that front than she really is.
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It happens every day... oh well, rumors are rumors, and it's not like you bet your life savings on it or staked your professional reputation on it, right? A good lesson learned at absolutely zero cost, right?
 
DBM said:
It happens every day... oh well, rumors are rumors, and it's not like you bet your life savings on it or staked your professional reputation on it, right? A good lesson learned at absolutely zero cost, right?
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Haha thanks. Honestly, I'm more disappointed because I was REALLY looking forward to something good in the B&N space.
 
palindrome said:
The Halal Guys coming to 137 Stuart st.
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So you're telling me that the Halel Guys are planning to open up shop at the end of July and two short months ago, the Chicken n Rice guys got hit with an e-coli outbreak?

How... convenient.. :rolleyes:

/s (kinda :) )
 
In a surprising development Amazon has bought Whole Foods. It'll be interesting to see how Whole Foods changes under new ownership.
 
tysmith95 said:
In a surprising development Amazon has bought Whole Foods. It'll be interesting to see how Whole Foods changes under new ownership.
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Unexpected news, but not that surprising really if you understand Amazon's anti-competitive business strategies. Support your local establishments, folks!
 
Archibald "Harry" Tuttle said:
Unexpected news, but not that surprising really if you understand Amazon's anti-competitive business strategies. Support your local establishments, folks!
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Don't fucking tell me where to shop. If I get a lower price and can have it delivered to my front door, guess what? Sorry Mom and Pop. Amazon it is.
 
FSUViking said:
Don't fucking tell me where to shop. If I get a lower price and can have it delivered to my front door, guess what? Sorry Mom and Pop. Amazon it is.
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Suit yourself. Like in construction, going with the lowest bidder has it's pros and cons. You'll see savings up front, but it can bite you in the ass down the road.
 
Archibald "Harry" Tuttle said:
Suit yourself. Like in construction, going with the lowest bidder has it's pros and cons. You'll see savings up front, but it can bite you in the ass down the road.
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That's a pretty bad analogy. How will buying the very same Tide laundry detergent for significantly less money from Amazon "bite me in the ass down the road?" It's not as if you can use the "you get what you pay for" argument that you might use when someone goes with the lowest bidder for a project. The detergent works exactly the same no matter where you purchase it and no matter what you pay. I can appreciate (and agree with) the desire to patron mom and pop stores when the products and prices are at least similarly comparable.
 
BosDevelop said:
That's a pretty bad analogy. How will buying the very same Tide laundry detergent for significantly less money from Amazon "bite me in the ass down the road?" It's not as if you can use the "you get what you pay for" argument that you might use when someone goes with the lowest bidder for a project. The detergent works exactly the same no matter where you purchase it and no matter what you pay. I can appreciate (and agree with) the desire to patron mom and pop stores when the products and prices are at least similarly comparable.
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I imagine he is making an argument about the long-term economic consequences of a "race to the bottom," not about the quality of a particular product.
 
BosDevelop said:
That's a pretty bad analogy. How will buying the very same Tide laundry detergent for significantly less money from Amazon "bite me in the ass down the road?" It's not as if you can use the "you get what you pay for" argument that you might use when someone goes with the lowest bidder for a project. The detergent works exactly the same no matter where you purchase it and no matter what you pay. I can appreciate (and agree with) the desire to patron mom and pop stores when the products and prices are at least similarly comparable.
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The argument is that Amazon's low prices are not sustainable. They undercut their competitors by operating on little-to-negative margins, and Amazon's investors are okay with this because they're banking on the company reaping huge profits once they force their major competitors out of business and completely take over the market.
 
Getting back to actual new retail, Mayhew Wine Shop opened up on Melcher Street last week. It's a great addition to what was a pretty desolate street front. From my one visit, they seem to have a nicely curated selection of both wine and craft beer.
 
BosDevelop said:
That's a pretty bad analogy. How will buying the very same Tide laundry detergent for significantly less money from Amazon "bite me in the ass down the road?" It's not as if you can use the "you get what you pay for" argument that you might use when someone goes with the lowest bidder for a project. The detergent works exactly the same no matter where you purchase it and no matter what you pay. I can appreciate (and agree with) the desire to patron mom and pop stores when the products and prices are at least similarly comparable.
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You do realize that virtually every "brand name" product on the planet has counterfeit versions out in the marketplace (lots of them). Buy from the lowest seller on Amazon, and there is a good chance that the product is either 1) stolen or 2) counterfeit.

Buy the stolen product and you are funding criminal enterprises. Buy the counterfeit product and who knows what is really in the Tide bottle.

Caveat emptor
 
Sullivan's (of Castle Island) is leasing space in the Hood milk bottle out front of the Boston Children's Museum.
 
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