Maybe the rent is too damn high. Perhaps opening on the day Hurricane Isabel hit town was an omen after all.
News comes this week that Champps Restaurant and Starbucks have closed or are closing at Stony Point Fashion Park. Apparently the parent company of Chammps has gone bankrupt. But Starbucks? When does Starbucks ever close? There are rumors of other closings.
That leaves limited dining choices in the mall. Uncle Julio’s Rio Grande Café has been closed for years and the location remains vacant. Cheesecake Bistro closed and was replaced by CineBistro. I love CineBistro. But it’s pricey and you can’t take the kids.
Short Pump Town Center seems to be faring better. But that’s a day trip from here. Stony Point is on the way to church.
Maybe the region just can’t support two upscale malls. Other major shopping malls in the area certainly aren’t what they used to be.
I’m not an economist. And, up until now at least, I’ve not played one on stage.
But this doesn’t look like economic recovery to me.
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Maybe the rent is too damn high. Perhaps opening on the day Hurricane Isabel hit town was an omen after all.
