MAC-Magazines and Coffee

[voltopt]

I walked by last night at 9pm and the door was wide open!  (i was on my way to PizzaBella...)

[rxlexi]

Well, MAC is calling it quits, essentially.  I spoke with the owner last week and she said she ran out of money...first time business owner, made some mistakes, can't make it another year without additional financing.  She's staying open on a week to week basis right now, hoping to sell the biz to somebody with deeper pockets.  Apparently Barkley was somewhat interested in buying the business and having her run it, but that's a long shot. 

This is all terribly unfortunate, because I LOVE this place.  Good coffee, a great chicken salad sandwhich, tons of mags and cool music and vibe.  An awesome addition to the Xroads.  My kind of place, yada yada.  This just goes to show how much more residential and office space the Xroads still needs to maintain these kinds of places and the type of atmosphere we all desire.  There is very little foot traffic near MAC, at any time of day, aside from the Souperman lunch rush, and it's not particularly visible from the street.  Here's hoping they can find some way to hold it together; at the least stop by if you're in the area for a last coffee, magazine, or delicious sandwich

[ignatius]

The challenge Xroads has is that retail is scattered around too much, not creating a strip for pedestrian activity.

Xroads reminds me very much of Williamsburg art district in Brooklyn.  A bunch of galleries scattered around but in typical NYC burough neighborhood fashion, all retail/restaurants tend to bunch up along one strip or two that cross.  There might be a few others scattered around, but there's seems to be a natural tendency to develop restaurant/bar/retail strips in most hoods.  Montague in Brooklyn Heights is another example that is otherwise surrounded by residential with little retail.  Or Smith St. in S Brooklyn is another example.  Xroads needs to somehow find a way to centralize more retail along Main to create a continuous flowing energy along one strip through Xroads.  The pedestrian activity will follow well too from Crown Center/Union Station to P&L.

[rxlexi]

Ignatius, you are right on.  I wouldn't say that 'strip' style redevelopment is just an NYC phenomenon...it seems that most cities tend to redevelop this way, as it would seem to be the most logical way to get a critical mass up and running.  I've never understood why the Xroads has bucked this trend and tends to have businesses spread out all over various stretches that each could develop someday, but are not all the way there yet (18th, McGee, Main, Grand, etc.).  The Freighthouse, and maybe 18th and Baltimore area (if you discount all of the vacant, awesome art deco buildings along film row, west 18th, which I don't), are the only places in the Xroads that have developed into a solid mass of retail, office, and residential.  The wide variety and placement of surface parking doesn't help, but nonetheless there are plenty of intact strips along many Xroads streets.

[rxlexi]

I should add, that the NYC relation is spot-on, at least for me.   I've spent a lot of time in the Xroads in the last week, and I can't shake that it feels like a sad, mostly empty Chelsea, which in midwestern terms, is freaking awesome.  The built environment, the types of businesses, obviously the proliferation of galleries and arts related institutions, the gay bars, the odd evening jogger or dog walker, the sidewalk patios at 1924, Pizza Bella, etc.  Despite the lack of district wide foot traffic (for the time being), the Xroads remains an area with a very unique and wonderful feel.  I want to see 10X more residential down there though; an influx of residents into all of that still-open space would do wonders for the biz in the Xroads and all of downtown.

[Midtownkid]

I've always noticed this too.  If someone could just step up and develop some 5-8 story apartments in the area that would be great.  If they were smartly designed and with a warm-modern design they would fit into the area.  All the empty parking lots need to be filled in with these.  I would love to be in charge of developing/designing them...but I won't have the experience or capitol for years...   Imagine the lots between main and the soho south lofts filled in w/ RENTAL units and retail...the area would def gain some more life.  Anyone got some $$ and need a budding architect to design some cool urban units?  hehe

[Midtownkid]

BTW, love MAC...hope someone buys it or she does well enough to stay open.  Again, a mid-rise in the parking lot across the street (bazooka's parking lot) would give the area more traffic.

[ignatius]

Does Xroads have a merchant association like Westport?  They need to come up with a master development plan, focusing on an entire strip of energy down Main or Grand.  Or both, but one first.

[DaveKCMO]

Does Xroads have a merchant association like Westport?  They need to come up with a master development plan, focusing on an entire strip of energy down Main or Grand.  Or both, but one first.

the crossroads community association exists for this purpose, but also represents residents and artists. they're actually already working with the city on a crossroads segment of a downtown area plan.

[beautyfromashes]

I agree with the sentiment of the Crossroads being very spread out and having people try to develop the 'East Crossroads' doesn't make it any easier.  I think they need some type of focal point, perhaps a foundtain or a green/park area in the center of the Crossroads.  It might draw some of the development from far out and build enough density to sustain places like MAC.

[KCMax]

Wish I had the money to buy that place, its exactly the kind of place I would enjoy owning and operating.

[LenexatoKCMO]

The challenge Xroads has is that retail is scattered around too much, not creating a strip for pedestrian activity.

Xroads reminds me very much of Williamsburg art district in Brooklyn.  A bunch of galleries scattered around but in typical NYC burough neighborhood fashion, all retail/restaurants tend to bunch up along one strip or two that cross.  There might be a few others scattered around, but there's seems to be a natural tendency to develop restaurant/bar/retail strips in most hoods.  Montague in Brooklyn Heights is another example that is otherwise surrounded by residential with little retail.  Or Smith St. in S Brooklyn is another example.  Xroads needs to somehow find a way to centralize more retail along Main to create a continuous flowing energy along one strip through Xroads.  The pedestrian activity will follow well too from Crown Center/Union Station to P&L.

Part of the problem is the building stock - especially in the west xroads - there are lots of buildings on that side that aren't very suitable to a retail storefront without major modification.  Sadly, the part of the xroads with the most tailormade building stock, the southeast corner, is the least developed.  It also doesn't help that so many of the art gallaries are only open on a very limited basis.  If a person could walk around on a Saturday afternoon browsing the art, I think we would see more traffic - but good luck finding more than a handful that are open. 

[ignatius]

Williamsburg is very much the same in terms of scattered galleries not always open. There are even small surface lots scattered in that area believe it or not for Brooklyn.  But Bedford Ave is developed to be a continuous strip of restaurants/retail. No reason Xroad's association couldn't target the same. 

Main street could have small cheap infill buildings developed (on a portion of each surface lot) that are streetfront with parking in the rear.  The key is to have no gaps along the street and keep the surface lots behind.  Pure pedestrian friendliness between P&L/Union Station is possible and could be done with a solid 3-5 year plan proposed to small developers.  It doesn't need megadevelopers to pull this kind of stuff off.

[DaveKCMO]

Main street could have small cheap infill buildings developed (on a portion of each surface lot) that are streetfront with parking in the rear.  The key is to have no gaps along the street and keep the surface lots behind.  Pure pedestrian friendliness between P&L/Union Station is possible and could be done with a solid 3-5 year plan proposed to small developers.  It doesn't need megadevelopers to pull this kind of stuff off.

it all hinges on the new parking regulations being developed in the zoning redo. until that's approved, every surface lot in the west crossroads is spoken for and "at capacity", due to parking spaces required per sq ft., even though the lots are mostly empty after hours and on non-event weekends. also, there is an uneasy balance between the "new" crossroads (galleries, developers) and the "old" crossroads (light industrial, real old timers) that the neighborhood is trying to maintain... basically, they don't want to push anyone out that was there even before the "urban pioneers".

basically, you can't take any spaces now until the zoning redo is approved and in effect. this same problem does NOT affect the loop, however.

[ignatius]

The parking per sq foot of space requirement is ridiculous.  This is an urban environment.  But I can understand it's a challenge for businesses that don't get business because of parking issues.  Hope that can be worked out. TIF for two large garages on each side of Main to serve most of Xroads may be worth it in this case.

[chrizow]

i will never understand "parking issues" in the crossroads.  i have never spent more than 30 seconds trying to find a parking space anywhere in the crossroads - including on first friday.  i went to magazines and coffee at 12:45p.m. last week and instantly found a space directly in front of it. 

this is sad news about MAC though.  i must admit that i didn't see the place making it, as i have never been there when it was particularly busy.  i really liked their coffee and baked goods, and i bought magazines there frequently.

[DaveKCMO]

The parking per sq foot of space requirement is ridiculous.  This is an urban environment.  But I can understand it's a challenge for businesses that don't get business because of parking issues.  Hope that can be worked out. TIF for two garages on each side of Main may be worth it in this case.

actually, i will disagree and say that more parking is NOT the answer. better transportation and less parking is the answer. TIFs for garages will only hurt our chances at improved transit and increasing the sales tax base.

[ignatius]

^True enough.  But I think the reality is that we need both unless Xroads only intends to support people who live along a transit line - not likely.

[dangerboy]

i will never understand "parking issues" in the crossroads.  i have never spent more than 30 seconds trying to find a parking space anywhere in the crossroads - including on first friday. 

Agreed.  Parking in the Crossroads is a gigantic non-issue.

It's not parking that is hurting M.A.C. - it's that people who live and work Downtown obviously are not spending enough time and money supporting this place.  While many local and unique places have opened Downtown in the last few years, I have yet to see the kind of rabid neighborhood support that is common in Midtown and Brookside.

[rxlexi]

also, there is an uneasy balance between the "new" crossroads (galleries, developers) and the "old" crossroads (light industrial, real old timers) that the neighborhood is trying to maintain... basically, they don't want to push anyone out that was there even before the "urban pioneers".

I've never really understood the idea of 'trying to maintain' certain neighborhoods for certain uses, or patrons, when the economic climate would argue against those uses.  Whether it be 'keeping' artists, loft dwellers or light-industrial businesses, I don't like the idea of maintaining a status quo for it's own sake, or so as not to step on any toes.  This is the heart of a major metropolitan area, not a small town main st.  As such, change is inevitable.  That said, I'm not upset with these property owners, it is well within their rights to lay claim to an area that has served them well for years (arts-oriented owners, industrial biz owners).

You have a great point about the zoning issue DaveKCMO, I had forgotten that it has not been resolved yet (for the longest time I assumed the Xroads was past that ridiculous stuff).  That is a very real, and frustrating issue that I hope is taken care of quickly.  The Xroads is one of our growing urban gems, and the zoning issue will need to be resolved if it is ever to reach its potential.