Mobile Development Thread

[BlessedMobile]

I hope ya'll won't get your hopes up too high on the Apalachee project. Remember, this is owned by Celia Wallace of Springhill Hospital and Battle House fame. The Battle House was literally falling down because of neglect before the RSA came along to save it. I can't see her investing into what is likely a gamble at this point, to say nothing of the difficulty in getting financing for both building and condo sales. I would prefer the land be sold to a forward thinking developer.

[elb401]

Yeah, I'm not sure if its going to happen. Actually I don't think they will be built. At least for another 3 to 5 years at best.

[10101000]

Originally Posted by Port_of_Bama

lol u 2 crack me up man both of you are so much a like and it`s room on this forum for the both of you !! I assume around 68 % my self but if it`s 50 it`s all good !! you two are good with me.

Thanks man

[BlessedMobile]

Tim and Oca ....cast from the same mold. What is this world coming too? I'm thinking the two of you were split up at birth and have now found each other. I like you both...We all like the two of you!

[OCA REP]

Originally Posted by BlessedMobile

Tim and Oca ....cast from the same mold. What is this world coming too? I'm thinking the two of you were split up at birth and have now found each other. I like you both...We all like the two of you!

LOL... too funny! Thanks for the vote of confidence.

[nimsjus]

Cool article from Lagniappe on two downtown businesses that are thriving during the tough economic times. I was shocked to read that the Crescent Theater is already turning a profit. I thought it was a great idea and was glad to hear it was coming, but I wasnt sure that Mobilians would support it. Anyway, here's the article:
In These Tough Economic Times…
By Sharman Egan
Issue #171
February 10, 2009
When the Going Gets Tough…
The tough get going. At least that’s what Billy Ocean says, and many marketing experts agree.
There’s no doubt some businesses are prospering during the downturn. On Super Bowl Sunday, when all the normal folks were planted in front of their TVs, Kevin and I were looking for something to do. First we headed to Newk’s for lunch and then later to the Crescent Theater. Both had good crowds on what is arguably the most challenging day of the year to get people off their sofas. In between lunch and the movie, I did some surfing and, among other things, I checked the bookings for the Holiday and found that the next two cruises are sold out.
So what’s going on here? Cruises, movies and fancy salads aren’t exactly necessities. Why are some businesses doing so well during the downturn while others languish? I talked to two local business owners to find out how they’re marketing their businesses during the recession and how it’s working for them. I was surprised to see just how aggressive these owners are, even in the midst of an economic downturn.
“We’ve actually increased our marketing,” said John Serda, owner of Serda’s Coffee Company. “In my opinion, marketing is the only thing that brings in money.”
Serda also emphasized the need to, as he says, “keep things fresh.”
“You have to always recreate yourself,” he said. “We’re doing new things all the time. We just started providing delivery, and we’re introducing special drinks for Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day.”
Experts will tell you the first thing you should do when business is down is turn to your customer base. Serda agrees. “We have a healthy mailing list, and it’s one of our most powerful marketing tools,” he said. “These people are our customers. It’s cheaper to maintain them than to go out and get new ones.”
Serda uses both e-mail and snail mail to reach his customers. He mails a newsletter at least once a month and e-mails his list two to three times a month. How does he get people to read mail what might be considered junk mail? “I offer coupons in the newsletter — last time I offered a free coffee drink. And I make sure the mail is always interesting.” he said.
The coffee shop also has a strong Web presence, with a Web site plus pages on Facebook and MySpace. Serda emphasized the importance of updating your web site constantly so people keep coming back. “A lot of people make Web sites and that’s it. It’s important to keep it up,” he said.
Next I called Max Morey, the indefatigable manager of the Crescent Theater. I wasn’t surprised to find him as optimistic as ever, in spite of the economic downturn. He’s using many of the same time-proven marketing techniques as Serda to fill his seats. “It’s a whole bunch of little things you do,” Morey said .
Like Serda, he’s not backing off in his marketing because of the downturn. He recently increased the frequency of his newspaper advertising, and he’ll start radio ads after Mardi Gras. Morey also uses posters to promote the films they’re screening. “We make about 150-200 week and put them up at universities, malls, coffee shops and other places where our target market goes.”
The Crescent Theater also has a strong Web presence with both a web site and a MySpace page (which by the way, has 566 friends after just three months of operation; wish I were so popular). The site includes a link to sign up for the theater’s e-mail list. “We have a new email list with hundreds of names,” said Morey. He plans to mail to the list about once a week, with updates on coming attractions.
Morey said one of the keys to their success is delivering a product that’s different from the competition — the multiplexes — and one the market wants. If you think an art house theater would target primarily a young audience, you’d be wrong, at least in the case of the Crescent Theater. Morey is going after a broad audience, with films targeted at specific segments within that audience. You can see that from the films they’ve shown recently - everything from “Repo” (a rock opera) and “Let the Right One In” ( Swedish vampires) to “Milk” and “Breakfast with Scot” (both about gay men) and even “Young at Heart” (the true story of a senior citizens chorus). The theater will soon start a children’s series on weekend afternoons.
The results? “We’re already making a profit,” said Morey. “And we’re getting national attention with our numbers on Rentrak [an entertainment tracking service]. The studios are calling us now.”
So what are the common themes here? Aggressive marketing, even during a downturn. A great web presence — not just the requisite Web site but really attractive sites with lots of information that’s constantly updated. Plus pages on Facebook and MySpace, social networking sites that aren’t just cool — they encourage your customers to interact with you and each other. These businesses also make a concerted effort to keep in touch with existing customers via email. And finally, “keeping things fresh” as John Serda puts it. Both businesses are constantly trying new things to keep customers interested and test new ways to market their products.

[Alxx611]

I would to incourage everyone on this forum to make it to the Crecent Theatre soon.

Last night i went to the premiere of Rocky Horror Picture Show, and the show was more than sold out, the fire marshalls i believe were there. I've also been to see Milk, and it was another packed house then.

The owner of the theatre is a very personable guy and will certainly remember your face if you go often enough. The theater has a really warm, personal feel to it, and you feel like your at home there.

[nimsjus]

From Kathy Jumper's column in the PR:
Hopjacks Pizza Kitchen & Taproom will open in March at 251 Dauphin St. in the 5,000-square-foot former Pick lefish Pizza location downtown, according to building owner David Naman. The owners of the restaurant and bar have a Hopjacks in Pensacola, Fla.

I checked out their website and it looks really cool.
http://www.hopjacks.com/
Its feel is not as grungy/alternative as Picklefish. I think it will compete alot with its next door neighbor Hurricane Brewery. The one in Pensacola looks really cool. I think it is a nice addition to Downtown. I still wish picklefish hadn't closed.

[SouthSky]

Hopjacks looks impressive^. Good to see that void is filled.

Some articles from today's MPR:
Mobile ranked Number 6 in Top 20 metro areas in highest home appreciation: Link

$1 Billion (!?!) Sports mecca planned off I-10 near the McDonald Road exchange: Link

SaltAire loans to be foreclosed by bank: Link

[DruidCity]

For a billion-dollar proposal, that "sports mecca" deal doesn't give many details. Anyone have any scoop on this thing (or on the progress of the motorsports park) ?

[Port_of_Bama]

Sports Mecca : I remeber the localk news stations were talking about Mobile will have the largest indoor or outdoor but I believe indoor tennis court / arena in the U.S about 4 1/ 2 years ago.They had plans to build it right along the I-10 area from my understanding from the link it sounds like they are talking about that exact tennis court but with more. I am all for it and I hope this will not be something else that is huge that Mobile( old way of thinking) will turn down. I am also glad that it has resurfaced again and it also mentioned a water park as well .

[Port_of_Bama]

Originally Posted by DruidCity

For a billion-dollar proposal, that "sports mecca" deal doesn't give many details. Anyone have any scoop on this thing (or on the progress of the motorsports park) ?

I havn`t been out that way to see any progress but they are saying that it is still on the run and they will start laying foundation in the summer.


Acording to the Mobile Press Register.



From what I see on the stimulus watch website Mobile is asking for the most money or will be getting the most . The majority of it will go to improving flooding in Mobile from what I see.http://www.stimuluswatch.org/project/by_state/AL&per_page=200
Click on browse by city and state on the upper left corner.

[BlessedMobile]

I see that the school system is asking for 360 million for whatever. Of course they won't get that much since the approved package had far less money and it was not for new construction. This will keep the teachers working and that's about it. It's better that Uncle Sam pays them now than we again hear the shouts of "we need more money". You gotta' love the teachers though....They never ask for more money for themselves...It's for the children.

[Port_of_Bama]

I was on Royal street to day and I saw new planted palm trees on that street it looked good. I am glad to see we have another street(Royal st) that has development and especialy entertainment besides Dauphine street.


I`m ready for the retail down town and once we get that all the other stuff that we have been hoping and wishing for will fall right into place.

[ChristopherNFTL]

Originally Posted by BlessedMobile

I see that the school system is asking for 360 million for whatever. Of course they won't get that much since the approved package had far less money and it was not for new construction. This will keep the teachers working and that's about it. It's better that Uncle Sam pays them now than we again hear the shouts of "we need more money". You gotta' love the teachers though....They never ask for more money for themselves...It's for the children.

As the son of a very dedicated, not to mention award winning, Science teacher at one of Mobile's magnet schools, I can tell you that your attitude is completely wrong. She gets to school around 6am and doesn't leave work until 630pm, at the earliest, after teaching all day, grading papers, setting up labs, and doing lesson plans all night. On top of that, the idiotic "No Child Left Behind" law forces teachers to do repeated standardized testing which just ends up being an exercise in children learning facts and regurgitating them for the test after which they are quickly forgotten. Learning is about thinking about, processing, and then applying what you are being taught, not rote memorization of disjointed facts to score highly on a terrible test. As if that wasn't bad enough, "NCLB" forces an unreal amount of paperwork that you never heard about from Mr. Bush when he was stumping for this mess, and that robs them of valuable time that could be spent actually preparing for class. All the while, she is still paying off her student loans, supporting herself, and buying most of the school supplies for her room with her own money. Mobile consistently expects more from the schools without putting a dime into it. The teachers AND the infrastructure deserve FAR more investment than is currently the case. We don't question the pay levels of other college educated professionals in other fields, many like my mother with at least a Master's or second Bachelors. I cannot fathom why we feel the people entrusted to educating the next generation should be paid $20,000 a year. How is one to support themselves and pay off student loans with that? No fortune 500 company is going to want to move to an area with a crumbling public school system, sure investment will come along anyway, but at a trickle. So if you don't care about the kids, at least put more money into schools for the fancy buildings and projects we all pull for on this board.




***Sorry for the rant, just touched a nerve.***

Murphy High '99

[10101000]

Originally Posted by BlessedMobile

Tim and Oca ....cast from the same mold. What is this world coming too? I'm thinking the two of you were split up at birth and have now found each other. I like you both...We all like the two of you!

Thanks mate!

[DruidCity]

Murphy High '99

Dang that school has been around a long time. My dad graduated from Murphy High in the late 1930s.

[Port_of_Bama]

Originally Posted by DruidCity

Dang that school has been around a long time. My dad graduated from Murphy High in the late 1930s.

Yeah it is and the largest highschool in the state.

[ChristopherNFTL]

Originally Posted by DruidCity

Dang that school has been around a long time. My dad graduated from Murphy High in the late 1930s.

Yep, Murphy started life at the current abandoned Barton in 1852 as Mobile High School, before moving to it's "new" digs in 1926. It is by far one of the most beautiful high schools in the country, why else would Seventeen Magazine, THE magazine of record, do a spread on it? hahahaha

These pics aren't the best, but I have mine at my Mom's house.... I just wish I had some pictures of the pool, fountains, and amazing tile frescos, all from the turn of the century(ish)!

[BlessedMobile]

Originally Posted by ChristopherNFTL

As the son of a very dedicated, not to mention award winning, Science teacher at one of Mobile's magnet schools, I can tell you that your attitude is completely wrong. She gets to school around 6am and doesn't leave work until 630pm, at the earliest, after teaching all day, grading papers, setting up labs, and doing lesson plans all night. On top of that, the idiotic "No Child Left Behind" law forces teachers to do repeated standardized testing which just ends up being an exercise in children learning facts and regurgitating them for the test after which they are quickly forgotten. Learning is about thinking about, processing, and then applying what you are being taught, not rote memorization of disjointed facts to score highly on a terrible test. As if that wasn't bad enough, "NCLB" forces an unreal amount of paperwork that you never heard about from Mr. Bush when he was stumping for this mess, and that robs them of valuable time that could be spent actually preparing for class. All the while, she is still paying off her student loans, supporting herself, and buying most of the school supplies for her room with her own money. Mobile consistently expects more from the schools without putting a dime into it. The teachers AND the infrastructure deserve FAR more investment than is currently the case. We don't question the pay levels of other college educated professionals in other fields, many like my mother with at least a Master's or second Bachelors. I cannot fathom why we feel the people entrusted to educating the next generation should be paid $20,000 a year. How is one to support themselves and pay off student loans with that? No fortune 500 company is going to want to move to an area with a crumbling public school system, sure investment will come along anyway, but at a trickle. So if you don't care about the kids, at least put more money into schools for the fancy buildings and projects we all pull for on this board.




***Sorry for the rant, just touched a nerve.***

Murphy High '99

You should stand up for your Mom. My wife's mom was a science teacher and I have several teachers in our family. I guess my problem is the leadership that speaks for them. They have their finger in way too many pies and take nearly all of the money the state raises. and yes, the "no child left behind" program is a bad thing. I got to tell you though that your last sentence is the one that was promised to us the last time we voted for a tax increase and what we got was a big teacher raise and little improvement in the facilities. Even now the school board has AGAIN run out of money.