Cole European, the Jaguar and Land Rover dealer located at 2103 N. Main St. in Walnut Creek is undergoing construction to expand and remodel their showroom. Estimated finish date is mid-December according to people I spoke with there. Previously there was a storage area that will be added to the showroom. Along with the new Dirito Brothers Volkswagen dealership nearby, it looks like Walnut Creek car dealerships are on the up-and-up just in time for Christmas.
This is somewhat old news but Le Creuset, the French cookware store on Mt. DIablo Blvd. in Walnut Creek has closed. At one time, Walnut Creek boasted 5 kitchen stores, Kitchen Table, Williams-Sonoma, Sur La Table, Viking and Le Creuset. Now only three remain, Viking and Le Creuset having closed.
Le Creuset had one of the most unfortunate locations that they failed to understand when they leased the place. On a map it looks ideal, in the heart of downtown, near the other kitchen stores etc. But that particular location is offset about 5 feet inwards such that it was almost impossible to see their signs from the corner of Locust St. and Mt. Diablo Blvd., where most people would be crossing from. Unlike other Le Creuset outlet stores, this Le Creuset was one of the first dedicated Le Creuset stores not outlet-related, and was intended as a test to see how it would perform nationwide. I’m afraid they may have come to incorrect conclusions about how well such a store could do, as well as Walnut Creek in general based on the unfortunate store location. Or maybe it was the super-heavy cookware afterall. 😉
According to their maps page, Empire Realty still has an office at 1777 Botelho Drive where the Walnut Creek Chamber of Commerce is located, but the office next to the Century movie theater has closed as can be seen by the real estate lock box hanging from the door handle. I wonder what will replace it? I believe the actual office was up a flight of stairs so not sure it could be used by a retail store, but the location is great. Although I do worry about how the frozen yogurt place Coco Swirl is doing.
The Renditions Art Gallery, located at 1383 N. Broadway in Walnut Creek had its grand opening today and currently features the paintings of Kristan Le, who is also the curator/manager. They plan on offering paintings from local bay area artists and elsewhere, as well as expanding into other art forms such as sculpture in the future. Their inaugural show is called the Small Works Show, which will be on display from Dec 9, 2011 – Jan 30, 2012 with a submission deadline of Dec. 1.
What I found most interesting is that they offer evening workshops and classes, including figure drawing, still life painting, and more. This could become a great community and resource for Walnut Creek and East Bay artists. Kristan was very welcoming when I dropped in so if you’re in the area stop by and check out what they have to offer.
I was walking down Locust St. today in Walnut Creek when I noticed that The Paint Palette is closing. Meanwhile a block away Renditions Art Gallery is opening up and will be offering workshops in the evening from what I hear. More on that later.
Photo by flickr user zizzy
The Walnut Creek budget task force has recommended that the city increase the sales tax by 1/2 cent to 8.75% according to this Contra Costa Times article:
The sales tax is just one of many suggestions about how the city can improve its financial future. The 48-page report, 11 months in the making, will be presented to the City Council at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the council chamber, 1666 N. Main St. The council will take no immediate action on the task force’s recommendations, including the sales tax, which would ultimately have to be approved by voters.
A short while after snapping this photo a worker was making the finishing touches on this Neiman Marcus sign.
Looks like the new Dirito Brothers Volkswagen showroom is almost done. According to Volkswagen Walnut Creek, it should be open in 2 weeks, just in time for Thanksgiving. The current Dirito Brothers Volkswagen showroom will be hosting Nissan cars. So if you plan on getting a Volkswagen soon, you might want to wait a couple more weeks and check out what the new showroom has to offer. The new showroom is located a block away at Pringles Ave. and N. Main St., near Target.
According to the Walnut Creek Project Pipeline:
A project that will demolish 40,787 sq.ft of floor area on 2.74 acres to make way for a new 29,731 square-foot automotive sales and service building. A portion of the site will be used for vehicle inventory, customer parking, and outdoor vehicle displays. The project consists of grading, new traffic signals, relocation or undergrounding of utilities, and street and sidewalk improvements.
Fancy Pants, the boutique women’s clothing and accessories shop, which was located on Cypress St. in downtown Walnut Creek has closed. Interestingly, the For Rent sign notes that the place rents for $1800, anyone interested?
OK, so the door may not be anything special, but check out the door handles.
These cool looking door handles are on the Labels consignment store at 1367 N. Main St. in Walnut Creek. Nice touch.