Downtown Retail Changes

[metro]

Retail refill
Planned restaurants, stores to counter downtown OKC vacancies
By April Wilkerson
Journal Record

OKLAHOMA CITY – Retail square footage in downtown Oklahoma City has declined somewhat in the last few years, but new stores and restaurants scheduled to open over the next year stand to send the number back up.

Contributing to the decline was the closure of three clothing stores in Bricktown – Lit, Firefly and Envy – but new tenants have been found for those spaces.

“Although we have had some vacancies and turnover, it seems like we’ve done a pretty good job of back-filling those spaces with some new concepts,” said Alison Oshel, director of community redevelopment for the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber.

Most of the new retail spaces scheduled to open later this year and next year are restaurants. Sammy’s Pizza is opening in Bricktown, and a new cupcake store, Pinkitzel, is scheduled to fill the space occupied by Envy in the Santa Fe train station, Oshel said. Hideaway Pizza will make its Automobile Alley debut next year, she said, along with Kamp’s 1910 Cafe. Midtown newcomers are Ludevine Restaurant and Kaiser’s American Bistro.

Non-restaurant retail space includes International Riders, a motorcycle rental store moving into the Bricktown space that was occupied by Firefly, Oshel said.

“That should go over very well with visitors who want to hop on a motorcycle,” she said.

In addition, the florist Floral and Hardy will open its second store on Oct. 1 in the Oklahoma Tower, said Tom Verploegen of Downtown OKC Inc.

Restaurants and services tend to lead the way toward other types of retail, Oshel said. Downtown has attracted a good mix of everything from fast-casual eateries to white-tablecloth dining, she said, and more hard- and soft-goods retailers should follow.

When the new stores open, retail will occupy nearly 200,000 square feet across downtown.

Rawhide, a high-end clothing and furniture store that opened earlier this year in Automobile Alley, is finding success after relocating from Norman, owner Angie Bailey said.

Bailey brought a customer base with her – people from across Oklahoma City, Edmond and Norman and other places – but her overall traffic has increased as well, she said.

“On Saturdays, we have couples and families come in who say it’s cool to come downtown,” she said. “We’re a destination store.”

Bailey said she looks forward to the opening of other Automobile Alley restaurants so that more of a walking corridor is created.

Although Bricktown lost some of its clothing retailers, the Red Dirt Marketplace filled 6,000 square feet this year. Jeannette Smith, executive director of the Bricktown Association, said the shops are doing well and offer a mix of items.

“The (marketplace) fills a niche that is much-needed in this area,” Smith said. “Retail is what most people say they’d like to see more of. There’s a lot of potential, and we’re a growing district. It takes a little time to find those right merchants.”

The recruitment of new retail to downtown involves many people. Verploegen, vice president of marketing and development at Downtown OKC Inc., said Project 180 – a downtown streetscaping project – will affect the timeline for new retail to look at downtown. But the organization is using this time to look at all properties for lease and sale and analyze what the area does and doesn’t have.

“We’re trying to get a comprehensive database so we know exactly what’s out there and what condition it’s in and who the players are so we’ll know what type of business we would be trying to recruit,” he said.

Oshel said shops with superior customer service also should have a good future downtown. Clothing stores like Teena Hicks and Nancy Farha have done well despite not being in prime retail space, she said.

“It speaks to the consumer attitude that we want good customer service, and both of those retailers have good customer service,” she said. “I think if we can get that kind of retailer downtown – also like Rawhide, which has a customer base and is all about customer service – I think that kind of retailer survives downtown. They need their own local customer following and, to some extent, they need to appeal to visitors because we have so many visitors downtown.”

[OKC@heart]

Yeah it is interesting, As much as I am excited about the results of Project 180, did wonder how thrilled the retailers and any prospective ones would be with the streets all being torn up, and the routes uncertain for patrons who were brave enough to give it a try. I have no doubt that it will in the long run be the best thing we could have happen. Good to hear that the Chamber is aware and using the time to be able to target specific types of retail that would meet the needs of the given areas.

[Kerry]

Until people live downtown retail will be hit miss, but mostly miss.

[BG918]

Where will the Hideaway be located on Broadway?

[metro]

Where will the Hideaway be located on Broadway?

Rumor has it that it will go in part of the CD Warehouse space, although with Habitat for Humanity moving out, I wouldn't rule that space out either, it'd be a perfect fit for them.

[okclee]

Where is Habitat moving to?

[metro]

I forget, there was an article in one of the papers awhile back, they are moving to bigger office space.

[okclee]

Found the article.

http://www.newsok.com/article/346625...t+for+humanity

They are moving south okc 5005 S I-35 Service Road.

And I didn't know that the Hideaway pizza was a definite.

[betts]

Until people live downtown retail will be hit miss, but mostly miss.

I don't really think that's a requirement. What we do need, though, is more of a row of retail. One of the reasons I think retail has been hit and miss is because it's been scattered. When you can stroll along a street and stop in at at least 3 to 4 stores, then stop somewhere nearby for lunch, coffee or a treat, that's when people will come downtown to shop. It needs to be a destination, and most people would like to go to more than one store when they have to make an effort to get there. There are exceptions, as there are stores that will pull people somewhere just because of their cachet and reputation, but that's unusual.

[OSUMom]

The condos that are on 2nd street just east of Gaylord (and the railroad tracks) looks like they will have retail along the bottom. Nothing has moved into it yet but the whole bottom story is all glass fronts. Anyone know anything about that?

[HOT ROD]

I definitely agree with betts and thing AAlley is OKC's best chance to get retail growing in a serious economic sense. If we can get businesses (clothing stores, restaurants, shoppes, boutiques, floral shops, art galleries, dot.com type businesses, and loft developments (on top) in the Broadway corridor - AAlley could truly become the urban shopping destination that we not only desire but would fulfill it's obvious potential. I am sure that is what the Rawhide owner was talking about, getting a dense corridor of businesses along Broadway so that people will PARK and then WALK. This currently can't be accomplished (so say's the existing Oklahoma mentality of parking next to the store) given that everything retail is scattered. This is true everywhere, except AAlley and the CBD - and I am most excited to see those storefronts fill up. Sandridge has an excellent opportunity with those storefronts in the CBD - fill them up!!!

I think Kerry is only partially correct, you do need downtown residents BUT you need places to go even more. And furthermore, downtown already has 5,000+ residents, that is enough to get retail going and sustaining. Like I mentioned before, if we can augment destination retail (like Rawhide) with lots of restaurants, shoppes, and galleries on the same block/street - then we can really create synergy that feeds off each other. Downtown residents would patronize, that's a given and should begin to be sustaining. But the bonus comes when people from outside of downtown (and OKC) come to the destination they saw a commercial on, but while they are there - they peruse around the same local area and shop at another store or two, and have lunch/dinner. If everything is good, they will not only tell others about their positive experience downtown (which should lead to visits from them) but they also would likely return often themselves.

We all know, everyone complains about parking in Bricktown - and that is because it is not clustered so that a person could just park and walk and everything they want be within a few blocks. Of course, those of us not with the Okie (parking) mentality know Bricktown is fine as it is and just needs to really infill, but we have to also cator to the market which is Oklahoma!

[metro]

Downtown does not have 5,000 residents

[HOT ROD]

I thought in 2005 downtown had 3500 residents. So I assumed by now, with the additions in space that it should at least be at 5,000.

[metro]

It's about 2000 last I heard

[shane453]

Population depends on how you define downtown, I guess. I would include Arts District, CBD, Bricktown and Deep Deuce residential projects in the count

Legacy - 300
Park Harvey - 160
Regency - 275
Deep Deuce - 300
Block 42 - 40
Central Avenue - 30
Lofts - 55
Brownstones - 15
Centennial - 30
=1205

So 1200 units in major developments which I guess would put us close to 2,000. Downtown OKC, Inc lists 7,600 as the population- maybe includes the jail? Or greater Midtown like halfway to 23rd St?

We also have 1600 hotel rooms in downtown that are often full- so that gives us anywhere from 1,000-3,000 or so additional customers for retailers when things are busy in town.

[metro]

I define downtown as downtown from about Reno to NW 13th from Classen to I-235. That's what Urban Neighbors (downtown residents association) defines downtown as and I agree. I've seen several studies done on residents within this area, and it's around 2000 people. I dont consider Heritage Hills, Mesta Park, etc. downtown, but more of MidTown or Uptown. Shane, you're forgetting some downtown developments, but the idea is about the same, say it's 1500 units, it still puts total population near 2,000 or slightly above.

[Steve]

What's most important is whether retailers consider Heritage Hills and Mesta Park to be a part of the population demographics for downtown. Some do, some don't.

[metro]

I'm guessing the ones we want to truly lure don't though, and the ones that do are like ShopGood, RedDirt. We're never going to get a Gap, Urban Outfitters, H&M or the retailers we desire without more rooftops downtown or a quality lifestyle center out in the burbs.

[Architect2010]

I think this has been a mutually understood point for awhile now. Great progress has been made and there's much, much more yet to be unveiled. It's literally only a matter of time now as residential developments are becoming norm throughout Downtown and the immediate area.

[Larry OKC]

But what time frame are we talking about? Is it a 15-30-50 year Core to Shore type thing or are you talking something more immediate?

[BG918]

I define downtown as downtown from about Reno to NW 13th from Classen to I-235. That's what Urban Neighbors (downtown residents association) defines downtown as and I agree. I've seen several studies done on residents within this area, and it's around 2000 people. I dont consider Heritage Hills, Mesta Park, etc. downtown, but more of MidTown or Uptown. Shane, you're forgetting some downtown developments, but the idea is about the same, say it's 1500 units, it still puts total population near 2,000 or slightly above.

I agree with your south, east, and west boundaries of "downtown" but I think it ends at NW 10. Then you have midtown from NW 10 to NW 13, and then Heritage Hills/Mesta Park up to NW 23. For this purpose I would think you would definitely count midtown and maybe also the adjacent neighborhoods to the north.

[Kerry]

Even if downtown OKC had 5,000 residents, they are spread over a pretty large area so the density goes way down when you consider it is a pedestrian environment. OKC could really use a residential district of mid-rises in the urban core to kick start retail. I am hoping Core2Shore does this but most of the renditions I saw were light on mid-rise housing.

[HOT ROD]

go for high rise, particularly in the CBD. ...

[Architect2010]

But what time frame are we talking about? Is it a 15-30-50 year Core to Shore type thing or are you talking something more immediate?

Use your head Larry. At the rate residential infill is occurring, it definitely won't be 30 years. The downtown area is poised for tremendous residential growth. How long after that growth will retailers follow? I'm not sure, but the housing unit expansion is what is important.

[Larry OKC]

Architect2010: It was an honest question. What is the rate that is occurring? Know there were many announced plans but then the economy thing happened and many were put on hold if not abandoned all together (from what I have read in the paper). Not saying it can't come back, but how many units/people and years are you talking about achieving that? In one of these threads they were talking about 4 units being added. 4. At that rate it is going to be a while don't you think?