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City Place has been struggling a bit in the past year (2014). Although most of the spaces are still occupied, City Place lost 3 or 4 of its major large restaurant tenants in the largest spaces, and they have not yet been replaced. Also, after not having been to City Place for a while, I noticed that the crowds have been significantly lower this year than they have been in the past. The reason is fairly well-known, i.e. the opening of the Palm Beach Outlets mall about 2 miles to the north has siphoned away a lot of the store traffic. But never fear, City Place will survive and thrive; in fact, its in for a very exciting year ahead. The long-awaited Convention Center Hotel is finally rising across the street (construction has now reached the 7th floor) and once that opens, City Place will thrive again, along with the previously underutilized Convention Center. City Place already has a very different feel to it now that the new hotel is rising, as it's located right across Okeechobee Blvd from Rosemary Avenue in City Place, so what was once an empty skyline ahead on Rosemary is now filled with buildings, producing a much bigger-city feel for the area.
I'm just checking to see whether this still works, since it has been a long time since my last entry! A lot has happened in this area since then. Clematis Street has been doing well, while City Place has been experiencing more vacancies. The big news is that All Aboard Florida is moving ahead with the demolition of some old buildings in between Clematis and City Place this month!
No, City Place is not moving to Clematis! But a minor trend of a few specific places moving from City Place to Clematis is starting to look a bit more like a stampede. This morning, the Run and Roll shop that had just been relocated a few months ago WITHIN City Place to make way for the bowling alley, moved from its new City Place location, to 330 Clematis Street. Later in the day, a sign appeared on the old Expedited Travel site on the 400 block of Clematis announcing the pending move of the Field of Greens salad and soup restaurant from City Place to Clematis. These two new moves to Clematis follow the recently opened Bar Louie (which used to be in City Place in part of the current B.B. King Blues Club space). The interesting thing about these two additional moves to Clematis is that neither of these two places (Run and Roll and Field of Greens) were located in the large blocks of City Place being cleared out for Revolution (Bowling) and the Brio Tuscan Grille Italian restaurant. Rumor has it that additional large announcements are forthcoming and that additional blocks of City Place are being vacated for larger food and entertainment venues. In the meantime, a lot of these places that are being pushed out but want to stay in downtown West Palm Beach are finding more reasonably priced accomodations in some of the vacant spots along Clematis. There is too much dust in the air right now to know exactly what things will look like when the dust settles!
No, City Place is not moving to Clematis! But a minor trend of a few specific places moving from City Place to Clematis is starting to look a bit more like a stampede. This morning, the Run and Roll shop that had just been relocated a few months ago WITHIN City Place to make way for the bowling alley, moved from its new City Place location, to 330 Clematis Street. Later in the day, a sign appeared on the old Expedited Travel site on the 400 block of Clematis announcing the pending move of the Field of Greens salad and soup restaurant from City Place to Clematis. These two new moves to Clematis follow the recently opened Bar Louie (which used to be in City Place in part of the current B.B. King Blues Club space). The interesting thing about these two additional moves to Clematis is that neither of these two places (Run and Roll and Field of Greens) were located in the large blocks of City Place being cleared out for Revolution (Bowling) and the Brio Tuscan Grille Italian restaurant. Rumor has it that additional large announcements are forthcoming and that additional blocks of City Place are being vacated for larger food and entertainment venues. In the meantime, a lot of these places that are being pushed out but want to stay in downtown West Palm Beach are finding more reasonably priced accomodations in some of the vacant spots along Clematis. There is too much dust in the air right now to know exactly what things will look like when the dust settles!
Not long after City Place cleared out one row of shops to make way for the huge Revolution bowling alley/restaurant/club scheduled to open this fall, word comes down that City Place will clear out another long row of shops to make way for a huge Brio Tuscan Grille Italian restaurant. This will impact all of the stores on the east side of Rosemary adjacent to the steps going up to the movie theater, several of which have now already closed or posted signs regarding their immiment closure. It is not clear that this new trend will end here (i.e. more might be on the way). It looks like there is more money and sustainability in large restaurants than in small stores in this area. This trend has been going on over on Clematis Street for quite a few years now and it looks like it's hitting City Place in a big way right now. Downtown West Palm Beach is steadily becoming more and more of a dining and entertainment venue and less of a shopping venue. However, there is still a niche for lower-cost specialty shops and other businesses that seem to be popping up in intervening blocks between Clematis and City Place.
The new Bar Louie restaurant on Clematis has been open now for two weeks. The place was packed for the first week during its promotions and has maintained some relatively decent crowds since then. It's got a great location on the eastern end of the 200 block right next to the water fountain and most importantly, plenty of room on the sidewalk for outdoor seating on both sides (Clematis and Narcissus), which they are taking advantage of with a huge number of tables and chairs outside. I actually had a hamburger there for lunch and it was pretty good, but this place is primarily a bar, attracting more crowds during the late afternoon and evening hours than at lunchtime. It should be interesting to see whether World of Beer just across the way loses business as a result, although it seems like at the moment both of them are doing decent business.
It has been a long time since I have posted an update! It's not that there haven't been any changes on Clematis Street, it's that there have been so many and as a result, I kind of lost interest in keeping track of them! Anyway, in the last few months, Palm Sugar has opened on the west end of the 300 block (in the former Bahama Mama's spot), and Tin Fish has opened on the 100 block (in the former Luigi's spot). Neither restaurant has generated a huge amount of buzz but they seem to be doing reasonably well. More recently, the popular Gratify Pub on Datura, and Reef Road Rum Bar on the 200 block of Clematis, have closed down. As usual, the restaurants come and go very fast around here. It looks like some major new restaurants that have been in process for some time on Clematis are on the verge of opening (Bar Louie and Fuku, both on the 200 block eastern end). There has also been quite a bit of turnover over in CityPlace. Plans have recently been announced for new restaurants to replace some of the large restaurant spaces recently vacated, but the big news is that all the stores on the northwest side of CityPlace between Macy's and Publix have been kicked out (some moved elsewhere in CityPlace while some have moved elsewhere entirely or closed entirely). This is to make room for a huge new bowling/entertainment/restaurant complex called Revolution. When walking through there in the morning, you can hear the large construction sounds inside, so it is clear progress is being made toward the planned fall opening. It should be interesting to see how the addition of this complex changes the atmosphere over there in CityPlace!
The Florida East Coast Railway made an announcement last week that they plan to initiate train service from Miami to Orlando by 2014, with intermediate stops in Ft. Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. Most importantly, the project would be privately funded (making it more likely to actually happen soon). This new passenger service would use the FEC railway which hugs the east coast from Miami all the way north to Cocoa Beach, requiring then a new 40 mile segment of track to head west to Orlando from Cocoa. Although the project is still in its early stages (and 2014 seems quite ambitious, only 2 years away), this is unbelievably great news for downtown West Palm Beach. The Downtown Development Authority has already expressed its excitement about this project, and the City of West Palm Beach needs to be all over this project, discussing with FEC in detail the specific impacts on West Palm Beach in order to maximize the huge benefits that can accrue to West Palm Beach as a result of this project. A few of the key as-yet unanswered questions would be: (1) Where in West Palm Beach will the FEC station be? (Possible answer: How about in that space that is currently kind of a no-man's land on Quadrille Blvd, right between Fern and Okeechobee across from City Place) (Likely answer: they might decide to route trains from FEC over to the CSX on Tamarind for the West Palm Beach portion but I'm not sure that small station allows for the desired growth). (2) We need to make sure that FEC plans include the ability to travel on this route from West Palm Beach to Miami and from Miami to West Palm Beach, without limits, i.e. not just focusing on the Orlando to Miami or Miami to Orlando scenario. There would be a huge demand for that (a train that could actually take you directly from City Place to downtown Miami) and it would be a huge boon to the South Florida economy and for West Palm Beach. Please let me know what I can do to help make this happen!
Five Guys Burgers opened smack dab in the middle of the 300 block of Clematis Street this week. I have not actually tried the food yet, but this place is certainly popular so far -- when walking by a few minutes after noon several days this week, I saw a long line stretching the length of the place almost out the door. The place seems to be filling another niche on Clematis Street -- there are several places to get great burgers already, but this is more of a quick-in quick-out slightly lower priced fast-food establishment, as compared to the more established sit-down restaurants (although it's more high-end than a McDonalds or Burger King). Time will tell how it does on Clematis but so far so good! One very interesting feature is the planned late-night hours to accomodate the club-goers, etc.
The familiar red trolleys were replaced in recent weeks with larger new blue trolleys. The familiar route between Clematis and CityPlace has not changed, but now a new route has been added that covers a wider circle within the downtown, including the Tri-rail station and various spots along Okeechoobee/Lakeview Blvd on the southern side of the downtown. I certainly salute the DDA on finally getting the expanded free trolley service in operation. This should ultimately enhance the downtown even further. The blue trolleys may take a little while getting used to, as they are somewhat similar to the red ones but not quite as quaint -- not sure if there are different varieties but some of them seem to resemble large buses more than quaint trolleys -- presumably the benefit will be the ability to offer transportation service to more customers (those red ones at times were absolutely packed). When jogging along Sapodilla on weekday mornings I now often encounter the blue trolley on its Tri-Rail route and I rarely see more than a few people in it and sometimes no one. This Tri-Rail route is a fantastic idea, but I'm sure it will take some time before people realize that it's there, and before people who otherwise have been driving to work in downtown West Palm Beach realize that they can now get all the way to their office via Tri-Rail combined with the free trolley (instead of having to walk those long western blocks of Clematis to get to there ultimate destination downtown).
The southwest side of the 300 block of Clematis Street is undergoing an almost complete transformation. Right at the corner, extensive work is being done on the former Bahama Mamas space to convert it into the new Palm Sugar Asian bar and desserts restaurant. The space right next to it is now the Kenneth Plaskett gallery (previously it was a different gallery). Next up, a Liberty Tax preparation service office has popped up with a lot of books and a very professional appearance. Next to that, the Cheesesteak Factory window has opened up next to Uncle Louie G's ice cream. And next to that, the Five Guys Burger restaurant space appears to be almost complete and ready to open soon. On the other side of the street, there have also been major changes, with the Oh My Chocolate store just opening up on the west corner, and further down, the grand opening party this week of The Wine Dive, which has actually been open for several weeks now. Although Clematis Street always seems to be going through changes, I don't recall this many changes ever happening all in one part of a block at the same time. The Wine Dive appears to be a great addition (I noticed a contrast to the places farther to the east like Duffys and Grease, in that The Wine Dive has absolutely no TVs, presumably catering more to a crowd seeking quiet conversation rather than sensory overload. And the Cheesesteak Factory (sounds a lot like Cheesecake Factory!) certainly produces a tasty product and fills a niche previously unserved on the street.
We were there for the official first dinner on Saturday, November 26 (I happened to notice a sign in their window earlier last week about the opening).
I'm not sure of the exact date of their opening since I was out of town for Thanksgiving week. However, I noticed today that both Grimaldi's and Kabuki are open. Grimaldi's is the new Italian pizza restaurant at 1 N. Clematis St. (on the 100 block of Clematis right on the corner of N. Clematis and Flagler Drive). Kabuki is the new Asian restaurant on the 300 block of Clematis in the old Mambo Italiano's spot near Don Ramon's. They had a large grand opening today with loud drums in front and a large crowd eating inside. So two promising new restaurants have achieved their opening in time for the high tourist season. Now we're waiting for The Wine Dive and Five Guys Burgers to open on the 300 block. Meanwhile, things seem to be slowing down in the small businesses around Uncle Louie G's icecream -- i.e. all the signs for Frankie Fatts have gone down, Doner Pocket may be gone, and the TV showing scenes for the Segway business has also disappeared. Finally, the store next to Habatat Galleries and coffee shop has opened up, and sand castles are appearing everywhere.
As usual, there have been a lot of changes on Clematis Street. I've been real pleased with the new Habitat Coffee shop on the 500 block. They make excellent custom-made coffee/tea drinks and the setting within the expansive gallery is extremely unique, not to mention a very friendly atmosphere. Unfortunately, Velocity Cycling has left the 500 block of Clematis, but they have most definitely NOT gone out of business, just moved a few blocks to the corner of Fern and Dixie (since they needed more room to expand then the existing space allowed). The major loss has been the quite closing of Bahama Mama's restaurant on the 300 block, which really didn't last very long -- not a huge surprise since they were always less crowded than the other restaurants on the 300 and 200 blocks. Now that the weather has turned cooler, the restaurants are again emphasizing their outside sidewalk seating and often keeping their windows open -- Duffy's really looks neat on a cool day because they're able to basically open up all their glass windows and become completely open to the street on the Clematis side. A sign has gone up for a frozen yogurt place in the travel agency spot on the 400 block (interesting as it would be the first food place on that side of the 400 block). Of course, there are a number of very significant restaurants that are still in process but all expected to open in the coming months: Wine Dive (300 block), Kabuki (Asian) (300 block), Fuku (Asian) (200 block), and Grimaldi's Pizza (100 block).
I noticed a new sign at the western end of the 500 block of Clematis Street. It announces that a new coffee shop will be opening up within the Habitat gallery on the corner. I'm not sure when it's going to open, but it seems like a good idea -- hopefully the hours will be reasonably generous and more predictable than typical art gallery hours. If this actually comes to pass, 610 Clematis residents won't have to walk three blocks to the 200 block of Clematis or four blocks to City Place to get to a coffee shop, it will be right there on the corner. Anyway, this sounds like an interesting new concept, a coffee/tea shop within an art gallery (sign says something about "the art of coffee"). Also this weekend, Doner Pocket (German fast food) held their grand opening party on the 300 block of Clematis.
The DDA weekly contains some information on new businesses coming soon to Clematis which I hadn't heard of yet. This makes up for the fact that Frankie Fatts, from the last blog entry, has failed to open this week, after only a few days in business! First of all, a new pan-Asian tapa and sushi fine dining restaurant will be opening at 308 Clematis (I believe this is the spot just recently vacated by Mambo Italianos). This makes two new Asian restaurants coming to Clematis this fall (Fuku on 200 block, this one on the 300 block). Also interestingly, a wine shop and academy is opening up at 101 Clematis, near Pistache. This will be run by a woman who won an award as the Master Sommelier (wine expert) for the entire United States, and has been handling all wine matters at The Breakers on Palm Beach. One could look at this and say "another liquor store" but it certainly sounds a bit more sophisticated. There is also a new coffee shop/lounge opening in The Whitney a few blocks over on Evernia, and a famous clothing designer opening a store on the 500 block of Clematis. The constant changes on Clematis never cease to amaze. As fast as businesses fail, new ones continue to come in to take their place, and the pace of these changes seems to get faster as time goes on.
Frankie Fatts 24-hour food walk-up window (in the middle of the 300 block) opened last week. Although it wasn't open on Saturday afternoon, I've seen customers there every other time I have walked by, which is a good sign. I'm not sure if this is under the same ownership as Uncle Louie G's ice cream, but it certainly appears to share the same space. It would be great if they end up having the resources to really keep this thing open 24 hours, because that would add a new dimension to the offerings available on the street (i.e. a 2nd 24-hour walk-up window adding to the Cuban food and coffees available at Don Ramon's on the 200 block). Frankie Fatts has quite a range of foods available on their menu. On a downside note, it appears that The Raw Kitchen on the 500 block is gone for good. It had closed a few months ago with signs temporarily posted regarding a plumbing problem, but then everything was cleared out and it never re-opened. Since that time, there have been several mentions in the local papers regarding it's closing, though no details have been provided. I was a bit surprised at this place's demise because it seemed to have a steady flow of customers (and to cater to a very specific niche) -- perhaps it just wasn't a large enough space to cover the costs of operation (?) Meanwhile, the crowds at Longboards on the 500 block seem to be picking up, as more advertising is done and more people find out about it. This is a much larger place than Raw Kitchen and hopefully it will have a lot more staying power. Also, a quaint little old-fashioned style barber shop opened up in the northern end of City Place about a month ago, replacing a jewelry shop that used to be in the spot. Finally, papers appeared last week on the wall of the space next to Grease on the 200 block (previously a retail store) for a new Asian restaurant called Fuku.
We still love Clematis Street, but are beginning to wonder about the upcoming changes. There appears to be a disconnect between the goals of the DDA to attract upscale retail shops, and the actuality of the kind of businesses that are now setting up and thriving on Clematis Street. Essentially, the people seem to want bars and cheap fast food, not upscale retail shops. This is no better illustrated than by the list of new businesses that have announced their coming arrival on the 300 block of Clematis Street over the last few months. First, we have a wine bar called the Wine Dive, which will be taking over the old Bonds restaurant space in the lobby of the Comeau building. Then we have a liquor store, which will be taking over the old Flow nightclub space next to Don Ramon's. As far as new eating places, we will soon have Five Guys Burgers and Fries in the old nightclub space in the middle of the block, and Frankie Fatts 24-hour walk-up window next to Uncle Louie G's. Along with existing businesses such as Club 313 and Off The Hoohak, which are thriving in the late night hours, it's beginning to sound a bit like Pottersville from the classic Christmas movie It's A Wonderful Life. The city government is currently working on new regulations to force establishments serving alcohol after midnight to have extra security, videocameras, etc., and again discussing other ways to limit nightlife establishments. But ultimately, it's the demand out there that will determine what businesses will be successful, and the word seems to be out that people on Clematis Street have an insatiable appetite for more and more drinks and fast food.
In early July, the new Longboards restaurant on the 500 block of Clematis, which had been under construction for over a year in the old Ray's Downtown Blues spot, finally opened. For the first few weeks it was open for dinner only, and then it opened for lunch as well. Everything I've heard has been positive -- however, I haven't seen large crowds there yet. They seem to have a lot of workers and reasonably decent crowds in the evening, but it has looked fairly quiet during the lunch hour. It may be harder to establish a new restaurant on the 500 block of Clematis than on the 200 block. One thing I noticed from just a brief look from across the street (I could be missing something) is that there is a surfboard above the entrance but no sign saying Longboards (at least not one that is large enough to be visible) nor even a visible street address. I would think this would make it hard for people, other than those already familiar with Clematis Street and the marketing of Longboards, to find the restaurant. Of course, it is summertime, the slowest season, so things could well pick up as we move back into the winter months. They had a great grand opening party the weekend before their opening, which included a large skateboard platform set up across Clematis Street. Looking in, you can see a large bar in the middle and tables on the side, though I hear there is also a very nice and large outside area further back. Longboards has added an active new dimension to the 500 block, so hopefully they will hang in there through the summer and ultimately thrive.
During the craziness of Sunfest weekend (when some people who don't like large crowds stay inside), it's time to note several new things that have popped up on and around Clematis in recent months. The biggest thing is a large new restaurant called Carlos & Charlie's, which just opened in City Place. It has taken the very large space on the upper deck next to City Cellar, vacated about a year ago by French Carousel Can Can Cafe, a space that has been vacant for the vast majority of the past five years -- it's great to see that one remaining large restaurant space filled again, and so far they seem to be doing well. Secondly, there has been a very interesting proliferation of new fitness places in between Clematis and City Place -- from what I have seen and heard, there are three alone on Evernia Street, one on the 500 block, one on the 400 block, and one on the 300 block. None of these are traditional gyms where people simply go to work-out, instead they are all places offering specialized fitness classes of different types at specified times. It appears that the success of Velocity Cycling on the 500 block of Clematis may have spawned a plethora of new athletic offerings downtown, thereby expanding the "fitness" area that we wrote about over a year ago sprouting up on the 400/500 blocks of Clematis Street. Next, it appears that some work is going on in a small vacant space on the 300 block of Clematis (formerly a psychic shop) and it MAY be for an eventual move of the eye shop across the street in the Comeau building, or perhaps something else. For a few months now, there has been a new interesting feature sitting outside the library cafe on the 400 block -- a massive chess set where the pieces are so large that people have to lean over and walk around to actually move them. I'm surprised that "a guy on clematis" hasn't taken any pictures of this yet! (though it's possible that I just missed them). Just as a follow-up note, Duffy's and World of Beer, after about a month, are both still hugely successful and crowded all the time. Finally, omething new is on the horizon on the 500 block next to The Raw Kitchen in the city parking garage space -- the city just signed a lease with a bakery specializing in sweets, i.e. chocolates, brownies, cookies, cakes, etc. -- yet another sweet addition to downtown!
Continue reading "Several New Things On and Around Clematis"
Clematis Street definitely set a new record in popularity this week with the openings of Duffy's on the 200 block and World of Beer on the 100 block. Both establishments were packed for the entire week. The crowds at the new places even surpassed the already-existing popular places like Rocco's Tacos, Grease, Don Ramon's, and Pistache, although business at the existing places did not seem to suffer, in fact it seemed to increase a little bit. Clearly, Duffy's and World of Beer, instead of stealing customers from existing businesses, are drawing huge new crowds from outside the downtown. So far, they appear to be very popular among the younger crowd, bringing a huge new wave of people in their 20s into the downtown. World of Beer really reminds me of a huge college-town pub. Both Duffy's and World of Beer seem to attract people that love crowds, so are probably not recommended if you prefer a quiet evening. It should be interesting to see whether these two new places can keep up these kinds of crowds over the long haul -- if they do, that will represent a massive increase in the people-traffic on Clematis Street. The scene on the 100 block at around 2 PM on Saturday afternoon (normally a fairly quite time) was almost surreal. A large number of kids were splashing around in the fountain. Right next to them, World of Beer was doing a bustling business, and right next to World of Beer, the more refined customers at Pistache were enjoying a quieter climate. Meanwhile over in City Hall on the 400 block this week, Mayor Frankel said her goodbyes, certainly leaving a vastly-improved downtown Clematis Street area, and new Mayor Muoio took over, issuing in a new era in the City of West Palm Beach.
On the positive side, two huge new venues are scheduled to open by the end of the month of March -- Duffy's Sports restaurant on the 200 block, and A World of Beer on the 100 block. Duffy's construction is proceeding at breakneck speed and they have chairs lined up outside during the day for people to use as they fill out applications for jobs there. On the down side, two places right next to each other on the 300 block both closed last week, the Mambo Italiano's restaurant and the Maine Cottage furniture store. The Maine Cottage closing is not about Clematis Street, since they are part of a larger company (with various stores up north as well) which has apparently just gone out of business. Nevertheless, after the large Z-Gallerie furniture store next door closed and was converted to Off The Hookah last year, it didn't seem like there was a critical mass of shoppers coming to Clematis to buy furniture, so this closing is really no surprise. Although Mambo's says "temporarily closed for maintenance", if history is any indication it may not re-open and that wouldn't be a huge surprise since they have always appeared to have less business than the surrounding restaurants. Let's not write them off yet, but if those two businesses are gone for good, it's still a net gain for Clematis Street, with two likely very popular new venues replacing two places that hadn't really caught on. On a separate note, the wallpaper on (part of) the former Carousel Can Can Cafe in City Place is announcing a new place called Carlos and Charlie's Bar and Grille, and those little square pieces of paper advertising nightclubs can be seen strewn around the sidewalks downtown in the mornings announcing the new Pura Vida nightclub in City Place.
Jeri Muoio has been elected mayor of West Palm Beach! I don't think there is anyone who predicted that it was even possible that one candidate would win more than 50% of the vote, thus preventing the need for a run-off election. It appears that the silent majority of West Palm Beach voters may be as smart as the new mayor they have just elected in a landslide!
The big news this weekend is the Palm Beach Post's endorsement of Jeri Muoio for mayor of West Palm Beach, just before this Tuesday's election. This is quite a surprise, since the Post has often been very critical of Mayor Frankel, and despite that, they have chosen to side with her on their endorsement for the next mayor. It looks like it's clear to the Post, as it is to many, that Muoio is a clear-thinking independent-minded individual who will not be beholden to anyone except the entire population of the City of West Palm Beach. In other political news, the State of Florida legislative session also begins this Tuesday, and this promises to be a contentious and interesting time for the state. There is a group that is organizing protests against new Governor Rick Scott's agenda and their first local protest is scheduled from 4 PM to 7 PM this Tuesday in the 100 block of Clematis Street. Since the City Hall moved to Clematis, the 400 block has been the site of various free-speech activities of various groups, but this is the first one that I can recall in the Clematis waterfront area.
The big news of last week on Clematis Street was the upcoming arrival (in April) of Duffy's Sports Bar to the 200 block of Clematis. They will be taking over the spot previously occupied by the Forte restaurant (we knew it wasn't a good sign when Forte closed for the summer and then never made it back for the winter!) But the addition of Duffy's to the Clematis scene is more great news for Clematis. Duffy's operates a chain of successful sports bars throughout South Florida and will be an excellent addition to Clematis, right in the middle of the other most popular spots like Rocco's Tacos and Don Ramon's. This one will have to be somewhat smaller than the other Duffy's spots given space limitations, but still should accomodate 70 TV screens, etc. Immediately after the news came out in the Palm Beach Post, the windows were papered over, indicating that the conversion construction work has already begun. More paper appeared as well this week in the middle of the 500 block, at a space next to O'Sheas that had been vacant for a year or so, which is now slated to be the second art gallery on the block. And work continues feverishly on the future site of A World of Beer on the 100 block. Finally, a guyonclematis posted a picture of a sidewalk billboard for a new Mexican grille restaurant on the 300 block of Clematis called Nacho Mamma's, but I haven't been able to figure out where that is nor have I seen any sign of it this week; is it a joke or is it real? New and strange events continue to come to Clematis, with the establishment of a huge snow slide at the waterfront last Friday for a snowboarding event. They couldn't have picked a better day, as it was unusually cloudy and cold; otherwise, the snow they created around noon might have melted before the late afternoon event. Notable events coming up this week include a mayoral candidate debate at the Muvico Theater in City Place on Tuesday morning, and the big one-year anniversary of the waterfront opening event next Sunday.
YES! Please vote for Jeri Muoio for mayor of West Palm Beach. I noticed that one of the other downtown West Palm Beach blogs, aguyonclematis, came out in support of Muoio for mayor. Although we normally don't comment here on political matters, the upcoming mayoral election is obviously an important thing for the future of Clematis Street and the rest of downtown West Palm Beach, and I've been trying to figure out who to vote for. Anyone who has the guts to run for the position deserves a great deal of respect and all the candidates have positives, but at this point it seems to me that Muoio is the best candidate. I have been attending West Palm Beach commission meetings on and off for the last five years, and throughout that time (before the campaigning began) I have been impressed with the demeanor displayed by Jeri Muoio in her work as a commissioner. My impression is that she is very bright and very thoughtful -- she is not about show and all about substance. One thing I didn't know about was her support for downtown issues (because she is from the western communities), but any questions I had there have been answered very positively by her responses in the first few mayoral debates. I also appreciate the fact that Mayor Frankel has endorsed Ms. Muoio (Mayor Frankel has done tremendously good things for the downtown). Nevertheless, I have no doubt that Jeri Muoio will be completely independent and will make decisions based on what she thinks is best for the city, not beholden to anyone including the current administration. From recent reports, it doesn't seem like Muoio has an advantage in terms of money contributed to her campaign, and it's anyone's guess as to who will win the race. It will likely be close, and not that many people actually vote in the mayoral election in March (since it's not accompanied by votes on many other things). So your vote will make a big difference in deciding the future of West Palm Beach! I believe voting day is March 8th and then if no one wins 50% (likely) then there has to be another vote a few weeks later -- don't miss those votes!
Just yesterday a new hair salon called AG Hair Salon opened at the corner of Clematis and Rosemary (500 block). I saw a few customers in there today. So now that building on the southwest corner of Clematis at Rosemary Ave., which at one time was almost vacant, is completely full with active businesses (hair salon, Yankee Dogs 24-hour food, dog-sitting business, shoe repair shop, and psychic). It's still a relatively quiet corner but certainly a huge improvement from a few years ago. This is good for downtown, as that building occupies an important strategic place at the crossroads between Clematis and CityPlace. On another note, Little Leaping Lizards opened last week on the 400 block. There was a grand opening last Saturday, but I checked it out during the actual workweek to see how it was doing. I saw lots of workers and lots of customers (parents and kids) especially today, Saturday, bouncing around on trampolines and engaging in other organized playground activities. I realized that it was a great idea to put that business across from the library and city hall -- now the parents that come to the library with their kids have another place where they can take their kids for fun educational activities.
The Clematis Street 200 block didn't have as far to come as the 300 and 500 blocks in 2010, since it was already teaming with activity. It did add a new restaurant (the Luna Turkish place) and the Oh My Chocolate store as well. Surprisingly, the popular Forte restaurant on the northwest corner left for summer vacation and has not returned. A few retail stores on the block also bit the bullet in 2010 (Ann Taylor Lofts and Vendome). But overall, the block is still teaming with activity, and new adjacent additions on the 100 block (Luigi's Italian restaurant and World of Beer, which just started construction) will further perk things up in 2011. Although there are no new businesses specifically associated with the waterfront project (yet), it is obviously the greatest of all the improvements to Clematis Street during 2010, having completely transformed the atmosphere on the eastern end of the street from a run-down area frequented by the homeless, to a bustling area dominated by families, events, and fun.
The 300 block had already begun its resurgence last year in 2009, with a number of great new venues opening up just about one year ago (Roxy's Rooftop Bar, Mambo Italiano's restaurant, and most notably, the hugely successful Don Ramon's Cuban restaurant on the southeast corner, including its 24-hour walk-up window). The 300 block resurgence continued in 2010, moving further toward the western side, with the opening of the huge Off The Hookah nightclub, the new Bahama Mama's seafood restaurant on the southwest corner, the Palm Beach Segwey Tours business, and the House of Fashion clothing store. The only casualties to note were the Relaxation Remedies store and the Soma healthfood place (neither of which lasted the year). Like the 500 block, the 300 block continued to improve in 2010.
Unlike City Place, there have been a lot of changes on Clematis Street during 2010. And nowhere more than on the 500 block, which has sprouted a large number of new businesses. The new businesses opening up on the 500 block in 2010 include The Raw Kitchen (extremely popular raw food restaurant), Kavasutru Tu (bar serving new non-alcoholic drink called kava), Clematis Pizza (replacing De Napoli's), Yankee Dogs (new 24-hour restaurant on the corner of Rosemary Ave.), a shoe repair shop, and Psychic Readings. In addition to these six (6) new businesses, a new grassy area with trees has come up on the southeast side where the abandoned buildings used to be, and a great wall mural was painted there as well (now as we speak, another mural is being painted farther west on the old Sewell Hardware site). No businesses have left except the short-lived Clematis Cellphone, whose space is now slated to become a barber/beauty shop of some kind, AND work continues on a new seafood restaurant in the old Ray's Downtown Blues site. The resurgence has been overwhelming on this block.
We just did our annual walk of City Place to see what has changed in the last year, with unremarkable results. Last year at this time, there were 88 of 94 spaces occupied and that has dipped slightly to 86 of 94. That occupancy rate is still near 91% which is extremely strong, although there seem to be some major spaces left vacant over a year ago (by the French Carousel Can Can Cafe and Mayor's Jewelry) that have shown no signs of new activity. New places opening during the year were McCormick & Schmicks (massive seafood place), Rita's Italian ice and custard (which has been a huge hit), The Olive Tap, Daniel's Center for the Arts, and Sips n Strokes (painting). The departures included Aphrodite Style, Ice Berry (frozen yogurt), Roxy (clothes), and most notably, Wild Olives restaurant (which didn't quite make it one year). Overall though, the impression is that most all of the stores and restaurants continue to do good business, with the vast majority remaining the same from last year at this time. I would say that the best way to sum this up in a year when the mortgage crisis has continued to slam Florida is the old saying "No news is good news."
There are three major new businesses on Clematis Street that have just opened up in the last few weeks. On the 100 block, Luigi's restaurant just opened (their sign mentions pizza and pasta). This new restaurant takes the spot vacated by Cabanas, which moved to the 500 block last year, and the spot which was going to be occupied by another Italian restaurant called Mangia Bevi, but apparently the concept has changed, and now it's Luigi's! It looks like they've redone the restaurant space quite a bit and it now feels very open to the street -- it's great to have that space up and running again. On the 200 block, Oh My Chocolate, the little chocolate shop that has been a few blocks away on Olive Ave for about a year, has opened up right next to Grease Burger Bar -- what a combination, you can get a burger at Grease and then stop by next door for some great chocolate dessert. I'm not sure if they are going to maintain both the Olive Ave. location and this one but it seems both may be open at the moment. They've also put out chairs and tables so we have yet another business with outside seating along Clematis. Not to be outdone by the 100 and 200 blocks, the 300 block has a new business as well, a clothing store called House of Fashion. This store has opened up in the long-vacant space at the very western end of the block on the north side, next to all those businesses that have been there for ages, the most historic part of Clematis. The House of Fashion seems to be adding a newer vibe to that side of the street, with a musical sound system and other noticeable decor. I still can't figure out exactly what Little Leapin' Lizards on the 400 block is going to be, but based on signs on the door, it appears to be some kind of playground where kids can be unloaded for some supervised fun or classes on various kinds of bouncy things. This fits well with the evolving fitness theme of the 400/500 block. So it is clear that Clematis continues to rise this holiday season.
The winter season is upon us and there are a lot of new things popping up on Clematis Street. Bahama Mama's is a success, drawing pretty good crowds to the western side of the 300 block for both lunch and dinner for a wide selection of seafood and tunes. A new sign has gone up on the 400 block in one of the empty spaces (previously called Main Street and used for certain events). The sign is for "Little Leaping Lizards." Not sure even what that is, but artists have been in there painting colorful impressive murals on the large walls. Several new places have opened in City Place, including "Sip n Strokes" where you can learn how to paint, and The Olive Tap. For the late night crowd back on Clematis, Bahamas Mama's is also open late, but Off The Hookah seems to be the most boisterous and crowded place around, having shifted the night-time activity center more toward the 300 block (the 200 block is still hopping too with Rocco's Tacos and Dr. Feelgoods, but Forte is missed on the western corner) (sign still says on holiday for the summer, though its now November and time for them to return!). There seem to be all kinds of interesting and unique events popping up along the waterfront, including more screen nights, events with skating tricks, strange active carnival-type games at the Meyer Amphitheater, etc. And of course for the morning crowd, the Green Market continues to be hugely successful in its new location at the waterfront.
This year's Moonfest Halloween party on Clematis Street appeared to be the biggest ever. Each year it seems to get bigger but this year the crowds were so large that police and security had to manage the pedestrian traffic and re-route people at certain locations and blocks because there just was not room for the numbers of people wanting to attend. Two huge carnival rides were set up along Quadrille and Clematis was packed from the 500 block all the way down to the 200 block. I didn't actually go down into all that craziness but I could see the millions of young adults dressed up in all kinds of costumes from the comfort of my condo balcony on the 600 block, and then I could see the pictures of the crowds that www.aguyonclematis.com put on his website. I'm realizing that the new Clematis waterfront was completed in late February 2010, near the end of last year's winter season, so that this winter (2010-2011) will be the first full winter season since the waterfront project was done. Judging from the number of hits on this website in the days following up to Moonfest, there is truly something remarkable going on as interest in Clematis Street reaches all-time high levels.
The long-awaited Bahama Mamas restaurant on the western end of the 300 block of Clematis Street opened this week. It was suddenly open for dinner on Tuesday night, then hosted a packed private party at dinner time on Wednesday night, and was open Thursday night as well. I'm not sure if they are planning to be open for lunch or not, but have seen no activity there during lunch hours so far. I haven't heard anything about the food yet but they seem to have created a classic Caribbean atmosphere with a neat sound system and decor -- much better than the bland office space that was on that corner before. In other news, the Cuillo Theater on the eastern end of the 200 block was officially bought by the City/CRA in a ceremony announcing Dramaworks will be taking over there, although it's going to be about one year before their grand opening. Just next door to them, the Luna Lounge put up new signage announcing authentic Turkish Cuisine, so it looks like they're getting into the dining business as well. The downtown Saturday morning Greenmarket is so much better now that it has moved to the waterfront, as things are much more spread out with much more room to move around, making it pleasant for both those who prefer crowds and those who don't. Finally Palm Beach County approved the initial developer for a transit village at the western end of Clematis (plans for this are a ways off, but the current plan calls for primarily office space conveniently located right next to the Tri-Rail trains).
Last night the City showed the movie Frankenstein on a large screen at the Waterfront Commons. This worked out very well; the sound could be heard and the picture seen throughout the area, so you could either sit in the crowd in front of the screen or even mill about under the trellises on the other side where there was no crowd and still see the movie. The rest of Clematis Street seemed a bit more crowded than it usually is in the earlier hours of Friday evening. I recently witnessed a similar park in the Canary Wharf area of London where they had a similar screen which seemed to show TV news and other things on a daily basis at certain times. This might be a great way to draw people to the waterfront park and help the local businesses (i.e. projecting TV on to this screen at certain hours like 6 PM to 8 PM, and also having more regular movie nights). With the equipment already there, this might be a relatively inexpensive way to attract more people.
Signs posted on Wild Olives Cafe in City Place indicate that it is now closed and planning to move to a new location, referring to its website for more information. The website contains no new information, so there is no indication as to where Wild Olives Cafe might be moving to. This looks like another one of those situations where a restaurant opens and then closes within a year or less. It's a bit surprising, since Wild Olives seemed to be quite popular. On another more upbeat note, it looks like Bahama Mamas on the corner of Clematis and Dixie is just about to open, and their decor looks great and is very open to the street, which should certainly add to the activities on that end of the block. A recent newsletter from the Downtown Development Authority mentions an event at Bahama Mamas in a few weeks, so opening must be only days away.
Luna Lounge has been resurrected for another try. For about a week they have had doors open with tables outside welcoming passersby to eat or drink there. Also, the windows of Forte (temporarily papered over when they announced their summer hiatus) have opened up again (papers were only there a few days), suggesting that they will be back as well. In yet another positive sign, every time I walk by the new Raw Kitchen restaurant, I see people in there eating. It looks like the Raw Kitchen is a hit! (not an easy thing for a new restaurant to accomplish on Clematis especially during slow season).
A new proposal is out there (see Palm Beach Post article Saturday morning) to bring an FSU-affiliated public-private partnership to the tent site area in the middle of Okeechobee Blvd just off Quadrille near City Place. This would be a massive project involving training facilities in digital animation, studios, degree programs, etc. The interesting thing about this is that, unlike every other new proposal that comes up, people seem to be overwhelmingly positive about the prospects. Commenters on the Palm Beach Post.com comments section are normally 90% negative with a small minority posting positive comments. In this case (never seen before), 100% of the comments replying to the story are super-positive. It seems like this potential project really strikes a chord -- the people see it as something that would be great for everyone. Hopefully the business details can be worked out and the people behind it can actually follow through and be successful in this endeavor. Maybe this could start to help with the situation of absymal property values in all the new condominiums downtown. On that note, a lot of people have expressed the frustration at the unbelievably low appraised values that just came out from the County property appraiser's office. Many are so far underwater that they are certainly "stuck" in their homes. This is certainly an unfortunate circumstance; however, look at the bright side. If you had to be "stuck" somewhere, West Palm Beach is not the worst place in the world to be stuck; in fact, it's arguably one of the best places in the world to be stuck. On an unrelated side note, the Soma raw food vegan cafe at the corner of Clematis and Olive has disappeared, after only two months in operation. Turnover like this is of course no longer a surprise on Clematis Street.
The new Raw Kitchen raw food place on the 500 block of Clematis had a soft opening the other night, so it looks like they are now open. It's been a long wait for this place. Haven't tried it out yet, but it's great to have another new establishment on the 500 block, which is still on the upswing with palpable improvements. However, it looks like the Kicks shoestore planned for next door to the Raw Kitchen has suspended plans and may not be opening after all (the DDA promotional papers have been plastered on those windows). I heard that Raw Kitchen might have an interest in taking that space as well for expansion, but I'm sure that will depend on how well things go with their opening. Wouldn't it be great if their expansion could involve a year-round green market type venue with fresh fruits and vegetables grown locally. On another note from the 200 block, although the Forte restaurant was originally papered over when it closed for the summer, the papers were taken down shortly thereafter, increasing the hopes that Forte will indeed re-open once the long hot slow summer is over.
In a surprise development, Forte Restaurant on the 200 block of Clematis Street closed last week, with a sign on the door saying "On Vacation in Italy", but then the next day the windows were papered up as well, which seems unusual if it's just a temporary close for summer vacation. No further word on what's going on there. This is surprising, since Forte, after a long year of struggling, had turned things around in the past year and had become one of the most popular and consistently crowded restaurants on Clematis Street. Maybe they are really just on vacation, avoiding the hot (and slow) summer days of August. But if past history on Clematis has any significance, when a place has a sudden surprise closing in the summer "just for the summer", it often never returns (remembering the Cuillo theater last summer). In another negative development, the Relaxation Remedies business on the 300 block has sheriff's eviction notices and do-not-enter signs plastered all around the front door, although the articles have not yet been removed. It doesn't look too good for that place either at the moment. On a positive note, Rita's in City Place seems to have caught on (I always see quite a few customers in there). On another positive, you can stop by Yankee Dogs at the corner of Clematis and Rosemary at almost any odd hour for a great hearty breakfast, including a large omelette with oatmeal, bread & butter, and juice. I think their name is a bit deceptive because this is so much more than a hot-dog joint. Meanwhile, active construction work continues to proceed at the future seafood restaurant on the 500 block and the future Caribbean restaurant on the 300 block.
I haven't posted anything for three weeks as I've been out of town. Upon my return, have I noticed any changes? Well, just a few things. First, the mural has been completed on the 500 block of Clematis. It looks good, and the coolest thing is the guy drawn on the left side with a paintbrush. It's just a general shadow-type depiction but it is really life-like, so several times I had the impression (and others did as well) that there was really a person still there painting away. This mural has turned out great (at first I thought it might be unauthorized graffiti but now it's clearly a high quality piece that adds to the Clematis Street aura). In other Clematis developments, the Fun House nightclub has painted on a large new name "Club 313" so it looks like the Fun House name (which only lasted a few months) is gone. Off The Hookah starts offering lunch for the first time tomorrow, adding yet more variety (and competition) to the Clematis lunch scene. Judging from a trip last night down to the waterfront and piers, this area is slowly building even more momentum (the walking pier was packed, despite the fact that no major events were going on) and the fountain was packed with kids splashing around (more and more families are coming downtown because of the waterfront). There was a major event today Sunday (the Sunday at the Meyer was held at the waterfront rather than the Meyer this week) and it was a huge success, with a large crowd (despite sweltering weather) to watch the Journey imitation band "Don't Stop Believing." Also, across the way in City Place, Rita's Italian Ice has finally opened. On the only down note, I noticed that two stores in City Place (both just north of the stairway going up to the movie theater) seem to have gone out of business, i.e. disappeared without a trace. The wheels of change continue to turn here in downtown West Palm Beach, but it's nice to be back in our unique home here on the intracoastal in Palm Beach County.
Well Fourth on Flagler was kind of a wash-out (bad rainy weather) but the fireworks did proceed as planned, albeit to lesser crowds than hoped-for. The big local news this weekend was about the petition drive to allow for the City's mayor to serve three terms rather than two, which if successful, would allow Mayor Frankel to run for a third term. Without taking any political positions here, it certainly seems that, if Clematis Street (and the surrounding downtown including City Place) is your main concern, it's worth considering supporting Mayor Frankel, since she has pushed and implemented a lot of great things for the downtown area, and continues to pursue more productive projects here. There's no guarantee or even likelihood that some other mayor would do the same. On a separate note, Yankee Dogs has opened up their (not quite finished) lounge area, which gives more space for eating and is already starting to attract more customers in the door. They tell me that breakfast and lunch have been somewhat slow so far, but the hours in the middle of the night are working out great Thursday through Saturday. I'm thinking that this place needs to be patient but will ultimately succeed, since they are willing to adjust their hours to meet the demand in this location.
Right now your only way to get from West Palm Beach to Stuart, Port St. Lucie, Vero Beach, Cape Canaveral, and beyond up the east cost of Florida is by car. However, serious progress has been made to bring Amtrak train service to this route (the track is already there and only the stations are needed). Three years from today, there should be two passenger trains running this route daily in both directions. It's really impossible to predict whether this will definitely become a reality and exactly when, but at this point, it really looks like this will indeed happen. This week the last of various meetings from Jacksonville to West Palm Beach and points in-between to discuss station locations and other matters with the public, was held in West Palm and the project is just-about shovel ready. The main West Palm Beach train station will be the same as it is now, i.e. at the western end of Clematis Street, but there will also be a "connector" added about 25 blocks to the north, which is needed for the trains to switch over from one track to the other.
Continue reading "Train Service to Stuart, Vero Beach, Etc."
Yankee Dogs opened yesterday (Friday)! I saw quite a few people in there eating around lunch time. I believe this is a soft opening and they'll be trying out some things, like breakfast, for example. I'm thinking that this place has some potential to fit into a new niche, a place that people stop by for a quick bite without the formal atmosphere of a sit-down restaurant. This street corner has had its challenges over the years (gets crowded only at certain strange hours) so I think they'll have to experiment a bit with their hours. But everyone in this neighborhood is very glad to see them open for business -- stop by and try them out! FYI, they serve a lot more than just hot dogs. On another Clematis Street note, The Fun House nightclub next to Roxy's on the 300 block was repainted white (with blue stripes), much more pleasing to the eye that the previous pinkish/orange colors, yet another improvement to Clematis Street. Lastly, a reader commented on the reason for the new signs prohibiting people from entering the water features in the waterfront park area. I don't know the reason, but my guess was not that there was any public disturbance or trouble related to kids and/or adults doing this, but instead that perhaps the features were not designed for bathing and that there may be safety and/or regulatory issues involved. But I'm really not sure; if anyone knows, please let us know.