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Non-Tech : Investing in Real Estate - Creative Opportunities -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: John Vosilla who wrote (1196)	1/17/2013 1:45:24 AM
From: tejek	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 2722

I used to live in what is now the hottest RE market in the country according to Zillo.........Highland Park in LA. lol North Maple Leaf one of hottest housing markets Read more: seattlepi.com

To: John Vosilla who wrote (1196)	1/17/2013 2:01:16 AM
From: tejek	Respond to of 2722

Remember how TH would freak out every time I brought up some progress in Detroit. Well Detroit keeps trucking along: Moosejaw may keep its shop in DetroitPopup open through Feb., but store could stay if sales impress By Michael Martinez The Detroit News Comments Purchase Image The outdoor outfitter is leasing by the month on Woodward but may seek a long-term deal, a spokesman said. (David Guralnick / The Detroit News) Outdoor outfitter Moosejaw plans to keep its downtown Detroit popup store open through at least February, with an eye on becoming a permanent retail fixture on Woodward Avenue. The Madison Heights-based company has signed a month-to-month lease with Dan Gilbert-owned Bedrock Real Estate Services to have the popup at 1275 Woodward Ave. stay open through the end of February, said Bryan Lively, Moosejaw vice president of retail. The company wants to sign a long-term lease if sales go well, he said. The store, part of a series holiday popup stores along the 1200 block of Woodward, originally was scheduled to close Dec. 22. "We're going to continue to run with it as long as it's successful," Lively said. "It's definitely the hope (to open permanently). We want to make sure we continue to see a level of customer traffic." If Moosejaw decides to keep the store open permanently, it would be the first significant retailer to locate in downtown since the CVS drugstore chain opened a location on Woodward Avenue in January 2006. Moosejaw's potential move would be the first in downtown's retail revival. "This will be the first domino," said Ken Dalto, a Farmington Hills retail analyst. "This is the first time in many years notable retailers are looking seriously at downtown Detroit." Dalto said Moosejaw is likely to be successful because downtown is populated with young, fit outdoors enthusiasts — the exact demographic Moosejaw targets. "They'll be able to sell the kind of things they sell with that market," Dalto said. James Bieri, who provides real estate services for retailers at Stokas Bieri Real Estate in Detroit, called the move very important to the city and said it would attract other store owners to move downtown. "We've fallen so far that baby steps are important," Bieri said. "It's a small investment, but a very visible step." The quirky store will continue to offer unique promotions as it did during the holidays, Lively said. Each Friday, Moosejaw hosts a 4-9 p.m. happy hour where customers can get a free Atwater Brewery beer or Faygo pop while they shop. Lively said the store will host a "We're Here To Stay" party in late January. "We want to keep customers intrigued," he said. Moosejaw has six other Michigan locations and 11 total stores nationwide, Lively said. The company employs 350 workers, 300 of them in Michigan. The downtown location, which is about one-third the size of a normal store, has six employees, Lively said. Bedrock Real Estate Services, owned by Quicken Loans Inc. Chairman Dan Gilbert, hopes Moosejaw will stay because it has been a "terrific tenant," spokesman Dan Mullen said. "We would be thrilled to have Moosejaw in downtown Detroit permanently and hope they'll find it well worth their while to stay," Mullen said in a Tuesday statement. Moosejaw's ultimate success in downtown, analysts said, will happen if other retailers join it. Gilbert has bought 15 downtown buildings and is promising to fill some of them with ground-level retail. Lively said Gilbert's companies promised him Moosejaw won't be alone. "They have some deals in the works with national retailers and niche retailers," Lively said. "They are looking to make it a shopping mecca of sorts that would be competitive to Chicago and New York." detroitnews.com