The Rise

[Urbanized]

Dollar store?

[PhiAlpha]

^ Ok so I guess it could be a little worse

[Mr. Cotter]

Honestly, a wig shop does as much for me as another Cox Solutions location. And I'll take a clean dollar store (a place I might actually buy things) over a bar owned by a furniture store that might get a liquor license.

The original announced tenant lineup created a destination location. The current one, while an improvement on the order of the most impressive seen anywhere in town, will not do as much spur further development as the influx of destination, first of type in the market locations as were first announced. There are still plenty of things in the Rise I'm excited about: The Drake, a new Old School Bagel, Pump Bar, and Pizzeria Gusto.

Still excited, just a little disappointed.

[Urbanized]

Restaurant and store fixture resale shop?

[Urbanized]

Vapes?

[Garistotle]

I get that a Cox store and a furniture place aren't the coolest tenants you could hope for. Still, the place needs diversity. It needs people coming and going at all different times of the day to sustain success as tenants come and go over the years. Know who will go to the Cox store? People that actually live in the neighborhood. I'll take a useful place like a dollar store over the 6th restaurant "concept" any day. Not that I don't dig cool places to eat and drink, it's just that the development needs more than just that to survive and to be a good neighbor.

[Mr. Cotter]

The furniture store doesn't bother me at all. Not utilizing the bar space is just less than optimal. I'd prefer a more balanced retail to restaurant ratio. It's really the Cox location that prompted me to post my disappointment: they already have one less than two miles away at 23rd and Villa.

[DoctorTaco]

I get that a Cox store and a furniture place aren't the coolest tenants you could hope for. Still, the place needs diversity. It needs people coming and going at all different times of the day to sustain success as tenants come and go over the years. Know who will go to the Cox store? People that actually live in the neighborhood. I'll take a useful place like a dollar store over the 6th restaurant "concept" any day. Not that I don't dig cool places to eat and drink, it's just that the development needs more than just that to survive and to be a good neighbor.

I do agree that it is net positive that on the two days a year when I need to set foot in a Cox store I will now be able to ride my bike instead of driving. Small favors and all that.

[5alive]

[warreng88]

Where is the furniture store going with the bar upstairs? Could a seperate entrance be built for the bar and a seperate operator? I think there is more of a demand for rooftop bars in the city than some people think.

[Bullbear]

Where is the furniture store going with the bar upstairs? Could a seperate entrance be built for the bar and a seperate operator? I think there is more of a demand for rooftop bars in the city than some people think.

Especially as long as there is still smoking in Bars in OKC.. Rooftop and patio bars are the only places me and my friends hang out for the most part.

[bchris02]

At least they filled it up, but man I would be hard pressed to think of a more boring retail substitute for what we're going to be some exciting tenants.

Agree. Cox solutions? There are few things that I can think of that are more underwhelming than that. Like you say though, at least they filled it up. Going forward I don't have very high hopes for future developments by Land Run given how they have handled this. This had the opportunity to be a slam dunk development and they blew it.

[Pete]

Remember, there are still tons of empty or under-utilized properties in the immediate area.

You've got the Tower (lots of space along the street front), the property immediately east which is completely empty, the Stamps Center just east of BTT that is mostly empty, David Box's property directly west of the Rise, the strip center directly west of that, etc., etc.

The most important thing about the Rise was to clear out the ratty existing business and bring in the first really new influx of retail on that strip. Has been lots of food service, but not much else.

We should see the rest of the dominoes starting to fall in the near future.

[sooner88]

Agree. Cox solutions? There are few things that I can think of that are more underwhelming than that. Like you say though, at least they filled it up. Going forward I don't have very high hopes for future developments by Land Run given how they have handled this. This had the opportunity to be a slam dunk development and they blew it.

I would hardly say they blew this development. The Rise, Pizzeria Gusto and the Pump Bar are all quality establishments that will bring a lot of traffic to the area. They took far longer to get this done (and still have a ways to go), but in reality they took a blighted building on a prime corner in an up-and-coming district and made it something special. Tenants can change in the future, but getting this project started helped to spur more development along 23rd.

[Urbanized]

Phone accessory store?

[adaniel]

^
Nah, I'm thinking real "destination type" stores. Maybe Hustler Hollywood?

I love OKCTALK, but seriously guys. Only on this board would a fully leased out shopping center that just happens to have a cable store generate this level of consternation.

I actually kind of like the idea of a small, locally owned furniture store.

[NWOKCGuy]

I don't know about that. They were promoting it as an upscale retail center. Nothing about a Cox store is upscale. In fact it's decidedly not upscale and can be found any strip center in town.

A year after starting work on converting a rundown strip shopping center into an upscale retail destination, Johnathan Russell is celebrating his success at assembling a list of tenants that matched his early ambitions for The Rise at NW 23 and Walker.

Retailers flocking to The Rise at NW 23 and Walker in Oklahoma City | News OK

[Jake]

The city is ruined now.

[Mr. Cotter]

Oh, come on. No one has gone anywhere close to that negative. It's a fair comment to make that a Cox Solutions location is less exciting/valuable than the concepts we lost.

[Rover]

People need to decide if they are only eager for entertainment districts or true urban communities with all types of goods and services people use everyday. The kids tend to want only bars and restaurants. We need all kinds of businesses in our mixed use areas.

These guys are spending a lot of money and taking a pretty sizable risk. They need to fill their spaces with good paying tenants who can make money themselves. If everyone was jumping all over themselves to locate there then they may have had even better choices. These are businesses that want to be there and serve the neighborhood.

[bchris02]

Oh, come on. No one has gone anywhere close to that negative. It's a fair comment to make that a Cox Solutions location is less exciting/valuable than the concepts we lost.

Exactly. It isn't completely ruined, but it's not the slam dunk it would have been with the original tenants. Still looking forward to the Drake.

For me, Flashback Retropub was what I was looking forward to the most in this development. Hopefully they are able to open in another location.

[NWOKCGuy]

People need to decide if they are only eager for entertainment districts or true urban communities with all types of goods and services people use everyday. The kids tend to want only bars and restaurants. We need all kinds of businesses in our mixed use areas.

I don't think anyone has an issue with a Cox Solutions store being in uptown. The issue is having it in a retail center that was supposed to be upscale.

They need to fill their spaces with good paying tenants who can make money themselves. If everyone was jumping all over themselves to locate there then they may have had even better choices.

I don't know about jumping but according to this article one year ago they were flocking to it....

Retailers flocking to The Rise at NW 23 and Walker in Oklahoma City | News OK

[bchris02]

Cox Solutions seems like something you would recruit to simply lease a space when there are no better options. Almost like a fallback plan.

[Pete]

The most disappointing thing is no rooftop bar, which was a key design feature and would have made a very cool scene combined with Gusto and Pump.

Considering the building is still not even close to being finished, you think they would have held out for a better use.

[bchris02]

The most disappointing thing is no rooftop bar, which was a key design feature and would have made a very cool scene combined with Gusto and Pump.

Considering the building is still not even close to being finished, you think they would have held out for a better use.

I agree. We are probably looking at a Summer 2015 opening at the earliest. You would think they could have found better tenants by then. I was really looking forward to the rooftop bar.