Urban Planning gone wrong

[m00n.livejournal.com]

While we are on the topic of community development, does anyone have an explanation for there now being a third convenience store in Teele Square within view of the other two?



Beyond the fact that I don't feel like these stores contribute much (if anything) to the community, I'm kind of wondering how it is that this neighborhood can even support three of them (four if you count the Indian market down the street that sells pretty much all the same stuff).

I don't mean to be such a community troll about these things, but I live in that neighborhood and it is starting to get a little depressing...

Comments

Pizza

[wombatbanana.livejournal.com]

On a similar note, I was surprised when the space next to the new Guru opened up and turned out to be another pizza place. Not that I have anything against pizza or its places, and I wish them the best, but either pizzerias must have extremely low operating expenses or there's more demand for pizza in the area than I'd've guessed.

Re: Pizza

[m00n.livejournal.com]

I had this same thought when that place opened up. I just wish that if they do insist on selling pizza, that they'd at least do something to differentiate themselves from every other pizza place in the entire city. It's almost like it's a bad franchise, except that it's not...or at least it doesn't appear to be.

And yeah, I think there's something special about pizza places and convenience stores wherein the customer base cares so little about what the place looks like or what eclectic items are on the menu that they can pretty much get by on only the bare necessities of doing business.

On the flip side though, no one is *ever* going to make Teele Square a destination because of either of these two places.

Re: Pizza

[wombatbanana.livejournal.com]

> I just wish that if they do insist on selling pizza, that they'd at least do something to differentiate themselves from every other pizza place in the entire city.

That would be nice, yeah...

> On the flip side though, no one is *ever* going to make Teele Square a destination because of either of these two places.

And if I can already walk to four pizza places from my house, adding a fifth doesn't make the neighborhood any more walkable.

Re: Pizza

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

Yep, yep.

When I grabbed a menu, I surmised that it must cost pizza places around here a ton of extra money in typesetting charges to make any changes from the standard pizzeria menu, since they seem to all use the same template and just insert their name. :)

Re: Pizza

[m00n.livejournal.com]

I think actually they leave a blank oval-shaped space where the local pizza place can just send the menu through the laser printer and print their name in the oval.

Although probably it's more like they just sell menus with all the usual pizza place names. :-)

Re: Pizza

[ron_newman]

If Teele Square is a destination now, it's because of Rudy's.

Re: Pizza

[geekpixie.livejournal.com]

Wasn't that actually a pizza place a long time before something happened and it was damaged/rendered unusable? I think that was the pizzeria that was there before coming back..

Re: Pizza

[ron_newman]

I thought it was a Chinese restaurant before?

Re: Pizza

[geekpixie.livejournal.com]

I remember seeing a comment about there being a fire there, or something else previously, and that it had been a pizza place. I looked back a ways in restaurant tags and tried the search tool (hah) but couldn't find the entry. I might be misremembering..

Re: Pizza

[ron_newman]

And I could be wrong, or there could have been more than one fire on that part of Broadway. I don't get up there very often.

I thought it was another Real Estate place...

[turil.livejournal.com]

That's what I remembered from a few years ago.

Re: Pizza

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

There was a fire a couple of years back, but before that, the place where Guru is now was a Chinese restaurant (Szechuan Garden, I think? Before that it was Sesame, sister of Wang's in Magoun) and the corner where Marino's is was a coffeeshop, Pete's I think? They sometimes had a sign that said "Last coffee before Rt 16/2!"

Re: Pizza

[ron_newman]

If that was their name, maybe the sign should have been "Not to be confused with Peets"

Re: Pizza

[jamiesquared.livejournal.com]

They changed their name to Wicked Coffee or something like that a few months before the fire. The people who ran it were SO nice too and I think they just disappeared from this area :(

The hair salon was there too but I think that moved down?

Re: Pizza

[closetalker11.livejournal.com]

Do you mean Little Joe's Coffee Shop? I use to LOVE that place.

Re: Pizza

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

I think I did mean that, but as noted by jamiesquared, they changed their name (or some signs at least) to Wicked Coffee, so my brain immediately goes to "Pete's". :)

Re: Pizza

[closetalker11.livejournal.com]

I never tried it when it was Wicked Coffee. Joe's had really good bagel sandwiches, though.

Re: Pizza

[ceo]

Are you thinking of the Urban Gourmet in Ball Square, which had a fire about four years ago? The space finally reopened as Eat At Joe's last month.

Re: Pizza

[ron_newman]

that's Eat at Jumbo's

Re: Pizza

[ceo]

Um, yeah, that.

Re: Pizza

[annalauwa.livejournal.com]

pizzerias must have extremely low operating expenses or there's more demand for pizza in the area than I'd've guessed.
this. flour, water, salt and yeast are all extremely cheap, and tomato sauce and cheese aren't exactly pricey either. all you need is a counter to make the dough and to make a pizza, and an oven, and you're pretty much set. everything else is optional.