The Depot District at rduwtf.com

The N&O reports that Raleigh’s Warehouse District isn’t quite the success downtown boosters might have hoped. This news comes on the same day that Uncle Kracker’s publicist begins the rehab of his sad rapist image, which has seemingly become the face of the Depot District. Good luck, Ess Lounge! We previously described this failed complex of night clubs: The Hurricane, The Metro and Blazing Saddles, as “The Johnston County Entertainment District” because we’re so elitist as to suggest that provincial Raleigh could have a Bridge & Tunnel Crowd without having any bridges or tunnels. We aren’t sad to see it go. The Depot building has a history of landlord tenant problems that can be simply described like so: The rent is too high. God bless Humble Pie and 5-Star, the pioneers with the low rent basis (we hope) and the businesses in the district that actually possess charm. We already have City Limits, The Buckhead Saloon, and Deep South and that should certainly keep the Yup-Neck population covered. Clicking through those Z-Spotlight photo galleries is a guilty pleasure that builds our self-esteem but leaves us mildly depressed after being immersed in so much desperation. Better to watch “Looking For Mr. Goodbar” because at least the desperation is tempered by the good looks and style of young Diane Keaton. We digress.

We also hear rumors Nana’s Chophouse has been struggling and will soon become a BBQ restaurant. Mayor Meeker remarked that Hillsborough Street is flourishing while the Depot District is floundering and it’s true and is part of a larger truth about development in Raleigh History. While developers and city promoters are busy touting the redevelopment of a district, districts with lower rents seem to boom. Nothing engenders entrepreneurial risk like some low rent. This was discussed at SparkCon and is interesting to observe in this case. The Warehouse District is largely mothballed until the Triangle Transit Authority decides what to do with the empty Dillon Supply buildings. Maybe now is the time for the City of Raleigh to get creative with this district. I especially like this exchange from an Independent article about a police crackdown on punk rock house parties:

Maybe houses aren’t the place, though. DesignBox engineer and Spark Con cofounder Aly Khalifa says the city is full of unused commercial spaces that could allow for a scene to exist alongside a downtown that continues to grow in all directions. “Look how many people want to have music. If they are willing to put themselves out there and risk being evicted. The entrepreneur spirit is great,” he says, referencing such houses as GSS and three blocks of empty buildings in downtown Raleigh’s Warehouse district. “The trick would be to capture that energy and give them a space—an abandoned warehouse. Give those buildings something to do, and give those people options.” Meeker says that’s a possibility, and he could see city council working to get music into unoccupied spaces in the city.

Come on Mayor Meeker. You’ve got a mandate and a big empty canvas here; a chance to create a culture in a void.

8 Responses to “The Depot District”

Feed for this Entry Trackback Address

1 Tim Nov 16th, 2007 at 4:39 pm

Yup-Neck, that is so appropriate and awesome.
2 Woody Nov 19th, 2007 at 6:32 am

Hate to see any business in Raleigh fail, but it must be said that these 3 places failed due to lack of soul and personality. I don’t know what the rent was, but I know these places were an insult to our community. I’m from New York (as was the owner of these places), but I still felt insulted to see these places open: A sports bar named Hurricanes, a bar with a mechanical bull and a “big city New York” bar all in one complex. I like to think we’re a bit more sophisticated than this; or at least able to recognize authenticity. Hopefully something better replaces these monstrosities.
3 Jedidiah Nov 19th, 2007 at 3:49 pm

Nana’s will be called The Pit.
4 RaleighRob Nov 20th, 2007 at 2:47 pm

Nana’s was not bad, but it did seem out of place. I think if it were, say next to Fin’s in the Progress Energy tower, it would be a better fit.
Hopefully Ess and most of the other clubs and lounges in the area will continue to do good. I know Humble Pie will…it’s getting harder and harder to get a table there on some nights (not to mention Sunday Brunch).

Funny how all these articles and such talking about the “failure” of the Warehouse District is basing all of this on just three businesses (under one owner) failing. They seem to conveniently forget that the WD is also home to some of downtown Raleigh’s oldest nightspots including CC, Berkeley Cafe, and Legends.
5 Robert E Leebowitz Nov 20th, 2007 at 6:44 pm

I agree that Nana’s was not bad. I think the gentrification got ahead of itself. Nana’s is located along an alleyway that was THE center for street hustler activity until recently. Humble Pie had to brave that desolate frontier for over a decade before the neighborhood seemed to fill-in with neighboring business and eyes on the street. It would seem the developers should be interested in, say, DEVELOPING business in the area by starting with lower rents and increasing the rent in conjunction with the success of the area. I think the businesses that just closed were a bad joke but that building now has a short history of being overpriced and unfriendly to tenants. The NC Railroad Company, owner of The Deopt,http://www.ncrr.com - is a little too profit hungry when it comes to regional developments such as this project and the light rail project.
6 Bruce DeBoer Nov 23rd, 2007 at 3:54 am

Perhaps Raleigh needs to ask Durham for advice on what to do with the warehouse district.
7 Nunya Nov 26th, 2007 at 2:39 pm

I think people in this town tend to think if it’s not Jackpot or Slim’s, it’s not worth surviving. Everyone in Raleigh isn’t an ironic hipster.
8 Robert E Leebowitz Nov 27th, 2007 at 9:15 pm

Maybe we are hipsters, but we obviously lack the requisite irony required to ride and enjoy the mechanical bull at Blazin’ Saddles. If Raleigh hipsters possessed a more ironic outlook, the Depot District might be flourishing.

rduwtf.com

The Depot District

8 Responses to “The Depot District”

Leave a Reply

Search