Downtown openings/closing

[casbern]

Looks like a hot-dog place of sorts is moving into the old 4th street beef.

Host over in the Western Gateway had it's trial run today.

[Mastermind]

Looks like a hot-dog place of sorts is moving into the old 4th street beef.

Host over in the Western Gateway had it's trial run today.

I peaked in there last week, it appears as the are going for a vintage look (think Anthropology). Anyone get a look inside?

[casbern]

Looks like a hot-dog place of sorts is moving into the old 4th street beef.

Host over in the Western Gateway had it's trial run today.

I peaked in there last week, it appears as the are going for a vintage look (think Anthropology). Anyone get a look inside?

You can see some here: https://www.facebook.com/DSMHost/photos

[casbern]

Manpower also has moved into the Western Gateway Lofts office space.

[DMRyan]

I don't think the downtown Quizno's is permenantly closed. A drunk driver rammed the building over the weekend and knocked out the storefront glass. In fact, I thought I noticed it open yesterday afternoon even with the windows boarded up.

[casbern]

I don't think the downtown Quizno's is permenantly closed. A drunk driver rammed the building over the weekend and knocked out the storefront glass. In fact, I thought I noticed it open yesterday afternoon even with the windows boarded up.

My apologies, I saw Sarpino's had kindly placed advertising on the boarded up portion, so I assumed the worst.

[DMRyan]

The Capitol Pub and Hot Dog folks are planning a newly-themed restaurant/pub for the building just west of their existing digs. This was the building that formerly housed the Downtown Doggy Daycare until they relocated last fall.

[dsmspence]

Renovation Home has opened in the Western Gateway District on 11th Street just south of Mulberry Lofts. It's a furniture store with other cool stuff that's both new and found and with actually reasonable prices. The owner is originally from Mason City and moved his store here. I think this store is just what this area needs, more retail in this part of Downtown will be great. Here's their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Renovatio ... 2743885733

[Mastermind]

I wish places like this and and West End Salvage would open in the East Village.

[casbern]

I wish places like this and and West End Salvage would open in the East Village.

Wouldn't it be East End Salvage then?

[Mastermind]

I wish places like this and and West End Salvage would open in the East Village.

Wouldn't it be East End Salvage then?

If we want to be competitive with similar cities such as Omaha, we need to be able to compete with districts such as Old Market. If i am in Atlantic, Creston, Carroll, Denison, etc. why should i choose Des Moines over Omaha?

[casbern]

I wish places like this and and West End Salvage would open in the East Village.

Wouldn't it be East End Salvage then?

If we want to be competitive with similar cities such as Omaha, we need to be able to compete with districts such as Old Market. If i am in Atlantic, Creston, Carroll, Denison, etc. why should i choose Des Moines over Omaha?

I wasn't disagreeing with you. I'm just saying that if it was in the East Village, it would merit a name change.

[dogbo]

Something seems to be going into the old Stella's Blue Sky Dinner/(whatever the lMexican restaurant's name was) on the skywalk in Capital Square. Looks like another restaurant. Anyone know?

NExt door the sushi place, Junge, was closed today with sign "under construction" on the door.

[wmjindsm]

was El Azteca

[wmjindsm]

Noticed the Pittsburgh Paint building at 17th and Ingersoll is for lease, I always liked this building and thought it would make a nice high end bar.

I see the sign is down now and it looked as if people were working around it.

[MusicMan]

Noticed the Pittsburgh Paint building at 17th and Ingersoll is for lease, I always liked this building and thought it would make a nice high end bar.

I see the sign is down now and it looked as if people were working around it.

Meredith has purchased this entire block. They plan to green it up, and use the old Iowa/Pittsburgh paint building as a studio. Long term, I would assume they want to property for expansion.

[SFO2DSM]

That is great news!!! Assessor site shows that a company associated with Pittsburgh Paint still holds the title, but the mailing address is Meredith? Perhaps it hasn't been fully recorded yet?

Noticed the Pittsburgh Paint building at 17th and Ingersoll is for lease, I always liked this building and thought it would make a nice high end bar.

I see the sign is down now and it looked as if people were working around it.

Meredith has purchased this entire block. They plan to green it up, and use the old Iowa/Pittsburgh paint building as a studio. Long term, I would assume they want to property for expansion.

[DMRyan]

Good thing these corporate entities like Wellmark, Meredith and Nationwide care enough about their front porch to get control of eyesore properties like this. I think Meredith and Wellmark both would be more than happy to sell their new purchases that are in a holding pattern to the right developer, proposing the right project.

An expansion of any of these companies on any of these sites seems like a far away dream at this point.

[dsmspence]

There's been quite a bit of work on this block, this morning there were 3 or 4 dump trucks and machines breaking up concrete. Anything here is an improvement. Does anyone know if is Meredith planning on building something soon?

[MusicMan]

There's been quite a bit of work on this block, this morning there were 3 or 4 dump trucks and machines breaking up concrete. Anything here is an improvement. Does anyone know if is Meredith planning on building something soon?

No, the plan is for green space.

[casbern]

There's been quite a bit of work on this block, this morning there were 3 or 4 dump trucks and machines breaking up concrete. Anything here is an improvement. Does anyone know if is Meredith planning on building something soon?

No, the plan is for green space.

Just green space, or are they going to expand Meredith Gardens?

[mistertwister]

There is definitely no need for Meredith to build anything. At their peak, they still had an entire fourth floor on the new building that was unfinished and vacant. I have to imagine that with 5-600 less positions and zero growth over the last 5 years, they don't need any additional space. I could see them using the Iowa Paint building as a studio but the lighting in there would suck for any natural light photography.

[dogbo]

^^ I assume it is pretty much an investment property for them and while they hold it, they'll spruce it up since it sits right across the street. This also gives them control over what eventually gets built there.

[DMRyan]

Well said dogbo.

Any talk of Wellmark or Meredith expanding on their newly purchased territories isn't serious talk. They're in a holding pattern until something good comes along.

[wmjindsm]

Not sure where to put this since I'm not sure what the announcement is:

From Twitter Sunday:

High Life Lounge ‏@highlifelounge
We'll have an announcement tomorrow. Pretty soon, you'll have a whole new way to get yourself a piece of the High Life.

[SFO2DSM]

The scoop from Dave Elbert at the Business Record. http://businessrecord.com/main.asp?FromHome=1&TypeID=1&ArticleID=18537&SectionID=50&SubSectionID=276

Well said dogbo.

Any talk of Wellmark or Meredith expanding on their newly purchased territories isn't serious talk. They're in a holding pattern until something good comes along.

[tyrgyzistan]

Amigo's Mexican Food is now in the location where some other Mexican place used to be in Capital Square, the old Stella's spot. There was renovation work done in between but this new place looks basically the same as the old place.

[Emil]

Host is closing.

http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/ ... se/viewart

[dogbo]

Host is closing.

http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/ ... se/viewart

That is too bad but a couple comments.

Yes, they couldn't compete with $6 sandwiches, so hopefully that wasn't their goal going into this as if it was, they were doomed to fail.

I only ate their once. It was good but it wasn't very busy (which concerned me) but my bigger concern was how long it took for our food to arrive. I think people have a certain expectation of the speed of service when they eat at a place where you order at the counter.

That commercial spot is now 0-2 in trying to deliver something new/unique to the downtown lunchtime work crowd.

[wildbill]

Host is closing.

http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/ ... se/viewart

That is too bad, but only being open to the public 18 hours a week has to cut into the bottom line.