urbanSTL

Doug wrote:There is a Cardinal Store at the Galleria. How many do we need?

There is also one at the Mills, it was a Bud Shop before.



I gotta pay a visit to Union Station later this month, see how it has progressed in losing tenants.

I was at US today and was surprised to see that The Shed was already open. It seemed to have pretty fair business, especially for around 2:00. But, I dare say that US was busy today. Not crowded, but busy.

Seriously??? Kriegers IMO sucks.

Kriegers closed several locations including Union Station (which was doing a good business) and Ellisville (which was doing a good business) because of some investment / money issues.



US Kriegers was there for a very short time.



As for Union Station, overall, I think it doesn't look THAT bad.

The management hasn't gotten any better lately - although they are spending millions of dollars on renovations to the main terminal building (exterior) right now. I understand that this is costing the station a fortune and next will be the interior and upgrades to the shopping experience. I think they are just floating the "mall" until they fix the exterior for financila reasons.



Union Station is a money sucking hog for the size and age of the structure. I went there yesterday and the place was packed. Every restaurant had a wait last evening. The restaurants (and almost 60 percent of the station is just that - dining) do a pretty good business there for lunch and dinner. I think THIS is where St. Louisan's USE the station - eating/cocktails before / after events downtown - easy Metro on/off. The station is also busy during lunch rush downtown.



Union Station Restaurants/Food/Drink:



All Star Diner

BBQ Station

Einstein Bros. Bagels

Hard Rock Café

Houlihan's Restaurant & Bar

Key West Café

Landry's Seafood House

Hyatt Station Grille

TKO Sports Grille

The Shed

Café Orleans

Candy Station

Charley's Steakery

Cioccolato

The Fudgery

King Louies Popcorn

Panda Express

Pita King

Quizno's Classic Subs

Royal Teriyaki

Sbarro Italian Eatery

St. Louis Taco and Grill

Starbucks

Subway

matguy70 wrote:Kriegers closed several locations including Union Station (which was doing a good business) and Ellisville (which was doing a good business) because of some investment / money issues.

They also closed a poorly-run franchise location in Cape Girardeau after less than a year in business. I still think the hockey lockout a few years ago led to the Union Station location's demise more than any other factor. Personally, I cannot stand Krieger's, but it obviously has loyal customers.

As for Union Station, overall, I think it doesn't look THAT bad.

The management hasn't gotten any better lately - although they are spending millions of dollars on renovations to the main terminal building (exterior) right now. I understand that this is costing the station a fortune and next will be the interior and upgrades to the shopping experience. I think they are just floating the "mall" until they fix the exterior for financila reasons.



Union Station is a money sucking hog for the size and age of the structure. I went there yesterday and the place was packed. Every restaurant had a wait last evening. The restaurants (and almost 60 percent of the station is just that - dining) do a pretty good business there for lunch and dinner. I think THIS is where St. Louisan's USE the station - eating/cocktails before / after events downtown - easy Metro on/off. The station is also busy during lunch rush downtown.

I was last in Union Station on Father's Day, mostly because my son wanted to ride Metrolink and going to Union Station seemed like a decent if not exciting time killer. The Missouri Department of Conservation had their mobile aquarium under the shed that day, and while it wasn't elaborate or exciting, it drew a crowd. (I thought it was cool, but I'm more into aquariums than the average person.) Actually, the place was very busy, but I also noticed an absence of shopping bags among the people there. The food court and restaurants were virtually empty as well, FWIW.



I can see where Union Station would be much busier during the week. I hope management doesn't go broke maintaining the exterior, because IMHO the food court is particularly dated and unappealing. The shopping concourses still look presentable enough, but I hope they plan on updating the merchandise mix soon. And, they might want to consider validated parking if they intend to attract shoppers from the suburbs. The nearness of Metrolink and the captive audience of the Hyatt may keep the place from dying off completely, but it would sure be nice if management could find a way to lure the locals back into this special building.

I think Union Station is a lot healthier today than it was two or three years ago. Luckily for Union Station, the Galleria is getting that crowd now. Whether St. Louisians understand it or not, US is a major draw for tourists when they're downtown. I heard that Kevin Nealon was spotted at Subway a while back. Nothing like those C list celebrities!

JCity wrote:I heard that Kevin Nealon was spotted at Subway a while back.

"And that's news to me."

St. Louis Dry Goods next to the Cardinal Clubhouse was packing up and moving out today. Although I am sorry for them, I can't say it is disappointing to see one of the many tshirt shops close. They were a little different in that everything they sold said St. Louis on it. Unfortunately, this leaves another hole/vacancy in the inline stores. Now even the t shirt shops can't make it at US. Can't wait to see what the creative management will put here in its place, they haven't tried a laundromat yet.

lamiaposta wrote: they haven't tried a laundromat yet.

It might be a good addition, as dowtown doesn't have a self-serve laundromat to my knowledge. Maybe a pharmacy and hardware store or other basic necessity could be next.

lamiaposta wrote:St. Louis Dry Goods next to the Cardinal Clubhouse was packing up and moving out today. Although I am sorry for them, I can't say it is disappointing to see one of the many tshirt shops close. They were a little different in that everything they sold said St. Louis on it. Unfortunately, this leaves another hole/vacancy in the inline stores. Now even the t shirt shops can't make it at US. Can't wait to see what the creative management will put here in its place, they haven't tried a laundromat yet.

Plus the Discovery Store will be closing soon. Yeah, Union Station is going to look great.

It's a shame that Union Station didn't have ONE quality store selling St. Louis-related items, instead of multiple stores selling the same schlock.



Maybe the exterior really needed maintenance, but I think the place should've been redone from the inside out first.

dweebe wrote:

lamiaposta wrote:St. Louis Dry Goods next to the Cardinal Clubhouse was packing up and moving out today. Although I am sorry for them, I can't say it is disappointing to see one of the many tshirt shops close. They were a little different in that everything they sold said St. Louis on it. Unfortunately, this leaves another hole/vacancy in the inline stores. Now even the t shirt shops can't make it at US. Can't wait to see what the creative management will put here in its place, they haven't tried a laundromat yet.

Plus the Discovery Store will be closing soon. Yeah, Union Station is going to look great.

I don't think these stores leaving are bad at all. Even the most successful malls/shopping areas have regular turnover and these stores just kind of sucked to be honest. It would be great for US to have a grocery store - something that would pull in a regular (and different than tourists) crowd and then it wouldn't be a noticeable when some small stores change. As long as these spaces don't stay empty I don't see what the problem is.

Yeah. Maybe a nice "Ye Olde Candye Shoppe" or possibly a "Ye Olde Candle Shoppe" will move in?

Just to pose a question:



What retailers do you think would work well or would you like to see at US?

DeBaliviere wrote:Just to pose a question:



What retailers do you think would work well or would you like to see at US?

The model train store was awesome and something you couldn't get at just any mall. Guess there's not much of a following of model trains anymore.



Let's face it, the "regular turnover" at Union Station has taken most of the interesting and unique businesses, with the exception of some restaurants. I would not be surprised to see a Deals or other dollar-store in there soon.

Has anyone tried the new resurant yet? The Shed.

I visited Union Station this weekend, and all I can say is WOW . This place is undergoing a rapid decline - it has the feel of St. Louis Centre as it started to go downhill. National and/or quality retailers seem to be jumping ship, only to be replaced by places like "Gold and Diamonds" (an actual store there). Vacancies are springing up all over, and the whole mall just feels kind of sad right now.



With downtown about to turn the corner, it's a shame that Union Station's better days are behind it. Something needs to be done.

DeBaliviere wrote:I visited Union Station this weekend, and all I can say is WOW . This place is undergoing a rapid decline - it has the feel of St. Louis Centre as it started to go downhill. National and/or quality retailers seem to be jumping ship, only to be replaced by places like "Gold and Diamonds" (an actual store there). Vacancies are springing up all over, and the whole mall just feels kind of sad right now.



With downtown about to turn the corner, it's a shame that Union Station's better days are behind it. Something needs to be done.

In the last two years the following stores have closed.

-TCBY/Pretzel Place

-Teddy Bear Shop

-Dry Goods T-Shirt Shop

-Brookstone

-Dapy (basicly a Spencers)

-Discovery Channel Store (whole chain is closing)

-the clothing store where the Talbots used to be years ago

-the coffee shop next to what is now Einstein Bros

-Route 66 Microbrewery

-KC Masterpiece BBQ



What has opened in that time

-Some popcorn shop that replaced the coffee shop

-Einstein Bros. bagels

-The Shed

-TKO Sports Bar

-scary stir-fry place on the lower level by the fudge shop



Very very sad.

Watcher wrote:Has anyone tried the new resurant yet? The Shed.

Not bad if you're looking for a burger. That's about all that's on their menu except for a few salads and appetizers.

The decor at The Shed looks great - I'd like to check that place out sometime.



The sad thing is, there was a pretty decent amount of people there on Saturday night, all (unsuccessfully) looking for something worth a damn. I had dinner at Houlihan's, which had a pretty good crowd. It looked like The Shed was about half full when we got there, mostly empty when we left.

^ Your experience sounds similar to mine- we last checked out US on Father's Day.



The place wasn't lacking potential shoppers at all. I'd bet there were a few hundred people milling around Union Station in the two or so hours I spent there that day. My wife and I noticed a common trend, however. Lots of people, but few of them carried shopping bags.



We had no shopping bags either. The food court is woefully unappealing. The Shed wasn't open yet- I might have tried it otherwise just out of curiosity. Hard Rock Cafe is a joke and has been for years, and Landry's is just another "been there, done that" chain.



I already have a couple of Cardinals hats and a John Lennon refrigerator magnet- so what else can I possibly buy in that place?



It seems like there's enough of a captive audience for something better, but I'm not holding my breath. And bonwich was right- the place was doomed as soon as the profit model was built around parking. As long as Union Station (and the downtown Macy's, for that matter) refuse to consider validated parking, they might as well forget attracting suburban shoppers. And it's too bad there's nothing to do inside, because the outside is starting to look nice now that the building has had a good scrubbing.

That's what I don't get - the place gets good traffic, people come in ready and willing to part with their money, but there's nothing for them to buy.



If the list of shops rumored to be closing - Bud Store, Cards Clubhouse, Starbucks, Ciccolato, etc. - is accurate, that will leave very few legit retailers there.

DeBaliviere wrote:That's what I don't get - the place gets good traffic, people come in ready and willing to part with their money, but there's nothing for them to buy.



If the list of shops rumored to be closing - Bud Store, Cards Clubhouse, Starbucks, Ciccolato, etc. - is accurate, that will leave very few legit retailers there.

Starbucks closing. Are you effing kidding me? The coffeehaulics here at work will burn Union Station to the ground.

^

I'm just quoting a post from earlier in the thread - who knows if it's actually legit: http://www.urbanstl.com/viewtopic.php?t ... &start=420

^ Yeah, there's no way to know if that information's correct for now. However, it wouldn't surprise me either.



I just don't understand why US management cannot attract better stores, given the surprisingly steady volume of traffic inside the shopping center, and the captive audience at the Hyatt Regency. I'd like to think management would commit to bringing in better quality stores, but they've given me no reason to think so beyond the tenants that others have suggested might be in jeopardy, like the Cardinals and Anheuser-Busch stores, Starbucks, etc.