The big box buildings that used to contain Circuit City electronics stores are now empty. Across the country, some new retailers are moving into these spaces, taking advantage of real estate bargains. A Seafood City Asian market is taking up residence in Concord, Calif. An HH Gregg is unpacking boxes in Evansville, Ind. In the Chicago area, Binny's Beverage Depot and Angelo Caputo's Fresh Markets are both calling the big red boxes their new homes.
The problem of big box retailers abandoning their ginormous spaces isn't new, of course, just more pronounced with the economic downturn causing huge chains to close up shop all at once. In her book Big Box Reuse, author Julia Christensen reported that abandoned Wal-Mart and Kmart stores have found new lives as a county courthouse, an indoor raceway, a charter school, a museum, a library, a chapel and a senior center. Definitely more creative adaptations than, say, a Walgreen's becomes a Dollar General. But when there's an empty shell in your neighborhood, you don't complain much when it gets a new tenant that can keep the place from crumbling.
The other day before and after a trip to Target, I took a good look at the Circuit City building in the North/East Knoxville Harvest Towne development. It had hardly opened its doors to customers before the chain went bust. It still looks new: the latest version of CC's logo hangs above the big glass doors; the lines on the parking lot are still white as new tennis shoes.
What's in store for the building and the valuable property around it? I thought of a few possibilities:
• A grocery store to supplement the almost-Super Target next door
• A Jumpity Jump or other kids-oriented place to let moms (and me) shop in peace
• A TJ Maxx to complete the cheap stuff trifecta with Ross and Marshall's
• A restaurant, so no one has to shop hungry!
• A restaurant that specializes in fish tacos because I love those!
• An Urban Outfitters
• A farmers market cooperative open daily (wouldn't that be awesome and ironic?)
Let me know if you have any other good ideas. Maybe there's an eager entrepreneur just waiting for the perfect business plan. In the meantime, I found this quote from the author I mentioned above very hopeful and inspiring:
"Hopefully, towns can become more empowered and realize they don't have to accept the homogenous corporate structure over and over again," said Christensen. "As more and more of them are left behind, it means a massive change for our landscape and civic structure."
Comments » 1
ckmarler writes:
Your fish taco line CRACKED me up!
Those are all great ideas! I would love a higher end grocery ala Fresh Market or Earth Fare.
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