urbanMSP

Just read an article that Kowalskis is looking to expand in the Twin Cities with small format stores. I could see them putting one here!

I don't think Kowalski's could compete with Whole Foods and Target nearby.

Hm. I bet it could, focused primarily on prepared foods and fresh produce. It would be significantly upmarket from Target (and Walgreens, which has prepared food too) and, unlike Whole Foods, connected to the skyway.

Positioned more like a food hall lunch place (kinda like the old Dayton's basement), I think it could do well as long as they (1) keep the footprint small enough, and (2) have access to common space for people to sit and eat.

Hm. I bet it could, focused primarily on prepared foods and fresh produce. It would be significantly upmarket from Target (and Walgreens, which has prepared food too) and, unlike Whole Foods, connected to the skyway.

Positioned more like a food hall lunch place (kinda like the old Dayton's basement), I think it could do well as long as they (1) keep the footprint small enough, and (2) have access to common space for people to sit and eat.

I would definitely go to Kowalski's over Whole Foods any day if given the option. I think the Dayton's location would not have a hard time doing well with the office-worker contingent.

Hm. I bet it could, focused primarily on prepared foods and fresh produce. It would be significantly upmarket from Target (and Walgreens, which has prepared food too) and, unlike Whole Foods, connected to the skyway.

Positioned more like a food hall lunch place (kinda like the old Dayton's basement), I think it could do well as long as they (1) keep the footprint small enough, and (2) have access to common space for people to sit and eat.

Count me in on thinking that a small scale Kowalski's could work. I can do about 80% of my grocery shopping at the Target downtown. It's that other 20% (fresh produce, meat, raw ingredients) that I find myself needing to swing by a full sized grocery store. I'm sure they'd do their market research and make the store complementary to the Target store. But this is all hypothetical.

Been watching crews unearth this beautiful old Dayton’s sign over the last few days on the Southern exterior (where LaSalle terminates at 8th) of the Dayton’s mega block by removing an existing facade. Also noticed crews removed the blackout covering on the Nicollet side windows a few stories up finally bringing daylight to the inside of this building. Optimistic we are going to get a diamond instead of a turd at the end of this project.

First tenant for the new Daytons is a food hall by Andrew Zimmern

40k sqft

Mid 2019 opening

http://www.citypages.com/restaurants/an ... /463663813

Very exciting news!

Andrew Zimmern to develop food hall at Dayton's Project on Nicollet Mall
Star Tribune

Andrew Zimmern joining Minneapolis Dayton's Project with food hall concept
Business Journal

Just for comparison, here's what's being proposed on the site of the former Hudson's store in Detroit. The original store was spectacularly imploded almost 20 years ago.

It would be exciting to have somebody with the chutzpah of Dan Gilbert working in Minneapolis.

What makes a 800' tower viable in Detroit, but not Minneapolis? We can't even get the lousy Gateway off the ground.

Ah man, I wanted to get work done tonight. Now I'll be playing Sim Tower instead.

What makes a 800' tower viable in Detroit, but not Minneapolis?

From the developer's website:

Bedrock is a full service commercial real estate firm based in downtown Detroit specializing in the strategic development of urban cores.

It's probably not any more viable in Detroit than here, they just happen to have a homegrown developer with a vested interest in building a monument.

What makes a 800' tower viable in Detroit, but not Minneapolis? We can't even get the lousy Gateway off the ground.

Money from the state.

I can think of a dozen ways for the state of Michigan to benefit the city of Detroit that are superior to subsidizing a tall building.

As far a Dan Gilbert goes:

I am surprised that Hudson Site's website doesn't feature Comic Sans.

He is one of those guys who got rich selling before the early aughts tech bubble (similar to Mark Cuban), he just happened to later, buy the company he used to own.

You gotta give it up to him for buying up and fixing up many architectural gems in Detroit.

Ah man, I wanted to get work done tonight. Now I'll be playing Sim Tower instead.

Check out Yoot Tower. It is basically Sim Tower 2.0, and the lead programmer (Yoot Saito) is the same. I still occasionally fire it up.

Strib Update.

Boggles my mind that they looked at a marble drinking fountain and said "Nope, throw some drywall right over that".

At least they didn't take a sledge hammer to it first...

Last week I went to Union Market in Washington DC, it's a huge food hall with a great variety of food vendors and lots of seating. I'm hopeful that this project turns out in a similar way.

Just how much of this space is being allocated to office becomes more apparent with these maps. It'll be nice if they could get tenants similar to Jack Links that'll be willing to have a small store front and offices. Boomchickapop could move from Harmon Place and there are obviously others who have offices relating to their business with Target. Although it may be a stretch it'll be nice if General Mills some marketing or etc. over. (I've heard a lot of the businesses in the suburbs have minor Downtown offices.)

Didn't we hear a rumor a few months ago that they had a tenant or two locked down?

51k daily skyway trips vs 20k pedestrians on Nicollet mall ...sigh...