Thread of National Business that May Not Survive Coronavirus

[Snake Diggity 4627]

39 minutes ago, Lobo said:

I didn't even realize Austin had a Fry's.  

Rumor from brokerage scene is that not this current round, but the next round of store closings will have the J.C. Penney at Barton Creek Square shutter.  And then possibly Macy's the year after that.  Sidenote-I don't see how Dillard's maintains that huge footprint at Barton Creek Square and also the massive custom built store out at the Hill Country Galleria.  They're just 10 miles apart and take up at least a half-million square feet between the "2" at BCSQ and THCG.  That's insane to me. 

Yeah Barton Creek Mall better have been proactive over the last year because they’re toast unless they have a massive conversion plan of some kind ready to implement. 

[LebongJames 1813]

That property has to be worth more redeveloped than it sits as a mall today. I would tear it down and build a smaller outdoor set up with MF like the Domain or Hill County Galleria.

[Guest Lobo]

Narrator:  "They weren't."  

They're continuing to build-out a "co-working" space of sorts in that section near Nordstrom.  Rumors continue to swirl about what they'll do with that Sears.  I've heard everything from a hotel to apartments to homeless housing.  People are still clamoring to get into Eanes I.S.D., I would think you could refit Sears to be 50+ units between the two floors and another 20 in the Auto Dept. area.  Carve out some windows/bolt on some balconies, and throw up a covered parking canopy over the south parking lot with keycard gates.  Nice little B-class property with interior hallway access and a gym.  Go for ~$1.50/ft.  Have Sears finish out the units with Kenmore appliances at cost to curry favor with the landlord.  Maybe a little rooftop cabana for residents only with that fantastic view of the downtown skyline.  

[Bevo 13593]

10 minutes ago, Lobo said:

Narrator:  "They weren't."  

They're continuing to build-out a "co-working" space of sorts in that section near Nordstrom.  Rumors continue to swirl about what they'll do with that Sears.  I've heard everything from a hotel to apartments to homeless housing.  People are still clamoring to get into Eanes I.S.D., I would think you could refit Sears to be 50+ units between the two floors and another 20 in the Auto Dept. area.  Carve out some windows/bolt on some balconies, and throw up a covered parking canopy over the south parking lot with keycard gates.  Nice little B-class property with interior hallway access and a gym.  Go for ~$1.50/ft.  Have Sears finish out the units with Kenmore appliances at cost to curry favor with the landlord.  Maybe a little rooftop cabana for residents only with that fantastic view of the downtown skyline.  

Don't let the government get involved and put in low income housing. Tear everything down and build a mini-Domain with housing, stores, and office space. I saw a really cool development in Louisville that would be a high-end solution for the space. It is a whole development with cute stores and cute smaller homes and townhomes with everything walkable.

 

 

[atomheartbevo 89775]

3 hours ago, Chet Steadman said:

The Austin Fry’s has been void of any inventory since about 2006.  

I’m convinced they closed around that time but they just accidentally left the power on and doors unlocked.  

3 hours ago, Lobo said:

I didn't even realize Austin had a Fry's.  

Fry's in Austin has been shit for many years, way before the pandemic, and I never understood why.

Early/mid-2000s, when I worked up in North Austin at a few tech companies, I swear, at least once a week a group of us would go to Fry's at lunch, and at least two people would come away with purchases.  I probably built a good half-dozen computers for the wife and I, as well as family members, from stuff I bought at Fry's - they had some really good deals at times, and good prices on a lot of stuff in general.

The place was always packed back then.

And then at some point they just stopped stocking, and the place started becoming a ghost town.

[Guest Lobo]

Yeah, one of their real estate guys described their stores as "Looks like a Circuit City got looted."  

[drt 640]

3 hours ago, Lobo said:

Narrator:  "They weren't."  

They're continuing to build-out a "co-working" space of sorts in that section near Nordstrom.  Rumors continue to swirl about what they'll do with that Sears.  I've heard everything from a hotel to apartments to homeless housing.  People are still clamoring to get into Eanes I.S.D., I would think you could refit Sears to be 50+ units between the two floors and another 20 in the Auto Dept. area.  Carve out some windows/bolt on some balconies, and throw up a covered parking canopy over the south parking lot with keycard gates.  Nice little B-class property with interior hallway access and a gym.  Go for ~$1.50/ft.  Have Sears finish out the units with Kenmore appliances at cost to curry favor with the landlord.  Maybe a little rooftop cabana for residents only with that fantastic view of the downtown skyline.  

The fact that that view is only accessible from a shopping mall might be the worst architectural travesty in this town.  

[BradInATX 9208]

1 hour ago, atomheartbevo said:

Fry's in Austin has been shit for many years, way before the pandemic, and I never understood why.

Early/mid-2000s, when I worked up in North Austin at a few tech companies, I swear, at least once a week a group of us would go to Fry's at lunch, and at least two people would come away with purchases.  I probably built a good half-dozen computers for the wife and I, as well as family members, from stuff I bought at Fry's - they had some really good deals at times, and good prices on a lot of stuff in general.

The place was always packed back then.

And then at some point they just stopped stocking, and the place started becoming a ghost town.

Early 2000s IT job (my first professional job) I'd drive from Bridgepoint by the 360 Bridge to either Alltex or Fry's anytime we needed a part. I'd always turn it into like a 4 hour lunch usually with a trip to the range at Golfsmith. Good times.

[pacman 7369]

https://www.inc.com/minda-zetlin/hertz-530-million-lawsuit-customers-arrested-bankruptcy-court.html

Hertz duscussed here, so made sense to post.

Rent from Hertz, you might have been arrested for car theft.

[Guest Lobo]

Are you still accruing #1 Gold Club points while sitting in jail?  

[Neonmoon 38130]

6 hours ago, pacman said:

https://www.inc.com/minda-zetlin/hertz-530-million-lawsuit-customers-arrested-bankruptcy-court.html

Hertz duscussed here, so made sense to post.

Rent from Hertz, you might have been arrested for car theft.

[AUS-97HORN 11813]

Hertz getting pissed that their #1 spokesperson/ murderer was no longer sitting in jail, so they went after their customers instead?

[Guest Lobo]

To be fair to hertz, at rental returns…I pointed out a number of seemingly stolen pieces of NFL memorabilia in the trunk to the lot agent.  He looked at me In a prompting fashion.   I collected myself and said, “uh, it was like this when I rented it.”  And he waved me thru “we good, fam.”