Toledo Talk - What would you like to see at the location of the Secor Movie Theatre

Mexican restaurant?

Since there is Home Depot nearby, perhaps Lowe's or Menards

A nice destination hotel....all in west Toledo are dirty, old and inconvenient

How about a studio for making porn? Support the First Amendment. We should try to be more like Nevada. A place to put our more "talented" young men and women to work. Heck, many of them have had plenty of practice by the time they are ready for college. There could be an "academy" that would train young men and women in the arts of being a high class "date". It might be an alternative to single parenthood. Those who drop out of UT would have an alternative, high paying career rather than working at restaurants.

I don't know about the ultimate development, I suppose I would be happy with whoever is willing to pay for it. But in the interim, it would be great to see a park with soccer fields, etc.

what would i like?

i'm not picky; i just want something that will thrive. hopefully, a successful development would carry over to the old foodtown/ farmer jack strip.

who knows? the westgate people could then possibly have the juice to redo the sears/ elder beerman space.

Trader Joes.

At an August 2008 Phoenix Earth Food Co-Op meeting, it was mentioned that a Trader Joe's would open in the Toledo area in 2009. But I wonder if Trader Joe's will avoid the Toledo market like Whole Foods.

i would like to see carskaddon brought though to secor and ilger brought through to line up with executive parkway. i would like townhouses built on the remainder of cinema property so that the residential to the west meets up with the residential on the east with a good pedestrian crossing and traffic calming on secor to make it safer - that way the schools, library, and shopping can safely be accessed. the increase in residential will support the remaining shopping at westgate and maybe even help fill the old foodtown/farmer jacks location. toledo has too much commercial/retail and too uch of that is only accesible only by car - this change would help west toledo commercial and residential values.

this will never happen because the owner probably think the land is worth more than it really is and would not settle for residential values. no matter how many times things fail at westgate (and southwyck) the owner are going to hold out for bigger numbers/money that are not going to happen/work and the citizens have to face boarded up business properties and lower property values. the city ought to unilaterally re-zone properties that sit vacant for a certain number of years so they can only be used for residential and force these people to move these properties into some useful development.

I'd really like to see a movie theatre there.

The building already exists and the Toledo area doesn't have an independent movie house of any kind. Being in a populous, relatively well off part of town, as well as a short distance from the university, I think it could do well and provide an entertainment alternative to the abortion that the local cinema chain has become.

I'll always remember that place as the theater where I saw Star Trek II, The Wrath of Khan as a little kid. Khannn!!!

Anyone have any memories of Showcase theaters? It's been there a long time from what I understand.

I saw the first Star Wars there as a kid.

I saw 2001 there,Ice Station Zebra, Gold Finger, Star Wars Episode 4 great memories....

I snuck into my first R rated movie there. I told the ticket seller I wanted to see "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid" with Steve Martin, and instead walked into "Porky's."

As for the location, anything is better than a giant empty building.

From what I have heard, National Amusements (which is now Rave, who still own the property) refuses to sell the property to anyone who wants to put another movie theater in the same place. They have a monopoly over the area, and will maintain the status quo at all costs, which is why our ticket prices are as expensive as NY and LA theaters. Anyone else heard the same story?

I vote for IKEA. The cafeteria is awesome - great Swedish specialties and good ol' American food also. They even serve breakfast for something like 99 cents. Cheap, stylish furnishings with an international flair at that location would be a good fit for the university neighborhood & the many apartments nearby.

A Blade article a few months ago mentioned the old Super Cinemas at Spring Meadows as a possible Dave and Busters location. Either there or Secor would be awesome. I love that place, and it would be a great attraction to draw other businesses around it.

Brainswell, am not sure about the Secor Road location's ownership, but the monopoly is true re: metro Toledo's ticket prices. I go to cheaper movies in near-north Chicago.

Viola, Ikea would be interesting, but they have a regional, edge-city approach to site selection. They're already in Canton, which, according to their strategy, already is like being in Toledo. And, indeed, it's only 45 minutes away...

Joelwashing, I'm with you on Trader Joe's, but jr maybe right; TJ's may have, as Whole Foods already did, studied the market and decided the demographics simply aren't right for them. We are neither high-income (WF being, of course, AKA "Whole Paycheck") nor widely sophisticated enough in our palates for something like TJ's, which is well-enough priced but maybe not so interesting to the Hamburger-Helper crowd. In any case, the absence of both stores here tells us something about how we're perceived by national food retailers.

PS -- I'm so old-school, I saw "Love Story" at the Secor Road Cinemas...

about the earliest i can remember was midway (in sensurround) - but saw dozens of movies there in the mid 70s including first day of star wars a new hope.

Recent article from Fox news on Showcase Cinemas demolition.

Voice your support for AMC theaters return to Toledo by leaving a comment at their website.

Please!

AMC coming back would be awesome. I always loved their cinemas.

Rave, please go die somewhere. You disgust me.

Sandwich, I'm with you. I'd love to see the neighborhoods at Lincolnshire and in the Old Orchard extension connected, with the ability for more pedestrian traffic.

To satisfy both the residential and retail impulses, perhaps a mini Levis Commons, on a par with Mayberry in Sylvania? Although, the owner is asking $7 million -- pretty steep for these parts.

I vote for IKEA.

hahaha, Viola, I came into this thread to say that, woot! Let's go up to Canton together sometime, no-one around here loves it as much as I do!! :P There's no chance of them building here, tho, we don't have the population density they need, Canton and Columbus stores are too close.

^^^all of which luvtoledo already said, lol. I get too excited, hahaha.

$ 7 million, let me go grab my checkbook !!

I for one vote no on Ikea. I've spent way too much money there as is. If it was any closer i'd be broke!

Trader Joes!

Another vote for Trader Joe's.

I don't understand what the problem is. They certainly have enough Aldi stores in the area (Aldi & Trader Joe's are owned by the same company...and Aldi sometimes carries TJ's overstock).

Yet another vote for TJ's or Ikea. If either one opens here I will have a heck of a hard time saving any money!

Or you will... I always find amazing deals at Trader Joes. The wine alone will save me some cash. And I would eat lunch at IKEA every week, for sure. I love me some swedish meatballs.

IKEA would not be welcomed in Toledo. It's a foreign-owned store. Even though it would employ local residents and contribute to the local tax base, some money leaves the country, and that's bad. I assume that's what is meant by those bumper stickers that say:

Out of a Job Yet?
Keep Buying Foreign.

Gosh I hate to lean this toward the political section but anytime I see that "Out of a job? Keep buying foreign..." I reflect on my own experience. In 1995 I bought a brand new Chevy Camaro that turned out to be the worst financial decision I ever made. I will never buy American until it is guaranteed the BEST. Make it the BEST, I will buy it!

Out of Money Yet?
Keep subsidizing failure!

Nana, I'll let you know the next time we plan a Canton trip. If we did have an IKEA here, lots of people would begin patronizing it just as a cafeteria. The coffee is good, and not expensive. The pastries are beautiful and actually nutritious.

JR, about the "Out/Job/Buy/Foreign" crowd ... whenever I see their cars I think about following them home with a camera crew and examining all the cheap foreign stuff they own. Everywhere you shop, everything comes from Asia now. If they feel free to buy Chinese wrapping paper, cookware, tools, and home decor, they shouldn't be trying to tell everyone else to BUY AMERICAN when it comes to cars.

http://www.furnituretoday.com/article/39850-Sauder_to_make_Ikea_kitchen_cabinet_components.php

jr, guess we can't have a trader joe's either, since it's owned by a german family. too bad!

A few years ago, our good friend Jimmy "Woodstock" Jackson discussed Toledo:

Five years ago, some factions of Toledo presented significant opposition toward Costco opening in a redeveloped Westgate. Costco may have been close to pulling out of that project. Maybe too many influential or vocal Toledoans with archaic thinking is a reason why stores like Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and IKEA do not open in the Toledo market.

September 2008 - Toledo Free Press - Readers respond with franchise ideas

With all the chain store discussion, don't forget Toledo Choose Local.

restaurants and retail are not economic development - if we open any of these things we are just as likely to shut down something at franklin park or westgate - we may be "trading up" for a name plate that has more panache or may be less expensive but we are not creating jobs and we are more likely to be closing locally owned businesses driving money further from toledo.

housing improves the local tax base, stabilizes existing businesses, makes neighborhoods safer. or make it a business park that competes with arrowhead - not the same spawling configuration mind you.

Walmart!!!

As much as I'd love to see IKEA here in town, Toledo is probably still too close to Canton. Maybe once the chain finishes building out the biggest US markets, they'll start putting stores in smaller metros.

How about a true urban city block style development? ...not unlike what Anniecski proposed with a mini-Levis Commons feel. Something that will extend and complement the rest of Westgate.

It could have modern looking 2-3 story mixed use buildings fronting Secor, a wide pedestrian-friendly sidewalk to encourage foot traffic. Offices and retail in some of the buildings, a residential high-rise or two towards the rear of the property with condos and apartments - finally putting actual people into the mix - all anchored by a Trader Joe's.

It's a sizable property, that I believe includes the old funeral home next door. At $7 million, that beckons big-time development dollars.

That traffic in that area is soooo bad I don't know if the area can support another big business location.

A gun and beer store.

I would love to see a park... more trees, a charity style botanical garden setting where local gardeners who have been hard at their craft, can collaborate on offering a hands on approach to those in need. Fill the large area with trees, flowers, produce...a sunflower field...a blueberry grove, rows of tomatos. I can give all the mac 'n cheese in the world to churches...donate time after time to the cherry street mission, ect...but if we could create an atmosphere to teach those to feed themselves, wouldn't this be a prime place and opportunity?

That would be great, dino, except that the city needs the type of development, whether commercial or residential, that brings in tax dollars. Parks don't tend to bring in a whole lot of revenue.

Of course, having said that, new residential construction in Toledo gets a 15 year tax abatement. So, even if it were filled with houses, the city wouldn't see a dime on the houses (just on the land) for 15 years.