Depressing State of the Boulevard at the Capital Centre (Columbia: for sale, crime rates)

[bowian]

Originally Posted by harrism2

The only way I see Nordstrom at Woodmore (which is a strong possibility) is if they also get high end hotels to open there too, upscale housing such as loft condos and all brick townhomes and Class A office buildings. But the county must work in step with the developer to sell that location; which may mean some major tax incentives also.

There are signs advertising townhouses and additional single family houses being built at Woodmore Town Centre. From the rendering on the sign, the townhouses look like they will be brick. Of course, it depends on what the site plan contains. You're right about what the county needs to do.

[adelphi_sky]

Originally Posted by bowian

This is interesting. But I can see a Nordstrom at Woodmore Town Centre. Or even Bowie Town Center, if the robbery/burglary crimes are under control. But the big question is what quality of merchandise will the Nordstrom's carry? We've discussed merchandise tiers in this forum in the past. As an example, Macy's opened with some anticipation, but the quality of the stock at BTC is a bit on the cheap and bland side.

You won't see a Nordstroms at Woodmore or Bowie. Think of where Nordstrom's is now. Look at the retail mixes nearby. In addition, you normally see Nordstrom's attached to enclosed malls and rarely as standalone stores. BTC and Woodmore are both open-air formats.

Nordstrom Rack is a totally different concept and would probably fit at Woodmoore or BTC.

[adelphi_sky]

Originally Posted by harrism2

The only way I see Nordstrom at Woodmore (which is a strong possibility) is if they also get high end hotels to open there too, upscale housing such as loft condos and all brick townhomes and Class A office buildings. But the county must work in step with the developer to sell that location; which may mean some major tax incentives also.

Too bad Woodmoore now has to compete with Westphalia, inner beltway communities now becoming popular, and pretty soon, Konterra. It will be interesting to see how these suburban pods of retail survive in an increasingly urban and transit-focused society.

[BubbaSkinner]

Originally Posted by harrism2

The only way I see Nordstrom at Woodmore (which is a strong possibility) is if they also get high end hotels to open there too, upscale housing such as loft condos and all brick townhomes and Class A office buildings. But the county must work in step with the developer to sell that location; which may mean some major tax incentives also.

LOL, Nordstrom would never come here. We all know Nordstrom has some nice designer stuff, but it is definitely priced very high (all relative because to the truly wealthy, Nordstrom is like JC Penny). The wealthy areas of PG County are not large enough to support a Nordstrom because there is not enough real wealth. Many in PG County who contribute to this "wealthy" image, actually only have the appearance of wealth. They may live in $700,000+ homes when purchased but now they are vastly underwater, they may drive a nice luxury car but could not afford to buy it outright, they may be up to their nose in credit card/student loan debt, but since many feel they make a decent $100,000 a year for the federal government or $150,000 plus private industry, many think this is wealth......of course until they lose their job.

Then you have those in certain areas of (Annapolis, Mo County, VA) who live in modest homes, drive modest cars and look like the average joe who could be worth $2 million +. Those are the clientale for a Nordstroms. Those folks who shop at Nordstrom don't even blink about spending $1,000 for a suit, $500 for a dress or $250 for a pair of jeans. Some in PG County may be able to afford this, but are there enough them? No. And the small amount who could truly afford to shop at Nordstrom, would they shop there? Maybe not.
Nordstrom knows this. PG County is more suited for a Nordstrom Rack.

[tcave360]

Originally Posted by harrism2

The renovated movie theatre in Waldorf with the red leather recliners just has me hooked! I can just lean back in those seats like I was in my family room and relax while the movie is playing. Brandywine Xscape theatre is nice too but Im not a big fan of stadium seating and their recliners dont feel as comfortable. Plus the reserved seating in Waldorf is a big plus...I like knowing where Im going to sit so I buy my tickets online and pick out my seat

I really dont like any of the Golden Corrals in the DC area; down south the food and service is wayyyy better. But the one time I did go to the Golden Corral at the BLVD I took a senior to treat her to lunch. I was shocked when this young man took a clean plate off the table where a couple was sitting! The couple was speechless also because he didnt even ask or say anything. Needless to say we never went back. The county needs to focus on maintaining and improving existing retail centers while at the same time building new ones with the stores the county has missed for years.

I was a little blown that my seat wasn't reclining when me and my bestie were watching the new Hunger Games movie there back in December. I think her seat reclined but mines didn't seemed to work and on top of that, we were sitting at the very bottom looking up at the massive screen lol. Didn't stop me from enjoying the film though

And yeah, I can see the advantages of assigned seating especially since you won't have to deal with people seating in your own seat while you went away to the restroom, concession stand, etc.

And wow, that is just unbelievable about what happened to that couple. Smh, I can see that leaving a bad impression for good long while.

[tcave360]

Originally Posted by harrism2

I remember many years ago when Wayne Curry was in office he demanded that developers not just throw up housing developments but start making them unique with special visual features much like in MoCo. The county officials need to do the same with retail center owners; require they do something unique and upscale not just the run of the mill center. Loudon couty has shopping centers with large outdoor fire pits and Bellagio type water features. Even Richmond has a unique new mall concept. You must build something unique and attractive to keep up with the rising incomes of the middle class in the county so they wont go elsewhere to shop. And trust me, by the large numbers of whites I saw at the Harbor over the weekend with VA tags they will come if it is nice!

My concern is that the up and coming retail centers will be based on opposite ends of the county: National Harbor and Laurel. I definitely see a Cheesecake Factory or PFChangs at the MGM hotel at the harbor or maybe Laurel. Quite as it is kept Nordstrom is real close to making a deal in the county but they want to build in an area that fits their image...that may end up being the harbor or laurel. Also a Dave and Busters would be nice anywhere but really at the Woodmore Center.

Say whaaaa They must've kept a tight lid because I wasn't aware of this!

[tcave360]

Originally Posted by eyendis

I believe the liquor store is still there. And frequently there are people hanging out in the mornings along the roadway between The Home Depot and 7-eleven, I guess looking for day work. To me, this is also a turn off for Kingdom Square.

Oh wow, they're still looking for work? I kept seeing them hanging around there back in 2012 whenever my mom drove me there to PGCC to avoid traffic.

[harrism2]

Originally Posted by tcave360

Say whaaaa They must've kept a tight lid because I wasn't aware of this!

Just quoting what I heard from some in the commercial real estate market. But it seems like it will still be a few years but Baker seems like he has a positive image so he may be able to get it moving faster with the company CEO.

[bowian]

Originally Posted by adelphi_sky

You won't see a Nordstroms at Woodmore or Bowie. Think of where Nordstrom's is now.

Ok, Annapolis Mall.

Originally Posted by adelphi_sky

Look at the retail mixes nearby.

Annapolis Mall has JCPenney (we have one at WTC), Sears (we have one at BTC), Macy's (we have one at BTC), Victoria's Secret and I believe a Bath and Body Works (we have those at BTC). Granted, we don't have Michael Kors, Ann Taylor, Coach and the other more upscale stores. But outside of that, we have a lot of what Annapolis Mall has in terms of the larger anchors, at BTC and WTC.

Originally Posted by adelphi_sky

In addition, you normally see Nordstrom's attached to enclosed malls and rarely as standalone stores. BTC and Woodmore are both open-air formats.

So is City Creek Center, in Utah, where a Nordstrom's has opened. I don't know how it is doing there, however.

City Creek Center - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Originally Posted by adelphi_sky

Nordstrom Rack is a totally different concept and would probably fit at Woodmoore or BTC.

Meh. You can put a Nordstrom Rack anywhere. We need to aim higher.

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by bowian

Ok, Annapolis Mall.



Annapolis Mall has JCPenney (we have one at WTC), Sears (we have one at BTC), Macy's (we have one at BTC), Victoria's Secret and I believe a Bath and Body Works (we have those at BTC). Granted, we don't have Michael Kors, Ann Taylor, Coach and the other more upscale stores. But outside of that, we have a lot of what Annapolis Mall has in terms of the larger anchors, at BTC and WTC.



So is City Creek Center, in Utah, where a Nordstrom's has opened. I don't know how it is doing there, however.

City Creek Center - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



Meh. You can put a Nordstrom Rack anywhere. We need to aim higher.

Annapolis also has a Nordstrom's and a Jared's (hate the commercials). Plus a bunch of others.

What killed the Boulevard were the early problems, they opened bad and the impression stayed that way. They weren't that far from the former Landover Mall and got spillover from that area.

What I find interesting in these threads, remember I just work in PG and don't live there, is that some posters are willing to put up with a certain level of bad/criminal behavior with a "That's life". That's how the St. Charles Mall almost lost it all. It's improving but they've lost a large customer base, never to return. Brandywine is now (according to my students) also having issues.