As retail nightmares go, road construction is a reliable bogeyman. Traffic snarls. Obstructed storefronts. Dust, noise and scaffolding keeping shoppers away.

But for some businesses on Chicago's historic Jewelers Row, Monday's closing of a stretch of Wabash Avenue for 18 months to construct a new "L" station may be more than a headache.

"I'm worried," said John Kurji, owner of Giovar Jewels, 21 N. Wabash Ave. "I'm considering just closing down."

Up and down the Wabash Avenue construction zone, jewelers and other businesses are bracing as work gets underway to replace two century-old stations with a modern "superstation" at Washington Street and Wabash Avenue a $75 million project many said will greatly benefit the area, provided they are around to enjoy it.

Some are optimistic that their reputations will keep customers coming. Others worry high-end customers accustomed to convenient valet service will avoid the drive downtown. And some smaller jewelers, such as Kurji, say this could be the final straw after what has already been a tough year.

Kurji, a third-generation jeweler who immigrated from Syria, started his business on a workbench crafting custom pieces and for the past seven years has been renting a prime booth space fronting the street in the Wabash Jewelers Mall. Business was good until recently.

Holiday sales at his shop were down 25 percent from the previous year, likely from competition from online jewelry retailers, he said. February, which typically gets a boost from Valentine's Day, was his worst ever, down 50 percent from a year earlier, which he blames in part on partial road closings on Wabash over the past month for electrical work.

"If that did this, what will happen when it's all shut down?" Kurji said.

The answer, of course, is no one knows.

Starting Monday, the block of Wabash between Madison and Washington streets closes to traffic for 18 months. Starting mid-April, the two blocks bracketing that stretch also will face strictures: Wabash will be reduced to one lane from Washington to Randolph and from Madison to Monroe streets.

See original here:
Jewelers fear Wabash Avenue work will pinch sales

Despite High Profile Bankruptcies and Mergers, Retailers Finding Ways to Open New Stores As Consumers Regain Buying Power

With more housing bust markets like Phoenix, Las Vegas, the Inland Empire and Sacramento continuing to gain jobs and economic strength, retailers absorbed about 13 million square feet of neighborhood and strip shopping center space in 2014 -- double the lev of demand of the previous year -- and retail vacancies have fallen below 10% for the first time since the recession in 2008.

Those were among the key findings presented at CoStar's State of the U.S. Retail Market 2014 Review and Forecast, presented by Suzanne Mulvee, director of U.S. research, retail; and Ryan McCullough, senior real estate economist, for CoStar Portfolio Strategy.

In particular, the analysts noted the long-awaited lift from recovering home prices and hiring seen at year-end for local neighborhood shopping centers and their small business and boutique tenants. While this retail center segment still has a lot of ground to make up relative to faster-recovering power centers and malls, demand is now beginning to ramp up, McCullough said.

"We've seen net absorption really come on strong and vacancies are starting to fall quite quickly" due to the limited amount of new retail construction, stated McCullough.

Meanwhile, the $43 billion of retail property sales transacted in 2014 surpassed the amount of retail property sold in 2007 to set a new rcord as the strongest year for transaction volume, with continued low interest rates lifting investor demand. Pricing for retail property has risen about 38% from its 2009 trough, according to the latest CoStar Commercial Repeat Sale Index (CCRSI). Also, the average sale price per square foot paid for retail is rising the fastest among the six top U.S. metros, especially for luxury shopping properties in New York City, Southern California and Miami.

Both investor and tenant demand for retail property, which has wobbled up and down for several years, have now tiered-up steadily over the last several quarters. Despite the negative headlines on store closures by Radio Shack and other national chains, "retailers are finding a way to open new stores, and demand is not only positive, it's rising," Mulvee points out.

Job growth and wage gains, combined with the drop in gasoline prices, continue to provide a boost for consumers, retailers and landlords alike across the country. Sustained $2-a-gallon gasoline could boost consumption and lift retail sales by as much as 5%, according to a CoStar Portfolio Strategy analysis of U.S. Energy Information Administration data.

Nationally for all retail property, the vacancy rate fell another 20 basis points to 6.3% to close 2014 and net absorption of shopping space totaled 81 million for the year, both are the strongest readings since 2008.

Read the original post:
Retail Property Market Gets Boost from Housing Recovery, Strenthening Local Economies

February 16, 2015 3:55 PM

Bedrock Real Estate Services announce six new tenants in downtown Detroit. (By Edward Cardenas)

Connect with Edward on Twitter,Instragramand LinkedIn. Ed...

By Edward Cardenas

DETROIT (CBS Detroit) Six new tenants ranging from accounting to construction contracting services have moved into Bedrock Real Estate Services buildings in Detroits Central Business District.

The new tenants, who are presently operating in their new locations, are moving into buildings on Woodward Avenue and Broadway in downtown Detroit.

Companies of all sizes representing many different sectors clearly see the advantages and great benefits of locating in Detroits dynamic urban core, said Dan Mullen, Vice President of Leasing and Development with Bedrock Real Estate Services, in a release. Downtown Detroit has become a collaborative environment, with an energy and entrepreneurial spirit that cannot be found anywhere else.

According to Bedrock, the new tenants include:

I have never seen the city so vibrant and positive about its future, saidPete Brewis, President of Ultimate Parking Management, in a release.

More:
Bedrock Real Estate Announces New Detroit Tenants

Swanke Construction is a Log Home Restoration and Concrete Work near Billings, MT
Would you like to restore that old log home that you found on the property you just bought? Or have you had a chance to "steal" a log home at a low price bec...

By: Swanke Construction

Continued here:
Swanke Construction is a Log Home Restoration and Concrete Work near Billings, MT - Video

Hi Friends! How was your weekend? I sure hope it was amazing!

We are nearing the end of this series and today we are sitting down with Bre from Rooms for Rent to hear a firsthand account of how God continues to turn beauty into ashes in her life. Grab a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy this encouraging story!

I've been in church my whole life, however that doesn't mean that I've had it easy or a perfect life by any means. I first experienced God's saving freedom when I was 13 and my family was broken apart by divorce. I had every reason in the book to turn my back on God then, but He showed up in such a powerful way and saved me from going down a very destructive path. Fast forward a few years, I started dating my now husband, and we have been happily married with 2 little kids for almost 10 years. I had always dreamed of becoming an interior decorator, it was something I enjoyed doing early on. I think I was the only 12 yr. old who would create vignettes in her room out of all my friends. I would rearrange my displays just for fun, and turn any flat surface into a beautifully decorated canvas. I would cover my walls in giant collages of cut outs from magazines and photos of me and my friends. There wasn't an ounce of wall left to be seen, and it all inspired me. It wasn't until we had settled into our first house, and after the birth of our 2nd child that the passion to decorate started bubbling up again. I had always decorated our apartments nicely, and thankfully had the freedom to paint in both of them, but this was different. This time we owned and I was bound to put my mark on it. I started my blog so I could document all the changes along the way.

About 9 months after I started my blog, I began to feel my heart strings tugged again to start exploring becoming an interior decorator. I had my hands full with two babies eighteen months apart, a new home I hadn't even scratched the surface on all my plans for yet, and still I had this undeniable urge to start my own business. You see though, I had been here before. Everytime I got this close, I came up with an excuse as to why not, and talked myself out of it. I would either tell myself I don't have the time to take the classes, or "I never went to school for that, so who would want to hire me anyways"? Then I started having kids, and put all my energy and focus into that. My husband was so supportive along the way. Seeing my desire to create and decorate, he always encouraged me, or put up with it when I was trying something new out. This time was different though, this time I had seen others, who maybe hadn't been to school, and they were doing it. I had done enough decorating for family members and friends and finally been asked one to many times when I was going to finally starting doing this as a business. Something was still holding me back, and it was more than just doubt. I wasn't afraid of failing, this went much, much deeper than that.

He took me back to when I was in elementary school, and I over heard a conversation between my 5th grade teacher, my mother and my rivals mother. Now there was no issue, it was friendly conversation. But you all know what I mean. There was that one girl who no matter what you did, she did it better. She was a better student, a better athlete, got voted for all of the superlatives. She was just your all around A+ student, star athlete, the most popular. She was everywhere in all my classes, all the sports I played, she always got the positions I would try out for. I felt like I lived in her shadow. Well one day, in casual conversation, my mother was talking to my teacher about how well of a student I was, boasting, like any mother does. I remember smiling with confidence, and then the other girls mother said "oh that's nice, but it just comes naturally to Susie(fake name), she's just better at everything" And looks at our teacher for affirmation. Instant defeat I felt, I wanted to hide behind my mothers legs and cry. I don't even think they knew I was listening. But it was that very moment that I took on the lie that "I was not good enough". I carried it with me through the rest of my school years, throughout every sport I played. Anything I put my hands to, I never put forth full effort because deep down inside I always believed I wasn't "GOOD ENOUGH"?!

I broke when God revealed that to me. That in my heart all these years, despite being saved, and doing many great things He had lead me to, I carried this around everywhere I went. It might as well been tattooed on my forehead. Oh but I hid it well. I concealed it so good I wasn't even aware it still existed. I asked God instantly to heal that part of me that had been broken so long ago, and allowed Him to speak truth over me. No longer was I believing this lie anymore. No longer was I doubting myself anymore. I used to shrug off compliments or words of affirmation, thinking I was never good enough to amount to what people were seeing. You can imagine the deep sigh of relief I felt after that sob session of realization. But it was truly releasing those lies to God and asking Him to show me how He sees me. The purpose He created me for. My own divine gifts. At the end of each chapter in Holly's devotional she closes with the most heartfelt of statements. True affirmation for the area that God is speaking to you on in that chapter. I want to share that chapter's statement with you today, and allow His truth to wash over you!

You are God's Masterpiece -

started in His heart, formed by His hands,

and offered as a gift to the world.

Much more than a work in progress ...

Read this article:
Restoration House Interiors

Since 1981, Colonial Restorations has provided structural restoration and repair of historic timber frame buildings. A family business, Tom (UMass Class of 1973) and Brad Green (Wesleyan University Class of 2000), father and son, perform all work themselves in order to make sure that your historic timber frame project receives all the experience and commitment it requires.

In the past few years, we have worked or have done site visits as far away as Kennebunk, ME, northern Vermont, and Buffalo, NY to the north. South of our location, sites include the Hamptons on Long Island, northern New Jersey,south western Pennsylvania, and numerous sites all over CT. Of course all of Massachusetts, including Cape Cod and the islands, are in our work area. We have been called to consult on houses not only with water and rot damage, but also tornadoes and even an explosion. Although New England wasnt hit hard this past winter, mother nature is always full of surprises that can affect buildings without people realizing it. If you have any questions about how the structure of your building is holding up, please Contact Us.

To know these buildings as we do is a privilege. To know how to do something well is to enjoy it. And every day we find this to be true. History has a way of repeating itself. In the early-mid 1980s, the savings and loan crisis caused a recession in the building trades.In many ways, the past several years have seen economic problems and challenges similar to then. Some builders tried to provide themselves an income by expanding the services that they offered. With no real timber frame experience, they often advertised sill replacement and structural work relating to post and beam buildings. Unfortunately, they often lack the practical experience and love of the antique buildings to do the job successfully. There is an old story about a small New England town. It seems a new barber moved in and put up a sign offering three dollar haircuts. Soon after the original barber put up a sign in his window saying We fix $3 haircuts. I guess its fair to say that we have fixed many three dollar haircuts.

See the article here:
Colonial Restorations Offers Old House and Barn ...

LUCAS COUNTY, OH (Toledo News Now) - After major boiler and flooding issues shut down the Domestic Relations Division of the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas last month, damage assessments and costs have been finalized. The county is sharing that information exclusively with WTOL.

It caused the court to be closed for three days, which was an inconvenience to the public, we understand. But it could've been worse, said Lucas County Commissioner Pete Gerken. We have some estimates on it, we know what the damage is, we know the restoration costs and we know what the cleanup cost is.

An initial cleanup cost of $60,000 and other restorations will be billed to Lucas County, whose liability on the Family Court building is $100,000.

It's about $250,000 to do the restorations, Gerken said. It sounds like a lot of money, but like homeowners would, we have insurance and we have a risk fund to do that.

An assessment team has concluded that the damage is not structural.

The restoration is basically: We're going to paint, we're going to put wallpaper back in, we're going to put ceiling tiles back in, and furniture. So probably about four to six weeks. It's not heavy restoration, but something you have to do when your house gets wet, Gerken said.

He also said the county is in good shape financially to handle the repairs on the building, which will be 25 years old in May.

It's an important building for us, he said. There's a lot that goes on there every day. We regretted being down the three days, but we're back. That's what we have plans for and our plans worked.

Follow Toledo News Now:

Download our app here.

Read the original here:
Only on 11: Lucas County left with restoration costs for Family Court damage

We have recommended Cabinet Discounters to several friends

We have worked with Teresa Carney and Cabinet Discounters [in Columbia] on several projects in our home, including designing a custom cabinet, new counter-tops and re-doing our master bathroom. We love all the improvements and Teresa was extremely polite, professional and always ready to assist us and answer our numerous questions. We have recommended Cabinet Discounters to several friends and they have also been very pleased with the company. We are planning a guest bathroom 'make-over' and Teresa will be the first person we call!

Our experience with CD in Annapolis was superior. The sales consultant was highly attentive to our wishes and contributed some great design ideas. There was no resistance to working with other suppliers for materials, fixtures, or electrical devices. We were impressed with the accuracy of the measurements for the many appliances and the willingness to make adaptations from standard practices. The cabinets and counters were installed on the projected dates by friendly and very helpful installers. Follow on service was excellent. Within a couple of weeks, on two occasions, a manufacturer's minor fault in construction was repaired and replaced at no cost and with perfect satisfaction. Overall, we were very happy with the finished product and would recommend the Annapolis office and staff to anyone contemplating a major renovation such as ours.

Just a short note to tell you how pleased we are with the marvelous job Pam Lyons and her team did with our complete kitchen makeover! Jeff and I spent over a year and went through many design firms before selecting cabinet discounters and we must say, it was the best decision ever! Our kitchen was completely gutted - we did an complete makeover to include wall removal, new applicances, countertops, floor, lighting, plumbing, and of course, cabinets! Pam designed a wonderful layout, helped us select our finishes, and the carpentry team of Loren and his son, the electricians, the countertop folks, the plumbers, and the outstanding tileman transformed our kitchen into our most favorite room in the house! I wish I could remember all their names, but let me tell you, each member of the team ran with their portion of the job and it was truly seamless! Every schedule went like clockwork - the materials were delivered, installed, and you can tell by the finished product the dedication and engagement of the whole team! They went over and above the call of duty to really make the whole experience magical! We love Cabinet Discounters and you can count on us for repeat business and word of mouth advertising!

The work done looks beautiful and the workers be commended.

Your pleasant attitude, expertise, and helpful hints made the design process thoroughly enjoyable. The craftmanship employed by the electicians, plumbers, marble company, and the floor tile experts was impressive at every stage. The entire process was executed flawlessly from beginning to end while staying on schedule. We couldn't appreciate a room more than we do this one. Again, thanks for everything and you can be sure we will certainly recommend Cabinet Discounters to others.

We thank you and your associates for a project accomplished in a timely and highly professional manner.

Thanks for staying on top of this project. I have been most impressed with all the communication from Cabinet Discounters during the installation and prior to the installation as well.

When we first started shopping around for a new kitchen, we evaluated four stores. Price was a major consideration, but salesperson expertise and knowledge was most important. Based on price, all four stores were within a few hundred dollars, so salesman expertise became the deciding factor. Your salesman was the most knowledgeable in kitchen remodeling and design. Thank you for an excellent job well done and we highly recommend you to our friends.

I especially want to thank you for all your help. You had great insight and ideas for design and colors. You also had the patience of a saint during all my decision making. You spent a lot of time on our project and kept us posted on every detail. You were an absolute delight to work with. I would recommend Cabinet Discounters to anyone.

Continued here:
Cabinet Discounters - Kitchen Cabinets Annapolis ...

HENDERSON CO., KY (WFIE) -

A months-long shut down of a busy Henderson County road is about to get underway.

A contractor for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet plans to start an extended closure of KY 351/Zion Road at the 5 mile marker on Monday, March 2.

Officials say replacement of the curves between mile point 4.7 and mile point 5.3 has been planned since 2009. The curves had a high crash rate going back to 1993.

The KYTC says traffic engineers requested a safety project for the area as early as 2002. At that time additional signage was added to alert motorists to the curves with a reduced advisory speed.

Following three crashes that included one fatality in August 2009, county officials requested a highway safety audit of the area.

The detailed safety review prompted traffic engineers to make a number of specific recommendations, including addition of signage with flashing LED light enhancement, pavement edge lines, extending a 45 mph speed limit through Graham Hill, and cutting several trees to improve sight-distance for drivers.

While those changes lowered the crash rate on the curves, engineers continued efforts to gain funding to allow an extensive realignment of the roadway.

Once the road closes, it is expected to remain closed until sometime in July.

KYTC engineers provided early notice of the project to allow emergency agencies and Henderson County Schools to plan for the closure. School officials have made arrangements to temporarily change bus travel routes.

See more here:
Months-long shut down of Henderson Co. highway set to begin March 2

Patna/ New Delhi: Aiming to put pressure on Bihar Governor Keshri Nath Tripathi for inviting him to form the next government in the state, former chief minister Nitish Kumar reached New Delhi Tuesday to parade the legislators supporting him at Rashtrapati Bhavan Wednesday.

Embattled Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi Tuesday sought to play the "reservation card" as his cabinet approved reservation for Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes in all government contracts of road construction up to Rs.50 lakh and reservation for poor upper castes in government jobs.

Earlier, Nitish Kumar and 130 legislators supporting him left for New Delhi in two batches, Janata Dal-United chief whip Shrawan Kumar said. "In the first batch, 60 legislators, and in second batch, 70 legislators along with Nitish Kumar left for Delhi," he said in Patna.

Party MP K.C. Tyagi said that Nitish Kumar had reached the national capital, and was likely to meet President Pranab Mukherjee Wednesday.

He said the party would urge the president to ask the governor to invite Nitish Kumar to form the government as he has the majority. "Since we have not heard a decision from the governor, we have come to the president," Tyagi said.

Meanwhile, Manjhi, who insisted that he remained chief minister till he fails to prove his majority in the state assembly, had called a cabinet meeting Tuesday where it was speculated that he may recommend dissolution of the state assembly. It was in the meeting that the decision on the quotas was taken.

A JD-U leader close to Manjhi, however, said he "may or may not recommend dissolution of the state assembly, but by holding a cabinet meeting, he wanted to send a strong message that he is still the chief minister".

Principal Secretary in the Cabinet Coordination Department B. Pradhan said the cabinet meeting approved reservation for SC/STs in all government contracts of Rs.50 lakh, as well as the proposal for reservation of poorest of the poor upper castes in government jobs.

Nitish Kumar earlier Tuesday said he and the legislators would go to Delhi to meet the president as they did not receive any invitation from the governor a day after staking claim to form the next government.

He, along with 130 legislators of his JD-U, the Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD), the Congress and the Communist Party of India (CPI) Monday went to Raj Bhavan in Patna to show his strength.

See the rest here:
Nitish, legislators leave for New Delhi