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No sir not at all. Columbia has some of the finest mechanics in the state.
I just understand that some BMW models are assembled in a region with a work force that is less than stellar. I just can't recall the particular area right now.
I honestly hope you are being sarcastic. As noted, I was absolutely kidding with my comment. BMW runs a very tight ship and produces nothing less than their best here, and has done so for nearly 20 years now, with plenty of expansion along the way.
Or pretending to be from Columbia in order to trash it elsewhere online when you're really from Greenville. You probably didn't know about that though.
No, I honestly don't know anything about that. I don't dislike Columbia enough to act like I am from there only to bash it. I have more important things to do.
On a totally different note, I am curious about the area that is at the corner of Huger and Gervais. It’s the vacant area that looks unkempt. Does anyone know if there are plans to develop that area?
The owner of that plot has stated they will only sell if a project worthy of a "gateway" location comes along. There was talk of SCANA building their headquarters there before they decided to get away from an increasing city tax burden by moving across the river. A concern I recall reading about was the owner didn't want another McDonald's on what should be prime commercial property. That was a jab at the McDonald's located directly across from that tract on a corner that had equal potential.
The owner of that land, Jerry Kline, is waiting to do it up right. He has only the city's best interests in mind. The adjacent old bus barn property is in the process of being cleaned up with a federal grant. When that property's clean, that whole swath along Huger will be available for development.
Last edited by Charlestondata; 05-09-2010 at 05:53 AM..
Reason: typo
I had to go back to re-read the article so that I was clear on the columnist’s argument. Essentially, the columnist contends that Columbia does not have high-end retailers due to its geography. As the articles states, “you’re not going to drive all the way to Irmo if you live at Village at Sandhill to go to Costco.” The conclusion is: “you’ve got to pick your side.” And, it’s this “picking sides” that precludes the influx of high-end retailers.
I stated that I did not buy this argument. Now, I will admit that there may be some peculiar dynamics about Columbia that I am unaware, which could possibly make the columnist’s argument more salable. However, taking her argument at face-value, I do not believe that she describes dynamics that are endemic to Columbia. They may be notable when compared to Greenville and Charleston. But, make no mistake about it, many cities experience such dynamics. In some ways, I liken these dynamics to cities that are surrounded by several municipalities/ towns. That is, you have a city with several surrounding towns (e.g., Columbia being the big city and the surrounding towns being Irmo, Forest Acres, etc.). To an outsider, the entire area may be considered Columbia, yet locals are aware of the distinctions. These towns may often define themselves by creating their own shopping areas. It could be the case that these “outer” shopping areas compete with one another. However, it is more plausible that, as these shopping areas grow, they compete with the larger city’s downtown area. This is especially the case when these “outer” shopping areas “house” many of the high-end retailers. This, of course, is not an earth-shattering point that I am making. Nevertheless, it is relevant one.
I have lived in many cities that have the dynamics that I just described. All of these cities, with the exception of Columbia, have Whole Foods Markets. Let me correct that. The Whole Foods Markets are located in one of the municipalities/ towns of the larger city. Thus, to get to the Whole Foods Market, anyone who does not live in that particular municipality/ town has to drive a good distance (i.e., 25 minutes or so). This is not a novel concept. Many people drive 30 minutes or so to shop. (This is particularly the case for wealthy customers who have more resources.) It happens in many cities. As I mentioned before, there could be some peculiar dynamics about Columbia that make this less true. Yet, I doubt it.
I think that there are a few reasons why Columbia does not have some of the high-end retailers that Greenville and Charleston has, and it has nothing to do with the argument that the columnist posits. I alluded to one of them earlier. 1) If there is a Costco at Harbison Boulevard and a Whole Foods Market at the Village of Sandhills, then that could possibly have a negative effect on Columbia’s downtown. This would especially be true if those areas got even more high-end retailers. Now, I am a big supporter of the growth of downtown areas. So, I think it would be nice for all of these high-end retailers to aim for Columbia’s downtown area. However, this idea would not sit well with some Columbia loyalist. This leads to my second reason why there are fewer high-end retailers in Columbia. 2) Some Columbia loyalists hate the notion of these types of retailers coming to Columbia (or its surrounding areas). This is because such retailers detract from Columbia’s charm and uniqueness. 3) Keeping with this point, the final reason has to do with Columbia’s intransigence. As you all know, South Carolina takes pride in its ability to be unyielding, even to its own peril. You can see a mini-version of this with this “high-end” retailer issue. The unyielding, in this case, is tied up in this “intra-state” rivalry with Charleston and Greenville. I suspect that some are resistant to high-end retailers coming to Columbia because they do not want Columbia to have the appearance of “doing things” like Charleston and Greenville. After all, Columbia is distinct – damn it!
I suspect that one (or every one) of these reasons underlie the paucity of high-end retailers in Columbia. Of course, it is late and I have had two glasses of wine. So, it could also be that all of my faculties are not working right now. See Akhenaton06, you had to ask for my opinion. Now you know why my friends always ask me to limit it to 5 minutes
On a totally different note, I am curious about the area that is at the corner of Huger and Gervais. It’s the vacant area that looks unkempt. Does anyone know if there are plans to develop that area?
As far as Whole Foods is concerned, it is a nice store, but I'm not driving 20 or 30 minutes to go grocery shopping. I shop at the Vista Publix, which is 2 minutes from my office and on my way home. Earthfare is near my gym so I can go there on the way home from there. I almost never go out to Harbison or Sandhills, which would be about 20 minute drives for me so I know I wouldn't drive that far to go grocery shopping unless there was something at that store I had to have and it wasn't available anywhere else. I'd be much more likely to order something online that I couldn't find close to home.
The lot at the corner of Huger and Gervais was to be a mixed-use project that was announced at the beginning of the recession and has not yet come to fruition. Here are some renderings of the project.
I honestly hope you are being sarcastic. As noted, I was absolutely kidding with my comment. BMW runs a very tight ship and produces nothing less than their best here, and has done so for nearly 20 years now, with plenty of expansion along the way.
Maybe the length of time it took to repair it had to do with what I've always heard: that BMWs are built to last, but that as with most foreign cars, when something does go wrong they are hell to have repaired because the parts are harder to get. And since Upstate people won't come to Columbia, I'm sure one day was wasted when the Columbia mechanic had to send someone up to Greer and back for the part once it got to Greer from Germany.
Maybe the length of time it took to repair it had to do with what I've always heard: that BMWs are built to last, but that as with most foreign cars, when something does go wrong they are hell to have repaired because the parts are harder to get. And since Upstate people won't come to Columbia, I'm sure one day was wasted when the Columbia mechanic had to send someone up to Greer and back for the part once it got to Greer from Germany.
This post makes no sense. I'm sorry, but the generalizations taking place in this post are disturbing.
What in the world would you find disturbing about my relating what I've heard about foreign car repairs and my joke about Upstate people not coming to Columbia? Maybe you should lighten up a little.
And since Upstate people won't come to Columbia, I'm sure one day was wasted when the Columbia mechanic had to send someone up to Greer and back for the part once it got to Greer from Germany.
I thought it was funny.
My experience with foreign cars--I'm on my third Toyota in the last 20 years. Repairs have been infrequent on all three vehicles, but they used to be more much more difficult and expensive. For years I avoided dealerships, since they had a reputation for being WAY overpriced. Now that there are multiple Toyota dealerships in every large U.S. city, their service departments compete with one another, driving prices down. I started going to a Toyota dealership when I had exhaust problems and three other mechanics gave me three different diagnoses and all wanted $2,000 plus to fix my vehicle. It was less than half that at the dealership to correctly diagnose and fix the problem, and my car has been fine since.
I drive a bit further to go to the Toyota dealership that I really like with a service person I trust, and now I have EVERYTHING done there, including oil changes and tires. Being a loyal Toyota owner, I know this dealership wants to keep my business, both for future sales and service.
But let me stay on topic and say that I'm sure Greenville has some perfectly lovely Toyota dealerships of their own.
Without getting shot I will say : I did not really like Columbia that much..
Now in all fairness my car broke down so Columbia there I was stuck for 5 days while they fixed it.
Had I been able to research it , I think I would have had a better idea about what to do there.
But as it stood , each day I was told my car would be ready and it was not.
Were you in a hotel for five days? Downtown or in the burbs?
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