City shops for retail stops Report identifies land suited for possible commercial development
Call them growing pains.
Despite the recent increase in retail development in the Elk Grove area, a new consultant's report to the Elk Grove City Council shows there still is too little shopping locally to prevent the outflow of dollars to cities such as Roseville and Folsom.
The analysis this month by retail consultant Gregory Stoffel & Associates of Irvine shows that if Elk Grove is to persuade residents to shop at home and to attract dollars from outside the city, more retail businesses are needed.
As part of an analysis, city staff members have identified 10 sites around Elk Grove for potential future retail use.
They are:
-- Site 1: City staff members were directed to work with the owner of approximately 30 acres at the northeast corner of Sheldon Road and Highway 99 for possible increase of commercial acreage once interchange reconstruction is complete.
-- Site 2: The northeast corner of Sheldon and Power Inn Roads was the focus of a successful effort to block a Wal-Mart Supercenter. Opponents led by a new group, Elk Grove Coalition Advocating Proper Planning, forced withdrawal of the project in December. A city report accompanying the retail report notes that the site remains an option for retail development if Site 3 cannot accommodate larger retail tenants. [ read full article ]
Get ready to shop on TV in Spanish A new Spanish-language home shopping channel, Viva TeleCompras, is going to set up shop in Miami next year
Spanish-language home shopping channel Viva TeleCompras is going to set up shop in Miami
Attention Spanish-speaking shoppers, Viva TeleCompras is coming to a TV near you.
A group of investors headed by a Los Angeles TV producer is planning to launch early next year a Spanish-language home shopping channel based in Miami.
"It's basically QVC but 100 percent in Spanish," said Greg Martin, vice president of investor relations for the channel's corporate parent, Home Shopping Latino.
The venture has been four years in the making by Frank Celecia, chief executive of HSL and a TV producer with 25 years experience. He was instrumental in creating the 1980s cable-TV series Down to Earth.
The channel, to be called Viva TeleCompras, will be transmitted via satellite from the Globecast studios in North Miami and will reach North and South America, where HSL eventually plans to set up shop, too.
In the United States, Martin sees broadcasters' digital channels as a main distribution avenue as TV stations are looking for low-cost content to fill their extra airwaves. [ read full article ]
Selma shop knows the spice of life Designing Women offers blinds, decor, a boutique and massage
A Selma blinds, custom sewing and drapery business has expanded its offerings to include a boutique, jewelry, home decor, skin care and even massage.
"It's girly shop," co-owner Joan Nelson said of Designing Women. "It's been called the 'hidden treasure.'"
Designing Women quadrupled in size when it moved a few doors down to its current quarters on High Street in Selma's downtown. The expansion and the variety of services has enabled the business to increase its reach.
"We have found kind of a niche," Nelson said. "We didn't want to compete with other stores."
The expansion by Designing Women also helps Selma's downtown, City Manager D-B Heusser said. "It reaches all over the area," he said. "The real key is as the city grows to capture new people so they know about the central business district."
Downtown has only one vacant building -- and it is owned by the city, which plans an art center. The central business district has continued to thrive even with the addition of Wal-Mart and Home Depot outside the core.
That's partly because the two regions have established a good relationship. Home Depot, for example, rents tools, but contracts their repair work to a downtown hardware store. [ read full article ]