With the residential development plan that has erupted Downtown, a unique need has been created that City Center could be an incredible solution for. As with any residential area, proximity to daily source consumer goods (groceries, personal care items, etc.) is always a plus. Currently, there is only one store (that I can think of) that can effectively serve the 43215 zip code (Kroger off S. Front St), though for just a few more minutes travel, patrons can also shop at Giant Eagle (located in German Village, zip code 43206). But at the same time, there's an assumed prestige with living Downtown (with house prices tapping the million dollar benchmark) and as nice as those chains can be, I know a little something extra would certainly excel. So, without further ado, I posit that Target should be the second anchor store, a tri-level version taking the place of the current Macy's.
Over the past few years, Target has proven to be an incredible "one-stop shop" retail hub. With the latest in movies and music, to electronics and toys, food, fashion and other household goods, Target stands as the dominating (in my opinion) "discount" department chain, not having the stipulations of "hill-jack" or "for old folks" that Wal-Mart (sometimes) carries.
Along with its range in products, at consumer-friendly prices, Target has one of the best marketing campaigns in recent years. Their commercials are graphic inspirational dances that resonate visually with an almost brainwashing of brand placement -- I long to see what window displays they'd bring!
Having established the two anchor stores (both more contemporary than their predecessors), the next chapter will focus on the first stores/restaurants that should be invited (in some cases invited back) to breathe some life back into City Center.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Heart of the City (Center) pt 1
*Below are the beginnings of my ideas to save the Columbus City Center and radically change the face of Downtown Columbus, OH. I love my city, and this mall has held a very special place in my heart. More than anything, I want to restore its name and presence to the splendor it once held and be one of the crowning jewels of the city.
--V.
Right now, the idea of an "Anchor Store" typically assumes the name of some department chain (Nordstrom's, Macy's, Sears, etc.) whose name seems synonymous with high dollar fashion, furniture and the like. I'd like to challenge that notion all together, going the more "unconventional route" and foregoing the anchors that say little more than, "I'm somebody because I shop here!"
As Columbus has repeatedly shown, we're a fickle town (except when it comes to the Bucks!), hot on the heels of something new one minute and finding it ever so nonchalantly "blah", like it was always here, the next. We're very modern in that way (I think), forever looking for the next big "WOW!" It's this mindset that makes me draw a parallel to that "City that Never Sleeps" and our humble metropolis. And like this city we so wish to be, we have to be ready and willing to throw out the old ways in favor of something bold and new. At its core, that's what City Center has always seemed to be -- that first bold new move from the malls with "land" in their titles from the 60's. City Center was fresh, it was provocative, but in the 20yrs since its opening day, that grandiose flare has fallen to fresher Polaris and the fresher still Easton. But all hope is not lost. City Center is not completely dead and its full revival is but an innovative stone's throw away.
There are only two remaining anchor store posts, one of which currently houses a Macy's (one of more than four in the city) and the other being Jacobson's, which has been closed for nearly six years. The latter has been a constant eyesore since closing due to company bankruptcy, with its placement at the heart of communal "pit" area. This space needs a drastic gear shift (read kick in the pants) that would open up the area to more commerce driven traffic and multiple entertainment opportunities. I posit that a tri-level Virgin Megastore would bring just that.
The first Virgin Megastore was a media blitzkrieg, offering the latest in books, games, music and movies, the latter two long since lacking a presence in City Center. And like that first Virgin Megastore, this store's profitability would soar from being the only site here in the city. Virgin has since expanded their brand name, breaking into the cellphone market and other such industries, making this a one-stop shop for all things Virgin and more.
Keeping in line with the bold edgy concepts mentioned, I suggest having a portion of the store (preferably within the confines of the music dept) be outfitted as a music hall, capable of housing small concerts. Operating behind the Virgin commercial machine, it should be easy to line up top name acts. This would add yet another venue of revenue for City Center, as well as give another face to Downtown's (proper, not the Arena or Brewery Districts) presence for live entertainment.
To be continued...
**Unfortunately, since beginning this opus, Virgin Megastores has shut all of its major locations, with plans to liquidate its further holdings by the summer of 2009. As this was such an integral part of my overall plan, I felt an addendum was in order to to make up the difference.
In place of Virgin Megastore, I offer a deluxe version of the Apple Store, currently only found at Easton Towne Center. This tri-level monolith, bathed in white will be a tech-Mecca, carrying within it the whole bevy of Apple/Macintosh library. Ranging from desktops, laptops, iPods, accessories, programs and games, anything and everything a tech-junkie could muster the need to have is there.
Establishing the first ever Apple Studio, patrons can tryout, learn about and utilize products ranging from movie editing programs, music production or art and design. The perfect amalgam between the Apple Store and C.O.S.I., here is where the heart of the creative faculty comes alive for all to explore and exhibit.
The crowning piece is christened the iTunes Amphitheatre, where visiting djs can put together custom playlists for Daylight iPod Raves (where concert goers sweat heavy, but QUIETLY, grooving to digital masterpieces pumped thru their earbuds) or rock the evening hours with custom light shows that bank wickedly off the pristine walls.
While not my original plan, I think this would serve as a more than significant replacement for the unoccupied Jacobson's space.
--V.
Right now, the idea of an "Anchor Store" typically assumes the name of some department chain (Nordstrom's, Macy's, Sears, etc.) whose name seems synonymous with high dollar fashion, furniture and the like. I'd like to challenge that notion all together, going the more "unconventional route" and foregoing the anchors that say little more than, "I'm somebody because I shop here!"
As Columbus has repeatedly shown, we're a fickle town (except when it comes to the Bucks!), hot on the heels of something new one minute and finding it ever so nonchalantly "blah", like it was always here, the next. We're very modern in that way (I think), forever looking for the next big "WOW!" It's this mindset that makes me draw a parallel to that "City that Never Sleeps" and our humble metropolis. And like this city we so wish to be, we have to be ready and willing to throw out the old ways in favor of something bold and new. At its core, that's what City Center has always seemed to be -- that first bold new move from the malls with "land" in their titles from the 60's. City Center was fresh, it was provocative, but in the 20yrs since its opening day, that grandiose flare has fallen to fresher Polaris and the fresher still Easton. But all hope is not lost. City Center is not completely dead and its full revival is but an innovative stone's throw away.
There are only two remaining anchor store posts, one of which currently houses a Macy's (one of more than four in the city) and the other being Jacobson's, which has been closed for nearly six years. The latter has been a constant eyesore since closing due to company bankruptcy, with its placement at the heart of communal "pit" area. This space needs a drastic gear shift (read kick in the pants) that would open up the area to more commerce driven traffic and multiple entertainment opportunities. I posit that a tri-level Virgin Megastore would bring just that.
The first Virgin Megastore was a media blitzkrieg, offering the latest in books, games, music and movies, the latter two long since lacking a presence in City Center. And like that first Virgin Megastore, this store's profitability would soar from being the only site here in the city. Virgin has since expanded their brand name, breaking into the cellphone market and other such industries, making this a one-stop shop for all things Virgin and more.
Keeping in line with the bold edgy concepts mentioned, I suggest having a portion of the store (preferably within the confines of the music dept) be outfitted as a music hall, capable of housing small concerts. Operating behind the Virgin commercial machine, it should be easy to line up top name acts. This would add yet another venue of revenue for City Center, as well as give another face to Downtown's (proper, not the Arena or Brewery Districts) presence for live entertainment.
To be continued...
**Unfortunately, since beginning this opus, Virgin Megastores has shut all of its major locations, with plans to liquidate its further holdings by the summer of 2009. As this was such an integral part of my overall plan, I felt an addendum was in order to to make up the difference.
In place of Virgin Megastore, I offer a deluxe version of the Apple Store, currently only found at Easton Towne Center. This tri-level monolith, bathed in white will be a tech-Mecca, carrying within it the whole bevy of Apple/Macintosh library. Ranging from desktops, laptops, iPods, accessories, programs and games, anything and everything a tech-junkie could muster the need to have is there.
Establishing the first ever Apple Studio, patrons can tryout, learn about and utilize products ranging from movie editing programs, music production or art and design. The perfect amalgam between the Apple Store and C.O.S.I., here is where the heart of the creative faculty comes alive for all to explore and exhibit.
The crowning piece is christened the iTunes Amphitheatre, where visiting djs can put together custom playlists for Daylight iPod Raves (where concert goers sweat heavy, but QUIETLY, grooving to digital masterpieces pumped thru their earbuds) or rock the evening hours with custom light shows that bank wickedly off the pristine walls.
While not my original plan, I think this would serve as a more than significant replacement for the unoccupied Jacobson's space.
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