Jenny Kincaid Boone covers retail and real estate.

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@roanoke.com
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Jenny Kincaid Boone

Retail Roundup columns

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• Bastians Bar-B-Q to reopen
• Woolworth's space is being renovated in downtown Roanoke

The Storefront blog

• More from Jenny's blog

For the last 11 months, the online conversation about local retail news has swelled to a lively beat.

On my Storefront blog at roanoke.com, your entertaining tips, rumors and opinions in response to what's going on in Southwest Virginia's retail and restaurant scene have helped me keep a closer eye on the news. I'm also learning what information is important to you.

If you haven't logged on for awhile, here are some of the month's highlights from the Storefront blog.

New York Pizza expansion on hold (Aug. 1)

Some hate it. Some like it. Some don't care.

And though a number of you said it doesn't impact the food served, many agree that a sign advertising a 10,000-square-foot expansion at New York Pizza in Vinton that isn't happening should come down.

Or the owner needs to clean up some construction that's occurred behind this Hardy Road eatery. Some say the sign has been up for at least 10 years.

Responding to questions about the eatery, Vinton's interim town manager Consuella Caudill said New York Pizza's incomplete construction work does not violate town codes. Some of the proposed projects have included building a retaining wall and fixing the roof, she said.

Caudill admitted that the construction work may be not be "the most aesthetically pleasing to the average person."

Here's an excerpt from the blog post: I've driven past New York Pizza in Vinton several times in the last few months, and a large sign advertising a big expansion of this well-known pizza eatery rises high beside the restaurant. But nothing's happening there, and it may not for a long time.

The tall sign in front of a vacant building and beside New York Pizza on Hardy Road states "Coming soon to New York Pizza ... new 10,000 square feet addition." Supposedly, the expansion would include "More family entertainment" and "More seating," according to the marquee.

I finally caught up with the owner of New York Pizza, Tony Montuori, about when this expansion is slated to occur. And it turns out that it won't be happening, at least not for now. For various reasons, including the deaths of his parents in the past few years, Montuori has decided to put future expansion plans on the backburner for at least another year or so.

But that doesn't really explain why he's left this sign up for so long. Montuori said it's been there for the past several years.

"I keep forgetting to take it down," he said. "It's been there so long you get used to it."

McDonald's is rebuilding (Aug. 6)

Not everyone agrees that McDonald's is a healthy stop for a meal. But some are counting the days when McDonald's on Williamson Road, near the Roanoke Civic Center, reopens.

This eatery has closed for rebuilding, and it's slated to open its doors again in mid-November, said Katrina Ford, a franchisee who owns this McDonald's and one on Franklin Road in Roanoke.

A sign in front of the eatery directs customers to the Franklin Road restaurant.

This redesigned McDonald's will have many of the elements of the chain's new contemporary design, though it will not have a fireplace, Ford said. And she's not sure yet whether it will have a flat screen television.

The scoop on ice cream shops (Aug. 12)

Is a presumably recession-proof sweets industry the reason that two ice cream chains have chosen the Roanoke and New River valleys for new stores?

Ben & Jerry's is opening locations inside both Valley View Mall and the New River Valley Mall.

And this fall, Cold Stone Creamery is slated to land at a retail center on Valley View Boulevard in Roanoke, beside the International House of Pancakes.

While some of you don't believe it's the right time for Cold Stone to be expanding, others admit that they'll keep buying ice cream, no matter the slow economic climate.

Maneuvering the big-box stores (Aug. 13)

Do you struggle to find your way around big box stores?

Some of you think it's crazy that some shoppers can't always find what they're looking for among the long aisles and spacious floors of Wal-Mart or other retailers. But with redesigns and department swapping happening at some Wal-Mart Supercenters in the Roanoke and New River valleys, you might want to be prepared for periods of aimless wandering while learning the new placements of certain items.

An excerpt from the blog: On a recent stop at the Christiansburg Wal-Mart, I was pleased to see that the discount giant is issuing maps of its store to consumers. Some of Wal-Mart's local supercenters are being redesigned or already have undergone changes inside, including the Christiansburg location. The ones in Bonsack and Salem are next on the list.

As part of the reconfigurations, the store departments are being switched up, and you know what that means -- more confusion for all of us.

The Christiansburg Wal-Mart's redesign supposedly is complete, and I noticed large blue signs pointing out the departments. I don't shop at this location often enough to compare the new alterations with what was there previously.

But hopefully, maps will be on hand to guide consumers after the redesigns are complete at the Roanoke Valley stores.

Share your thoughts on local retail news at blogs.roanoke.com/storefront/.