Don’t get me wrong, I like the ratty thrift stores, odoriferous head shops and weird geegaw sellers that seem to populate other “college towns” just as much as the finer things mentioned heretofore because they are part of the unique fabric that defines a cool college town. Sadly,this is not one of them, and frankly, I believe it is because our “caretakers” make a lot of judgment calls on our behalf when they should really be out doing a little market research.

Giving in and letting a WalMart into Blacksburg is not the solution. And while Talbot’s has several times saved my day when I needed a new pair of black pants that wouldn’t embarrass me out of town, it is a place I associate with my 65 year old mother and her friends.

This isn’t me being a snob; this is me worrying that our humble little burg has become a run down has-been that repels many from coming here and staying a while.I think the people who are making our decisions for us don’t believe we deserve a few nice things in our midst. Who are they to make these decisions for us?

But, would 2 Walmart stores that close to each other make sense? Perhaps not…but the C’burg store is usually slam-packed most of the year so perhaps it would have eased the customer traffic in Christiansburg by spreading it out a bit more. Traffic was one of the major concerns for locals…the Miller-Southside residents fought the project because of the potential for increased traffic. Other residents fought Walmart because they sell alcohol and firearms…though several of their stores do not have the firearms section in sporting goods to comply with local requests. The alcohol issue is laughable…given that Kroger, ABC, and Vintage Cellar are all on the other side of the rugby field from the school, where parents and opposition said sales were too close to the school. Heck, Bull & Bones brews on site…no complaints that I’ve heard about that, or the other existing businesses…but Walmart was a problem?

As a result, Walmart was nixed from the project and no anchor store was built. Further, the timing of construction put the completion right as the economy took a swandive, and the Regal cinema at the NRV mall rebuilt and opened just before First & Main was slated for opening, removing the market potential for the proposed theater. And, with the lousy economy, many potential tenants never came, and others who were seeking to relocate within the town closed up shop entirely. Then the Town fought the Sonic because of the outdoor speakers…saying music was too loud for neighbors. Say what? It was on Main Street, surrounded by commercial properties. But by the time they displayed some sense, that was scrapped too, and the center has largely remained half-vacant with no theater, no anchor, and no outparcel growth…resulting in limited traffic to the site, and a generally low customer base since aside from a few high-end clothiers and specialty shops, the only other tenants are restaurants…and now a fitness center. Hardly what it was envisioned to be.

I still have hopes that with new ownership, they can aggressively market the site to potential tenants and get it filled. It has a lot of potential that has never been realized. And as Virginia Tech continues to grow and the NRV becomes a more favored retirement location for many, the demand for retail shopping in Blacksburg will continue to grow. Christiansburg is about tapped out in their retail hub surrounding the mall, but a lot of voids are sitting in Blacksburg, waiting for the right company to come in and make it work. But, they have to overcome an adversarial Town Council and generally adversarial citizens groups to do so, and that may be the biggest challenge any of them face.

Some good ideas for potential tenants have been mentioned, but given the layout of where the bulk of the parking is located, the chances for a high-end grocery store within the existing center footprint seems unlikely. A theater would be nice, but given that ticket prices have curbed demand, and the still relatively new Regal theater is in C’burg, I’m wondering if that would draw enough to be financially feasible.

What is probably needed are stores of a local/regional variety or national chains that are not in the area today, that would be a draw…kind of like the place was intended to be. But an anchor and outparcel development would also help draw additional traffic to the site and perhaps help spur existing and future tenants too. I hope that having non-bank ownership will kickstart efforts to fill the rash of vacancies and pump some much-needed life into the place.

Joe, hopefully the drive on Main Street will be a little more pleasant now. But with parking…I noticed Stellar One in downtown by Turner Street did the same thing, I’m guessing to combat people parking in their lot and walking over to Castle’s Kettle & Pub, which has maybe 8-10 spaces behind their building. I take my chances parking between Taco Bell and the vacant TCBY space, hoping I don’t get towed. But I’ve heard from some of the Castle’s staff that many of their customers have had their vehicles towed. If it’s after hours at the bank, I don’t see a need to enforce the lots until 6am the following day, it just makes it harder on adjacent businesses, especially now that the Squires lot is forever gone…at least until the new development along Turner opens up with the parking deck I have heard will be a part of their work.

You win, I are one.