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November 24, 2004

Emerging retail report

What are the most successful trends in retail for the creative class? One of the best ways to find out is to visit five of the most successful creative class-oriented towns and their neighborhoods and not only study the overall retail mix, but the most popular venues as well. The cities included Cambridge MA, Madison WI, Athens GA, Burlington VT and Ann Arbor MI.

The study conclusions, an extensive collection of photos, statistics, and focus group results are provided in the exclusive 21-page Retail Study of Five Progressive Towns (member access required for link to work). Check out a sample version of the report here.

I can tell you that 87% of the retail businesses were independents, and 44% of all establishments were restaurants/bars, which basically tells you that socializing among the locals is something to think about when building contemporary town centers... and don't forget lots and lots of outdoor seating.

Posted by Neil | Link to Article

November 23, 2004

Loft housing report

What are the latest trends in loft housing? Which cities are leading the way in loft development? How much are lofts going for? What kinds of floor plans are selling? How much should they be going for? Who's buying them?

All of these answers are explained and illustrated in the newly published 14-page CoolTown Loft Housing Report (member access required for link to work). Check out a sample version of the report here.

Conclusions are based on the following loft projects: Orenco Station Kitchen Lofts, Portland OR; Wood Street Lofts, Philadelphia PA; Paris Flats, One First, Biscuit Lofts and Charleston Lofts in Boston MA; Waterside Lofts, Lofts at Stapleton, Ballpark Lofts and 2500 Walnut in Denver CO; Western Leather Lofts, Shoeworks, and Gaslight Lofts in Milwaukee WI; Lofts 24 in Silver Spring MD; Toy Factory Lofts in Brooklyn NY; 161 Gilbert Street Lofts in San Francisco CA; Lofts at Albuquerque High, NM; The Brake House in the Strip, Pittsburgh PA; and Kinsey Flats in Cincinnati.

Posted by Neil | Link to Article

November 22, 2004

CoolTown members archive

While all 400+ blogs are free, CoolTown Studios has a collection of images, case studies and market reports on the hottest trends, towns and venues that are garnering the highest returns on investment for cities, developers, universities, commercial tenants and residents.

Check them out in the members section of the CoolTown Forums. It's just $49/yr., and well, hey, we can't give away everything for free!

Posted by Neil | Link to Article