GIANTS – Congratulations Champs window sign spotted on the Sherman Clay Piano store in downtown Walnut Creek.
GIANTS – Congratulations Champs window sign spotted on the Sherman Clay Piano store in downtown Walnut Creek.
With the news this week that the women’s shoe and handbag boutique Footcandy is closing this year due to competition from larger retail stores in Walnut Creek, that got me thinking about where is the best location for a small independent retail store to set up shop, in Walnut Creek or Lafayette?
Walnut Creek has big department stores like Nordstrom, Macy’s and Neiman Marcus, along with mid-tier retailers like Pottery Barn, H&M, Barnes and Noble and Apple, with smaller independent retailers mixed in such as Atlas and Norf London, while Lafayette is home to many independent retail stores such as the recently opened men’s clothing store Venture and children’s store Tulip. It seems to me that Walnut Creek would bring in more foot traffic, but competition would be greater with more choices available. The question is whether the increased foot traffic is worth being overshadowed by the larger stores. If you were going to set up shop as a small independent retailer, where would you choose, Walnut Creek or Lafayette? I also have Orinda on the list but I think it will come down to Lafayette and Walnut Creek. I didn’t bother adding Moraga to the list, because well, cows don’t shop. 🙂
From the City of Walnut Creek webpage:
The final “Second Saturday Walk with the Mayor” begins promptly at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 10 and will be about 3 miles long. The theme is the art and architecture of downtown Walnut Creek. Meet at the steps at the corner of California and Ygnacio Valley Road (in front of WC BART). No need to RSVP!
From the Walnut Creek police:
Date / Time Occurred: November 7,2012 @ 7:30 p.m.
Location: Business Center Parking Lot in the Walnut Creek Shadelands area
Crime Description / Code: 207(a) PC Kidnapping/215(a) PC Carjacking, 211 PC Robbery
Suspect #1: Described as a white male adult, early to mid 20s, 5’11”, 185/190 lbs, broad shoulders, short dark hair, unknown facial hair. Last seen wearing light colored T shirt under a black zip up colored shirt, jeans, blue or black.
Suspect #2: Described as a white male adult, early to mid 20s, 5’9”, 150 lbs with a slight build. Last seen wearing a mask (form type to below the nose), black hooded sweatshirt with the hood up, dark jeans.
Suspect Vehicle: Smaller older dark colored pick up truck. Possibly a Toyota with a loud muffler.
Narrative:
On the date and time listed, a 57 year old female was abducted as she was leaving her place of work and walking to her vehicle in an isolated parking lot. As the victim unlocked her vehicle the two described suspects ran up to her, forced her into her vehicle, tied her up and blindfolded her. The victim was driven to various locations in an attempt to get money from her ATM accounts.The victim was driven to an isolated area in the Oakland Hills where she was released. A smaller older dark colored pick up truck, possibly a Toyota with a loud muffler, was seen leaving the area. The victim was able to free herself and called 911. Oakland PD responded and sought medical attention for the victim and obtained the initial information. The Walnut Creek Police Department was called to handle the primary investigation since the incident originated in Walnut Creek.
The Walnut Creek Police Department is actively investigating this crime. Anyone with information related to this crime is asked to contact the Walnut Creek Police Department Investigations Unit at (925) 943-5868 or (925) 943-5844.
It looks like a new place called “Canvas and Cabernet” is opening up in downtown Walnut Creek on Locust St. across from the Walnut Creek Yacht Club and Pyramid Alehouse. From what I can surmise, Canvas and Cabernet is a “paint and sip” shop where people make art while enjoying a glass of wine of two. Apparently it’s becoming quite popular throughout the country. Has anyone ever been to one of these paint and sip studios? How was it?
After word got out that the Moraga School District maintained that a Joquin Moraga middle school student who was sexually abused by a teacher back in the nineties was “careless and negligent”, school district trustees apologized to the former student.
The Contra Costa Times reported that the district said:
“The governing board and its attorneys, Stubbs and Leone, apologize to Ms. Cunnane for any anxiety or distress caused by the inclusion of this defense in its response to her pleading,” he said.
This is good they did this of course, but what I found interesting is that the Moraga School District attorney that used this language also represents the Lafayette School District and used similar language in a separate sex abuse case involving a Stanley Middle School teacher and student.
The same article notes:
Lafayette school trustees met in special closed session Wednesday afternoon to discuss Jane Doe’s lawsuit, and later announced a unanimous vote to “withdraw the defense of comparative fault and any assertion of carelessness or negligence” on the part of Jane Doe.
The question that comes to mind for me is what other sex abuse cases has this attorney been involved in? Someone should review them and see what other schools need to apologize.
The massive white building on the corner of S. Main St. and Newell Ave. is getting demolished to make way for 49 condos and 40,000 sf of retail space. Crazy in Suburbia has more background on the white building here and here. It used to be a bank and reminds me of a prison with those small windows. Has anyone been inside? Doesn’t seem like much natural light could get in there.
From the developer’s site:
Located in downtown Walnut Creek, The Village is an upscale mixed-use center characterized by modern simplicity and sophistication. Like a traditional village, residences and shops combine around small courtyards, plazas, and gardens. The 49 Condominium Residences are arranged to provide plenty of daylight, views, and privacy. 40,000 s.f. of pedestrian oriented retail space takes advantage of distinct architectural features to promote tenants and capture foot and car traffic. The Village extends Walnut Creek’s traditional downtown shopping area and creates a lively new southern gateway.
North perspective:
Creek promenade view:
This looks nice and should be good for stores across the street like Pacific Bay Coffee and the soon to be opened bakery Le Gateau Elegant.
Stelle Bistro is opening up in the old Chili’s location at 1403 Locust St. this month according to Diablo Dish. They go on to note that they will offer “Italian, Continental fusion” cuisine. If the name Stelle Bistro sounds familiar to you, that may be because they used to be on N. Main St. as Caffe delle Stella, now occupied by the Greek restaurant Opa! (That exclamation point is part of the name, I’m not trying to be emphatic or anything). 🙂
Did anyone ever try the original Caffe delle Stella? How was it?
Footcandy, the women’s footwear and handbag boutique located at 1365 N. Main St. in downtown Walnut Creek will be closing by the end of the year. They opened back in 2005, and were known for carrying high-end brands like Jimmy Choo and Manalo Blahnik in addition to cool window displays. Did anyone see that spirderweb display for Halloween, how cool was that?!
It looks like Footcandy was squeezed out by Nordstrom’s liberal return policy combined with its (along with Neiman Marcus) foray into higher end shoes. It’s too bad that a small independently owned boutique wasn’t able to compete. The good news is that prices are 30-60% off but the remaining stock is going fast so I would check them out ASAP if you’re interested. They may not even last through the end of the year if they sell off their stock early. I have heard that a boutique in Danville may be interested in taking over this location. Stay tuned…
Here’s how the inside looks:
Norf London that might be interested in this:
The 15th annual California Independent Film Festival is taking place at the Rheem Theatre in Moraga and the Orinda Theatre from November 8th through 11th. You can check out the complete schedule here. The films that will be playing are listed here. More information is available at the film festival website here.