Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Closing down businesses long distance


Grateful for what we have not.
Pacifica Tribune, Letters to the Editor, 8/14/12.  "Store vacancies" by Rev Piers Lahey."

Pacifica business you're fired !!!
"Editor:  As a new resident of Daly City,and a former resident of Pacifica,a city I love very much!!, I am deeply grateful to Therese Dyer for getting me a subscription to the Trib after 10 months away from the fog while living in the intense heat (sometimes) of San Carlos, and now back near the ocean and "nature's air conditioning." *

In this week's Trib, I read Jean Bartlett's story of Round Table Pizza at the Linda Mar Shopping Center closing after more than a quarter century. Right below her story was a huge ad for the Center, filling 50 percent of the full page, advertising more than 35 stores, restaurants, and services, and among them, yes, Round Table Pizza.

I was so comforted to learn that Kimco Realty owns and operates this country's largest portfolio of neighborhood and community shopping centers, including Linda Mar. Kimco's home office is in Hyde Park, New York.

It's so reassuring to know that some real estate functionary in the Northeast without a shred of local knowledge or respect for this unique city of Pacifica is calling all the shots and closing down venerable businesses which had a huge community following without so much as a "by your leave." Oh well...maybe some far-off real estate agent will earn a nice commission for this project. If it keeps up, Linda Mar Shopping Center may soon rival Eureka Square with the number of vacant storefronts. Oh wait, sorry, Eureka Square has a different owner. As I recall, this corporate owner has the same agenda as Kimco. That should make everyone in Pacifica rest easy."

Reference - KIMCO Realty, Corporate Responsibility. "At KIMCO, business and responsibility go together.  As a premier owner and operator of shopping centers across the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico and South America for over 50 years, Kimco succeeds by delivering long-term value for our associates, tenants, shareholders and communities."
Our environmental, social and governance programs are an integral part of our business strategy.

Related articles - Fix Pacifica reprint, Pacifica Tribune/Jean Bartlett, 8/7/12.  "Round Table Pizza Linda Mar Closed." Fix Pacifica reprint, Pacifica Tribune/Elaine Larsen, Editor/Publisher, 8/14/12.  "Absentee landlords." 

Posted by Kathy Meeh

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is one gawd-awful photo of The Donald. Someone should be heartily sorry, Father Leahy, that it ended up next to your letter.

Anonymous said...

Okay-- so as a new resident of Pacifica--what can we do.

Eureka Square-- well it has a GREAT market and yoga studio--but the vacancies are frightening. What can we do NOW to help?

Yes-- I will vote-- and shop local. What else..........

Lionel Emde said...

We still don't know, after one news story and one editorial referring to the closure of Round Table, who owned the business and why did they close?

Hutch said...

@ Anon 442

Contact your city council and ask them to look into the situation.

Len Stone LenStonePacifica@gmail.com

Mary Ann Nihart nihartm@ci.pacifica.ca.us

Tell Elaine at the Tribune that you appreciate her articles on this subject and you hope they follow up.

Elaine Larsen elarsen@bayareanewsgroup.com

Anonymous said...

Maybe they closed because they wanted to?

Anonymous said...

What a radical suggestion!

Anonymous said...

There is usually more than one reason to close a business. Roundtable and Hallmark had been there decades. Wanting to retire may have been a factor.

Anonymous said...

Great idea, Hutch! Council already does such a great job at scaring away new business. Let's ask them to interfere with existing businesses too! Maybe they can scare away Kimco and we can turn those ugly shopping malls into more productive open space!

Anonymous said...

Why do people like Hutch want government to interfere with free enterprise? COMMUNIST !

Anonymous said...

Right you are, Hutch, but let's keep council under wraps for now. Save Len and Nihart in case Kimco really gets out of hand.
Think of those two as our secret weapons. You know like WMDs. Shhh.

Anonymous said...

I just want a slice.

Anonymous said...

It was reported on Rip Tide that the rent increases were too high so they closed. Very sad, I will miss Round Table, they were a great community supporter.

Steve Sinai said...

Riptide was simply repeating the same rumor that's going around here.

Anonymous said...

The old standbys, big rent increase and left to pursue other opportunities cover a lot of situations.

Anonymous said...

http://www.yelp.com/biz/round-table-pizza-pacifica-4

Round Table is a chain. The chains are driven by food costs. If you know anything about franchising. You pay to buy the franchise then you pay them a percentage and a percentage for advertising. It is very expensive to run a national franchise.

The high school crew walked around with no supervision most of the time.

Think about this. Round Table was the only place in Linda Mar Shopping Center where you can get a cold beer on tap.

Pacifica deserves much better!

Anonymous said...

I believe that KIMCO also owns or at one time owned the Westlake Shopping Center and took a lot of heat for raising the rents so high that a number of long term tenants left.

You can see what's there now is a total rebuild of the Center. Could it be that a similar revamp is down the road for the LM Center? Would that be an improvement for Pacifica or not? I don't have an opinion either way on it myself.

Anonymous said...

Kimco still owns Westlake and business is booming. They took an old 50's era shopping center and made it so much better. And the rents went up, but there's a great mix of anchors and shops. TJs, Home Depot, Chipotle, Ross, Safeway, Walgreens, Starbucks, TJMaxx, World Market, Beverly's, and lot's more. Isn't that the idea? Make money, provide jobs, pay taxes and then do it all over again. A rebuild of Linda Mar would be fabulous. NIMBY rollout
guaranteed.