My wife and I will within a year start up our own small business. I would LOVE to add it to Cary town, but I know how I want my hours to be. 11am-11pm EVERY DAY! I’m not going to hire anybody to work my store.. it’ll be me 24/7 365 and my wife when she isn’t at her job (one of us has to keep the job)

I want to bring a nice store with a great atmosphere to carytown that will also give students/teens a place to come to in the evening for events and such.

Store in CaryTown really need to extend their hours! I for one don’t understand how half the stores in carytown maintain their stores… the prices for some of the retail locations are INSANE and I never see a soul in their stores… Carytown could use a good price cut and gutting of unwanteds.

I am not saying that the merchants and property owners are the only ones that should pitch in to keep things spiffy, certainly the community does have a vested interest in doing their part, I am just saying that as a nearby resident who does pick up on regular morning walks through C-town and who does do their part and who knows others that do the same, it is frustrating to continually see crap everywhere. It is just plain sad to see that SOME of the merchants can’t even pitch in and pick up in front of THEIR OWN SHOP and pull a weed or two a week in front of THEIR OWN SHOP when it is their livelihood at stake. I am not talking huge project here, just 25 feet of store front a piece for heaven’s sake. I do not want to see trash and weeds because I live in and around the area, that some of these folks are not at least as motivated for their business concerns is mind boggling.

I think CMA and other community groups should pester the city for a “Clean and Safe” crew at least once or twice a week, you know the litter gguys with the sidewalk sweepers. They used to do a great job downtown (I do not go there during the day much anymore so I do not know if that is still the case). I am assuming our illustrious Mayor has not axed them, though it has been hard to keep up. Certainly it would be an expense worth taking on.

I have to admit, you’re right the trash. Some mornings, because I can’t stand the sight of the stuff, I become a neat and clean guy and pick up crap and stuff down the trash cans. This gives me both a sense of accomplishment, and annoyance.

But, I think this is part of the Carytown success situation. With more bars opening there, and traffic increasing, you may see a creeping Shockoe Bottom Effect. This could be counter acted, as you say, by more vigilant business people and even, well, ordinary citizens to take an interest. Leaving it all for the city to do is, well, shuffling off responsibilty and setting the community up for failure.

This is our city, too, and everybody in WoBSoc ["Fashionably scruffy and scruffily fashionable"] and the Musee-yum Distric’ stands to benefit by taking a little interest.

Thank you, and good night.

Maybe not a roller coaster but, even better, a sky tram that would lift people over the roof tops. Now that would be a sight.

Here’s an idea from Noo Yawk City:

nymag.com/realestate/features/2016/17146/

And from those wild and crazy folks in Portland, Ore., that have one and are extending it.

http://www.portlandonline.com/transportation/index.cfm?c=ebajf

Well, a boy can dream.

How can the place not be full for 10$?! I’m going to go down there and just hang out for 10$, honestly.

Something like that on a smaller scale would be cool, though this market has both the artisan booths (in the open air ) and the meats/cheeses/ farmers market in the enclosed area. For that matter, I agree that if we followed a model similar to this for the 17th street market by enclosing at least a part of it, it would be a great improvement.

The boutique hotel would be a nice asset to the area and would provide a good clientele for many of the shops that increasingly seem to have taken a “boutique” turn….(not that there’s anything wrong with that.)

i cheated, so i will not guess how much a spot at 17th street costs, but i will offer the hint that it was way *less* than i thought it would be…

Someone should count the number of parking spots lost if you close Cary from Auburn to Colonial. I bet Cary Court is about 80. I’m not sure how much street parking you’d lose. I bet the number isn’t that high. The surrounding areas could accommodate the loss. Of course, I am not a traffic engineer.

Also, I spoke to the SPROUT guy today about farmer’s markets elsewhere in the city. He said it would be really difficult for him to support another day/place. He did, however, say that Carytown would be a *MUCH* better location for the market even though he liked the feel of the downtown market.

Anyone care to take a guess at how much he pays to rent a stall down there?

Also – bazaar….flea market….empty space…UKROP’S PARKING LOT ON SUNDAYS. That thing is a giant waste of real estate on Sunday. Get the Ukrops to put their money where their mouth is and let out the parking lot to a local flea market. I’d sure stop by after I do my Kroger shopping.

Cary Street becomes a pedestrian mall.

More green space.

Open zoning for construction of new retail and second-floor residential on the side streets between Cary and Ellwood.

A tethered hot air balloon on the roof of the 7-11.

A boutique hotel would be very cool — especially one anchored by retail, restaurants and museums. A trifecta for the zippy tourist.

A weekend market would work in the above setting, especially if the emphasis was on non-perishables, crafts and the like.

Maybe we could just lay sod down Cary Street one night…

When shopping for a home in this neighborhood (WoBSoC), I was told by a real estate agent that “rumor has it, the doctor is losing his medical license and they’re turning that home into condos.” Looking back, it appeared to be nothing more than a rumor–probably started by the agent herself to up the housing price. At the time, I did some research on the previous owner of the establishment located at 3003 Parkwood Ave., 23221, known as Old Dominion Adult Home. The listed owner was Saifullah K. Niazi. Based on some internet searches, the rumor was based upon some truth: http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/timesdispatch/results.html?st=basic&QryTxt=NIAZI+SAIFULLAH
Apparently, he got his medical license suspended though, not revoked. The name of his business is/was (ironically) Best Care, LLC.

There are weeds and trash ALWAYS along Carytown like you do not see in the developed corridor along Main near VCU…why?…owners/shop tenants there cooperate to keep it ALL picked up and the (&*&%$#) weeds pulled and tree wells attended to so it does not look broken down and sad like. Streetscape and property maintenance is a slippery slope, one area starts to look like no one cares and others around take it as permission to do the same.

I think CMA should spearhead regular street maintenance all along Carytown, regardless of the merchant’s membership in the CMA. All will benefit.

Along those lines, some would argue that the city should pick up the tree well maintenance. As a property owner in the city I think this is crap. I am responsible from my property from the middle of the street the middle of the alley and the merchants/business property owners should be held to the same.

Next, for the soap box?!?