Retail Rumblings - schuster80's Blog - Bakersfield.com

Workout machine without weights?

Sat, 04 Aug 2007 13:25:26 PDT

Two local brothers have created an exercise machine they claim can give you a full-body workout without the use of weights, instead using your own body as resistance. What do you think? Have you ever heard of an exercise machine without weights? If you don't believe them, check out a video of the machine. Would you consider using one of the machines to tone up and lose weight?

Car dealerships move north

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 07:58:54 PDT

Two new car dealerships are set to open next to each other next month on Industrial Parkway Drive off Merle Haggard Drive (formerly 7th Standard Road) near Highways 99 and 65. Bill Wright Toyota will add its second Toyota-Scion location and Three-Way Chevrolet will add a commercial trucks dealership.
What do you think of the expansion of car dealers away from the Auto Mall? Will the new location be more convenient for shoppers with easy access to freeways and closer to the booming northwest? Would you drive farther north to visit the new dealerships? What part of town do you think needs a car dealership?

Got fruit smoothies?

Thu, 26 Jul 2007 16:39:49 PDT

As Americans search for more healthy options and take less time for meals, fruit smoothie shops have gained in popularity both locally and nationwide.
Fruit smoothie sales in the United States have shot up more than 80 percent in the last five years, topping $2 billion last year, according to recent research.
Some use smoothies as meal replacements or as snacks.
Do you like fruit smoothies? Have you ever substituted one for a meal? Were you still hungry? Do you buy smoothies for health reasons or because of how they taste?

Do you still use cash, checks?

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 09:07:38 PDT

A recent report from the American Bankers Association says that credit cards and debit cards are Americans' first choices when paying, while cash and checks combine for less than half of consumers' monthly payments.
Do you still use cash and checks? How often do you use credit cards and debit cards?
I know people who use debit or credit cards at the drive up window for fast food purchases, which I think is a bit excessive.
I only use checks for paying bills, but I have started paying as many bills as possible online using a bill pay service through my bank, which is quicker, more efficient and allows me to pay a bill right when I am thinking about it and decreases the chance I will forget about it.
Stores have to pay extra for services allowing customers to use credit cards or debit cards and some have raised prices or added per-purchase surcharges for paying with plastic.

Would you support a grocery strike?

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 07:56:58 PDT

The union representing grocery store workers at Vons, Albertsons and Ralphs stores in Southern California have rejected the most recent contract proposal from the supermarkets and authorized a potential strike. Both sides have said they intend to return to the negotiating table. If that doesn't work we may see a repeat of the strike-walkout that dragged on for nearly five months between 2003 and 2004 and battered both sides.
What do you think? Do you support the workers, who say they are fighting for better pay and benefits, especially for employees who were hired since the last work stoppage? Would you cross a picket line in order to shop at your neighborhood grocery store or would you go elsewhere?

Padre holds open house

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 12:52:04 PDT

Potential buyers and anyone else interested in taking a look inside the partially renovated Padre Hotel had a chance to stroll around the circa-1928 downtown landmark during the first of three open houses on Monday. View a video of the open house.
The Padre is listed for sale for $5.6 million. Offers for the building are due by the end of the month. Pacifica claims to have sunk more than $4 million into renovating the eight-story, 72,800 square-foot building.
Despite sporting a refinished exterior, the Padre’s insides still have a ways to go. Many of the interior walls have been torn out, leaving exposed metal framing and pipes. Aside from holes in walls and some holes in the floor near ripped out walls, building materials and trash are visible
But some of the building’s charm remains like the original flooring in the first-floor lobby, unique architectural elements and antique fixtures in the bathrooms of old hotel rooms — one of the last remaining remnants of the historic hotel that remains.
Additional open houses are scheduled for Thursday and June 26.
What do you think of the Padre? What do you hope the building becomes? Could the building be part of a revitalization of downtown?

Holiday Inn Select to become Marriott?

Wed, 13 Jun 2007 08:20:25 PDT

The Holiday Inn Select in downtown Bakersfield may soon become a Marriott. An estimated $6 million renovation project to upgrade the hotel is underway and is expected to be complete by late September. What do you think? Is a more prestigious hotel in downtown a step in the right direction? Would a Marriott help lure more visitors and conventions to downtown and help improve the image of downtown?

Padre Hotel up for sale again

Thu, 07 Jun 2007 08:28:53 PDT

The Padre Hotel in downtown Bakersfield is up for sale again for $5.6 million. Pacifica Enterprises LLC purchased the historic landmark building for $1 million five years ago, but the company's plan to add condos to the building never materialized and construction stopped halfway through a renovation project that Pacifica claims it sunk more than $4 million into. There have been issues over asbestos removal and trash left in a parking lot outside the building. Now the building may get a fresh start as condos, apartments, a hotel (again) or offices.
What do you think? Do you think the Padre is a shining example of what Bakersfield's downtown can become or a blight on the city's skyline? How much would a revitalized Padre help plans to reenergize downtown? Do you think downtown is on its way back or will it take another earthquake to shake up the town's downtown?

Local economy among fastest growing in nation

Thu, 07 Jun 2007 08:13:58 PDT

Bakersfield explosive growth has again placed it on a list of the fastest growing economies in the nation. Bakersfield was ranked 11th in the nation among midsize cities and 47th overall among the nation's 393 largest metropolitan areas in a recent Inc. magazine listing of the best cities for business. The ratings were based on job growth over the last decade, with recent growth given more weight. The rankings were not an indication of the strength of the local economy and there are still some areas for concern, namely the real estate slowdown and how that may affect future growth. The area's low worker education levels and lack of higher paying jobs could also prove to be stumbling blocks as the city attempts to grow its economy.
What do you think? Is the local economy strong? Because of our fast population growth, we continue to add commercial development. Is the city growing in the right way? What will Bakersfield look like in another 10 years?

Bob Marx out as head of visitors bureau

Thu, 17 May 2007 17:27:51 PDT

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 may add 4th Bakersfield store

Wed, 16 May 2007 08:17:42 PDT

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?

Can Bakersfield improve its image?

Tue, 08 May 2007 13:48:29 PDT

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 downsizing?

Tue, 08 May 2007 07:49:29 PDT

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?

Famous Dave's coming to Bakersfield

Tue, 01 May 2007 16:24:41 PDT

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?

Bakersfield foreclosures among nation's worst

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 16:51:35 PDT

The Bakersfield metropolitan statistical area, which includes all of Kern County, had the eighth-highest foreclosure rate in the nation during the first quarter of 2007 with one foreclosure filing for every 83 households. In the first quarter there was one foreclosure filing for every 264 households nationally and one filing for every 152 households in California.
The Bakersfield MSA had 2,779 properties enter some stage of foreclosure in the first three months of 2007, according to RealtyTrac, an online marketplace for foreclosure properties. Bakersfield’s first quarter foreclosure filings were up 106 percent from the previous quarter and 424 percent from the first quarter of 2006.
The local foreclosure spike has been blamed on an overbuilt local market, the subprime meltdown, investors and even mortgage fraud.
What do you think? How bad will foreclosures get? When will we reach the bottom? Does this mean it's a good time to buy or should prospective homebuyers hold out for a better deal?

Mortgage fraud alleged in Bakersfield

Sat, 21 Apr 2007 08:31:45 PDT

Local appraiser Gary Crabtree has tipped off the FBI, California Department of Real Estate and the California Office of Real Estate Appraisers to what he has termed "suspicious" home sales transactions. And others have since stepped up to verify that mortgage fraud is indeed going on in Bakersfield. None of the three agencies will confirm if they have current mortgage fraud investigations in Bakersfield, citing policies of not commenting publicly about any ongoing investigations. What do you think? Do you think mortgage fraud is happening in Bakersfield? If so would investigations clean it up and rid the industry of the bad apples or just give everyone, including those who are legitimate a black eye?

What's your favorite coffee shop?

Fri, 13 Apr 2007 12:04:09 PDT

What is your favorite coffee shop and why? Since I work downtown, I often visit Dagny's on breaks. My wife likes Starbucks, especially because of the convenience of its drive-thru windows. What do you prefer, small mom and pop store or corporate franchise?

How important is customer service?

Wed, 04 Apr 2007 12:28:47 PDT

How does customer service impact your shopping habits? Have you stopped shopping at a particular store or restaurant after a bad experience or hearing about somone else's bad experience? What's your best or worst shopping horror story? Check out a story on customer service in The Californian on Sunday, April 15 and glance at a previous blog on customer service from last fall when I first started working on this story.

Does Bakersfield have enough gyms?

Tue, 03 Apr 2007 16:39:40 PDT

According to a market research firm Bakersfield now has nearly 50 fitness clubs, ranging from chains like 24 Hour Fitness and Body Xchange to smaller mom and pop operations and niche operators like Total Woman and Curves, which cater to women. Is that enough? Do we really need that many? Which fitness center or health club do you attend and why? And no, doing curls with a beer can don't count as working out.

Read The Californian's recent gym review and a blog about the sometimes difficult process of selecting a place to work out.

What will fill Robinsons-May space?

Fri, 30 Mar 2007 08:40:46 PDT

A Valley Plaza Mall official confirmed that General Growth, which owns and operates the mall, has held negotiations with an undisclosed retailer to fill the vacant Robinsons-May department store space. A decision on a new tenant for the space could come soon. There have been many unconfirmed rumors about what will go there, everything from a Dillard's to a big Target store. Many shoppers have stated they would love to see a Nordstrom or Bloomingdale's at the mall, but that doesn't appear likely at this point. What do you think will end up going there? What stores would you love to see come to Bakersfield or Valley Plaza?