Bluff Park, Alabama Forum

Bluff Park, Alabama Forum
http://bluffparkal.org/bpforum/YaBB.pl
General Category >> General Board >> New Businesses at Shades Mtn. Plaza
http://bluffparkal.org/bpforum/YaBB.pl?num=1193333652

Message started by 4ShadesMtnPlaza on 10/25/07 at 12:34pm

Title: New Businesses at Shades Mtn. Plaza
Post by 4ShadesMtnPlaza on 10/25/07 at 12:34pm

Regarding vacancies at Shades Mtn Paza:
What type of businesses would best serve the Bluff Park community?

Restaurant:
Breakfast &/or Luch &/or Dinner
Sandwich shop/deli
Meat & 3
Restaurant/Pub w/ televisons & patio
Family style (old Moonbreaks)
Ethnic: Mexican, Chinese, Italian, Thai etc

Retail:
Sporting goods
Antiques
Home Decor
Flowers/Gift Shop
Specialty shop
Hardware
Movie rental

Services:
Dry Cleaner
Alteration
Professional: Taxes, Insurance, Medical, Veterinarian

This is not a poll...just trying to get some feedback of the needs of the community.

Title: Re: New Businesses at Shades Mtn. Plaza
Post by Bluff Park Guy on 10/25/07 at 4:38pm

I think a restaurant with patio and TVs and a Mexican place would be good.

Title: Re: New Businesses at Shades Mtn. Plaza
Post by bpresident on 10/25/07 at 8:38pm

4ShadesMtnPlaza wrote:

My feedback, for what it's worth: We need a restaurant, but something along the line of a Mexican/Cajun/Sports Bar - something where you don't spend a fortune. The problem is the alcohol license. To be successful in that type of restaurant, they have to sell alcohol. If I'm not mistaken, since there is a daycare in SMP, that is not allowed. This is why Mr. P's is located in the city limits of Birmingham, not Hoover. Once we have a restaurant, the other stores can flourish. A bookstore with a coffee bar and wi-fi; a florist who doesn't charge an arm and a leg;

We already have a Meat & 3 in Bluff Park, we already have a sandwich shop (Tip Top), Chinese (New China). Sporting goods? Most likely too small to offer a good choice. Antiques? Don't know. Home Decor? Don't know. Specialty Shop? Like what? Hardware, we have it already. Movie rental - only if it's like a Hollywood Video or Blockbuster or a BIG Movie Gallery. We already have a Dry Cleaner. Alteration? Wouldn't the dry cleaner do that? Vet we've got, Insurance we've got, taxes, maybe, medical we have a couple of dentists. A GP would be good, but could he make it?

Thanks for asking our opinion on this.

Title: Re: New Businesses at Shades Mtn. Plaza
Post by PharmD on 10/25/07 at 9:38pm

I would love to see some great small eating places like Moe's or Roly Poly. A bakery/coffee shop would be great. Also maybe a hallmark or something like that with a great selection of greeting cards, gift wrap and gifts.

I would also like to see the post office place a drop box at the end of the parking lot (like the drive-up area at the vestavia or hoover post office) near the big plaze sign to decrease traffic in the parking lot (man those spaces are tiny!)

Title: Re: New Businesses at Shades Mtn. Plaza
Post by BluffParkwriter on 10/27/07 at 2:49pm

I would love to see a coffee bar/shop. We dont really have one close to Bluff Park. There is a Starbucks on 150 and Cambridge Coffee in Patton Creek (which is closing) but nothing were we can go "down the road" and sit and talk with friends and neighbors and have a cup.

We have an antique shop, its next to the dry cleaners (there is also another dry cleaners at the end of Alford)

I also would love to see a flower/garden shop/gift shop. There is a really cute one that was done in Homewood across from the Palisades (new Walmart).

I like the idea of a bakery like an up-scale bakery/pastry shop like Edgers Bakery.

Anyone know whats going in where White Lilly Tea Room was? Hate that place did not make it but they were never open and I think you had to make an appointment you could not just drop in.

Title: Re: New Businesses at Shades Mtn. Plaza
Post by straycatmom on 10/27/07 at 8:37pm

I love the idea of a post office drop box. A good reasonably priced Mexican restaurant would be great. It doesn't have to be to fancy, but good fresh salsa and possibly a drive-thru would surely be a hit.

Title: Re: New Businesses at Shades Mtn. Plaza
Post by BluffParkwriter on 10/27/07 at 8:58pm

I like the drop box also. I really cant stand the Post Office that is in the plaza, I have not had good experiences in there. They are rude and something's that I send out from that location never make it to their destination or they float in the mail for weeks. They lost 2 boxes of my wedding invitations and some people never got theirs. I went in there one day to send a package back to a home shopping network. The package was just am envelope with bubble wrap on the inside and needed some tape at the end. I asked the lady if she could put some tape on it or if she had any, she told me quote "we aint got no tape we cant give out tape" I said fine I will take it to Hoover Shipping (which is privately owned) Private business wins hands down to Government run institutions.. have not been back their till this day.

I really like the Hoover Shipping place that is in the Publix shopping center, they are nice and they will give you tape :)

Title: Re: New Businesses at Shades Mtn. Plaza
Post by bpresident on 10/27/07 at 9:58pm

BluffParkwriter wrote:

They will give you tape? Well, BPW, we'll have to disagree on this one thing. Let me tell you a little story about that "nice place". This past February I had to ship a package for my mother-in-law to Virginia. The package was a computer. I decided to go to Hoover Shipping, although the last time I went there I had a very poor experience. It was when we were putting up the fliers announcing the first Bluff Park meeting. I went there to make copies and the total was $1.95. I didn't have cash, so I handed her my debit card. She said she couldn't do a charge for under $5.00 (which, by the way is against Visa/Master Card rules - you cannot have a minimum - cost of doing business - I'll provide links if you'd like). Anyway, I was in a hurry back then, didn't know the rules, had already made copies, so I bought something else to bring my total over $5.00. I digress.

I walk into Hoover Shipping during my lunch break with this rather large box (24" x 25" x 15"). The person behind the counter was waiting on another lady who was shopping for Mardi Gras cards (yes, there are Mardi Gras cards!!). Multi-tasking was not one of her talents, as she just stood there as the customer was looking at their vast selection of cards, while I was waiting. A lady (later to be identified as the owner) came out of the back, went behind the counter, made sure she didn't make eye contact with me so that she wouldn't have to help me, and then went back to the back room. Finally the customer decided to walk across the store to look at some jewelry (in a shipping store??) and the clerk asked if she could help me. I felt like saying "No, I always walk into shipping stores carrying huge boxes just to stand around" but I didn't, as I was in a hurry. I said I needed to ship the box. I lifted the box on the counter and the clerk measured it. She then weighed it. 36 lbs. I gave her the address to be shipped to, and then my billing address. This caused much confusion as my billing address is a PO Box and she was unable to handle entering the numbers, and she had to call "I'm too busy to help you because I'm the owner", who came out and finished the data entry. The total was $41.00. Wow, I thought, that's a lot to ship a box. Please note the dimensions and the stated weight. I left the store after getting my receipt and the tracking number.

When I got back to my office, I went to the UPS site and entered the package dimensions and weight to find out what it would have cost had I gone to UPS directly instead of a shipping center. $29.00. I called UPS to make sure and they confirmed, based on the weight, dimensions and shipping type it would be $29.00. I called FedEx and they said $26.00. I then called Hoover Shipping and told them that I did not want it shipped, that I would come back for a refund after I got off work. The owner wanted to know why and I told her that I could get it shipped for a lot less somewhere else. She got a little snippy and I said that it was not a good thing to talk to customers that way.

I left work at 4:15pm to go back to Hoover Shipping. I arrived at around 4:30 pm. This is where it gets interesting. I walked in and went to the back counter. There was a man dressed in a purple outfit wearing a gold mask behind the counter, sitting down. The owner began to do my refund paperwork and went in the back to get my box. While she was gone, the man in the golden mask came up to the counter and put his face (with the mask on) about four inches from my face. He began to tell me that he didn't appreciate the way that I had talked to his wife. At first I thought he was kidding, especially with that mask on. Then I realized he wasn't. I very nicely told him that I don't respond very well to people wearing gold masks, especially those threatening me. He removed his mask and repeated what he said. I smiled and felt sorry for him. The owner returned, told her husband to sit down and shut up and asked for my receipt. I didn't have it. I left it at work. She said she couldn't give it to me unless I had the receipt. I drove all the way back to work, retrieved the receipt and drove back. I got my package and left.

Here's where it gets really, really good. I drove down to FedEx/Kinkos at the Galleria. I brought the package in and filled out the paperwork and took it up to the counter. The clerk measured and weighed the package and said $18.00. I said "What? Are you sure?". Yes, she said. $18.00. I told her that I wasn't complaining, but that Hoover Shipping wanted to charge me $41.00. No, she said, $18.00 was correct. And the "interesting" part was that the package weighed 28 lbs. at FedEx, 8 lbs. less than at Hoover Shipping. Hmmm. How interesting.

Nope, BPW, those people who run Hoover Shipping, who live in Lake Cyrus, aren't as "nice" as you might think. And neither is their scale or their rates.

Title: Re: New Businesses at Shades Mtn. Plaza
Post by BluffParkwriter on 10/27/07 at 10:32pm

bpresident, hope its just the one diminution of forum posting to your slightly hostel tone with what I posted, from your other posts on the forum I am going to guess that it IS and just chalk it up to irratition to the bad experience that you had.

I am so sorry about what happened to you, I can understand the frustration as I said about my wedding invitations being lost. Now the gold mask guy, that is just strange and I think I would have filed a complaint with the police if he got in my face like that.. not sure what good it would do but sometimes its helps. Kind of gutless to do it in a mask at first.. very childish.

I myself have never had a problem at that location, I have not had to ship something as big as a computer, but I have shipped using parasol post or ups and never had an issue with price or weight.

I guess some people have bad experiences in places and some do not. I will keep an eye on the scale the next time when I have to ship something.

one question, what does the owners living in Lake Cycrus have to do with it???

Title: Re: New Businesses at Shades Mtn. Plaza
Post by bpresident on 10/27/07 at 11:00pm

BluffParkwriter wrote:

Yes, the tone of my post was directed at them, not at you. Although it's been almost nine months, it still gets me a little riled up. Calling the cops in this case wouldn't have done any good. They are just rude people. Remember I said that the lady was looking for Mardi Gras cards? I was in there on Fat Tuesday and the owner's husband was dressed up for some sort of Mardi Gras party.

These folks have a lot of money, which is why I brought up Lake Cyrus. Although most people who live there are like the rest of us "regular" folk, these people aren't. From the violation of Visa/MasterCard regulations regarding the minimum charge on a credit card purchase, to overcharging on a shipment. It was evident that I had caught them in a lie with the dispute of the shipping charge and they become rather hostile and showed it by their "better than thou" attitude. Small businesses don't need to treat customers the way I was treated. For that matter, even big businesses don't need to, but a customer is less important to the big business than to the small business.

I won't forget the way I was treated by them. Ever. But I am glad that you've had a positive experience with them, as nobody should have to go through what I went through.

Title: Re: New Businesses at Shades Mtn. Plaza
Post by BluffParkwriter on 10/27/07 at 11:16pm

ah!
yeah you know I know I have used my card in there and it was less than $5. Sounds like they had a party to go to and did not want to deal with you... very sad. :-[

Title: Re: New Businesses at Shades Mtn. Plaza
Post by PharmD on 10/28/07 at 9:26am

My I suggest filing a complaint with the BBB. Don't know if it will do any good, but they may have some insight on who is responsible for enforcing the no mimimun transaction thing. There is a gas station in pelham that does the same thing (I think there limit is $3.00). It's interesting how the merchandise is priced so that the total is just shy of the mimimum limit :-?

Next time I am in the post office I will ask the ladies what it takes to get a drop box set up at the end of the lot. It may be a property issue, but pehaps whoever owns or maintains the plaza signage wouldn't be opposed to the idea.

Title: Re: New Businesses at Shades Mtn. Plaza
Post by bpresident on 10/28/07 at 11:15am

PharmD wrote:

Filing a complaint with the BBB might imply that I wish to do business with them again. I don't. Sooner or later businesses like that will reap what they sow and will fold.

FYI, the links to Visa and MasterCard merchant rules:

Visa: http://www.usa.visa.com/download/merchants/rules_for_visa_merchants.pdf?it=c|/merchants/|Rules%20for%20Visa%20Merchants

It's a PDF file about 2.6 mb in size. The rule regarding minimum transactions is on page 9 and reads as follows:

Always honor valid Visa cards in your acceptance category, regardless of the dollar amount of the purchase. (Emphasis theirs) Imposing minimum or maximum purchase amounts in order to accept a Visa card transaction is a violation of the Visa rules.

MasterCard:
http://www.mastercard.com/us/wce/PDF/MERC-Entire_Manual.pdf

It's also a PDF file, also big. The rule regarding minimum transactions is on page 49 of the PDF, page 2-22 of the printed document and is Merchant Rule 9.12.3:

9.12.3 Minimum/Maximum Transaction Amount Prohibited
A merchant must not require, or post signs indicating that it requires, a minimum or maximum transaction amount to accept a valid MasterCard card.

Bottom line, accepting a credit card costs money. There's a transaction fee, plus a percentage of the sale amount. It's the cost of doing business. By accepting credit cards, customers are more likely to shop in your store. Posting a minimum amount is not only bad business, but it's also against the rules and can get the merchant account yanked, and then the business doesn't have to worry about minimum or maximum amounts.

Title: Re: New Businesses at Shades Mtn. Plaza
Post by straycatmom on 10/28/07 at 4:00pm

PharmD, I don't know if it's a government issue or a local issue, but please check and let us know. One thing I haven't heard any objection to is the drop box. Thanks for the great idea!!

Title: Re: New Businesses at Shades Mtn. Plaza
Post by PharmD on 11/02/07 at 7:16pm

I asked the ladies at the BP post office about getting drop boxes at the end of the parking lot. She referred me to the manager at the Hoover post office. I will get a call into him next week.

Title: Re: New Businesses at Shades Mtn. Plaza
Post by fitgrl on 11/15/07 at 9:47am

I would LLOOVVEE to see a mexican restaurant in the Plaza. My second choice is definitely a coffee place. When MoonBreaks was in the Plaza it was great! I was sad to see them go. I would much rather see a food/beverage place go in the Plaza than another store. ;)

Title: Re: New Businesses at Shades Mtn. Plaza
Post by ShadesCrestDweller on 11/17/07 at 9:59am

I would love to see the area get more businesses. I would like to see my money go to supporting the neighborhood! With that said and seeing that people would like to have a bakery/coffee shop it hurts my heart to know we had a great bakery up in the same shopping center as the hardware store but it was run out/burned out of business. These business owners have had a successful bakery business elsewhere in Birmingham for over 20 years. Some of the people of BP did not make them feel welcome. What is wrong with our community when it feels it's neccessary to dictate the personal choices and life styles of others!

Title: Re: New Businesses at Shades Mtn. Plaza
Post by ronsu on 02/07/08 at 5:46am

Has any interest been expressed by Bakers to expand into the old dry cleaners space? A drive thru pickup and seating would be perfect. When we are in the mood for pizza out, we have to go down the mtn to eat at Salvatores, Tortugas or Sanpeggios. Bakers food is great, but not accessible for eat in.

Title: Re: New Businesses at Shades Mtn. Plaza
Post by ShadesMtnPlaza on 02/08/08 at 3:19pm

Yes. Actually, we met yesterday to have a very light discussion about the possibility of Baker taking over the vacant end cap to add in-house dining, wine & beer service, some TVs and maybe some outside patio seating under the awning. Is all very preliminary , but, its a start.
I think any encouragement/comments to Baker would help him feel confident that the neighboorhood would support the concept.

Title: Re: New Businesses at Shades Mtn. Plaza
Post by Jenny on 02/08/08 at 8:49pm

That would be awesome! I would think they would pack it out!

Title: Re: New Businesses at Shades Mtn. Plaza
Post by Bluff Park Guy on 02/08/08 at 11:56pm

I think it would be a very good idea and my family and friends would support it 100%. I get tired of having to drive down the mountain to go to a cool place to hang out during week day nights and the weekend.

Title: Re: New Businesses at Shades Mtn. Plaza
Post by Bluff Park Guy on 02/09/08 at 12:07am

ShadesCrestDweller-

What are your issues with the old bakery that was up on the bluff next to Bert's? Was it owned by some gay guys that people had issues with? Is this why you feel they were burned out? I'm not being a smart @ss, I'm just curious. Thanks

Title: Re: New Businesses at Shades Mtn. Plaza
Post by Jenny on 02/09/08 at 4:23pm

It was owned by Carole of Continental Bakery fame. You could bring your own wine in and pay a corkage fee. I hate that it burned.

Title: Re: New Businesses at Shades Mtn. Plaza
Post by rlfbhm on 03/14/08 at 11:52am

We need to keep this post going to encourage the owners of the plaza as well as potential businesses to revitalize this area. Think about how convenient it is to hop in your car and pick something up at The Pig. Imagine if you could do that for a cup of coffee with friends, dinner or a Saturday afternoon football game, etc.

I would love to see coffee shop and restaurant whether it be mexican or sports bar type.

I would also love to see Baker's expand as one of the other posts suggests.

I don't know why the bakery did not succeed, but it seems it would do well with all the weddings at BPUMC and kids birthdays. Not to mention family gathering around holidays.

Another business that could do well in the plaza is something along the lines of Smith Variety Shop. If anyone has ever been in that place, the will agree they have exactly what they advertise in the name - variety. They are similar to and old five & dime with everything from sunglasses to candy to stationary to toys. If could be very good for the area, but it would have to be someone wanting to encompass a bunch of different quality products under one roof.

There is discussion about the day care center hindering alcohol sales because of proximity. Could business agree not to sell alcohol till after a certain time on weekdays? Wouldn't that be the compromise that makes sense?

This is just my two cents but if you live in BP and want the neighborhood to improve, please post things you would like to see. I don't want to sound corny, but a neighborhood is not the location - its the residents pride and proactive attitudes towards the community they live in. There are suburbs in cities with terrible traffic and high taxes but people still empty their bank accounts and sell their souls to live there. Why? Because at some point the residents of the nieghborhood took pride in changing it for the better. BP has very little traffic in comparison to most areas and not much room to expand the housing (which is good). Again, add your opinions. Businesses have to know they will be supported. The better the support, the better the quality of businesses.

RLFBHM

Title: Re: New Businesses at Shades Mtn. Plaza
Post by bpresident on 03/14/08 at 2:07pm

Great post, rlfbhm.

When thinking about a place for up there, one has to think about places that we live Bluff Park to go to and why. We like going up to Buffalo Wild Wings for both the food and the atmosphere, so I guess that would be classified as a sports bar. Unlike a sports bar, though, BWW seems to have been designed with both families and adults w/o kids in mind, with a "wall" or barrier between the "section that serves adult beverages" and the "section for those that may need a high chair or two". What's great is that neither side seems to bother the other. Add to that the ability to get free wi-fi, great food and entertainment (TVs everywhere) and it makes for a fun evening. With the price of gas going up and up and up, it would be even more fun if it was in Bluff Park.

I think your suggestion about the alcohol is a very good and reasonable one.

Regarding on why the bakery didn't make it, I think I have a simple answer. We've lived in Bluff Park for over 13 years and I didn't know there was ever a bakery in Bluff Park. Getting the word out probably wouldn't have hurt.

And I'm also on board with the coffee shop idea.

Finally, I agree, keep this thread going and let potential business people know what we want.

Title: Re: New Businesses at Shades Mtn. Plaza
Post by Mrs. B on 03/15/08 at 8:38am

I thought that a liquor license was out of the question due to proximity of a church and day care. I was told that was why the State ABC store had to move.

If they can work out that issue, I think the Baker's would have more business than it could handle.

Title: Re: New Businesses at Shades Mtn. Plaza
Post by rlfbhm on 03/15/08 at 3:16pm

I can understand a liquor license, but what about beer and wine? Are the licenses the same? I'm sure Baker's knows about it more than we do.

Title: Re: New Businesses at Shades Mtn. Plaza
Post by JBH on 03/23/08 at 8:41pm

I wonder if beer and wine could be served when the day care is not opened, if that is the case. Thats when people would typically want to be served that anyhow.

Title: Re: New Businesses at Shades Mtn. Plaza
Post by Harold on 04/16/08 at 11:26am

Some type of bar and grill, a mexican restaurant, a fresh seafood house,one of the new Baskin Robbins franchises they're bring back,a bank branch or credit union.

Title: Re: New Businesses at Shades Mtn. Plaza
Post by galaxiegrace on 06/16/08 at 4:38pm

We need Bert's on the Bluff back! I miss their apples!

Title: Re: New Businesses at Shades Mtn. Plaza
Post by galaxiegrace on 06/16/08 at 4:42pm

The Bluff Park post office has never done me wrong, and have always been cheerful to me.

I wonder why all my life the sign for that post office said zip code 35226 and now its something different???

Title: Re: New Businesses at Shades Mtn. Plaza
Post by bpresident on 06/17/08 at 1:04pm

galaxiegrace wrote:

The Bluff Park post office has never done me wrong, and have always been cheerful to me.

I wonder why all my life the sign for that post office said zip code 35226 and now its something different???

It's been 35260 as long as we've had a PO Box there, which has been since 1995.

Title: Re: New Businesses at Shades Mtn. Plaza
Post by galaxiegrace on 06/17/08 at 1:11pm

I think that is about when they changed it, because I moved back from Mobile, Alabama in the summer of '95 and that was I think when I noticed it. I asked one time at the Post Office but I don't remember their answer... I'm too young for Old Timers Disease!

Title: Re: New Businesses at Shades Mtn. Plaza
Post by RockviewResident on 06/18/08 at 10:28am

A Mexican restaurant would be great!