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New businesses open in Williamsburg, Norfolk

Posted: February 3, 2012

By Danielle Walker
danielle.walker@insidebiz.com
 

Two new businesses are on their way to Williamsburg’s arts district, a designated area in the city, between Lafayette Street and Richmond Road, where artists and creative businesses are eligible for tax breaks.

Winery coming to Norfolk's Ghent

Posted: January 27, 2012

There's been a shift in plans for the winery proposed by Norfolk resident Jennifer Eichert.

Eichert now plans to open Mermaid Winery in the Ghent neighborhood of Norfolk instead of the original location - the Whitehurst-Buffington Home in Virginia Beach.

She said she's now set on a spot in the Palace Station shopping center, because the costs to renovate the historic home were getting too high.

"We were negotiating the lease with city staff," said Eichert, explaining how far plans had gone in Virginia Beach.

A monsoon, a mechanical bull and more

Posted: January 6, 2012

By Danielle Walker

danielle.walker@insidebiz.com

Total Wine & More, a wine, spirits and beer retailer that has been at the Marketplace at Hilltop for 10 years, is relocating to a larger space within the Virginia Beach shopping center.

The new site, scheduled to open in July at 25,387 square feet, is located at the former Borders bookstore space at 1744 Laskin Road.

Borders' closing occurred last fall as part of the book-seller's Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, in which the company shut down all 399 stores.

Sears Holdings announces plans to close 100 to 200 stores, including Norfolk location

Posted: December 30, 2011

The parent company of Sears and Kmart announced that it will close the Sears at The Gallery at Military Circle in Norfolk, but the future of other Kmart and Sears stores throughout Hampton Roads is uncertain.

Sears Holdings announced last week that it would close 100 to 120 Kmart and Sears stores. It later released a list of 79 stores that would close across the country, including the Sears at The Gallery. .

Kmart has 12 Hampton Roads stores and Sears has five stores and two outlet stores in the area.

Urban Outfitters may be downtown 'catalyst'

Posted: December 16, 2011

Urban Outfitters, the high-end hipster clothing store opening on Granby Street next year, will be a "game changer" for downtown, which has struggled to attract a mix of merchants, according to the marketing director of the Downtown Norfolk Council.

Early-bird shoppers flock to Black Friday

Posted: December 2, 2011

Early-bird shoppers scored a pretty big trade-off for their dedication - highly discounted electronics, apparel marked down to coveted prices and even free gift cards to their favorite stores.

It's no wonder Black Friday shoppers wanted to start the deal-hunting as early as possible - a demand retailers are seeing as a trend.

Outlet malls back in fashion with developers

Posted: November 25, 2011

By Danielle Walker

danielle.walker@insidebiz.com

As consumer interest in discounted but higher-end goods strengthens, so has the appeal of outlet malls among real estate developers.

The outlet market was dramatically overbuilt in the 1980s and 1990s, said Richard Latella, executive managing director at commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield.

"A lot of small developers built projects that were undercapitalized or didn't make sense," said Latella, who works in Cushman & Wakefield's New York offices.

Secrets of a survivor

Posted: November 25, 2011

By Danielle Walker

danielle.walker@insidebiz.com

Albert Bianchi's business, Fossil Rock Inn Restaurant, has lived long enough to beat the odds in the restaurant industry - and successfully made the transition to a new location in Chesapeake.

Founder and part owner of Fossil Rock, Bianchi has been in business since the summer of 2007, when the restaurant opened at 1457 Mount Pleasant Road in Chesapeake.

Since last December it's been in a nearby shopping center, Mount Pleasant Marketplace at 1464 Mount Pleasant Road.

Military families plan to shop on Black Friday

Posted: November 18, 2011

By Danielle Walker

danielle.walker@insidebiz.com

Active-duty families might take advantage of Black Friday sales more than the general population this year, according to a New Hampshire-based consumer behavioral group.

Sentient Decision Science Inc. compiled the quarterly report, the First Command Financial Behaviors Index, which sampled 530 U.S. consumers ages 25 to 70, with annual incomes of at least $50,000.

Another move for Taste Unlimited

Posted: November 18, 2011

By Danielle Walker

danielle.walker@insidebiz.com

Taste Unlimited recently moved its Hilltop West store, after 38 years at that location, to the Hilltop East shopping center in Virginia Beach.

Taste, which sells gourmet sandwiches, wines, cheeses and gift boxes, relocated another store last year, from Norfolk's Ghent neighborhood to nearby Larchmont.

The new Hilltop location held a soft opening Oct. 28, although promotions for the grand opening will continue through November, according to a company release.