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I just received word this morning via email that another new business will be opening up on Long Street soon in the up-and-coming King Lincoln District.
The Book Suite is scheduled to open the first week of September at 887 East Long Street, next door to the Urban Spirit Coffee Shop. Few details are available on their website, but we’ll post more information soon as well as a Grand Opening date for anyone interested in attending.
Maybe KLD should have its own Forum Section?
Seriously, it is all good news to see another part of Columbus with eager parties getting businesses going.
A.
When Anne & I lived in German Village, we were two blocks away from The Book Loft and Cup O Joe, which was a great neighborhood asset to have the pair side-by-side. Drinks, snacks, and book shopping just seem to go hand in hand very well.
When we moved to the KLD in January, we realized our neighborhood still had a ways to go before we’d have those type of amenities within walking distance again. I honestly didn’t think it was going to move so quickly, but I guess we came into the neighborhood at just the right time.
I’m looking forward to seeing what comes next!
When I was househunting in OTE, I was very very close to putting an offer on a house on Long Street. We ultimately didn’t because we weren’t sure when and if Long Street would ever make a comeback. Everyone kept telling us that it was happening within the next five years but they’ve been saying that about the Near East Side for 20+ years. Looks like they might have been right about Long Street though.
I wish them luck. Independent book stores are a tough game to be playing right now. They’re going to need a uniquie service to offer.
Honestly, I think there will probably be a bit of a lull before we see anything else new happening. The Gateway Building and Alpha Building is where these new shops are opening lately and outside of those two buildings, there’s not a lot of new or renovated space for retail along Long Street. The Lincoln Theater opening next Spring will be pretty huge, but I think it’s going to take some more new building developments filling in the gaps before Long Street becomes the next High Street.
All in good time though. These things do take awhile to happen. I can be patient. ;)
All in good time though. These things do take awhile to happen. I can be patient. ;)
Don’t forget the new condos at Hamilton and Long (one of the best deals for a condo in the city) and the old apartment building being renovated at 17th and Long. Those will hopefully bring an influx of people. And the guy who did the Hamilton and Long condos owns most of the block across the street and is planning on developing that once he sells everything in the first project.
I would be happy to see Long Street not become the next High Street; maybe something a little different. :wink:
Oh yes, there’s still a lot of other residential projects (also the Monroe Cluster and The Whitney which are both on hold but not cancelled as far as I know) but not a whole lot of other retail space that doesn’t first require some overhauling.
I could see the Edna Building being next in the pipeline as the City currently owns it and is re-roofing the building and shopping for developers. It has room for two boutique-size retail slots on the bottom floor.
I can´t remember which is the Edna, but I do hope they do something with the abandoned apartment building across from Urban Spirit. If they fixed it up it´d be as nice solid building. the KLBNA is going to have to be more vocal and our neighborhood organizations need an umbrella organization. King-Lincoln residents were´t able (or willing?) to stop the demolition of buildings that could have easily been fixed up. It’s great that the existing buildings are being filled up, but like you said Walker, there’s not really anymore spaces for new businesses I would think you’d be more upset than I am that the city slowed progress in the neighborhood, including rising property values for those moving into the area to improve it.
An independent bookstore is definitely a draw to the area and yes, it’s risky, but less so if done properly. For a corridor as decimated and fragile as Long St, businesses that come in need to be placed intelligently in relation to each other. A bookstore and a coffeeshop go hand in hand, as we can see in German Village. The main problem here though, is that you have Long & Hamilton and Long & 17th coming along independently of each other with nothing to connect them except a mostly empty 3 block stretch. There are some grass lots, a run down carry-out (but according to CUers that’s a good thing) Canabar (never been), the office of the KLBNA, that’s it really. About the best thing the city could do (aside from making Long ped-friendly) is to put KLD entrance arches on Broad & 17th and Broad & Hamilton. Why they put the first one on Long on the CSCC side of Downtown (well, we know why: they obviously didn’t think that through ) instead of Broad is confusing. Anyway, this is one more unique bookstore in our urban core, and we certainly aren’t overflowing with them so yes I’m very interested in checking this place out.
That apartment building is the one Motorist previously mentioned. One of the non-profit housing groups is rehabbing it, I believe.
The Edna is the three story brick building just west of Urban Spirit. The one with the “Hot n Cold” sign on it:
Proposal request PDF: http://development.columbus.gov/Asset/iu_files/land_man/879-881_E._Long_Street_RFP.pdf
Video tour: http://assets.columbus.gov/GTC-3/low-speed-connection/LongStTour.wmv
not as upset as some in franklinton…… the city has been pumping millions into the KLD for the past several years. im praying that when they get done over there they might toss us a bigger bone than home again. although home again has been great over here. home again has a huge project on long st as well.
Walker, one of your biggest challenges on Long is going to be the two churches who continue to raze buildings. They have it in their minds that the best way to fix the area is to get rid of it. Somehow they need to see the light, or be blocked from obtaining properties and demolishing them. Otherwise, before long there won’t be any commercial buildings left over there.
This isn’t my neighborhood, but I’m glad to hear about it. It will be interesting to watch Long Street’s progress in the years to come. It give me hope for my stretch of Cleveland Avenue: below Northern Lights, North of Hudson. It ain’t the prettiest spot in town, but we do have a couple of Jamaican restaurants, the nicelooing National City branch, and some other stuff. I’m hoping the area’s headed in the right direction.
I don’t like what those churches have done, and I don’t know what their actual plans are. I really doubt they want to actually level the entire neighborhood though. I’m trying to become more civically active over here, but it’s actually been a bit of a challenge to nail down who’s in charge and when meetings are held.
Anyway, I like what’s been done with German Village, but I’d hate to see those kinds of development restrictions places on my new neighborhood. I actually like to see a mix of old and new. I know it’s usually cheaper to rehab than to build new, and it will probably take a long time to fill in the holes over here, but I think that’s going to be part of the charm. I think the newer buildings going into the Short North and Downtown are some of the most exciting developments, sometimes moreso than the rehab projects.
But anyway, that’s really neither here or there. I’m just excited to see more retail opening on Long in 2008 and will do my best to support them and keep them open. :D
I can’t wait to check out the Book Suite. I am addicted to book stores. I’m a bookstore groupie. Where I go to school, there is like only Half-Price Books within a one-mile radius of campus. But, yeah, Book Suites are sweet.
The Book Suite plans to open September 1.
Hi! Welcome to the site, and thanks for the update! :D
Looking forward to checking it out!
I’ll check out the Book Suite, at least to see what they have, but I have to admit that I feel a little bit of trepidation regarding its chances. It’s not just the corporate bookstores that have squeezed the market; it’s the ability to order (and pre-order) books online, with Amazon leading the charge, that has really tightened that market. I haven’t bought a book at a b&m shop since law school, and that was only because we were required to buy editions of some books of which the school bookstore was the only source. I shop at Amazon and have a revolving pile of books from the local public library.
Seems pretty awesome. I need to check out this area. Good to see you and the family last night.
Maybe this is totally off base, but when I was looking for a house earlier this year, I looked a lot in OTE. One person told me that real estate companies had bought a lot of the inventory a while back and were holding onto it until the market boomed. But the lack on improvement on all those properties was holding the neighborhood back. Is that true? If so, it stinks!
I know a lot of realtors in OTE and I don’t think any of them are doing this. Most of them have some investment properties but they usually keep them in decent shape.
I have heard of some other people who formed and LLC together to buy up property on Main Street and are sitting on it. Many of the people who I’ve heard are involved in this were pretty vocal about getting the new Main Street cameras up and running. For the safety of the neighborhood, of course, not their property values. This is all through the grapevine though, so take it with a grain of salt.
There is another group of neighbors that I know about who formed a company to buy empty lots in the area so that once the neighborhood starts to be infilled, they can control what gets built.