Comments on: Penzey’s setting up shop in Carytown

By: Fiona

Fiona — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 11:45:19 +0000

Penzeys opened 4/11! We went in this weekend and the place is pretty great.

By: lou-lou

lou-lou — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 00:25:28 +0000

awesome! at first, i had heard this place was coming to short pump, which was sad because who wants to go to suburbia? not me.

as far as spices at ellwood’s, they used to stock many more including more obscure herbs and spices. and i may be mistaken, they have the widest selection still.

i’m pretty psyched to get my mitts on new spices.

By: Tracy

Tracy — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 01:39:20 +0000

Penzey’s has a decent “cult” following, I comandeered the limo driver (he showed up early) and went to the store in Overland Park dressed in my bridesmaid outfit the day of my friend’s wedding so I could go and buy chili powder to bring back to Richmond. If you cook, Penzey’s is THAT good. I seriously contemplated a road trip just to go to Penzeys up ny DC. But knowing a lot of people who enjoy eating pop tarts and pick up dinner premade at Ukrop’s, I can only hope that they make it in Richmond. I just made a pineapple uside down cake with their Cassia cinnamon and fresh grated nutmeg, Yum!

By: Spicey

Spicey — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 03:10:20 +0000

Penzeys IS awesome. And, while Carytown
is undeniably a tricky location, for me, this is a case of, “if you build it they will come.” Penzeys is unique, fun and inspiring. It is also a very inexpensive way to have fun cooking. I hope enough buzz will be generated by this great store to keep it going. I, too, have my reservations – I am not sure that Richmond is ready for a store devoted entirely to spices – but I’d love to see less turnover in the area. Plus, I’ll be really sad if I have to go back to getting my spices in CT whenever I visit my family.

By: chase

chase — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 16:55:03 +0000

I think that I counted 8 empty locations or “For Lease” signs on Cary between Blvd and Babes. And a lot of these were corner facing, larger storefronts with windows on 2 sides. I can’t imagine what can go there that would keep people in the area.

By: Ross

Ross — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 19:10:30 +0000

If there were convenient (light rail) transportation from the bottom to Carytown …

By: chase

chase — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 16:30:36 +0000

“Carytown needs a nearby boutique hotel”

I wholeheartedly agree. Nothing special, but SOMETHING. I especially hate when I have to send people to something on Broad st when all they want is to see the French Film Festival.

By: Jessie

Jessie — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 05:20:13 +0000

A fancy spice store sounds nice, but I seriously doubt that it will make enough money to pay the ridiculously high rent I heard tenants are expected to pay. Good luck with that one, I give it 12 months, tops…

By: Harry

Harry — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 03:45:03 +0000

I suppose it’s fine and all that a gourmet spices shop is moving in. But with 14, possibly 15, empty storefronts and commercials spaces in a mile, that’s a bit unusual for Carytown.

When you have a situation when there are some 240 shops but fewer than a dozen property owners, the rent situation isn’t gong to be conducive to the entrepreneur.

Carytown needs a nearby boutique hotel, a screening place for the Richmond Moving Image Co-op, prominent signs indicating there are in fact free parking decks at either end and removal of the two hour parking limit signs, a beautification committee that would among other things, control graffiti, a better physical marker indicating you are entering Carytown, and public art. All this is easy for me to say; I’m not a merchant trying to make a living there.

By: Susan

Susan — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 02:57:57 +0000

Penzey’s is completely amazing – I order stuff from their online catalog all the time, and we always hit it up in NYC. It’s inexpensive, delicious, and knowledgeable, and Carytown is the perfect place for it. This is seriously the best news I’ve had all month.

By: Fiona

Fiona — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 18:30:54 +0000

I would imagine that Ellwood Thompson is short only a small number of specialty spices and blends compared to Penzey’s. Am I totally off base on this? I did not see over much on their website that would lead me to think otherwise. Is this narrow margin enough to keep such a business afloat on Cary with the added parking hassle?

By: Ross

Ross — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 17:30:46 +0000

I hear rent is nutz.

By: chase

chase — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 17:27:10 +0000

i guess that it’s early in the year, so the number of shops on Cary that are vacant could be normal, but it seems like it’s a higher percentage than it’s been in recent years, and I can’t imagine that a spice store, even a particularly lovely one, is going to draw in that many people. I’m starting to get concerned.

By: Ross

Ross — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 02:42:13 +0000

YES! Now I don’t have to get Susan’s fiancé to pick me up things when he goes to New York.