Mellow Mushroom to Open Up in 'town Space??

[simms3]

WOW WOW WOW.

1) Tried 'town when it was new.  Ordered red snapper and was served straight up salmon.  The server tried to tell me that red snapper is actually red, but despite the blatant cover up, and even if red snapper were red, it still tasted like salmon, a fish I can order just as fresh in Atlanta or STL as Jacksonville.  Other than that insulting service, I did not think it was overpriced or bad at all.  Too bad it couldn't survive in one of the most "sophisticated" restaurant scenes in the city.

2) Holy moly, what's all this coming out about people being upset at all the new restaurants and all the action in the Shoppes and in Avondale?  What?  If people in Avondale can't take a little more vibrancy, then who the hell can in Jacksonville?  And restaurants are doing ok now, much better than retail.  Let the restaurants open because there aren't nearly enough shops to go around.

[cline]

2) Holy moly, what's all this coming out about people being upset at all the new restaurants and all the action in the Shoppes and in Avondale?  What?  If people in Avondale can't take a little more vibrancy, then who the hell can in Jacksonville?  And restaurants are doing ok now, much better than retail.  Let the restaurants open because there aren't nearly enough shops to go around.

There are plenty of folks that actually live in Avondale (not Atlanta) that welcome a new restaurant who aren't upset at all about MM coming into the Shoppes.  Many of them post on this board.  But evidently you're "on the ground" here so you know better. 

[ben says]

WOW WOW WOW.

1) Tried 'town when it was new.  Ordered red snapper and was served straight up salmon.  The server tried to tell me that red snapper is actually red, but despite the blatant cover up, and even if red snapper were red, it still tasted like salmon, a fish I can order just as fresh in Atlanta or STL as Jacksonville.  Other than that insulting service, I did not think it was overpriced or bad at all.  Too bad it couldn't survive in one of the most "sophisticated" restaurant scenes in the city.

2) Holy moly, what's all this coming out about people being upset at all the new restaurants and all the action in the Shoppes and in Avondale?  What?  If people in Avondale can't take a little more vibrancy, then who the hell can in Jacksonville?  And restaurants are doing ok now, much better than retail.  Let the restaurants open because there aren't nearly enough shops to go around.

It seems that you're getting more outwardly hostile and sarcastic as the days go on...

2) Holy moly, what's all this coming out about people being upset at all the new restaurants and all the action in the Shoppes and in Avondale?  What?  If people in Avondale can't take a little more vibrancy, then who the hell can in Jacksonville?  And restaurants are doing ok now, much better than retail.  Let the restaurants open because there aren't nearly enough shops to go around.

There are plenty of folks that actually live in Avondale (not Atlanta) that welcome a new restaurant who aren't upset at all about MM coming into the Shoppes.  Many of them post on this board.  But evidently you're "on the ground" here so you know better. 

+1000

[simms3]

What is openly hostile or sarcastic to what I said?  Has nobody on this board dealt with a crass or dry person?  Does everyone have to be sweet and sensitive?  Grow a fucking skin people.  It's ok to be emotional.  It's me versus literally every last person on this whole forum and I'm still here.  Been here on and off for 6-7 years since there was a prior MetroJax.  God damn, every person I work with in my job is a brutal, dry tell it to your face person.  WTF is that not allowed on this forum and is that not Kosher in Jacksonville?  It's a forum about ideas and getting shit done, hopefully, not about protecting people's sensitivities and insecurities.  If the city were babied as much as people seem to baby this board, then oh wait, the city has been babied for so long and look at the mess it's in.  Nobody's insulting posters here, it's all directed presumably at the city, neighborhoods, policies, etc etc.  No need to take it personally.

Also, cline and bensays, I was merely responding to the posts above me discussing in excellent detail the now apparent battle and issue residents have with all the new restaurants, the fact that they stay open late and the parking problems they seem to cause.  Perhaps you should read other people's posts for context before you just jump on the attack bandwagon.

PS: I will be in Avondale tomorrow morning.  I'm coming HOME for the weekend.  I spent 18 friggin years in the area, so I think I know it pretty well, and I can post and ASK questions as I have done here.

PPS: Every motherflippin go-getter in NYC, the most serious of all cities, is a badass hardliner.  Let's keep the small town sensibilities and sensitivities and the small town mentality out of this forum and work on getting the big city mentality you posters supposedly want, and it starts with cutting the crap.

[ben says]

Simms, I was being sarcastic. Could careless. Anytime someone uses the phrase "as the days go on..." they're being facetious. At least that's what I thought...

And as for my +1000 comment, I was reiterating the fact that while the Avondale shop owners don't want a strip of food vendors, there's plenty of us that don't mind.

[ben says]

Personally, I think the Avondale shop owners need to calm down. So f'ing concerned with maintaining god knows what. I say bring as many restaurants in as possible. We'll sort it out the way it's supposed to be sorted out: if the restaurants suck, they go out of business.

[undergroundgourmet]

Personally I think you need to ASK each and every shop owner in the strip what they think before you lump all of us together. I personally love the new restaurants. Anything is better than a business that doesn't draw in customers.
The more the better! Egads don't get me started...I had to erase/edit my comments...

[cline]

PS: I will be in Avondale tomorrow morning.  I'm coming HOME for the weekend.  I spent 18 friggin years in the area, so I think I know it pretty well, and I can post and ASK questions as I have done here.

Cool man!  I look forward to your insight.  I'll be in town tomorrow too.  PM me if you want to meet up.  I prefer early since I have to work.  Fox?  Let me know.

[simms3]

This is why I keep up on this forum.  Love it.  Shouting matches, yay (attempting to be lighthearted and humorous)

I can try to meet up; I'll PM you.

Someone put me in a room with a citycouncilman we don't like...I could focus my lack of sensibilities to said person, ha.

[kln1323]

i am a shop owner in Avondale. And as far as the other merchants they are against everything  Sherwin Williams they where against, Mojo's, 7-11, and really anything positive to growth.  I have heard the Avondale Merchants Assoc.  say "We need to keep large companies out and keep Avondale Small Business only".  The truth of the matter is a boarding up building is not helping mine or any other business  in the area.  Anything that is put in the gas station space  like MM is going to thrive and will probally end up doing better that what is in Avondale already.  So I'm not really sure that the merchant have any say over both pieces of property are privately owned.  And it really is about who can write the bigger check.  And MM won, finally no more boarded up gas station and a new guy coming in.  And MM is going to bring a customer that would never come to Avondale.  BECAUSE THEY HAVE HEARD THAT AVONDALE IS A OVER PRICED,  and PRETENTIOUS.  And that really needs to change.   

[simms3]

^^^Excellent!  Also, it's definitely more a boost of confidence in an area when "larger than independents and mom/pops" want to enter a market or submarket.  The thing with Avondale is that each building is owned separately.  It's difficult if not even possible for any one landlord to have complete say or control over the tenant mix.  Once a place like Avondale really gets going, and I mean it will require loosening of all sorts of growth restrictions and anti-growth sentiments, you'll see bigger time landlords and investors scooping up portfolios of these buildings because they'll be able to mold the Shoppes into something highly profitable to them and most likely better for most in the area.  Fifth Ave in Naples has always struck me as a good example for both Avondale and San Marco, but it's a real big stretch I think.  Perhaps even 5 Points or Homewood in Birmingham, but even there they allow 3-8 floor infill.  My company scooped up 28 buildings on Newbury St, and then some more.  We also scooped up I think 11 buildings on M Street in Georgetown.  We have our investors' bottom lines and the community's best interest simultaneously aligned, if you can believe it.  Of course those are the most extreme examples.

[outofhere]

Live in Avondale and would prefer a 7-11 to MM. It has to do w/ a healthy mix of stores. I don't need a pizza everyday but there are things that 7-11 offers that can't be purchased anywhere else in the Shoppes.

[Kaiser Soze]

2) Holy moly, what's all this coming out about people being upset at all the new restaurants and all the action in the Shoppes and in Avondale?  What?  If people in Avondale can't take a little more vibrancy, then who the hell can in Jacksonville?  And restaurants are doing ok now, much better than retail.  Let the restaurants open because there aren't nearly enough shops to go around.

I don't think you are getting any hostility from folks on here.  I think MM would do wonderful in that location.  I do hope that, as restaurant seating increases, patrons recognize that it is a neighborhood and not a mall parking lot.  I live two streets from Monty's/Mojos and we get a lot of folks flying down our street.  Had some drunk chick run into my car last Friday night and drive off.  Luckily, the JSO caught her. 

We purchased in the area because we liked the shops and being close to the action.  We still love it.  But there has certainly been an increase in people driving like aholes looking for parking spots or flying down backstreets.

[mtraininjax]

And it really is about who can write the bigger check.  And MM won, finally no more boarded up gas station and a new guy coming in.  And MM is going to bring a customer that would never come to Avondale.  BECAUSE THEY HAVE HEARD THAT AVONDALE IS A OVER PRICED,  and PRETENTIOUS.  And that really needs to change.   

Shoppes of Avondale are not the King Street district. While the SofA are concerned with the decision affecting Kickbacks and the parking issue, there will always be compromise. The SofA owners will ultimately not be able to stop MM from coming into the space. If MM uses the gas station for parking, it only affects the Brick employees, since they were leasing the space, but it puts 20-30 more cars on the street, or hopefully gets more people to walk, carpool, or ride their bike (since many of the servers live in the area).

But the SofA is not the King Street district. What Steve and Scott want to do there affects Jim Love and Liz Grenamyer and their stores/offices. When Catering by Liz moved in there, I am sure she had no idea that Kickback's wanted to add a 350 seat addition either. So the same could be said for the mix of retail and restaurants in Avondale. There does need to be a mix, because you cannot have all restaurants and continue to thrive, case in point is Virginia Avenue in Atlanta. The smell of bleach is constant from washing the floors from the night before, and more renters have moved in the area, and more issues with APD, but its a choice for the residents. If residents want more restaurants, the area will change, and we have models to show it.

MM could certainly reconfigure the Benham building, since its owned by her, and then live easily in that space. But there are a lot of merchants who have a lot of GOB attorneys on speed dial and who also have RAP's ear, so this is not going to be quick, painless or easy for MM, depending on what they plan to do and how they plan to operate. Mojos moved in and the fear was bikers, late night events, and other issues, based on what people saw in other locations, and so far, they have been an excellent part of the SofA, time will tell, but I hope a compromise can be made as well with MM to become a welcomed addition to the area.

[JeffreyS]

I love their idea of using the Gas Station as their bar focused on craft beer, outdoor seating, beer garden water feature and the town space as the main dining room and kitchen. Yes MTrain it will be smaller than the other locations.