Downtown retail surge brings more investors

[I-10east]

Ah man, that trip to Margaret Street, and Riverside is an arduous journey; It seems like forever to get there; By time I get to DT, in a car (which most caffeine addicted yuppies have BTW) or maybe even the bus trolley my Starbucks Coffee will be ice cold. 

Since when did Starbucks Coffee become the benchmark of a successful DT? That what be like arguing that Wal-Mart is the benchmark for a successful city hell, I'll pick that before overpriced yuppie and hipster laden Starbucks. They tried at 11 East, and it failed, whatdaya want?

[simms3]

Starbucks or lack thereof isn't a benchmark, but rather a vital sign - and that vital sign does not have a pulse.  Ask yourself this - why would Starbucks keep a location in 5 Points, but not in the middle of the city's most concentrated and 2nd largest office market?

10 million people a year visit SJTC.  6 million a year pass through JIA.  If only 25,000 people are employed in the CBD (Northbank), and they show up to work 250 days a year, that's 6,250,000 potential "customers", not including visitors and tourists.  SJTC has several Starbucks.  JIA has 1, I think it had 2 at one point.  Downtown has 0.  There is definitely something wrong when Starbucks doesn't want to open a coffee shop in your downtown, and the reason is not because of a plethora of competing Caribou Coffees (which would still spur them to open to give people options).

Similarly:

One of the city's few landmarks and last vestiges of history is gone, and potentially due to a misappropriation of city funds.  YET, there is not a peep on this nor a public outcry over the missing money and the missing landmark.  I'm talking the G&C Clock, and the vital sign is the public concern - there is no pulse again. (had the potential misappropriation held up a desired road project there would be news story after news story)

Similarly:

If the city even hints at throwing money at downtown improvements, such as the Northbank Riverwalk, there is public backlash.  This is a vital sign reading the temperature of the people, and instead of being 98 degrees, their temperature is 89 degrees, completely backwards.  The people should be running a fever to get this city back on track.

[ChriswUfGator]

Actually Starbucks primarily closed stores that had been open less than 2 years

Anither po-Tuf-kin village, when did the landing Starbucks open?

[thelakelander]

The Landing Starbucks was there for at least 10 years.

http://jacksonville.com/entertainment/food-and-dining/2011-03-18/story/starbucks-close-jacksonville-landing

[tufsu1]

Actually Starbucks primarily closed stores that had been open less than 2 years

Anither po-Tuf-kin village, when did the landing Starbucks open?

how about you stop putting in digs for a minute and look at my earlier post, where I noted that the Landing Starbucks was not closed because of corporate downsizing, but because of slow sales at the store itself....as for when the store at the Landing opened, I believe Lake has answered that question.

[tufsu1]

I was not making any digs regarding the Starbucks issue.  I was just noting that one store closed as part of corporate downsizing, while the other was closed because of poor performance of the local store itself.

I was also asked earlier in the thread to provide a listing of new small businesses that had recently opened downtown...so I did just that.

I am really sorry that you continually misunderstand or misinterpret things I say.  And yes, I do feel that I have been and continue to be a strong advocate for making downtown a better place.

[fsquid]

FFS, there is a stinking Starbucks in Julington Creek.

I do miss Caribou Coffee though, preferred that when I wanted to treat myself.

[ChriswUfGator]

FWIW, even Macclenny Florida has a (rather busy) Starbucks now, I sometimes stop there in the mornings on the way to the courthouse over there.

What's the population of Macclenny again?

[urbanlibertarian]

7eleven, dollar store and McDonald's will serve wokers and residents DT same as they would anywhere and arguably better than what they're replacing.  That's positive.

[Debbie Thompson]

Several of the largest office buildings within a block or two of the Starbucks at the Landing, whose workers could have supported the Starbucks, have coffee shops in the building.  Speaking only for myself, if I wanted to buy an over-priced cuppa Joe, I spent my money at the coffee shop in BoA Tower instead of walking the block to the Landing.  I know, it's only a block, but it's farther than in your own building.

[fsujax]

Isn't the Starbucks in Macclenny right next to I-10 at the Super Walmart? I would hardly call that Downtown Macclenny.

[ChriswUfGator]

Isn't the Starbucks in Macclenny right next to I-10 at the Super Walmart? I would hardly call that Downtown Macclenny.

I would hardly call downtown Macclenny much of a "downtown," period. But how does that change the fact that Macclenny Florida can support a starbucks and downtown Jacksonville obviously cannot?

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

Isn't the Starbucks in Macclenny right next to I-10 at the Super Walmart? I would hardly call that Downtown Macclenny.

I would hardly call downtown Macclenny much of a "downtown," period. But how does that change the fact that Macclenny Florida can support a starbucks and downtown Jacksonville obviously cannot?

Well, 'Jacksonville' has plenty of Starbucks, so are we done comparing the two.

[tufsu1]

Isn't the Starbucks in Macclenny right next to I-10 at the Super Walmart? I would hardly call that Downtown Macclenny.

please don't confuse this discussion with facts

[ChriswUfGator]

Isn't the Starbucks in Macclenny right next to I-10 at the Super Walmart? I would hardly call that Downtown Macclenny.

please don't confuse this discussion with facts

You certainly never do...