Downtown Austin Blog

downtown Austin's real estate and neighborhood blog

THE NOOK: New Bar To Fill A Hole On E. 6th Street

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Based on the TABC application mounted to the facade, 309 E 6th Street could become productive again.  The applicant, “The Nook“, is seeking a “Mixed Beverage-Late Hours” permit.

Prior to some dedicated stewardship from 6ixth Street Austin’s board of directors (notably Tim League’s cadre of creative support, Wild About Music’s Fred Schmidt, and 6ixth Street Austin Executive Director, Josh Allen) all that remained at 309 E 6th Street was a hole – a legacy from the summer of 2002 when the Black Cat Lounge burned down.  For years a chain link fence guarding the site added to the blight around “Dirty Sixth”.

The building’s Houston-based owners, George and Mark Santikos, worked with 6ixth Street Austin to erect a colorful temporary facade depicting “Austin, Texas Live Music Capitol of The World” which blocks the view of building carnage.  That sign has become one of the most recognizable and photographed things in downtown Austin.   [Read more…] about THE NOOK: New Bar To Fill A Hole On E. 6th Street

What Type Of Retail Will Replace The AMOA?

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With downtown Austin’s AMOA no longer exhibiting at 823 Congress Ave, what will fill the void?  Most stakeholders I know are hoping for retail.

The corner space includes 12,000 square feet, lots of glass (fenestration for the urbanistas), and has a nice outside plaza.

It’s clear what is missing from the downtown retail mix: a large destination retail store that appeals to a broad base of customers; rather than a boutique store with a limited audience.

Will us downtown Austin condo dwellers get our wish for a Breed & Company or Target (don’t hate!).  Time will tell.  Until then it’s fun to speculate about how to achieve highest and best use of this great space.

What do you want to see?  Use the comments and see more pics after the jump.   [Read more…] about What Type Of Retail Will Replace The AMOA?

Downtown Austin’s Asian Cuisine Corridor (Mai Thai Austin MENU & Restaurant Review)

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Did you know, that in the two blocks between Cesar Chavez and 3rd Street on San Jacinto, there are four restaurants that fall under the category of Asian cuisine – Chinese (P.F. Chang’s), Japanese (Piranha Killer Sushi), and Mongolian (Mongolian Grille Downtown), and now, with the area’s newest addition, Thai (Mai Thai)?  I’m gonna start calling this the Asian Cuisine Corridor – I’m hoping the name will catch on.

I noticed this informal agglomeration walking back to my house after my first meal at Mai Thai.

[Read more…] about Downtown Austin’s Asian Cuisine Corridor (Mai Thai Austin MENU & Restaurant Review)

Brooks Brothers Brings Back The Brass

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Walking up to the entrance of the new Brooks Brothers store in downtown Austin‘s Scarbrough building, I smiled.

I thought to myself, this is how downtown retail should look and feel.  The entrance has a gilded age grandeur that we’re no longer accustomed to in a downtown retailer.  Big window displays run the length of the building.  You’re greeted by brass doors with elegant hardware.  It’s the details that matter. [Read more…] about Brooks Brothers Brings Back The Brass

DANA – “Spotlight on Safety” Event, November 15th, 6:30pm

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We’ve mentioned KrimeLabb on our blog before – it’s this great database querying, mapping website where you can see the crime that’s happening in different parts of Austin.

For instance, I just did a pull for criminal activity that’s happened in 78701 (Downtown Austin’s major zip code) for the month of October, and I learned that we’ve had 1004 reported incidents, and 491 arrests so far this month.   From a very quick glance, it looks like a good number of incidents are related to DWI / public drunkedness, which, you know – isn’t good, but isn’t necessarily as alarming to me as, I don’t know – [Read more…] about DANA – “Spotlight on Safety” Event, November 15th, 6:30pm