Tuesday, May 19, 2015

New strip mall owners kick out local businesses to go upscale

San Diego Reader:
Early in the morning on May 19, the 7-Eleven at 1446 Encinitas Boulevard closed permanently. It’s been a fixture near the El Camino Real corridor for decades — since the 1970s.

According to 7-Eleven’s director of corporate communications, Margaret Chabris, this location, one of seven in Encinitas, had a “significant rent increase and demand for other expenditures” by the new owners of the Village Square I commercial center.

Other center businesses tell an expanded story. The new owners of the center, an investment firm out of L.A., appear to want the mom and pop-owned businesses out. And they are doing so by raising rents to unsustainable rates.

In the last year, now-vacant space once housed Figaro’s Pizza, Swami’s Café, and Martin’s Fine Art School. One of the Mexican restaurants in the center may be next to leave, according to other merchants. All due to a large rent increase, as much as 50 percent, according to a merchant who asked not to be identified.

“The center owners only want nationally recognized brands,” said the business owner. “They want it to be more upscale.”
That would explain the Taco Bell teardown and rebuild a few years ago. Taco Bell is a national brand but the landlord wanted a newer-looking building. But hey, at least we're still keeping Santa Fe Plaza crappy.

Click on over to read the whole thing. It's happening in the Ralph's-TJ's strip mall too.

21 comments:

  1. They must believe that some commercial concerns will be willing to pay the higher rents. 7-11 obviously didn't think it was worth it and they are a large franchise.

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  2. Too bad. I always went to Postal Depot there and have Ash wrap parcels to ship. He only moved to that mall less than 2 years ago from the Trader Joes mall because of a rent hike. Looks like he may have to do that again. The upgrade at Taco Bell inside and out was a welcome change. Trust me, it needed it. I'd hardly blame the rent hike at the strip mall across the street to be related to Taco Bell's face lift. It's still a Taco Bell, not 4 Seasons! Obviously the new owners at 7-11's mall have no sense of community and we'll probably be seeing a lot more of this sort of thing locally. It shares the same kind of "eminent domain" go for the throat attitude that Redevelopment embodies, but on a smaller more private scale. And as Shakespear would say, that suckeths.

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    1. Hi, Postal Depot had to move from it location of 25 years because Terramar - the property manager - said they wanted to upscale the center and we did not fit the vision. They were unwilling to renew the lease at any rent.

      The "Good News" is we have a 10 year lease at our current location so we will be around for a while.

      We appreciate your support and hope that there are others that are as supportive as you. Not being a national chain allows us to give you the customer exactly what you need. We do not have some far away corporations rules to follow so have the flexibility to meet the customers changing needs.

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    2. I like Postal Depot! Been using them for decades!!

      - The Sculpin

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    3. Something the blog can agree on, Ash is the man. I was in there just the other day.

      -MGJ

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    4. MJB, I hate it when your right.

      - Sylvia

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    5. Sylvia,

      No need to hate yourself over my greatness.

      -MGJ

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  3. And the name of the new owners of the center?

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  4. is the site on the housing element update map?

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  5. The site doesn't have to be on the map. Commercial mixed use is the name of the game. Planning Director Jeff Murphy is having all the ordinances rewritten by an outside consultant in Texas.

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    1. 6:30 please explain?

      When the city attempted to rewrite zoning in Cardiff they created a new zoning CM commercial mixed - for all of cardiff

      Cardiff residents and a sited called savecardiff.com alerted residents -

      what is the new plan?

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  6. New renters of the larger empty store in the Radio Shack mini mall is applying for a use permit for a dog kennel.

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  7. Where is Andreen on this? Does it fit into his plans of succession?

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  8. The upscale strip mall on Encinitas Blvd. Sure, everyone from Rancho Santa Fe will be waiting in line to buy Coach handbags and Prada shoes.
    How much over did the LA investment firm pay for the strip mall? Terramar paid more than $20 million than the previous sale of the Ralphs/ Trader Joe's shopping area.

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    Replies
    1. Actually, it's the Encinitas residents buying those bags and shoes.

      Gentrification is the word of the day.

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    2. Gentrification is happening in Ocean Beach, too. All over the country, and probably most of the world, profit is equated with constant expansion, that is development and redevelopment.

      We are all more or less in a state of future shock.

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  9. New tenants - the 7-Eleven will become a new upscale dog boarding business, the walls between businesses will be removed for a new wine tasting business, and the empty restaurant will be a new high end craft beer
    business.

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  10. sounds good. There much be a market for them. Better than check cashing, fast food and liquor stores.

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  11. The Taco Bell was scraped and rebuilt because County Health found 'black mold'; the new owner is fiesta Properties in Century City. When Taco Bell took too long on their demo, the Sage Grill that was barely surviving the Recession, lost their lunch clientele and today Rick is selling AFLAC.

    The upscale Dog Groomer/Overnight kennel, Golden Paw is in the HOME shopping mall owned by Terra Mar where 5K has stood empty for lo these many years.

    Postal Depot, AJ and Ash are part of the new leasees and will remain in Village Square 1, much to all their neighbors approval.

    Its sad that Lito, Paz and Walter PPK had to shut down the 7/11; it must've been in operation over 30 years... Village Park will miss them.

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  12. 7:33, good to hear from someone who's intimately familiar with the folks in that strip mall. Now if you're Mike, I'm impressed. Glad at least AJ and Ash will stay.

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  13. BFD. Bottom line. Next.

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