Mexican flavor is coming to Valley View Mall.
Los Dos Amigos is making plans to open on the mall's lower level, near the food court and Sears, according to a Roanoke building permit. Check out a map of the mall here. Los Dos Amigos is headed for space LD-160.
Valley View spokeswoman, Ashley Likens, told me that this restaurant will serve Mexican fare, but she hasn't yet disclosed information about the new tenant and the owner.
In case you missed this news, Starbucks plans to close 200 U.S. stores and 100 locations internationally this year. The coffee retailer also will lay off at least 6,700 workers.
There's no word yet on which Starbucks locations will close and whether they will include stores in the Roanoke and New River valleys.
Read this story for more information.
And to read a letter about the announcement from Starbucks' chief executive officer, Howard Schultz, click here.
The country is abuzz with the news of Barack Obama's inauguration tomorrow, and Ben & Jerry's also is celebrating the new president. The Vermont ice cream company has renamed its butter pecan flavored ice cream, "Yes, Pecan," reflecting on Obama's "Yes, We Can" theme for change.
The butter pecan flavor will bear its new name this month.
Proceeds from the sell of the "Yes Pecan" flavor will go toward the education fund of Common Cause, a nonpartisan, nonprofit advocacy group that encourages people to voice their opinions in the political process.
Regionally, Ben & Jerry's has shops at Roanoke's Valley View Mall and at Christiansburg's New River Valley Mall.
Here's another detail about how downtown Roanoke's retail scene is preparing for the debut of the Taubman Museum of Art. Kelly Fleming, who owns a downtown women's shoe store, plans to unveil a unique display tomorrow in honor of the museum's opening.
She will showcase a new piece of artwork in the window of her shop, Dandelion Feet on Market Street. It's a painting of two women shopping in downtown Roanoke, with the outline of the Taubman Museum as part of the city's skyline.
It will be the fifth painting in a collection of work by local artist Katherine Devine that Fleming has displayed in her shoe shop. Four other paintings feature the Roanoke Star and scenes of women shopping in downtown.
"I think Taubman will have a positive impact on our city and as a business owner in downtown Roanoke, I look forward to what this museum will bring to our area," Fleming said in a news release.
The presidential election obviously is inundating the news today, and I hope voting has been a smooth process for you.
At 10:30 a.m., I saw a long drive-through line at a Southwest Roanoke Starbucks. Likely, those were people waiting for free Election Day coffee. Let me know if you took advantage of any of the Election Day freebies today at Starbucks, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Ben & Jerry’s and others that you noticed.
If you’d like to get your mind off the election for a few minutes, weigh in on a recent survey of the best retailers for customer service, from restaurants to drug stores.
A market research firm specializing in mystery shopping and customer satisfaction, RealPeopleRatings.com, recently released the results of its third quarter survey about how people view customer service at various retailers. Respondents rated their perception of the customer service offered at different retail businesses. You may or may not agree with the winners.
Here are some of the survey's winners across numerous categories:
Full-service restaurants:
Olive Garden
Texas Roadhouse
Outback Steakhouse
Pizza restaurants:
Papa Murphy’s Take n Bake Pizza
Cici’s Pizza
Papa John’s
Office Supply stores:
Staples
Office Depot
FedEx Kinko’s
Home Improvement stores:
Ace Hardware
True Value
Lowe’s
Supermarkets:
Publix
Kroger
Safeway
Sporting Goods stores:
Dick’s Sporting Goods
Hibbett Sports
Finish Line
Drug stores:
Walgreens
CVS
Rite Aid
Electronics stores:
Best Buy
Radio Shack
Circuit City
Attention shoppers. If you're in the mood for seasonal decorations, Christmas ornaments, Vera Bradley merchandise and more, Steger Creek opens its new Blacksburg store this weekend. Michael Pace, the owner, said the new store at Blacksburg's First & Main retail center will be open this Sunday. And it may open its doors on Saturday, depending on how quickly the store's final arrangements come together. On Sunday, Steger Creek is hosting a holiday open house at all of its locations, which include a Roanoke County store (formerly named Salem Creek) and a shop in Forest, near Lynchburg.
Pace told me that he decided to open the Blacksburg store because the developer of First & Main sought him out. The developer wanted a regional retailer to locate there, and Steger Creek seemed to fit the bill, Pace said.
At 3,500 square feet, the new Blacksburg Steger Creek isn't as large as the Roanoke County store. Still, Pace believes that the New River Valley store will be a success, because the retailer has a number of regular customers who live in the New River Valley.
Visit Steger Creek's Web site to learn more about the retailer's history.
Also, Blue Ridge Mountain Sports recently announced that it's coming to First & Main. Check out New River Notebook for details.
It looks like a sub shop is headed for the former location of Mill Mountain Coffee & Tea in downtown Roanoke. There are signs on the windows of this vacant Campbell Avenue space, stating "Geonetti's Specialty Subs coming soon."
I don't have details yet about this sub shop and when it is expected to open.
Mill Mountain moved out of this retail space at 112 Campbell Ave. earlier this year. The shop now is located across the street, at 117 Campbell Ave., in a much larger space that owner Dave Johnson purchased.
The economy’s impact on the restaurant industry has caused a local seafood eatery to shut its doors. Flat Rock Grille on Valley View Boulevard in Roanoke has closed. A sign on the front doors states “Closed for business.”
Here are some excerpts from the posted note:
“Due to economic factors beyond our control, we have elected to cease operation. We hope everyone will support our locally-owned and operated restaurants. They are the ones that need your help in these times...The “chain restaurants” will survive no matter what. They have outside funds to keep them in operation. Our mom and pop restaurants don’t. They rely on your support and now is the time to give it to them.”
Flat Rock opened in 2004 as the first Virginia location for a four-restaurant chain. A local owner purchased the Roanoke Flat Rock last year.
A Florida-based restaurant chain now says it won't be opening a Roanoke location until next November, which is almost a year later than it initially planned.
Shula's 347 Grill is headed for a spot at the Roanoke Plaza Hotel, which by the end of this year will become the Sheraton Roanoke Hotel & Conference Center. Extensive renovations have been in the works at this hotel off Hershberger Road, and here's my July story with the details.
Shula's 347 Grill is a hamburger, steak and seafood restaurant owned by Shula's Steakhouses. The company was founded by Don Shula, a legendary NFL coach. Several months ago, the restaurant company said it wanted to open Shula's 347 Grill at the Roanoke hotel by the end of this year.
Bill Herman, who is vice president of corporate development for Shula's Steakhouses, did not offer information about why the restaurant's coming has been delayed.
As the holidays near, all eyes turn to the toy industry. You can expect certain playthings to cost more this year. Toy retailers, Mattel and Hasbro, already have raised prices this year, and there are warnings that more increases are coming. Price jumps already are evident on some toy shelves.
Read this story for more details.
Now might be the time when many of you are thinking about spending strategies for the holidays. If you’re a parent or if you often buy toys for children at Christmas, do you have any strategies to share about how you’re planning to handle toy-buying this year?
