Sunday, August 16, 2009
Grandin Village florist to relocate
Jenny Kincaid Boone
Jenny reports on the latest news on the Roanoke Valley retail industry.
Recent stories
A Roanoke florist is moving, while a children's furniture shop is getting out of the business.
By Nov. 1, Village Flowers on Grandin Road will pack up its full service florist and relocate to a space at 1919 Westover Ave. This is the location of Sam & Norah by Reid's, a children's furniture store that opened in 2006.
The owners of Reid's Fine Furnishings in Roanoke also own Sam & Norah. But this children's furnishings shop will shut its doors next month.
Marc Arrington, co-owner of Village Flowers, said he's relocating his flower shop to have a stronger storefront presence. The florist is sandwiched in the middle of a multipurpose building at 1327 Grandin Road. The building once housed CVS pharmacy, but it was subdivided several years ago after the drugstore closed. Now, it houses a Valley Bank branch, West Pharmacy and Village Flowers.
Coda, a coffee shop that had been located there, closed last year, leaving a looming empty space at the front of this building. The vacant space is deceiving to some customers.
"People don't think there's anything in the building," said Arrington, who co-owns the flower business with his wife, Denise.
The couple also own Arrington Flowers & Gifts in Rocky Mount.
The Arringtons plan to roll out a new line of greeting cards at the new Village Flowers space, but they'll offer the same florist services.
Meanwhile, Andrea Reid Waide is closing her children's furniture shop, Sam & Norah, in mid-September.
She opened the store three years ago, naming it after her two grandchidren. But she's had trouble finding American furniture manufacturers to fuel her inventory.
Instead, she has had to rely on imported furniture pieces, and delivery times are extremely slow. Also, Waide's daughter, who ran the store, has decided to go back to school full time, leaving the retail business behind.
Waide, co-owner of Reid's Fine Furnishings, said she'll absorb most of the leftover children's furnishings into the Reid's store at 1324 Grandin Road.
Skating rink has new owner
A Roanoke Valley child care business recently added a roller skating rink to its local footprint.
This month, the owners of HoneyTree Early Learning Center, John and Kathy McLeod, bought the Star City Family FunZone on Hershberger Road in Roanoke County.
They would not disclose what they paid for this large building and property at 140 Hershberger Road. The former owner of the rink, Raymond Setchel, retired last month, after more than 30 years running the business.
The McLeods reopened the rink to the public this month, renaming it the Star City Skate Center. They bought the center so that they could offer more activities in the Roanoke Valley for families and children.
"They believe that families need to get out and have more fun," said Brenda Samson, who manages the skate center.
HoneyTree also will use the facility to house an after-school program for children ages 5 to 12 years old. Renovations will begin soon in a room inside the center that will be used for after-school curriculum, Samson said.
The after-school program will be open by the time school starts this month.
HoneyTree also will use the skate center to host special activities for its other child care facilities and summer camp.
HoneyTree has 11 child care facilities in the Roanoke Valley. It also owns a swimming pool near the skate center.
Bazaar to feature music, etc.
After eight years selling records, Jamie Booker wasn't ready to get out of the retail music business entirely.
She's the former assistant manager for Plan 9 Music's Roanoke store, which closed earlier this year. Like many record retailers, Plan 9 struggled to build sustainable sales because of competition from Internet downloaded music and the tough economy.
Now, Booker's making plans to open her own retail store, where she'll be selling a little bit of everything, including music.
On Sept. 15, Booker will open the Bazaar, with a selection of some consignment and used clothing, jewelry, vintage items, art, records and more. The shop will land in a cozy, 1,100-square-foot space at 675 Brandon Ave., in Roanoke, the former location of Uptown Audio.
Her music collection mostly will include classic and new rock genres, though she'll sell a variety of records.
"I didn't want to be in the same predicament that all of the other record stores are in," said Booker, a Roanoke resident. "I wanted to have music, plus other items."
News from the Storefront blog at blogs.roanoke.com/rtblogs/storefront/:
Last week, Audiotronics opened on Peters Creek Road in Roanoke County, while Shoe Dept. Encore opened at Valley View Mall.
Radio Shack has a new marketing nickname -- The Shack.
Bolton's, a new store for Valley View Mall, will open Aug. 25.
