Would you support downtown Napa merchants more if they stayed open later?

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Sunday, August 05, 2007

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50 comment(s)

mominapa wrote on Aug 1, 2007 7:04 AM:

" This is a no brainer. I work out of town, but must use the goods and services in Napa. I can't always wait for a week-end to shop. "

Tamie T wrote on Aug 1, 2007 7:59 AM:

" There is nothing downtown that I care to do business with other than a restaurant or two. The shops (along with everything else in this town) cater to the wealthy tourists not us natives that seem to have to travel beyond our city limits to find something that is affordable and not a carbon copy (Mervyn's) of what everyone else is wearing. "

Mrs. Walker wrote on Aug 1, 2007 8:30 AM:

" My husband and I go for evening walks that often take us downtown, where we peer in at merchandise through the windows of locked stores. It would be nice to be able to go inside to browse. We really can't during business hours because we're at work, and the weekends get busy very quickly. "

poochmom wrote on Aug 1, 2007 9:21 AM:

" Probably not because mostly they carry clothing, gift items and things I seldom buy. "

Doubtful wrote on Aug 1, 2007 10:00 AM:

" Most of the shops downtown are shops I wouldnt normally shop at anyway so if they stayed open later it wouldnt really matter much. The only shops I use downtown are Baker Street and Mervyns, both of which have perfectly fine hours for an out of town worker such as myself. I'll continue to do most of my shopping elsewhere til Napa actually caters to us locals and not the tourists. "

First, attract the people wrote on Aug 1, 2007 10:25 AM:

" Actually it depends. I might consider it Thursday through Saturday nights with something happening on Thurdays which will attract people downtown such as a wine and beer tasting festival (of course the problem is that people typically work the next day). Farmers market pulls plenty of people to downtown on Fridays and I do see people shopping the stores. Anyway, Monday through Wednesday are not going to be strong days to pull people in and it's probably too costly to keep the shops open later on those days. Here are a few ideas besides having wineries bring their product to the public: A type of theatrical or dancing event; Karaoke night, amateur talent contests; runway fashion shows-for fun. And the downtown commerce association needs to advertise these events alongside Hwy 29. Even in San Francisco, no matter what the event, they have banners on the streets exhibiting events. Want to be a bit more like SF? Make an effort to go there and observe how they do it. "

Napa Valley Native wrote on Aug 1, 2007 10:53 AM:

" The only store in downtown Napa that I patronize is McCaulou's, and it's only because I don't want to drive to Fairfield or Santa Rosa to buy brand makeup. As prior comments indicate, none of the downtown stores offer any merchandise that appeals to this local. I do my everyday shopping at stores with good prices & selections like Target. If I want something more specialized, I'll make the trip out of town and go to Corte Madera or Novato. "

nope wrote on Aug 1, 2007 2:29 PM:

" there are no stores downtown that sale anything i need or want. im working class napan i couldnt afford it any way. "

Bethany wrote on Aug 1, 2007 4:31 PM:

" I make a point of supporting local businesses as often as possible, but I work full time and can't get to the stores during the week before 6:00. If they stayed open I would be glad to pick up the things I needed there rather than ordering things online and sending my money out of Napa. One of my biggest peeves is that Van Winden's closes so early during the week. I'd love to swing by and get stuff for my garden after work, but instead I am forced to go to Home Depot unless I can wait until Saturday. "

Midwestern wrote on Aug 1, 2007 7:09 PM:

" I would love any Napa business to be open later. My husband gets home at 5, wants to sit down and relax for an hour, and then there's nothing open on our evening walk downtown. I miss having a bookstore that's open. The only things are restaurants which we can't afford to eat at every night, and the two department stores. If I wanted to buy clothes or furnishings, I'd buy them online where they're cheaper. Why can't there also be reasonable shopping, on top of being open until, say, 7 p.m.? If so, we'd be there. "

Kate wrote on Aug 2, 2007 10:42 AM:

" Downtown Napa, excluding the long standing Mervyn's, is completely out of touch with the local market. This is the price we have paid for living in a town built around tourism for the last 3 decades. Some of us who were born and raised here remember when this was a town you could call home and downtown had a drugstore and clothing stores where everyday clothes were sold. Oh what memories! "

napagirl wrote on Aug 2, 2007 11:27 AM:

" There are no stores dowtown that i'm interested in shopping in, except for Mervyns. All of the other stores just feature tourist trinkets. "

wine girl wrote on Aug 2, 2007 3:07 PM:

" Just look at what others say about us! We even get a bad rap from USA today. So, Napa Merchants, what are you going to do about it! 02 August 2007 by John Ritter, USA TODAY "Wine country has long been a premier California tourist destination, its rolling hills of vineyards, wineries and tasting rooms attracting upscale travelers and lots of repeat visitors. Most of them have passed up this city of nearly 75,000 for the "up-valley" charms of Calistoga, St. Helena and Yountville. There wasn't much reason to put Napa on a Napa Valley itinerary. Downtown business languished because frequent floods inundated merchants." I think that says everything, even though they blame the floods. "

Not me wrote on Aug 2, 2007 3:55 PM:

" There are only 3 stores downtown I ever shop in - Mervyns, Napa Valley Emporium and Shoes on First. I am tired of Mervyn's-everyone in town has the same clothes as me. The rest of the stores are either too expensive or don't have clothes in my size. Occasionally I eat at one of the many fine restaurants, but as a special treat because they are out of my everyday price range. When I shop, it is on-line or out of town "

Up Valley Reader wrote on Aug 2, 2007 8:06 PM:

" I used to go in Bookends, but I don't go there much anymore. It isn't worth the trip. If I have to drive, I may as well go to Vallejo or Fairfield. Otherwise, I do all of my shopping online. The lack of stores that carry things I want to buy is a primary reason not to go to downtown Napa. It is worse with the frustrating parking and an over zealous tourist-courting city. Once I wasn't allowed to have a turkey leg at the Market because I would offend tourists, I was convinced the city of Napa didn't want my money. Tourists are more important than locals. I will take my everyday shopping dollars somewhere else. "

Napan wrote on Aug 3, 2007 8:30 AM:

" We need a MALL. Not a dingy, closed-in mall of the 80s but an elegant, outdoor dedicated retail area that can attract higher-end stores (sorry Mervyns). We have the potential to be something like Walnut Creek only better. "

Leah wrote on Aug 3, 2007 8:48 AM:

" Probably not. I live here. I need things like shoes, clothing, furniture, appliances. Are there merchants who actually sell these items downtown? "

CallieGirl wrote on Aug 3, 2007 9:26 AM:

" I never shop downtown Napa because there is nothing there I need. It would be nice to have a pharmacy, hardware, coffee shop and book store open after hours. It would be nice to have these types of stores open during regular business hours, actually. But, Napa has placed it's focus on visitors, not locals. Napa's stores downtown offer nothing that is essential or necessary, only things for entertainment's sake or are 'artsy-gifty.' One need only purchase so much of that before the real needs of life kick in. I don't see Napa as a functional town at all. I see it as a newly fabricated attempt to be something other than a typical town; but I can't put my finger on just what that is. What I do see is that there is no one around Napa most of the time, except at a few of the restaurants and the Opera House. I do love the Opera House but, again, entertainment value only serves a very narrow part of the lives; the necessities of every day life for people who live in Napa. So, maybe, maybe not; I really don't think, as it is now, I'd care if the shops that are in downtown Napa right now, were open later, or not. I never shop there, anyway. "

I agree wrote on Aug 3, 2007 10:22 AM:

" I shop on line and drive to the mall, We do need some better stores, how many gift ,wine tasting stores do we need in this town that sell over priced items? I can get the same stuff on line even at better prices...I know there will alway be some stores like this but come on we all are not tourist's here.. It would be nice to be able to shop at night in town "

new to napa wrote on Aug 3, 2007 8:54 PM:

" being new to Napa ater living in LA for 30 years I was shocked to find stores closing at 6pm and only open Mon-Sat. I agree with the above responses, stores need to accomodate the needs of local residents. Napa has the perfect setting to have wonderful family owned businesses meeting speciality and everyday needs of the community. "

used to love Napa wrote on Aug 5, 2007 7:52 AM:

" How many keychains and postcards can a person buy? Napa has missed the mark, they arent catering to locals and they cant quite make it into the quaint, upscale category either. "

BobMac wrote on Aug 5, 2007 8:04 AM:

" I can't believe Napa Valley Roasting Company isn't open at night. "

It's About Merchandise, Not Hours wrote on Aug 5, 2007 8:36 AM:

" Merchandise that I need is more important than the hours. The only stores I go to are Inti, Talbot's and Napa Running Company. But to find real selection, and more than the type of items sold at the above-named stores, I have to go out of town. "Local-Serving", Ha! "

chris wrote on Aug 5, 2007 10:28 AM:

" It doesn't matter how late they open to if they're not selling anything I want to buy. "

Open, open, open wrote on Aug 5, 2007 11:18 AM:

" I would love to see more shops open at night downtown. It's nice to be able to browse after a good meal or to be able to pick up a last-minute gift that's not from Target. "

no place to shop wrote on Aug 5, 2007 3:02 PM:

" Any place I would shop at has been gone for along time. I dont get it. You know what needs to be done. But instead you the downtown Napa merchants complain. STOP catering to the toutist and start catering to the locals. Maybe just maybe you will get more business. Oh ya the respect of the locals. "

I hate Napa wrote on Aug 5, 2007 4:25 PM:

" I live here, but this souless town of nothing is a like the little shop you find in any major hotel. Selling a few items at inflated prices and crap. This town will never be because of the rape of any thing with heart. It's about a few 10% of the people and how they direct thier vision to what they want it to be. I shop exclusivly on line, eat in SFO or sonoma and bed down here. "

16-years here wrote on Aug 5, 2007 8:53 PM:

" Downtown Napa has always been a joke. "

NWNapa wrote on Aug 6, 2007 6:53 AM:

" The downtown merchants need to make a compelling argument as to why we should shop downtown other than "we need to support downtown". Most of the shops downtown do not cater to locals. Maybe Napa should start paying more attention to the Trancas corridor from Solano to Soscol. That would make a great mixed use thoroughfare. "

Jan wrote on Aug 6, 2007 8:09 AM:

" It's not safe downtown. First make it safe, then the people will come to shop. "

Angela wrote on Aug 6, 2007 9:14 AM:

" " I would not support downtown merchants more if they were to stay open later because I don't support them now. Downtown offers me nothing. Other than Mervyn's forget it. I want chain stores such as Crate and Barrell, Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, and a normal coffee shop like Starbucks. You can still have the misc. shops in between the big stores and then maybe I would shop at them. Napa has always forced us to shop out of town. It would be so nice to go to town for a shopping day. Unfortunatley it's a different town." "

Not for me wrote on Aug 6, 2007 9:20 AM:

" Once in awhile I am forced to buy something in DT napa. Sunday was such a case. When I shop, I want a fun, clean, comfortable, pretty area to walk around in. I don't want to work hard to spend my money. What I found on Sunday was not that. The buildings are dirty, there was cigarette butts and trash everywhere. I noticed that there are not high standards for store fronts or store signage, or any standards for unoccupied stores. DT Napa is not cute, fun, pretty and it is not a fun place to hang out and shop. There are kids loitering, which makes me feel uncomfortable, I don't think the city understands the impact these simple things really have on the shopping experience. As for the merchants staying open later, what I would like to see is more consistency in the hours they are open, and stick to the hours that they say they will be open. Answer the phone during the hours they say they are going to be open. I am busy and don't want to waste my time trying to figure out how to purchase something in DT napa. "

Napagal wrote on Aug 6, 2007 9:58 AM:

" Sorry, staying late wont make me buy anything in the stores. The prices are too high and they dont have stuff I want. People who live in Napa are of all sorts of income levels and for clothing size levels, and the stores dont meet any of them. Wait.... let's put in another hotel... that will help!!! Look out Corte Madera mall here I come...... "

Dr. C. wrote on Aug 6, 2007 10:34 AM:

" 1. Very poor parking w/ harsh enforcement. 2. Horrible signals that run late at night or keep you wating when there is no traffic. 3. A serious lack of diversity. I won't go to downtown unless I absolutely have to. "

Biz Owner wrote on Aug 6, 2007 11:40 AM:

" Owning a business downtown is bad. As a business owner our custom only comes from the tourists. We've tried opening late but the extra hours just cant be covered financially. DT is all being knockdown anyway and made into condo's when Altermura JR gets his way. "

Exasperated wrote on Aug 6, 2007 1:40 PM:

" I'm a born-here local, and I really do try to keep my money local when it makes sense. For example, I buy nuts and bolts at Zeller's instead of Home Depot. And, I would make an honest effort to shop downtown, if not for a few issues: It's ugly, with the abandoned storefronts like NapaNet, Merrill's, etc. and the bile rises in my throat as I walk by. Plus, there's nothing I need! I think Walnut Creek has it right: Some well-known anchor stores like Pottery Barn and Sephora with locally-owned unique stores sprinkled between. These smaller more ecelectic stores will surely benefit from the traffic created by the mainstream stores and everyone will be able to find something downtown. "

J wrote on Aug 6, 2007 1:48 PM:

" the stores in DT suck, they are extremely overpriced for the crap they sell, I can get the same exact stlyes for a decent price at Mervyn's. And the attitude of the employees is very stuck up and not helpful at all! Get a better selection and lower your prices - you'll be surprised at how business picks up when people can afford your merchandise. "

napa local wrote on Aug 6, 2007 3:32 PM:

" I agree with all of the above. These stores are WAY over my budget. It wouldn't matter if they were open 24/7 I could not afford to shop downtown. Also there is VERY little to offer. It's to bad. "

who's listening? wrote on Aug 6, 2007 5:28 PM:

" My question is: will they listen? Will they do what it takes change to get the support of the locals? Actually the question is: Why are they asking us? They haven't before? This question is either to make us think that they care or they know that the downtown is dead and they need are help. "

Anothernapagirl wrote on Aug 6, 2007 5:33 PM:

" I agree with all the above also - we need shops like; pottery barn, crate & barrel, restoration, sephora. Those are the types of stores we all love. If those were to come into downtown, the place would be booming!! "

landileigh wrote on Aug 7, 2007 7:53 AM:

" i think it has been stated real well up above. the main thing is downtown is not geared for the locals. it is geared for the tourists. leave yountville to calistoga for them, and napa for us. shopping needs to be attainable and affordable. easier access would make it much better to get to the shopping. look to Walnut Creek's Broadway shopping area. that is what we need to look towards the future. if you don't have anything the locals want, they'll go elsewhere just like they are doing. good hours or not. "

Government town wrote on Aug 7, 2007 9:35 AM:

" While I agree with most other opinions here, I do go downtown to the bank because it isn't busy like the North Napa Branch, and Zellers Hardware because they are a quality store that carries the types of things I need. Aside from a mexican food restruant I can't think of any stores or reasons for me to go downtown except for government and legal business. I prefer not to spend my free time near a jail, law offices, the county courts, city hall, the police department, or places selling bail bonds. Likewise, I don't hear people saying they want to go to downtown Fairfield, Ukiah, San Jose, Sacramento, Fresno, or other cities that have government as their main focus. To me, government facilities downtown are like an elephant in a play room. At the rate local government has grown in the past 40 years and continues to grow, it looks to me like downtown will be just for government operations in the not too distant future. The plus side of having a government base downtown is that on weekends and at night, the government offices are closed so there is always a lot of parking for tourists and the hotel guests. If you want to feel lonely just visit downtown Napa at night or on a weekend. "

My two cents wrote on Aug 7, 2007 12:07 PM:

" The last time I shopped downtown, years ago, I encountered a very low level of customer service. The attitude seemed to be I should thank the businesses for being allowed to shop there. Since then I shop either in Fairfield or Santa Rosa. But more than either of those I now shop online and I love it. "

Suzy wrote on Aug 7, 2007 12:31 PM:

" For the 8 to 5 working group by the time you get off of work it does not leave you much time to run to some of these stores if any at all and if your a parent picking up kids thats even less time. It would also provide more jobs. Thankfully thier is one Longs and Safeway that is opened 24hr. "

Lifetime Napan wrote on Aug 7, 2007 3:45 PM:

" I shop at Mervyn's for some housewares, The Learning Faire for children's toys and Bookends for books. That's about it. I would be thrilled with a store that offers fashionable clothing for a stylish woman in her 30's and 40's. I do most of my shopping for clothes online or at Kohl's in Vallejo. Most other items can be found at Target. Oh yes, and Ikea is good for reasonably priced furniture and housewares. So no, later hours downtown won't make a difference for me. "

Everyday person wrote on Aug 7, 2007 4:30 PM:

" We need more bars and a better nightlife. Music, beer, and babes. That's what gets people out of their house. We can all shop on Soscol or Trancas. "

local parent wrote on Aug 8, 2007 2:26 PM:

" We are a mid-40s couple with a 7-year-old son and plenty of disposable income. We need something we can do with our child if we're going to spend time and money downtown. If we could all have dinner at a shop that sold bagel sandwiches, then walk to a child-friendly park or entertainment venue, we'd do it. Movies are out because our son has special needs and can't stand a loud theater. So what are our downtown options? Nil. We bike to our local school and watch Disney together. "

Getting it Right wrote on Aug 8, 2007 9:33 PM:

" Hours of business are irrelevant when the merchandise is needless. I have to agree wholeheartedly with "Government Town"; I can imagine what Downtown Napa might be like if all of the County offices, the Courts, the jail, the City, Police & Fire, etc... moved out of downtown. At least 500, maybe more, parking spaces would be free all day; stores, restaurants, arcades, new movie theater, whatever --- could all replace the stark, faceless buildings. I doubt that the government worker population supports downtown business, aside from lunch business. Some of the best downtowns I know of don't have the majority of space occupied by 8 to 5 public service buildings. Perhaps the way to save downtown Napa is for its government to move out and make way for real business. Also --- buildings like the AT&T edifice need to go. What are they doing downtown anyway? Other posters are correct that most downtown businesses don't have merchandise that people really need -- whether they be residents or tourists. That is the real shame here, a lack of understanding, customer service, and goods that we want to buy. "

CDArroyo wrote on Aug 10, 2007 9:28 AM:

" I've lived here all my life and downtown has consistently been a disappointment to the locals. You have to work to live here - most of us at least - and many commute. While I can appreciate some of the restaurants and cultural events that have cropped up recently, we seem to waste a lot of space on office buildings, jail, etc that does nothing to attract buyers to the area. We need places the locals can afford to shop at and can get to after work hours... if you want our sales tax revenue. Otherwise, we will continue to shop in Vallejo, American Canyon, Fairfield, Concord.. etc. "

Food With An Attitude wrote on Aug 13, 2007 8:52 AM:

" Downtown shops are way to prissy for their anorexic portions. The service is slow and makes you feel like you are a burden when it is YOU who is bringing them cash, and lastly, how about some good food. Not to knock some of the downtown places but you can only do so much of the same ol same ol till people leave for other culinary adventures "

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