 
Jfried
Member
Username: Jfried
Post Number: 1131
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Monday, April 21, 2008 - 6:22 pm: |    |
I've been traveling quite a bit lately and have seen several unique stores that I think Detroit may be ready for.
What type of places would you like to see open up in the city? |
Skylark
Member
Username: Skylark
Post Number: 37
Registered: 08-2007
| | Posted on Monday, April 21, 2008 - 6:35 pm: | |
First start with some basics like grocery stores, hardware stores,
clothing and shoes shops...then on to stores like Kmart, Costco, Sears, Macys, garden shops, electronics, ice cream, bakeries. Wait what I'm saying is we need everything here in the D. |
Detroitwhat
Member
Username: Detroitwhat
Post Number: 10
Registered: 10-2007
| | Posted on Monday, April 21, 2008 - 6:41 pm: | |
As much as I despise it, I would like to see a Wal Mart or a Meijer downtown. Detroit lacks a large grocery store and is in desperate need of one. I enjoyed the Packard Plant post the other day because I feel that Packard Plant could be renovated into a large shopping district mixed with residential space. |
401don
Member
Username: 401don
Post Number: 380
Registered: 11-2007
| | Posted on Monday, April 21, 2008 - 6:44 pm: | |
I'd like to see fruit markets and convenience stores. In other words, stores that have a neighbourhood feel. In most cities, these stores are just off the main street. Not sure if they would look right on Woodward though, considering how large the sidewalks and storefronts are. |
Detroitnerd
Member
Username: Detroitnerd
Post Number: 2198
Registered: 07-2004
| | Posted on Monday, April 21, 2008 - 7:15 pm: | |
I'd like to be able to buy socks and underwear at someplace other than a dollar store.  |
Detroitrise
Member
Username: Detroitrise
Post Number: 1986
Registered: 09-2007
| | Posted on Monday, April 21, 2008 - 7:20 pm: | |
Chain Big Box Stores would actually be nice :-) |
Wood
Member
Username: Wood
Post Number: 38
Registered: 05-2006
| | Posted on Monday, April 21, 2008 - 7:44 pm: | |
I've always felt a "steve and barry's" type store would do well near greektown---a big athletic/team apparel store with a detroit focus and affordable prices. too bad greektown casino somehow avoided the city requirement that parking garages have groundfloor retail. something like that could have worked there and created some more street-level retail activity along monroe, I mean I love a four foot $700 statue of pallas athena as much as the next guy, but. . .
really, I'd like to see a store like Sam's in Ann Arbor where I could buy normal jeans and t-shirts and socks and stuff. |
Mdoyle
Member
Username: Mdoyle
Post Number: 371
Registered: 10-2006
| | Posted on Monday, April 21, 2008 - 7:55 pm: | |
I agree with wood. I would like to know though, what sort of small shops we need, especially in the midtwon area. I know the Hub Just opened but I thought another bike/skate shop would do well. Possibly have a little music selection and some apparel. Additionally I've contemplated a small pool hall, maybe 4 to 6 tables. The Stick's tables and Cues are terrible and its not open for free if there is a band playing. Itd been nice to have a neat little place near WSU with nice tables and some occasional tourneys. People line up all night to play @ the bronx. |
Parkguy
Member
Username: Parkguy
Post Number: 263
Registered: 04-2007
| | Posted on Monday, April 21, 2008 - 8:38 pm: | |
A walkable community needs basic everyday goods available every half mile or so: quick groceries, a drug store, a hardware store perhaps, a barber shop, a cafe or two, etc. Every couple of miles larger shopping areas should have bigger draws, but I don't know how you do that with the changed nature of retail these days. I'm not sure the kind of shopping area like the one described in the Grand River and Greenfield thread can even survive today. Those were the "regional" shopping areas of past decades. Now "regional" has taken on a totally different meaning, with huge shopping developments drawing from gigantic areas, centered on freeways rather than arterial avenues. And remember, many of the businesses that lined Grand River, Michigan, Woodward, and the rest weren't retail necessarily-- they included insurance agents, doctors' offices, dentists, plumbers, and other service businesses that were vital to the neighborhood. Those have gone "regional," too. |
Dan
Member
Username: Dan
Post Number: 1525
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Monday, April 21, 2008 - 8:42 pm: | |
A few more whigs shops wouldn't hurt.
*wigs (Duh)
(Message edited by dan on April 22, 2008) |
Detroitnerd
Member
Username: Detroitnerd
Post Number: 2202
Registered: 07-2004
| | Posted on Monday, April 21, 2008 - 8:43 pm: | |
I thought whigs went out with the Civil War!  |
Amgasper01
Member
Username: Amgasper01
Post Number: 19
Registered: 02-2008
| | Posted on Monday, April 21, 2008 - 9:19 pm: | |
I'm currently in the market for plus-sized women's shoes but am having no luck finding a store that meets my needs downtown... |
Evelyn
Member
Username: Evelyn
Post Number: 202
Registered: 02-2005
| | Posted on Monday, April 21, 2008 - 9:26 pm: | |
Drug stores open late. Office supply stores that carry a good selection of ink cartridges. A Target or Meijer would be nice as well! |
Hybridy
Member
Username: Hybridy
Post Number: 242
Registered: 08-2006
| | Posted on Monday, April 21, 2008 - 9:37 pm: | |
CHEESECAKE FACTORY!•••
TARGET
H & M
G by GUESS
DIESEL |
Bragaboutme
Member
Username: Bragaboutme
Post Number: 193
Registered: 02-2008
| | Posted on Monday, April 21, 2008 - 9:37 pm: | |
Amgasper01, there is a shoe store for woman on Canfield and John R. right under the new condos. |
Cas
Member
Username: Cas
Post Number: 9
Registered: 10-2007
| | Posted on Monday, April 21, 2008 - 9:51 pm: | |
I think the Paris of the Midwest deserves a lot of neighborhood feel with smaller shops and locally owned businesses. Food is key, of course. Then, I think several walkable shopping districts with chain shops might be ok, as well. The dollars invested should be at home first, though. Big box stores, while limited in their scope, should be more accessible...but local local local is the key!
Here in San Diego (north county), there is a glut with the big chains and absolutely no neighborhood feel, except for the smaller surfing communities. Portland, OR, however had the neighborhood feeling nailed down to a T. Detroit is already designed for the feel, it just needs more people to understand that feel and invest in it, I think.
I'm hoping to move home some time this summer to all kinds of activity and creativity in Detroit. I'm even thinking of moving my family to the Midtown area...yes, I said my family.
Now the hard part: finding a job. |
Royce
Member
Username: Royce
Post Number: 2610
Registered: 07-2004
| | Posted on Monday, April 21, 2008 - 9:54 pm: | |
If crime and employee theft was not such a big problem here in the city, an electronics store would be ideal. However, the reason that there isn't a Best Buy or an ABC Warehouse in the city is because you would have to guard it like Fort Knox 24/7. Too expensive of an endeavor to risk here in Detroit.
K-mart and Wal-mart would be nice, but the closest you'll ever get a Wal-mart in the city is where one just recently opened: Ford Road and the Southfield Freeway. That one is like the United Nations of stores. Every ethnic group in the area shop there. Also, Detroiters love Target. If you want a successful department store downtown, then Target would be the one. People just love this store.
Now, some of you may find this hard to believe, but the local party store actually serves the needs of most neighborhoods in Detroit. You can get your party needs(beer, and chips), but you can also pay utility bills, cash checks, play the lottery, and take care of your cell phone needs. As much as people hate seeing them on every corner, they and the local gas station are the "gathering spots" for commerce in most Detroit neighborhoods.
BTW, Amgasper, Tall-EEz on Woodward and Clifford in downtown Detroit might have what you are looking for. |
Dtowncitylover
Member
Username: Dtowncitylover
Post Number: 75
Registered: 02-2008
| | Posted on Monday, April 21, 2008 - 10:13 pm: | |
I would love to see Merchant's Row and Washington Blvd. developed into Detroit's shopping centres. I see Washington Blvd. become Detroit's Rodeo Drive, wouldn't that be the day? |
Umbound
Member
Username: Umbound
Post Number: 102
Registered: 02-2008
| | Posted on Monday, April 21, 2008 - 11:35 pm: | |
Yeah you are right Royce, these stores do pump a lot of the money flow in the city probably a majority of it too. But thats only because nobody else wants to risk it. Its really not easy, but as far as downtown goes i would like to see something come but i dont know about a Meijer or a Wal-mart. I just think those places should not be in the city. they would have a huge theft problem. |
Danindc
Member
Username: Danindc
Post Number: 4166
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 22, 2008 - 12:08 am: | |
quote:As much as I despise it, I would like to see a Wal Mart or a Meijer downtown. Detroit lacks a large grocery store and is in desperate need of one. I enjoyed the Packard Plant post the other day because I feel that Packard Plant could be renovated into a large shopping district mixed with residential space
Does anyone think that one large grocery store could adequately support a city of 900,000 people? It seems to me you would want the "basics" - groceries, hardware, drugstores-- present in just about every neighborhood. |
Blksoul_x
Member
Username: Blksoul_x
Post Number: 208
Registered: 06-2007
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 22, 2008 - 12:50 am: | |
Perhaps the city's stores should reflect the larger ethnic portion of the City's population...and that is its Black residents...last checked, Detroit was somewhere close to 90%. So then, the stores should be designed and figured toward the broader Black population in Detroit.
I would like to see more African themed restaurants.
I would like to see more African themed grocery stores.
I would like to see more African based Fish markets.
I would like to see more African themed book stores.
I would like to see more African themed Art museums.
I would like to see more African based musical and concert style venues.
and that's just to name a few.
blksoul_atcha! |
Detroitmaybe
Member
Username: Detroitmaybe
Post Number: 86
Registered: 03-2008
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 22, 2008 - 3:16 am: | |
Cityscape Detroit is hosting an event coming soon regarding what Major retailers look for when selecting their next location. The event will be hosted by Patty Formosa, a national retail consultant, and she will be addressing this very issue. Check out cityscapedetroit.org for more info |
Sumas
Member
Username: Sumas
Post Number: 112
Registered: 01-2008
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 22, 2008 - 5:03 am: | |
Most major retailers look for a full circle of demi-graphics. Detroit,located on the river can only offer a semi circle. These big chain stores don't understand that Windsor residents are a part of our economic picture. |
Detroitplanner
Member
Username: Detroitplanner
Post Number: 1602
Registered: 04-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 22, 2008 - 8:31 am: | |
I'd think that stores like Dollar General and Family Dollar would do very well in Detroit. Since they are not dollar stores but rather more like the general merchandise stores of like Woolworths or Kressgees. These stores are also starting to carry more food items, expanding frozen and dairy food sections, and some even sell produce.
Stuff is priced at a level where your average Detroiter can afford it. |
Pollybergen
Member
Username: Pollybergen
Post Number: 62
Registered: 12-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 22, 2008 - 9:16 am: | |
this thread is crazy!
pharmacy: CVS and RiteAids are everywhere. Some open 24 hrs!
hardware: Ace on Trumbull and Detroit Hardware on Woodward. I have found everything I need at both of these places.
a barbershop: YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING!
socks and underwear: Forman Mills? (Highland park and the east side) National Dry Goods?
NO WAL-MART! I say this as with a mother that has worked for Wal-Mart for 13 years. They DESTROY everything around them. They are NON UNION and do everything they can to bust up worker's rights. The day the Detroit City Council allows a Wal-Mart in the city, I will fear the apocalypse.
Detroit doesn't need an Allen-park-landfill development over here. Why not support local business? Seems like we are one of the last places on earth where big boxes don't exist, which allow for small family businesses to exist!
(Message edited by pollybergen on April 22, 2008) |
Pollybergen
Member
Username: Pollybergen
Post Number: 63
Registered: 12-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 22, 2008 - 9:24 am: | |
also!
There is a Staples on Jefferson! Go buy your ink there!
fruit markets? I am dying here. how about one of the largest farmer's markets in the country? Want fruit during the week? How about Zacarro's now?
Wal-Mart and Meijer shouldn't be downtown because of a "theft problem" puuuuleaze. Like people in the burbs don't steal! It is because of the footprint they leave in a city. Just outside is fine, just like *most* other major cities.
It just doesn't make too much sense to me that people want to spend their money at big chains, where workers are paid minimum wage and none of the profit is really then turned back into the city. Except with property/business taxes, which are normally used as bargaining devices when trying to attract business. |
Umbound
Member
Username: Umbound
Post Number: 103
Registered: 02-2008
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 22, 2008 - 10:53 am: | |
I am not saying theft does not happen in the burbs, but it is a whole totally different story in the city, i know from personal experience, my family has a few "mom and pop" stores in the city. but you are right about Wal Mart, i personally hate them. there should be no big box stores in the city though. |
Tetsua
Member
Username: Tetsua
Post Number: 1550
Registered: 01-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 22, 2008 - 11:07 am: | |
quote:there should be no big box stores in the city though.
At one point I agreed with you, but there is certain a need for big box stores, as well as small retailers in the city. If there wasn't one, city folks wouldn't constantly be going to the burbs for Target, Meijer, and even Walmart. I'm not saying they should be in the heart of downtown with a huge parking lot, but a location elsewhere would be nice. There are quite a few everyday items that people have to go to the burbs for one of the big box retailers to get. Example... last week I wanted carpet cleaner for my carpet shampooer and I didn't feel like driving. Now I have just had a mental fart, but I couldn't remember any place that I saw carry carpet cleaning solution, let alone a carpet cleaner. End result, I ended up driving from Midtown to Dearborn to target. I know there's a place out there that carries what I needed in the city proper, but a one stop place would be welcome for all the home needs. |
Birdie
Member
Username: Birdie
Post Number: 18
Registered: 04-2007
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 - 11:19 am: | |
independent businesses! no chains! |
Cas
Member
Username: Cas
Post Number: 11
Registered: 10-2007
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 - 12:02 pm: | |
Seeing all the "no chain" responses is a good sign. Although, I think that the downtown area could most likely use a larger department store that services many needs, the local mentality serves Detroit best. As I mentioned earlier, Portland has been at the forefront of keeping Portland's money in Portland by keeping national chains out - especially the likes of Wal Mart. It would be a boon for Detroit to act accordingly to stimulate its own economy and to build pride. But, knowing southeast Michigan like I do, the question becomes "Who?". Establish creative local retail and Detroit will thrive, I think.
Everyone loves the "D" - it's time to see it on more goods aside from t-shirts, jackets, and hats. |