Retail Rumblings
Californian retail reporter Ryan Schuster discusses what's going on with local restaurants and stores.
Real Name: Ryan Schuster Gender: male Member Since: March 17, 2006 Last Signed In: August 23, 2007 Profile Views: 7278 Blog Views: 28618 Workout machine without weights? Car dealerships move north Got fruit smoothies? Do you still use cash, checks? Would you support a grocery strike? Padre holds open house Holiday Inn Select to become Marriott? Padre Hotel up for sale again Local economy among fastest growing in nation Bob Marx out as head of visitors bureau August 06 September 06 October 06 November 06 December 06 January 07 February 07 March 07 April 07 May 07 June 07 July 07 August 07 September 07 October 07 November 07 December 07 January 08 February 08 March 08 April 08 May 08 June 08 July 08 August 08 September 08 
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Bob Marx confirmed Thursday that he has resigned as president and CEO of the Bakersfield Convention & Visitors Bureau after less than six months on the job. Marx started at the convention and visitors bureau in December after previously serving as vice president of marketing for the San Jose Convention & Visitors Bureau. Marx said he resigned on May 9 after meeting with the board that oversees the bureau. Don Jaeger resigned as president of the bureau in March 2006. What's going on? What did Marx and the board not see eye to eye over? How long will it take to get a replacement? Will this hurt the bureau's marketing efforts?
Read a recent question and answer session with Marx about his goals and challenges marketing Bakersfield, Check out a recent blog about promoting Bakersfield.
Target has applied to the city's planning department to add a more than 200,000 square-foot SuperTarget along with three other retail buildings to a vacant lot on the northwest corner of Gosford Road and Panama Lane. Target is in the process of purchasing the land from Castle & Cooke and would need an environmental impact report, an urban decay study and other approvals before construction could begin.
What do you think? Do we need a Target in the Southwest? Would you have some of the same concerns about a SuperTarget with a grocery store as were raised about the proposed Wal-Mart not far away that has been stalled by legal challenges? Are there traffic concerns in that area with a Kohl's, Sam's Club, and proposed Target and Wal-Mart super stores and a mammoth shopping center planned for south of Panama Lane?
In a recent interview Bob Marx, the new president and CEO of the Bakersfield Convention & Visitors Bureau, said he would like to make Bakersfield more of a tourist destination and improve the city’s image (check out the entire interview here). How can that be accomplished? Can Bakersfield become a tourist destination of sorts? If you didn’t live here, what would you come to see or do here? What can be done to improve the city’s sometimes not-so-positive image? How can we improve Bakersfield?
Marx has left the bureau. He said he resigned. What do you think about him leaving after less than six months on the job?
Crisp & Cole Real Estate has a new name — Crisp Real Estate Inc. The company headed by David Crisp has also cut back on staffing and plans for new office space. According to sources close to the company, Crisp is also doing away with Tower Lending. What do you think about this? Will there be more changes at the company? Is this simply a result of the downturn in the real estate market? Did the company overextend itself and get caught when the market turned?
A Famous Dave’s BBQ restaurant is expected to open later this year at the site of the former Pizza Market on Rosedale Highway just east of Coffee Road.
Famous Dave’s has established a reputation as one of the better BBQ chains and has drawn good reviews from Californian food critic Pete Tittl. What do you think? Have you visited a Famous Dave’s? Do you plan to check out the new Bakersfield restaurant? |
