What Sought After Big Brand Chains Indicate a City/Metro has "Arrived?" (middle-class, hotel)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Just for kicks, thought I'd see what people think with this poll.
What sought after retail, restaurant, hotel, entertainment or attraction type national big brand chains, indicate a metro is on its way to being at the status where its residents think it should be?
In other words, which of these "cool" or "high end" chains make your metro a more attractive place to live or visit?
*Patagonia Store
*Crate and Barrel
*Pottery Barn
*West Elm
*Nordstrom
*Ikea
*Google store
*Amazon retail store
*Apple Store
*Samsung store
*Dave n Buster's
*Top Golf
*Cheesecake Factory
*Maggiano's
*Palm Steakhouse
*4 Seasons Hotel
*Ritz Carlton
*Westin Hotel
*Hard Rock Cafe
*Margaritaville Hotel
*Other (list it)
Yeah, Apple Stores are kinda rare. Offhand I can only think of three in the Chicago area: two in the city and one in Naperville.
Anyway, yeah, I think the big chains most correlated with status/prestige would include Apple Stores, Pottery Barn, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, maybe Google Stores (I don't think I've seen one of those so I wouldn't know), maybe Nordstrom. Probably not IKEA; I think those are pretty widespread. And I've seen Top Golfs in some pretty average middle-class areas.
Honestly, I’m not impressed by any of those. Most metros over 2-3 million (including many smaller ones) are going to have a lot of those businesses. Has Kansas City “made it” because they landed a Top Golf in Overland Park? Did Birmingham “make it” when they landed an Apple Store?
Apple, Whole Foods, Philz Coffee (Currently in DC, Chicago and Bay Area only)
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
