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PostMay 22, 2008#106

I did go last night. Apparently one of the owners used to own JJ Twigs out in the West Co. We ate the double decker pizza and had some wings. Both were very good. It's pretty nice inside as far as you can get in a shopping center. I mentioned that they need a website and the manager said they were working on it. I still can't believe in this day and age a restaurant would open without a website, but maybe it's me.



Also, Little Caesar's looks like it's close to opening.

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PostMay 22, 2008#107

brickandmortar wrote:I did go last night. Apparently one of the owners used to own JJ Twigs out in the West Co. We ate the double decker pizza and had some wings. Both were very good. It's pretty nice inside as far as you can get in a shopping center. I mentioned that they need a website and the manager said they were working on it. I still can't believe in this day and age a restaurant would open without a website, but maybe it's me.



Also, Little Caesar's looks like it's close to opening.


JJ Twigs is damn good. If this place is at all similar, that's a good sign.

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PostMay 22, 2008#108

I hate to sound like the resident lush but does this place have a liquor liscense? Beer & Pizza go so hand in hand.

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PostMay 23, 2008#109

^yep. Beer prices were average.

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PostMay 23, 2008#110

We went to Coldstone last night. Don't make it over that way much anymore and had no idea this pizza place was opening. But coming around the corner I saw tons of cars in what used to be a vast, empty parking lot. We looked in and the place was packed. Look forward to trying it.



Also, Little Caesars has signs up saying they are opening on Saturday.

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PostMay 24, 2008#111

I heard that the owner finally dropped the leasing rate for this property, which would explain why it has filled up so fast. I am sure the lease documents with PetsMart and OfficeMax had a minimum occupancy requirement or they would get a discount on their rent or be let out of their lease. So, it was either drop the rent on the smaller spaces or lose an anchor, or at least a lot of rent from them...

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PostMay 24, 2008#112

For the past few years, I just knew the lease amounts were too high at Southtown! What else would explain the painfully slow occupancy of the center? It's situtated on such a busy corner with a very high traffic count. Another nearby shopping center (Gravois Plaza) managed to fill up in no time. So it stands to reason that Southtown's high rents were more than most businesses could bear. Thank heavens the owner figured it out and lowered the rates. It sure would be great to have that center filled up.

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PostJul 08, 2008#113

Joe Bush's pizza finally got their website up and running. Needs a bit more IMO, like happy hour specials.



http://joebushpizzapub.com/



Also, on the latest development flyer two new places are opening. They are:



This Way Ladies and South Side Outlet



http://www.sansonegroup.com/properties/ ... Center.pdf

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PostJul 11, 2008#114

brickandmortar wrote:Joe Bush's pizza finally got their website up and running. Needs a bit more IMO, like happy hour specials.



http://joebushpizzapub.com/



Also, on the latest development flyer two new places are opening. They are:



This Way Ladies and South Side Outlet



http://www.sansonegroup.com/properties/ ... Center.pdf


Nice to see the center is finally filling up! According to the Sansone link, there will only be two remaining storefronts to fill after these new businesses move in. (Plus a 10,000-sq ft space that hasn't been built.) Now, someone needs to get to work on filling the space in the plaza across Chippewa that Walgreen's moved out of.

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PostJul 11, 2008#115

I still hate this place, and I'll always miss the grand Art Deco Famous-Barr that once occupied this spot, but I'm glad to see the center filling up finally. It seems like there's no shortage of pizza choices in south St. Louis these days, so once I check my waistline and cholestorol level, I'll have to give Joe Bush's a try I suppose.

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PostJul 12, 2008#116

I still miss it.




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PostJul 14, 2008#117

^Ouch! That demo photo really hurt.



I grew up a few blocks from that corner, and I spent many, many hours exploring Famous as a youngster. It was just a playground to me then, but as I got older, I learned to appreciate the fabulous design of the building.



I still miss it too.

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PostNov 08, 2008#118

South Side Outlet is open now in Southtown. Went inside the other day to take a look around. They sell discounted clothing only- no shoes or accessories. Bought a couple t-shirts and saw a few other items of interest. The merchandise is not top quality, but the prices can't be beat (my t-shirts were only 3 bucks each).

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PostNov 08, 2008#119

So there is a place to get a Little Caesar's $5 Hot n Ready besides the TERRIBLE K-Mart in the "St. Louis Marketplace." When is that thing going to burn, any way?

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PostNov 30, 2008#120

this development at Kingshighway and Chippewa reminds me how far urban development has to go in st. louis. why leave an intersection with a high quality 3 story urban building on one side and strip mall development on the other? everything is degraded. why not use that existing density on the other side of the street to UPGRADE the intersection into a classy retail area. instead we prefer oil stained parking lots and blowing trash. in the twin cities, theres new urban retail serving much less dense residential. what are you going to do with big box? fine, but lets not lay waste to the entire intersection. target did it half correctly over on HAMPTON, but a two story building up to the curb with parking in back and underneath would have been better.



shooting ourselves in the foot...or rather, apathy and mediocrity.

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PostDec 01, 2008#121

^Well, sure, but you're a few years too late on this one.

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PostDec 02, 2008#122

I'm just thankful that the plaza is finally almost full of tenants. It sure has taken a long time to get to this point.

Across the way, in Southtown Plaza, the old location of Walgreens is still vacant. It would make a great spot for a bookstore, or maybe even a large restaurant (like a Bandana's or something).

And here's a final thought: A new "Southtown Drive" could be created to link together all three shopping centers in the area. Beginning on Beck Ave, the drive would cut through Southtown Centre to Chippewa, then run south between Shop 'n Save and the old Walgreens, continue behind the post office and cross Lansdowne, run along the west side of the Kingshighway Shopping Center (Burlington, Office Depot), and end at Delor St. Along certain parts of the road, where space permits, there could be an opportunity to locate a few new businesses.

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PostDec 02, 2008#123

^Good idea.



There used to be a railroad spur that followed that route (it served the long-gone clay mines). I'm not sure who owns the land, or if it has to remain available for the railroads to reclaim at some point in the future.

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PostDec 03, 2008#124

Joe Bush's is owned by the Bush family. I went to school with one of them and their cousin is a very good friend of mine. Good people. I look forward to tasting some of their pizza.

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PostFeb 09, 2009#125

ttricamo wrote:Joe Bush's is owned by the Bush family. I went to school with one of them and their cousin is a very good friend of mine. Good people. I look forward to tasting some of their pizza.
From KSDK.... Doesn't look like they are doing to good... May be lucky to make it to March.
KSDK-- While politicians wrangle over how to save the economy, many workers and small business owners are desperate to save their jobs and businesses. For the owners of Joe Bush's Pizza and Pub economic relief can't come soon enough. If something doesn't change, they say they will be forced to close their doors.



Eight months ago, the restaurant moved in near Kingshighway and Chippewa and the Sondag's thought they had a recipe for success.



But what may have been the right place, opened at what is clearly the wrong time.



Owner Karen Sondag says, "I guess it's been about November first. Business just dropped, just stopped."



The economy tanked and so did business. Suddenly, eating out became a luxury few could afford.



Sondag says, "Our regulars that were coming in Tuesdays and Thursdays are coming in Saturday."



That means bad news for Joe Bush's. Sondag says, "A month, two months we're going to be gone. And I just didn't want to be another one of those statistics."



And so they're trying everything: happy hour specials, karaoke, even handing out flyers in nearby parking lots. Still customers keep cutting back.



Customer Matt Heineck says, "Everybody's losing jobs every day so everybody's tightening up their budget."



Catherine Ruggeri-Rea adds, "I think it's sad. And I mean you want to help the economy but everybody's in the same position."



Another customer, Jim Roth says, "It's a family owned, independent business and I hate to see them go under."



The owners hate it too. Their dream business have been foiled by a nightmare economy. For now, they too are tightening their belts.



Karen Sondag says, "We have my brother-in-law bartending, my sister-in-law doing dishes. Anybody who can come and help us."



The Sondag's aren't ready to give up yet. They hope they can hold out a little longer. But compared to the big corporations, they say the small ones suffer more.



She says, "Unfortunately these little independently owned businesses, it's just too hard to make it if people just quit going out."



The Sondag's say they'll try to hold out until the end of march before they make their decision about closing. But they say if their weekday business doesn't pick up, they won't have much of a choice. Incidentally, they are closed on Mondays.

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PostFeb 09, 2009#126

Perhaps we should all try to give them some business soon.

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PostFeb 09, 2009#127

Think I'm going to head over for lunch tomorrow. I'd go today but they're closed Mondays. boo.

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PostFeb 09, 2009#128

But it's so close to Little Caesar's...





*patiently awaits TCS' response)

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PostFeb 09, 2009#129

I've been to Joe Bush's a few times. The owners are nice- they've been there on each of our visits. The food and service have been consistently good. The burgers and pizza are great- and it's now my favorite default choice whenever I'm in the mood for hot wings- as the quality and portion size are both excellent. So I really, really, hate to hear that the place is struggling and the owners are thinking about hanging it up. I know this stuff happens in an economy like this, but this place became a personal favorite, and it's one of the few places in Southtown Centre that's worth a visit, so I really want it to succeed.

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PostMar 13, 2009#130

Are they still open? I'd like to help them out.

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