Harry's closing on the heels of Mike Shannon's restaurant... (Ferguson: appointed, 2014)

[MUTGR]

Harry's Restaurant & Bar, Horizon at Harry's closing Jan. 30 : Entertainment

...article doesn't paint a pretty picture for downtown right now.

[Dawn10am]

Ballpark Village was a mistake

[MUTGR]

Originally Posted by Dawn10am

Ballpark Village was a mistake

Do that many people go there on non-baseball days? I've been there a couple of times to meet people before games but would never consider just going there otherwise.

[Caesarstl]

Originally Posted by Dawn10am

Ballpark Village was a mistake

Allowing a simple bar mall to not only be tolerated, but even celebrated by some when the city was sold things like condo towers, hotels and office towers is a continued black eye for the region...

That being said, I'll tell you something else these two restaurants had in common: ok at best food with high prices. Being a "landmark" or having ambiance only gets you so far.

[PerseusVeil]

Originally Posted by Caesarstl

Allowing a simple bar mall to not only be tolerated, but even celebrated by some when the city was sold things like condo towers, hotels and office towers is a continued black eye for the region...

That being said, I'll tell you something else these two restaurants had in common: ok at best food with high prices. Being a "landmark" or having ambiance only gets you so far.

BPV isn't bad for what it is pre and post-game, but, if none of the additional phases ever materialize, it certainly doesn't measure up to what was initially detailed.

As for the competition, it has a few places to eat and a few bars besides its general big screen area. Downtown business owners can ***** and moan that BPV has singlehandedly ruined their restaurants, Washington Ave, etc, but they too had to of been doing something wrong to lose so many customers.

Even in the article Harry's points out that they've been doing badly for years. BPV may have been the final nail, but it sounds like they were on the way out no matter what.

[mjtinmemphis]

I've lived here for a year and a half and love eating out and have never been to either one. I see their clientele as mostly suburban who come in for a game. I don't think too many who live downtown eat at either restaurants.

Sugarfire will be opening soon in MX. They will do really well as a neighborhood restaurant as well as on game day.

BPV was built for Cardinal fans not as a staple for downtown. Last week when I was there I noticed quite a few closed restaurants. If they immediately built the office and condo towers I think it would have made sense. And could have possibly grown some retail as well.

I spoke with a downtown business man last year about the Ferguson effect and I think its kicking in as we write. When the rams did their little hands up don't shoot stance last in 2014, the fans went crazy with discuss. When the Card fans interacted with the protesters that didn't do anything to help the image of our city. Downtown isn't Ferguson but people in kirkwood and towns like will link it to Ferguson and not want to visit.

Downtown is a great neighborhood but needs to work on getting corporations to relocate to the area. The region is too fragmented to have a thriving downtown.

I am still hopeful downtown growth will pick up after the Arch grounds re open next year. Hopefully we can get some of our festivals back from the suburbs. We've got to do better than Pride and race for the cure. Every weekend there should be some sort of music or food fest to bring people in.

I am really disappointed that they've let the DT workforce drop below 100k and not have mayor say anything about it but when the Rams left he wants to be concerned.

[Dawn10am]

Originally Posted by MUTGR

Do that many people go there on non-baseball days? I've been there a couple of times to meet people before games but would never consider just going there otherwise.

Yes. It's a big attraction even when the Cards aren't playing. People seem to really like that squeaky clean, generic, mall food court vibe.

[carloslevy]

Non-baseball-following transplant's opinion.

I've been there (Ballpark Village) once - it's OK, blandly pleasant but nothing spectacular. I'm just grateful they serve Schlafly and Urban Chestnut as an alternative to the urine produced at Arsenal and Broadway.

I'd much rather hang out at the UC Loop or Soulard.

[FrankMiller]

Ballpark Village hasn't been built yet. You guys mean Ballpark Building.

[Fishtacos]

Originally Posted by FrankMiller

Ballpark Village hasn't been built yet. You guys mean Ballpark Building.

Exactly.

Many years ago when I first heard about BPV, I was encouraged because I thought it was going to be a collection of many different buildings of retail, office, living. I expected the bars, restaurants, etc...to be many different built storefronts front and back, not an indoor mall. Unfortunately some of the quality of the establishments are not great nor distinctive. However, it is still newer and convenient geographically.

As for other places, at some point those establishments need to look in the mirror and look at themselves aa part of the problem instead of simply scapegoating. Several of these places were not offering anything that would distinguish themselves as a destination in comparison to their competitors. Right now it is the trend to blame BPV for everything. Instead of dog ate my homework people can simply say BPV.