Retail coming to Philadelphia (middle-class, condo, budget)

[Duderino]

Originally Posted by asiandudeyo

Burberry on Walnut is closing. I am disappointed. We gain Uniqlo -a cheap retail, but we lose Burberry which is a high-end retail.

The Burberry space is already spoken for -- it will be a Michael Kors: Woot! Michael Kors and J.Crew Men's Headed for Walnut - Storecasting - Racked Philly

Some other good snippets of information in that article, including some other potential turnover.

Burberry likely had to terminate their lease from the building being sold -- hopefully they will pop-up elsewhere in Center City. I have confidence that they will, since they have long had a foothold in Philadelphia and would seem strange to abandon the city during its upswing.

Uniqlo may not be considered high-end, but they are a very trendy and "hot" brand for downtown retail. They picked Philly after NY and SF before cities like LA, Boston, Chicago and DC for their expansion, so that definitely speaks to the current strength of retail in the city.

[cpomp]

Originally Posted by Duderino

The Burberry space is already spoken for -- it will be a Michael Kors: Woot! Michael Kors and J.Crew Men's Headed for Walnut - Storecasting - Racked Philly

Some other good snippets of information in that article, including some other potential turnover.

Burberry likely had to terminate their lease from the building being sold -- hopefully they will pop-up elsewhere in Center City. I have confidence that they will, since they have long had a foothold in Philadelphia and would seem strange to abandon the city during its upswing.

Uniqlo may not be considered high-end, but they are a very trendy and "hot" brand for downtown retail. They picked Philly after NY and SF before cities like LA, Boston, Chicago and DC for their expansion, so that definitely speaks to the current strength of retail in the city.

I really hope Burberry seeks out a new and larger space soon! That is arguably the most upscale shop in the store in the city, and is always quite busy when I walk by.

And is there a Marc by Marc Jacobs in the works as well, or is that simply a rumor??

[Pine to Vine]

Was on Walnut yesterday and it looks like they've finally blocked off the SE corner of 15th to take down the existing structure and make room for the "Cheesecake Factory Building." Wonder how much the final design will resemble the one the developers rolled out: Changing Skyline: New Cheesecake Factory at 15th and Walnut: A creamy-rich glass box

[asiandudeyo]

I agree Burberry is the most upscale retail we have on Walnut corridor. I am surprised considering that I read somewhere that the Walnut store has been performing well.
In my humble opinion, Michael Kors is just a typical mall designer store - just like Coach. It is overrated. It does not have the same wow factor as Burberry. But I am happy that the space will be filled up.

[Debbie1125]

Originally Posted by jm02

Was on Walnut yesterday and it looks like they've finally blocked off the SE corner of 15th to take down the existing structure and make room for the "Cheesecake Factory Building." Wonder how much the final design will resemble the one the developers rolled out: Changing Skyline: New Cheesecake Factory at 15th and Walnut: A creamy-rich glass box

Too bad they couldn't save those buildings and put Cheesecake Factory in there. That new design is a big mess of glass ugly-ness.

[Duderino]

Originally Posted by Debbie1125

Too bad they couldn't save those buildings and put Cheesecake Factory in there. That new design is a big mess of glass ugly-ness.

I have to disagree. I know modern design isn't everyone's favorite, especially in a historic city like Philadelphia -- but not every structure can be saved, nor is every structure worth saving.

I personally love the juxtaposition of sleek glass with historic architecture. It creates a really cool vibe, and Philly would benefit from a lot more structures like it.

[asiandudeyo]

Originally Posted by duderino

i have to disagree. I know modern design isn't everyone's favorite, especially in a historic city like philadelphia -- but not every structure can be saved, nor is every structure worth saving.

I personally love the juxtaposition of sleek glass with historic architecture. It creates a really cool vibe, and philly would benefit from a lot more structures like it.

^this!

[rotodome]

One of the long-time obstacles to modern retail in Philly has been how small commercial lots and structures are on the main commercial strips (ie: Walnut Street). Developers like Midwood have been addressing this for years since they started investing in Philly, and this has been their - successful - approach. Combining lots and building larger structures in the shopping districts is the only way to attract the higher level retail that everyone wants to locate in the city instead of KoP. And they're hiring local architects to design the building.

SoHo is such a successful example of modern shopping an historic district precisely because those deep lots and old cast iron buildings have the advantage of being massive and high ceilinged enough to easily support modern large scale retail and flagship stores.
And the particular building in question on Walnut was disproportionately low-rise, and not especially historically significant.

Anyone who follows my posting knows I'm a big advocate for (smart) historic preservation, and I fully support this particular project.

[FBJ]

Originally Posted by jm02

Was on Walnut yesterday and it looks like they've finally blocked off the SE corner of 15th to take down the existing structure and make room for the "Cheesecake Factory Building." Wonder how much the final design will resemble the one the developers rolled out: Changing Skyline: New Cheesecake Factory at 15th and Walnut: A creamy-rich glass box

Well now I will get to sample the place because all the other ones are either in jersey or the suburbs.

[cpomp]

Originally Posted by rotodome

One of the long-time obstacles to modern retail in Philly has been how small commercial lots and structures are on the main commercial strips (ie: Walnut Street). Developers like Midwood have been addressing this for years since they started investing in Philly, and this has been their - successful - approach. Combining lots and building larger structures in the shopping districts is the only way to attract the higher level retail that everyone wants to locate in the city instead of KoP. And they're hiring local architects to design the building.

SoHo is such a successful example of modern shopping an historic district precisely because those deep lots and old cast iron buildings have the advantage of being massive and high ceilinged enough to easily support modern large scale retail and flagship stores.
And the particular building in question on Walnut was disproportionately low-rise, and not especially historically significant.

Anyone who follows my posting knows I'm a big advocate for (smart) historic preservation, and I fully support this particular project.

I agree with what your saying..however the difference between SoHo and here is that SoHo is filled with people who have a lot of money.

Retailers choose KoP and will probably continue to do so because KoP can support having that kind of caliber of retail.

Its great to see Philadelphia on the upswing, but an image of SoHo is probably a decade away.