Marin Country Mart exposed

Work continues on the transformation of Larkspur Landing Shopping Center to Marin Country Mart, with the most radical action so far being the chopping down of trees along Sir Francis Drake Blvd, exposing the naked and still rather empty shopping center to the eyes of passing motorists.

The large trees that were removed are to be replaced by smaller Olive trees, two of which have already been positioned in the center of the mall, which is currently closed off while the landscaping is underway.

The center has also now got a new online presence, which is at the moment just a placeholder while we wait for some retailers to arrive. There's also a pretty brochure, which gives a few visual clues to the desired positioning of the center - think Janis Joplin, kids with balloons, Dirty Harry, some cheese and a barber's pole. If that doesn't provide clarity, try the brochure blurb:

Exceptional boutique shopping, neighborhood services & fine foods. A community gathering place with a children’s play area, grassy lawn, raised gardening beds, wishing well, picnic tables & benches, a fire pit & a famous duck pond.

Any ideas who the famous duck is? Donald? Daffy?

The only helpful suggestion I have is to take a look at Napa's Oxbow Market. I think that concept could really work here. Although I do also approve of the idea (shown below) of replacing Sir Francis Drake with a bicycle path. Very Marin.

Water Feature News

Readers of the blog will know that I have quite a fondness for water features (there's no property you can't improve with a good pond or waterfall) so it's a sorry duty for me to report the sad demise of the once magnificent fountain at Larkspur Landing Shopping Center.

The old fountain, pictured above, was once a glamorous spouting frenzy of water wonder that enthralled young and old and kept alive an army of potted shrubs.

Sadly, Marin's version of the Trevi Fountain is now is now a sad pathetic spurt that looks more like a sewage pond than the Bellagio it once was.

I guess the new fountain is more appropriate for the minimalist retailer-less and shopper-less shopping center as it goes through its transition to become the Marin Country Mart. But alas, the worst indignity for the poor fountain is yet to come; the unkindest fate for any water feature: replacement by a fire pit.

Marin Country Mart signs first new tenant

The first new retailer at the Marin Country Mart (formerly Larkspur Landing) will be a transplant from new owner JS Rosenfield's Brentwood Country Mart.

Malia Mills is a swimwear designer who has a small number of boutiques, most of which are in New York. This is what to expect from the Marin store, which is slated to open this spring:

We opened our own Malia Mills stores especially to redefine the experience of shopping for swimwear. We strive to create a shopping environment that is anxiety-free and liberating. We want women to enjoy the experience as much as they might enjoy treating themselves to new shoes or lipstick. We can't afford the biggest stores but we make our cozy spaces look more like a living space so you feel comfortable when you're getting undressed.

Read more on the store blog.

Friday news update

Some of the Marin retail news buzzing around this week. Bonus points to anyone who can match the correct story to this picture.

As reported in the Marin IJ, CVS won approval to take over the former Elephant Pharmacy store at 909 Grand Avenue in San Rafael.

The Square in Novato is caught up in a downward spiral, with more retailers planning to vacate the center following the closure of DeLano's market last year. The loss of customer traffic and the presence of an undesirable element hanging out in the car park were cited as key reasons.

Eddie's Ross Grocery store has been bought by the owner of Kentfield's Woodlands Market.

In Corte Madera, Napa Style has closed its store at the Town Center. Over the highway at The Village, Brookstone has closed, but Elegant Living Furniture is soon to open.

The Twin Cities Times chronicles the latest plans for transforming Larkspur Landing Shopping Center into Marin Country Mart. Details are pretty light, save an intention to hold farmers' markets, flower shows and pony rides. Also interesting to note some of the owner's proposals that were denied by the Larkspur Planning Commission, including the construction of a 40 ft water tower and an entrance gate to charge for parking.

Larkspur Landing / Marin Country Mart: landscape plans revealed

The plans for reviving Larkspur Landing Shopping Center (or as it will be known, Marin Country Mart) were revealed today in the North Bay Business Journal. The center's new owner, JS Rosenfield & Co. hopes to find retailers to occupy the 50,000 square feet of space that is

currently either vacant or occupied by non-retail uses.

Goodbye Fountain

The landscape plans approved last month by the City of Larkspur, include renewing the perimeter with $1 million worth of olive trees. In the plaza area, the plans call for removal of the fountain, to be replaced by a play structure and a fire pit.

Landscape improvements will help to freshen the center (although I think it's a mistake to lose the fountain) but the new owner will have to do some impressive leasing to turn the center around and make it relevant as a shopping destination.

Coming soon... Marin Country Mart

Marin Country Mart is set to become the new name for the Larkspur Landing Shopping Center. While not much more than the logo has been made public to date, BVN Architects (Ferry Building, Oxbow Market) have been quietly working on plans for refurbishing the mall, which was purchased by JS Rosenfield in January this year.

The LA Times last week carried an article about Rosenfield and his retail philosophy, which is based around the Brentwood Country Mart:

Built to woo shoppers in a more rural Brentwood neighborhood after World War II, the red wooden structures evoke a country marketplace with stores and stalls that ramble around a courtyard. Along narrow walkways, doors open horse-stall style, offering views inside the smudged shoe repair stand, tiny post office and other shops.

But make no mistake, the Brentwood Country Mart is filet mignon masquerading as meatloaf. A posh Beverly Hills restaurant runs the humble-looking taco stand. Wealthy locals and a sprinkling of celebrities come here to hang out, maybe get a haircut or shop at 20-odd stores that sell merchandise such as mouth-blown Italian vases and hand-painted furniture.

Bring it on. If there's one thing we're short of in Marin, it's hand-painted furniture.

Larkspur Landing lands a new owner

As reported by Globe St.com, Larkspur Landing Shopping Center has been sold to JS Rosenfield & Co for $65 million.

Rosenfield aims to reposition the center along the lines of a "Country Mart", which is a concept based on the Brentwood Country Mart in Los Angeles:

"The key to the success of the country mart concept is its welcoming environment with its exceptional public spaces, essential local services, restaurants and extraordinary boutique shops,” says Rosenfeld & Co principal James Rosenfield. “But what sets the country mart apart from other retail concepts is the architecture that takes into consideration the human scale, something that has been largely forgotten in the monumental focus of today's malls and large retail centers."

The Brentwood Country Mart (pictured above) is a nostalgic small-town style mall that contains some of the most exclusive boutiques in LA. It has been a major celeb-spotting destination for many years, with Joan Crawford and Elizabeth Taylor being two of the regular vistors in years gone by. According to the excellent website SeeingStars.com, you are likely to spot the likes of Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Reese Witherspoon and OJ Simpson (currently residing elsewhere) wandering in and out of the stores.

As we commented in our Larkspur Landing post last year, there is certainly plenty of room for improvement in the center, and plenty of vacant and under-used space for the new owners to work with.

The key question is whether the center can provide anything that is not already available in the area, either at Bon Air, the Corte Madera Town Center or The Village, all of which are located within a mile of Larkspur Landing and already offer the kind of small-scale, up-market experience that the new owners are proposing?

Larkspur Landing Shopping Center

Larkspur Landing residents will get a new place to stock up on groceries when Grocers Landing opens its doors at the Larkspur Landing Shopping Center. The retailer is currently fitting out one of the vacant units at the eastern end of the mall. According to its website, the store will include gourmet and prepackaged foods.

Larkspur Landing Shopping Center has always struggled to establish its retail identity. It currently has an eclectic mix of stores, eateries, service providers and commercial offices that don’t quite gel.

The center is located off Sir Francis Drake Blvd, just east of the 101 intersection. It is the main component of a mixed-use zone which also includes Century Theatres, a Marriot Courtyard and several garden-style apartment buildings. It is linked by a pedestrian bridge to the Golden Gate Ferry terminal.

There are several separate one and two storey buildings at the center, most of which are clustered around an outdoor pedestrian mall, which contains a nice fountain and is a pleasant spot to sit and have lunch on a sunny day; although there always seems to be a cold breeze blowing through the mall whenever I’m there.

The largest space is occupied by Bed Bath & Beyond, which took over the 42,000 sq.ft box vacated when the original supermarket moved out a few years ago. The other key tenants are Marin Brewing Company, Noonans Bar & Grill and 24-Hour Fitness. Aside from some other eating and drinking places (Starbucks, Tam Cellars, Tha Siam) the remainder of the mall has little to offer, with quasi-retail uses such as AAA travel, a Yoga Studio, beauty salon and several vacant stores. And even though the car park always seems full, the mall is almost always empty. On a midweek afternoon you’re more likely to see tumbleweed than shoppers rolling along between the stores.

The Landing was designed as a grocery-anchored neighborhood retail center. Problem is there’s hardly any neighborhood for it to serve. Neighborhood centers need 10,000 people living in their primary trade area. The Landing’s primary trade area is constrained by natural and man-made barriers: Highway 101 to the west, the Bay to the south, the hills to the north and San Quentin to the east. Less than 1,000 people live in this pocket of land.
I wonder how the developers expected this center to work? Did they think the ferry commuters would stroll over to shop there on their way home? Maybe they anticipated a greater density of new home development in the area. Or perhaps they imagined the 5,000 “residents” of San Quentin State Penitentiary would provide a loyal and regular source of customer traffic.
Without a local customer base, the only businesses that can trade successfully at the center are destination stores, such as the Marin Brewing Company and Bed Bath etc. These businesses are well known throughout central Marin and they work fine, albeit in isolation. We all get the BB&B 20% off coupons in our mail every month, stuff them in our kitchen draw until the next one arrives, then forget to take them with us when it’s time to buy towels.
Destination retailers don’t need to co-locate with a critical mass of other retailers, which is why you find them on stand-alone sites with good visibility and car parking. People drive up, go inside to do their thing, and then leave. Destination shoppers are not there to wander around and browse at nearby stores; hence the vacant units at The Landing.
Perhaps if a major destination grocer – Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods – had taken the ex-Albertsons space instead of BB&B, the rest of the shopping mall would have kept busy enough to keep the stores trading along the mall, the non-retail uses out and the vacancies down. But Trader Joe’s has plans for a new store at the nearby Cost Plus Plaza, and Whole Foods has committed to the old Albertsons site in Mill Valley.