The era of buying overpriced widgets with your easy money equity from your newly acquired McMansion is over, so Home Depot if closing down it's Expo store off Leucadia Blvd.
MSNBC: EXPO to Close San Diego Stores
I bought a kitchen faucet from there and the staff was helpful and friendly. Now we are going to have another huge empty building in our town. I vote for a multi-plex movie theater to replace the AMC that we lost. Not that anyone can afford to go to the movies anymore...
I bought a bitchen tiki made authentically in China from that place. I think I would have died if I couldn't buy all the groovy stuff from that store to pack my new Barratt home. Wow.... what a loss.....another huge box store gone.....Boo Hooo.
ReplyDeleteThe real sad news is the fairly new Ace Hardware in downtown Encinitas closed.
This depression will cut deep before it turns north. Hold onto your cash folks...there is some pain to be had and hope only pays the bills if you have a cake Government job. All you tax payers that work for a living are in for a real Ass Raping. Better get the Vaseline out now because it’s going to hurt.
Dam. I just bought my new cabinets from that place on their credit plan that I am now able to afford from my 15% raise. I sure hope they finish the job.
ReplyDeleteWhat losers. They don't even no how to run a business. Its easy, you don't see our City closing shop do you?
Sorry to see ACE Hardware go. Reminds me of the days Dixieline, Handyman, and the Lumberyard closed. What an ironic country we live in. Barren big boxes and storage areas packed to the hilt with stuff nobody needs.
ReplyDeleteI vote for a movie theater....
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of the movie theater, too. We miss the AMC; we used ot walk the mile or so to it. Probably wouldn't walk to see a movie at the Expo site, but it is on the bus route. My son could take the bus to the movies in that location (after he walks a mile to the bus stop near the former AMC location, because the bus doesn't go through our neighborhood anymore).
ReplyDeleteI hadn't been in the HD Expo for at least 2 years, probably more. I think I bought, a faucet there, the wannabe-design staff was too snooty when I said our remodeling was DIY. I won't miss it, but the big box sure is a problem.
Bruce said ...
ReplyDeleteI predict CostCo is the most likely tenant to be proposed by Carltas. Why? ... because CostCo already expressed interest in an Encinitas location and there were ties between the two entities during previous negotiations.
The question is can the current zoning, parking and traffic plans be stretched enough to allow the increased traffic and parking?
Back when REI and Islands were approved, they exceeded the allowable square footage in the zoning's specific plan. The increase was approved because there was sufficient additional parking permitted in the parking plan and the incremental traffic increase would minimally worsen the traffic at the intersection of El Camino Real/Leucadia Blvd.
Additional traffic was a concern since the main intersection at El Camino Real and Leucadia Blvd was operating at a Level D service. (A is good, D is bad) Carltas hired the City’s traffic consultant, Faust Engineering, and they testified the increase was minimal.
The additional parking demand was approved based upon Home Depot Expo's reduced parking demand as demonstrated by a Carltas-sponsored parking study. They used the demonstrated lower parking required for Expo to justify the additional parking generated by the expanded commercial space for REI and Islands.
Now that Expo is history, will the new tenant need more parking or generate more peak traffic than Expo? I suspect a CostCo would generate a major increase in traffic and parking.
Will the City Staff, Planning Commission and City Council approve a new tenant with significantly greater traffic and parking and thus exceed the prior-approved plans? Will residents accept this increase if the City approves it?
Costco has always said they want good freeway access. This is why they wanted part of the Hall Property. Is Expo too far from the freeway.
ReplyDeleteI agree parking could be an issue. It would also be an issue for movie theaters as a builder would want to put at least 10 screens. Perhaps a multilevel garage would make sense.
It would be hard to raise capital to build.
Costco is also hurting right now, so I wouldn't plan on them occupying the space. Maybe another grocery store or drugstore; we just don't have enough of either in town ;). How about the Whole Foods that's supposed to go into Pacific Station downtown (talk about a parking shortage!). I think that a lack of parking hurt the Ace hardware store.
ReplyDeleteWe would occasionally wander through the EXPO and wonder who on earth was buying all that high priced stuff. We figured that it must have been the folks in RSF and for the new homes in southern Carlsbad. I do feel for the employees who will be losing their jobs.
I hope that our city is bracing for the downturn in sales tax that will come with all of these closings.
When they close all the stores its hard to tell if this location was losing money or not. Costco sounds good as we would get to keep the tax receipts instead of Carlsbad.
ReplyDeleteAs if the traffic is bad enough anywhere in town....
The bad traffic would be to/from I-5, the North part of RSF Road, and parts of El Camino Real - mostly in the North. I think this would not impact Encinitas residents all that much, while bringing in revenue.
ReplyDeleteAce Hardware had plenty of parking behind the store. The downtown area doesn't have enough customers to sustain a hardware store, simple as that. And it didn't help that their selection was weak and prices high.
ReplyDeleteI am bummed about the ACE. I could walk to it from my house. Now I am going to have to get back in my car and drive.
ReplyDeleteIt's up to Carlsbad to fill that box, so you know anything they approve will impact the parking. I agree a new movie theater would be great. Looks like another "liquidation" like Linens N THings -- where they removed all the interim markdowns and then declared 50% off. I will miss walking through Home Expo to look at the displays and wondering who would ever have that crap in a home.
ReplyDeleteAnnon 8.53 ...
ReplyDeleteExpo is actually within the City of Encinitas. The Forum shops to the north are in the City of Carlsbad.
Any necessary permits for an Expo replacement will need the City of Encinitas' approval.
9:05
ReplyDeleteI think you're wrong. North of Leucadia Blvd is Carlsbad's turf on that whole "green valley" corner.
Home Expo is in Encinitas. Just like Islands and REI.....
ReplyDeleteThe sign on the Ace Hardware door says it will reopen soon under new management.
ReplyDeleteRemember Buy Local....
Costco has no plans for new stores. The Home Depot Expo store is in Encinitas not Carlsbad.
ReplyDeleteI think Costco is in Carlsbad guys.
ReplyDeleteRetards. The public are retards.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Dumb people don't look things up in spite of the people saying it isn't so. Instead they look at a street and say everything North of it is Carlsbad. All they have to do is look for the facts on the Encinitas or Carlsbad websites. However, they are lazy.
ReplyDeleteThis is why we as a society make bad decisions. People make think they "know", when they really only "think" (and poorly, at that).
Agreed with Anon 8:49 and 9:35-
ReplyDeleteWhat will happen now; the truly smart Americans have made plans to predict this downfall.
The truly Smart will take all their assets and brains and move to a more safe and inviting place to exist and raise their families.
Its called brain drain. I already see it happening. 3 of my close friends have left. It happened in Canada 10 years ago and its happening now in USA.
As for this City, without smart successful people here, this place will look like Morrow bay or Oxnard.
Wake up folks. Get ready for serious times. Remember- family first and close friends second.
May the smart and good people prevail? Better start thinking about offing the others., but that’s another topic.
Obama has shown he is all about continuing the same old shit that will accelerate the deterioration of America.
I have my plan, Do you?
so is anyone confirmed to go into EXPO yet?
ReplyDelete