The signs are finally up in the building at the corner of Pershing and DeBalivere saying "Coming Soon". Hopefully this will help the neighborhood come back from it's recent slight downturn.
- 710
dweebe wrote:The signs are finally up in the building at the corner of Pershing and DeBalivere saying "Coming Soon". Hopefully this will help the neighborhood come back from it's recent slight downturn.
i definitely wasnt expecting this! i'm looking forward to it.
Does anyone know who is behind VeloCity?
Are they working in conjunction with a cycle shop?
I'm curious what their plans are as a Cafe/Cyclery. Will they be doing bike sales/rentals/repairs? All of the above, as well as a cafe, seem ideal for the location in close proximity to both Forest Park and the Metro.
-j
Are they working in conjunction with a cycle shop?
I'm curious what their plans are as a Cafe/Cyclery. Will they be doing bike sales/rentals/repairs? All of the above, as well as a cafe, seem ideal for the location in close proximity to both Forest Park and the Metro.
-j
Looks like they (finally) started work on the inside. A construction dumpster wace placed out in front on Tuesday and it's already full.
Such a risky place for a cafe but I hope it is the beginning of exciting development in that general area. If they can clean up Talayna's, the median on DB, and then that horrible strip mall then it will be a great area.
- 1,517
Not an incredible amount of new info, but worth posting nonetheless...
From the Times of Skinker DeBaliviere:
Link here.
From the Times of Skinker DeBaliviere:
A Cafe with Wheels
Susan Gyorog plans to open
Velocity, a new cafe and cyclery,
in September at the intersection of
DeBaliviere and Pershing
(formerly home
to Archway).
The cafe is
planned
to be as
g r e e n
as a
c a f e
c a n
b e .
T h e
coffee
a n d
t e a s
s e r v e d
will all be
organic. The
cafe will be open
from 7 am to 9 pm.
In addition to providing libation
to customers far and near, it will
also rent bicycles, including tandem
and other speciality bikes, to those
who wish to explore Forest Park,
only 2 blocks away. This dual
purpose gives rise to its name:
Velocity Cafe.
The shop will also repair and
restore bicycles. The cafe occupies
2000 square feet in what is again
called the Bristol Building. It takes
up 3 storefronts.
Link here.
I'm excited that they'll have bike rental! I was just talking to someone the other day about how the best part of Amsterdam is that you can "rent" a bike in one area of the city and drop it off in another. Very cool idea. We need more of this stuff here to encourage people to get out of their cars every so often!
Any word on when this is supposed to open or is the owner having second thoughts about putting it on that corner?
TB1000 wrote:Any word on when this is supposed to open or is the owner having second thoughts about putting it on that corner?
Still nothing new and no signs of construction. Are we to assume the project is dead?
I don't know why anyone would want to put a business like that on THAT corner. That corner draws all sorts of the wrong people and I doubt that the cafe would be able to draw the kind of customer they are looking for.
It takes guts to open a business like that in a marginal area like that, and I praise their vision to do it. When the MetroLink first opened in the '90s, there was a small coffee shop called Amadaeus that was in the storefront closest to the MetroLink station, and the corner storefront housed the Corner Market, a little neighborhood convenience store.
I think a cozy neighborhood coffeehouse would help to anchor the district. One well-established business can really jumpstart momentum.
I think a cozy neighborhood coffeehouse would help to anchor the district. One well-established business can really jumpstart momentum.
Doesn't seem like such a bad idea if you're taking the metrolink somewhere and want to grab a bite to eat. Or if you have friends living at those metropolis units. It's right near forest park and would be a fun place to stop off in the spring/summer after visiting the art or history museum. Free museums. Wow.
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I think it's an outstanding location. Who are the "wrong people" a cafe like this would attract? Think about it-- it's right next to one of the busiest Metro stations and adjacent to the new Metropolis/DeBaliviere Place condos and apartments, not to mention Forest Park. It's a PERFECT location for a bike-oriented cafe. Don't make it sound like this place is in the ghetto or anything.
- 11K
I understand the "wrong people" comment, but the most dense housing in the metro in immediately to the east and obviously they're hoping that Forest Park will draw people in as well. Of course there's the Forest Perk where they serve coffee and rent bicycles (FP visitor's center)
Who are the "wrong people" a cafe like this would attract?
The kinds who would prevent you from drawing the customers that you need to be successful. If you've been around that area frequently then you would know what I'm talking about. There are 10 kinds of crazies running around, especially the guy with the cape and pink feather boa.
That said, I am very surprised that there is not more retail on Pershing between DB and Union, especially a grocery store (and not the one that is in that strip center across from Talayna's).
If this does open I hope it is successful but it seems like it would be better suited further down on Pershing (maybe in that empty space next to the Karate center).
- 710
I am suprised by some of the comments. I lived a block from this location for a year (2007) on pershing, and I think this is a supurb location to invest in. There is a very good amount of foot traffic from people walking to/from the metrolink, as well as park and ride people. Places like this cafe will fill a very real demand for walkable amenities in the vicinity...
- 33
Then it would'nt be right by the Metrolink stop would it? This hopefully will bring more people to the area. Density is good.
From what I saw of the inside this morning as a man was replacing two of the windows (most likely broken into), if this place is opening it definitely won't be for a while.
- 542
I'm closing on a condo a little more than a block from there at the end of the month. I've been there many times and I haven't seen any of "the wrong kind of people," whatever the hell that's supposed to mean. I do see African Americans waiting on the 90 bus. It happens.
I forget the date, but there's a public hearing on Velocity coming up towards the end of the month about its zoning exception. (Don't get me started on the idiocy of zoning in the US). The notice is posted in the window or on the door or somewhere. I take that to mean something's going to happen with this place soon.
More to the larger point, it is very clear to me that this is going to be one of the next happening places. The only question is when. It's really the only hole in a string of places with commercial development stretching all the way from CWE to downtown Clayton. It stands to benefit enormously from being at the junction of the two Metro lines. The proximity to the park is incredible, and affordable--somewhere that doesn't cost nearly as much as the east and west edges of the park.
I forget the date, but there's a public hearing on Velocity coming up towards the end of the month about its zoning exception. (Don't get me started on the idiocy of zoning in the US). The notice is posted in the window or on the door or somewhere. I take that to mean something's going to happen with this place soon.
More to the larger point, it is very clear to me that this is going to be one of the next happening places. The only question is when. It's really the only hole in a string of places with commercial development stretching all the way from CWE to downtown Clayton. It stands to benefit enormously from being at the junction of the two Metro lines. The proximity to the park is incredible, and affordable--somewhere that doesn't cost nearly as much as the east and west edges of the park.
^I like where you're head's at. A condo in the neighborhood is a leading candidate for my move home this summer for just the reasons you mentioned. Hopefully more places like Velocity will creep up making Pershing between DB and Union even more attractive.
Peeked through the doors the other day and saw that progress is being made. Painting looks also complete, a bar/workstation has been built, and appliances were being moved in.
Should be open by summer at the rate they are going.
Should be open by summer at the rate they are going.
progress is still happening but at a very slooooooooooooooow pace
the donut shop is open next doors though but only in the morning
the donut shop is open next doors though but only in the morning
- 6,775
TB1000 wrote:the donut shop is open next doors though but only in the morning
Thinking back over my entire life, I can't come up with a single time I bought donuts after 8:00 am.
So it's probably not surprising that they are only open in the morning.