Sunday, April 01, 2007
Eatery to fill Grandin vacancy
Jenny Kincaid Boone
Jenny reports on the latest news on the Roanoke Valley retail industry.
Recent stories
It didn't take long to fill a vacant spot in Roanoke's Grandin Village.
A space at 1910 Memorial Ave., which once housed Kneadful Things, a bakery and gift shop, soon will be home to The Isaacs Restaurant. It's a Mediterranean eatery serving up nine different kinds of hummus, among other foods from Eastern Mediterranean countries. Kneadful Things closed earlier this year.
The new restaurant's cuisine will be a mix of foods from several countries including Greece, Turkey, Egypt and Lebanon. Dishes will include gyros, kabobs, and shawarma, which is meat served on pita bread. Look for lamb and beef specialities, said Ben Ward, a co-owner of the eatery. Ward said the selection also will include vegetarian entrees.
Along with lunch and dinner, the restaurant will serve a breakfast buffet, complete with eggs, biscuits and creamed chipped beef.
This is Ward and his business partner, Martha Taylor's, first try at owning a restaurant. They hope to open The Isaac's by May or June. Ward is a Roanoke resident, and he's been involved in the restaurant business for the last 14 years.
Hancock Fabrics
A March filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy is the reason that a fabric and home decor retailer is shutting down at least 134 locations nationwide, including one in Roanoke.
Hancock Fabrics at Towers Shopping Center will close, though the date has not yet been set. It opened at Towers in 1999.
Hancock Fabrics, based in Mississippi, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last month.
"We have been evaluating our store base. We have identified locations that we felt like weren't contributing to its potential," said Larry Fair, a spokesman for the company, in response to questions about the Roanoke store's closing.
The Roanoke Hancock Fabrics will continue to sell merchandise until it is gone, a manager said. Discounts start at 20 percent and are as high as 50 percent.
Prior to the closings, Hancock Fabrics had 403 stores in 42 states.
310 Rosemont
A high-end fashion retailer in a downtown Roanoke is expanding to Blacksburg.
Winter Hodges, the owner of 310 Rosemont, is opening a location of this apparel and accessories boutique in Blacksburg at University Mall, which is being expanded. The new location should open this fall, he said.
Hodges' Roanoke store opened last year at 312 Market St. The shop carries high-end men's and women's jeans, with brands such as True Religion and Citizens of Humanity. Non-denim apparel includes Nicole Miller dresses and men's khakis and sports coats.
Hollywood's
A Roanoke County restaurant has a new baking facility that could become a retail location in the future.
Hollywood's Restaurant and Bakery in North Roanoke County is moving its baking operations from a spot on Airport Road to a location at 4646 Plantation Road. Mark Henderson, who owns Hollywood's with his wife, Chris, said the Plantation Road spot is only for baking breads, desserts and cakes to serve at the restaurant. The restaurant remains at 7770 Williamson Road, the former location of the Wildflour restaurant.
But the Hendersons have been considering eventually turning the new baking location into a retail shop and selling the baked goods there as well as at the Hollywood's restaurant. The Hendersons also recently closed an eatery they owned in Christiansburg, called Beamer's Steakhouse.
Imaginations Toy & Furniture Co.
Toys may be coming to Colonial Avenue. The owners of Imaginations Toy & Furniture Co. appear to be scouting out a location at 2126 Colonial Ave. in Roanoke, the former spot of Sole Mate, a boutique that closed in February.
Roanoke City records show that the toy retailer has applied for a certificate of occupancy at the location across from Towers Shopping Center.
The toy store has a shop on Franklin Road in Roanoke, inside Townside Festival Center. The owners, Keith and Paula Bolte, who live in Blacksburg, have other retail stores. They include locations for Imaginations Toy & Furniture Co. in Blacksburg, Radford and Charlottesville. The couple also owns Annie Kay's Whole Foods in Radford and Blacksburg and the Coffee Mill in Radford.
