Ground Floor Retail We Can Sink Our Teeth Into!

Many new, or re-developed buildings in Downtown strive to add “Ground Floor Retail” to whatever is on the upper floors. In fact, often this is required. In LoDo, we have some excellent examples of what should not be encountering the pedestrian, vacant spaces. And, most of those vacant spaces all have the same commercial leasing agent’s name on them.

The EPA building has been open a few years now, and space is still available. Plenty of it. Sure, it has what seems to be the obligatory bank filling one space. The only other leased space is a pizza place that never appears to be very appetizing. The Opus-built structure at 140O Wewatta has only a bank. On the Wynkoop side of that building, the only occupied street level space is the fitness facility for building employees.

The new IMA building that will occupy the north end of the Union Station development promises Ground Floor Retail, perhaps a large restaurant. Okay, but will that restaurant be the kind of neighborhood contributor that Ground Floor Retail seems to be promising? How many branch banks do we need? Where are the deli’s, the convenience shops, the retailers who we would support? How about a Tabak?

Yes, the economy certainly plays a role in some of the current vacancies. But, somewhere along the line, the builders and developers need to do more to actually secure some of the promised street-level benefit. It seems rather gratuitous to simply add “Ground Floor Retail” to the renderings to get approvals. Their revenue comes from above the first floor.

Now, though, we are happy to tout the opening of a good example of Ground Floor Retail. Owner Pete Pflum and Executive Chef Ian Kleinman have combined to bring H Burger Co. to life in the Sugar Cube building, on the Mall, between Blake and Wazee. Fine looking place, fine looking menu. They opened last Saturday, February 13, featuring, of course, Burgers (your choice of Angus Beef, Lamb, “Eden” or Portobello Mushroom). And, who will resist one of their New Age Milk Shakes, chilled with Liquid Nitrogen. (Is that safe?)

Any new restaurant that quotes Calvin Trillin and Dave Barry in their marketing efforts gets my visit very soon!

“Mother Nature clearly intended for us to get our food from the ‘Patty’ group.” – Dave Barry

And, it takes a good sense of humor to keep looking into all that other empty Ground Floor Retail space in nearby blocks.
http://www.hburgerco.com/