Just in case folks forget that progress in downtown has been made. Having Boylan closed off like that was a pain in the ass for those of us who live on Boylan.
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Saw this on LinkedIn and think it’ll be a great addition to DTR. Their one in DT Durham is delicious!
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I… do not share that opinion unfortunately 
. Simon Says Dip This is legitimately the worst ice cream/ice cream-adjacent food I’ve ever had. Like, my wife and I straight up threw ours away after a few bites, and I have many friends who had the same reaction. Shocked to see them expand.
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But what about their chill signature nostalgic and childlike joy???
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You don’t understand, ice cream is my favorite thing in the world, so this brought out the pettiest rage in me. My toxic trait is that every now and then I’ll see how many other people threw theirs away and upvote their reviews
it honestly takes talent to cause people to have such a strong reaction to ice cream.
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Interesting. I’ve been there twice with my wife and son and it’s been a great product each time.
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I felt the same way when I first tried Jeni’s. Fortunately the servings were so tiny that I didn’t have to throw it away. I’ll just stick with Howling Cow on State’s campus.
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I have no experience nor opinion on their ice cream itself, my only opinion is that “Simon Says Dip This” is too long/janky of a name lol. Like either be “Simon Says” or “Dip This” but all together it does NOT roll off the tongue
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I don’t like this Simon guy and I’m a bit offended that he’d suggest I want to dip anything into this. I’ll stick to, well, I’m not a big ice cream guy so I guess my post is pointless.
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Updated Bloc83 retail list:
- Dram & Draught
- First Watch
- YogaSix
- 321 Coffee
- First Horizon Bank
- Incendiary Brewing
- Vic’s Pizzeria
- Simon Says Dip This (Coming Soon)
Now we just need another restaurant or two and a bodega/convenience store.
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Still only places to buy food/drink and obtain services. No real retail as its traditionally understood.
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A new clothing/shoe store would be nice, but I kinda gave up on stores like that (traditional retail) opening up in downtown proper after the pandemic.
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I was just in Salem, OR last week, and there were tons of stores downtown there, and Salem is small compared to Raleigh.
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If York had only planted the Village downtown, instead of breaking away from the epicenter…
Except where would he have found a 60+ acre assemblage downtown?
Eventually the “downtown” will grow out Hillsborough and up Oberlin to join with them. Probably just about the time they are deep into redeveloping that core acreage in more vertical form.
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The retail centralized at the Village has long impacted viability of attracting similar concepts downtown…While DT may be growing out to meet it, it will require considerable density to reach a point where you might have double the opportunity. Couple that with Downtown South drawing concepts away from the core and seems to me, alas, what might’ve been…
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Unfortunately I think the typical shopper at the Village District would probably never consider going downtown to shop.
More likely they instead now rob sales from the malls. That surface parking right in front of the store calls to them.
IMO, I completely agree that we need more density, and the voices of the adjacent SFH NIMBYs need to be overcome so that we can have that density. I’ll also add that the city needs to shape downtown away from the weekly “Spring Break” it’s become, because retailers are not going to invest in a location that doesn’t get daytime foot traffic and nightclubs/bars aren’t generating any daytime foot traffic. Many of them aren’t even activating nighttime foot traffic most days of the week.
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Downtown needs a leasing strategy for what it wants to be. Couple that with additional density of residents and the evolution should take hold. I’ve long thought that one significant, well planned development could truly be the linchpin and dominoes would fall around it (and I’ve had eyes for the N+O lot). I’ve come to believe that it should be an east west spine that runs from City Market to the Warehouse district and, still, that N+O block may be the linchpin…IF that could pop off before DTS hits its stride.
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Smoky Hollow was once imagined to be that development and it hasn’t been fully leased out after a couple of years. The Creamery is next. How long with that take?
Look, I imagine that I’m ruffing feathers with my assertion that the city needs to shape downtown, and that it needs to overcome its Spring Break identity. This does not mean that I either want or expect all bars to be shuttered. That’s not my intention or desire. However, it’s way out of balance for a downtown that aspires to be an 18 hour walkable place. As it stands, it’s more of a 4 hour, 2 or 3 nights a week, walkable city (once you drive to it from elsewhere). I don’t think that is what the city aspires to be.