urbanSTL

Yes, it is very sad. And more will drop soon. But so will the hours at Culinaria. It won't be able to support the weak winter market downtown.

dweebe wrote:Monday was miserable because after having lunch at Teutenburgs I had a "Groundhog Day" moment and stepped into an ankle deep puddle.

Rise 'n shine campers!

I thought Paul's out-of-town commitments as a test driver and racing instructor may have had something to do with Espresso Mod's closing, but it sounds like he was willing to make a go of it as long as conditions improved. Unfortunately, recent layoffs at AT&T and Macy's certainly didn't help, and I'm sure Kaldi's at Culinaria had an impact as it has been noted elsewhere.



I would have liked to visit Espresso Mod far more often, but since I don't work or live downtown, the hours just never worked for me very often. I'm really going to miss that place, though, because aside from great food, it was a unique atmosphere that an Anglophile like me really enjoyed.



I'm also going to miss F1 viewings there. Lamborghini St. Louis shows races occasionally, but not on a regular schedule.

Like Homer Simpson and Mr. T at the mall I kept saying "I'll go later, I'll go later. And when I finally got there he was gone, I asked the mall guy if he'd be back...(sniffles) he said he didn't know"



On a more serious note, sorry to hear this place is gone. I really wish I had a chance to patronize it while it was open. It sounds like a cool place, but again not working downtown makes it really tough to visit some of these joints.

LaBeBee's is in negotiation with the building to take over the Espresso Mod space. Please show them support by stopping in for lunch soon.

It is always sad when you hear of a business closing. Espresso Mod and City Crepes both closed in short time of each other. Probably lots of reasons, rainy days, lack of downtown support for independents and the general economy. I live downtown and every time I walk by someone carrying a Starbucks or Kaldi coffee or see them standing at the Kaldi's kiosk or buying lunch at the Culinaria deli, I feel like they are unknowing or know they are putting another independent out of business and honestly don't even think they care as long as the price is right. There should be a national boycott the big guys day downtown or at least support the independents day and if everyone would patronize the independents for one week this would make a difference. Just one week a month. And when they go to Culinaria, they should just buy groceries, not lunch or coffee or wine or desserts. These items could be purchased at the same prices from the independents. Since the first day Culinaria has opened I never bought anything in there but staples and anything else I buy from independents. On another note if you are looking for great espresso or a place to hang out, try Cafe Cioccolato at 816 Olive Street. They are very artisan about everything they make, using real chocolate to make their hot chocolate and cafe mochas and they have their own special blend of espresso beans which is similar to what you would get in Italy. Beware, this is not your typical fast food espresso shop. They use no syrups to make their drinks and use actual spices. They even make their own marshmallows. They also have a great look and feel and serve wine and martini's. Give them a try as this is a special place and definitely a beautiful rose in the torn bush of downtown. Soon they will be installing a extensive art gallery with a number of good artist from across the US. But don't let the place scare you, as everyone is welcome and treated like royalty no matter what or who you are.They are also open seven days a week as well as late night. So any of you who complain about businesses not being open at night or on weekends downtown, can now take a sigh of relief and at least you can now support an independent. Here is the website http://www.cafechocolate.com

I completely disagree with a "boycott the big guys day" downtown.



Instead try the approach of The 3 50 Project: http://www.the350project.net/home.html



IMO we don't want to be seen as a hostile environment for national chains, they provide jobs and are a vital component of any vibrant big city downtown.

southsidepride wrote:I completely disagree with a "boycott the big guys day" downtown.

^Agreed. Plus, the boycott would really only be a one day boost. Although it would possibly generate publicity, it has the negatives mentioned above. The 350 project is great though! Additionally/alternatively, another idea would a support the independents day. Admittedly it is sort of similar to the boycott idea, but it comes across as a lot more positive while still raising awareness of the local options available.

Agreed! There is no need to boycott the chains. That is very negative and unrealistic. We should all make a conscious effort to consider all of our purchases. When you need something, go down the chain...First, is there someone in my neighborhood I can support? Second, is there someone in my city who carries this item? If those two questions can't be answered locally then head to the chains. You also have to keep in mind, you may be paying a little more to support locals, but if the business is your direct neighborhood you are benefiting yourself by purchasing there. Just think how much your property loses value when the neighborhood is full of empty storefronts. I have been preaching this concept for over 5 years downtown to no avail. We are losing value in our residences because our streets are becoming vacant. That 10-20% more you may be paying will benefit you more in the long run when we have our vibrant streets that we all wish for. National chains analyze the sales per sq ft as gauged by state sales tax reports. As of downtown, downtown is not even on their radars because our sales per sq ft are very very low in comparison to almost every other area of the city. So shop your neighborhood these coming months to make sure you keep the neighborhood streetscape alive!

southsidepride wrote:I completely disagree with a "boycott the big guys day" downtown.



Instead try the approach of The 3 50 Project: http://www.the350project.net/home.html



IMO we don't want to be seen as a hostile environment for national chains, they provide jobs and are a vital component of any vibrant big city downtown.

The 3/50 would work also or at least help, if any one and enough people did it. What has been your experience with doing it so far and when you shared this idea with your friends did they also embrace it?

CNN just covered the 3/50 project:



http://alwaysupward.com/blog/cnn-meets-the-350-project/



In the interview the founder even stated that is is not their mission nor is it realistic to avoid chain stores.



There is another national event on November 21 called "America Unchained." Here is that link:



http://www.amiba.net/Unchained.html



It takes a little effort to discover what is out there in independent retailers, but it can be rewarding to find them. What is it that someone says about an educated consumer?

q: what do you call an independent retail store implementing a growth strategy?

a: a (shudderz!) chain

innov8ion wrote:q: what do you call an independent retail store implementing a growth strategy?

a: a (shudderz!) chain

Did you not care for Expresso Mod? Do you not think it was a valuable part of the area? Do you not think it added something unique to the area?

It was a coffee shop. Period.



I dont wish any place to go out of business but our downtown will not fail over the closure of a coffee shop.

I think people aren't just reacting to Expresso Mod's closing, but to the information posted on the previous page noting that two to three more closing are imminent.



I personally still wouldn't call all that the failure of downtown, but if it comes to pass I would call it a significant setback and a loss of character in the neighborhood.

Meteo wrote:

innov8ion wrote:q: what do you call an independent retail store implementing a growth strategy?

a: a (shudderz!) chain

Did you not care for Expresso Mod? Do you not think it was a valuable part of the area? Do you not think it added something unique to the area?

Whaaa? All I'm sayin is that I don't see Culinaria as the devil.



I've heard nothing but great things about Espresso Mod. Sad to see it go, for sure. I love a lot of the other Indies and wouldn't mind if I had a job downtown so I could support them more often.

It's not so much that Culinaria is evil. In my opinion, and what we are mad at is that the city gave them 4 million dollars,( some of it mine, as I had to pay the city tax money), half of their overall budget.

If we had received half of our overall starting costs we would have probably thrived, but it costs alot of money to open even a humble coffee shop such as ours and you had to put a lot on the line (house, credit cards etc). It was always a struggle to try to pay off those loans and try to make some kind of money to put forth the quality that we tried to do.

with the City and the Downtown Partnership giving that kind of money they were well aware of the fact, it was not going to be, just a grocery store. They basically disregarded what effect it would have on the little guy who had poured their life savings into their business because they were so desparate to say there was a Schnucks downtown. It should have been an addition but instead their business model was copy what was there already and do it cheaper. So therefore everyone surrounding them has lost 1/2 of thier business. We really believed in downtown but feel betrayed by the partnership and the city.

I don't think it should be overlooked that Desco/Schnucks has some very large and very vacant properties that they have, according to the sources I have, done everything to keep out of the hands of real competition.







It's a good thing that Schnuck's/Culinaria opened downtown. Before that I had to go to the dump of a store at Grand and Lee. But that doesn't render the various objections moot.

espressomod wrote:It's not so much that Culinaria is evil. In my opinion, and what we are mad at is that the city gave them 4 million dollars,( some of it mine, as I had to pay the city tax money), half of their overall budget.

If we had received half of our overall starting costs we would have probably thrived, but it costs alot of money to open even a humble coffee shop such as ours and you had to put a lot on the line (house, credit cards etc). It was always a struggle to try to pay off those loans and try to make some kind of money to put forth the quality that we tried to do.

with the City and the Downtown Partnership giving that kind of money they were well aware of the fact, it was not going to be, just a grocery store. They basically disregarded what effect it would have on the little guy who had poured their life savings into their business because they were so desparate to say there was a Schnucks downtown. It should have been an addition but instead their business model was copy what was there already and do it cheaper. So therefore everyone surrounding them has lost 1/2 of thier business. We really believed in downtown but feel betrayed by the partnership and the city.

Amen x10.

Buy Local efforts in New Jersey: