Posted: December 18, 2009

Jimmy John's first Hampton Roads store, showhere, opened in December 2008 in Chesapeake. Another store will be opening on Granby Street in downtown Norfolk.

By Philip Newswanger

philip.newswanger@insidebiz.com

A Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwich franchise catering to those who want tasty sandwiches with fresh baked bread, delivered fast, is coming soon to downtown Norfolk.

It will occupy the same building on Granby Street where the former Calvin & Lloyd store on Plume Street sold antiques and other boutique accessories. Calvin & Lloyd now operates on Brooke Street.

Jimmy John's slogans promise speed and gastronomic satisfaction as it delivers party platters and subs as well as box lunches: "You buy. I fly. Freaky, fast delivery. No crowd too big. No hunger too great. No schmancy too fancy."

Founded in 1983 in Charleston, Ill., by Jimmy John Liautaud, the franchise has gone national. It has eight shops in Virginia, including one at 1220 Greenbrier Pkwy. in Chesapeake.

There are 950 stores nationwide.

To join the chain of franchises, there is an initial $35,000 franchise fee, according to the company's Web site.

Total estimated investment, excluding the cost of purchasing real estate, ranges from $304,500 to $420,500, the company says on its Web site.

Gerry Rogers, owner of TM Subs Inc. of Lafayette, Ind., is the franchis e owner.

He opened his first store in Hampton Roads in Chesapeake in October 2008 and now plans the downtown store.

In fact, Rogers likes the area so much he plans to move here in six months.

He owns an apartment in Chesapeake near the Chesap eake store and often visits the area.

"We liked the area; we think it's a good place to live," Rogers said. "Plus, it's a brand-new market."

He said downtown Norfolk is really a nice area and growing.

"I like the environment and the people are very friendly," he said.

The Norfolk store will open in about seven weeks, he said.

"We slice our own meat and cheese," he said. "We bake our bread every day. We serve it for only four hours."

The store will be a welcome addition to the Granby Street area, where empty storefronts are becoming the norm because of the bad economy and construction activity due to light rail and utility work.

Many bars and restaurants are gone, with for-lease signs in their windows.

Businesses like Zero's, Jack Quinn's, 219, Sevens and Harry's Barbecue have folded, their legacy an empty window or a name hanging on a sign.

This is why the Downtown Norfolk Council paid for a study and hired someone to bring retail to downtown Norfolk, particularly Granby Street.

Bonnie Schule, an experienced retail manager and an interior designer by education, was hired in October.

Her title is retail recruiter and coordinator.

Her position was recommended by Downtown Works, the Washington, D.C.- based consultant that put together a retail strategy for downtown Norfolk between January and June of this year.

The $130,000 contract to develop and implement the plan was funded from the council's membership dues and the Business Improvement District tax, which is levied on businesses and residences in a 48-block area in downtown Norfolk.

DNC officials see her role as matchmaker, bringing together retailers and landlords, and not as a dealmaker.

The deals will be left to the landlords, retailers and real estate brokers.

The DNC commissioned the study for two reasons.

One is that Granby Street and downtown lacked a diversity of retail.

Two, the DNC recognized that the brokerage community was answering the telephones rather than out looking for prospects.

The study suggests that the city and the BID at the beginning of the retail recruiting process will have to provide some incentives "to get the ball rolling."

These could include favorable loans, the study said.

"Another useful way to use incentives is to favor residential towers containing ground-level retail," the study said.

Properly applied, incentives help to get important early deals executed, and can soothe any fears landlords may have about filling their spaces, the study said. nib