Point taken, but the experience of getting to them from DT (from the south), beats the hell out of approaching them from north!
I bet we’re both in cars, since the multi-modal approach there is a junk show so to each their own I guess…
But I did chuckle imagining some theoretical person schlepping their granny cart from SmoHoGloSo to TJs, Wegs and CostCo and back… Soon though, you could likely walk to them with developments popping up around.
However, CostCo seems destined to be car based regardless of location based on its go big or go home packaging / price structure.
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Saxapahaw General Store at Transfer could be special, on the smaller size.
I’m currently deciding between downtown storefront or a food truck. Not really liking the available food truck parking locations in downtown but food trucks can make a killing at festivals. It’s not easy deciding.
You’re finally gonna start your taco shop???
Maybe! I’ll find out after my Morocco trip in May and I start looking for retail locations. If not tacos then there’s another popular food item that is easier to do and just a popular.
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Those are vastly different investments with vastly different business models, as I’m sure you know. As the child of a restaurateur, I’d be much more inclined to start with a food truck or a food hall spot to test the waters. How exciting!
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In general, I’d like to see the city promote/encourage/enable small footprint entrepreneurs of all sorts. The large retailer format we’re seeing in all of these mixed use projects is only going to be sustainable by a narrow slice of retailers and business owners. With Raleigh’s retail scene still in its infancy, it’s natural to image the city helping establish businesses that are also in their infancies.
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Absolutely agree. I actually helped my dad search for locations a few years back for a new take-out concept, and at the time, the only small storefront available was where 42 & Lawrence is now. The owner was adamant about having a coffee shop there so it was a no-go.
Thankfully, food halls are really helping with this market. I’m not sure what the rent structure is locally, but a common method nationally is that food halls take a percent of revenue rather than a flat per sf cost. This is hugely beneficial to new businesses – zero sales in a month? Zero rent due. And obviously the business’s investment is also reduced because of shared common areas.
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I can tell you that Morgan St Food hall does monthly rent for their spaces… and how do I put this HOLY @#$%& they are ludicrously priced. The small ice-cream stand in the middle of the main seating area- the one that doesn’t have a kitchen, no roof/ceiling, and is out in the open there? $4000 a month. No joke.
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It’s actually $4k a month + a % of your sales past a certain revenue threshold, so even more expensive
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!!! 
No wonder there has been so much turnover there already.
Yikes! That’s like the worst of both worlds. Percentage revenue by itself is a great deal imo. Less appealing if it’s in addition to standard rent.
Yeah it’s I N S A N E. And yet alllll that money they pull in, and Transfer is STILL the cooler place to go.
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Transfer was actually designed and built with thoughtful details, skilled labor, and quality materials. Meanwhile MSFH looks like a habitat for humanity built food hall
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And that’s just the small spaces. The main food spaces along the walls are between $6-7k a month… Could you not get your very own standalone storefront somewhere downtown for those prices???
Here’s my favorite example of a small footprint and wildly successful business carved out of an alley space at that back of a building in South Beach. The interior space is probably about 40-50 feet long but only about 6 feet deep. In total, they have about or less than 300 square feet. They serve their customers over an exterior counter where customers sit, or they take their sandwiches away.
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