THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 18, 1996 TAG: 9602170110
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY JENNIFER C. O'DONNELL, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 148 lines
WHILE OTHER CUSTOMERS shopped for imported chocolates, marzipan and specialty cheeses, Rob Anderson feasted on a lunch of southwest vegetarian salad and a crab cake sandwich.
``At last, civilization,'' said Anderson, a Chesapeake resident, of the gourmet food store where he dined.
There was a time when Chesapeake shoppers in search of gourmet foods, designer goods and upscale services had to travel to Ghent in Norfolk or Hilltop in Virginia Beach. But the trek may no longer be necessary. Chesapeake now is attracting businesses previously associated with the more exclusive regions of Hampton Roads.
``Some of the upscale businesses we're seeing in Chesapeake today wouldn't have considered coming here a few years ago,'' said Donald Z. Goldberg, director of economic development. ``But the trend is showing that they are coming now.''
Luxury businesses are attracted to Chesapeake, Goldberg said, by recent changes in the city's demographics. Chesapeake is the fastest-growing city in Virginia and the eighth fastest-growing in the country.
But it's the type of growth that's really luring the merchants. The new Chesapeake residents are young, urban professionals, which have been dubbed ``yuppies'' by the media.
``If you look at who's living here, it's young, married, educated people, many of whom own their own homes,'' Goldberg said.
They also may be better off financially than their counterparts in other Hampton Roads cities.
Figures from the Chesapeake Planning Department place Chesapeake's median household income around $49,000 per year, significantly higher than the $33,928 median income reported in Virginia Beach.
The increase in household income took place during the 1980s and early 1990s, when young couples looking for good schools and lower taxes migrated to Chesapeake, Goldberg said.
Their migration boosted Chesapeake's household income, which was estimated at only $18,831 in 1980 by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The difference in income means more discretionary funds to spend on luxury items like gourmet foods, fitness spas, home decor and hobby supplies for gardening, golf and other sports.
The change hasn't been even across the city, however. A glimpse at where the upscale stores are setting up shop - Greenbrier, Great Bridge and Western Branch - shows where merchants believe most of the new discretionary income is waiting to be spent.
Even among those three areas, there is some competition to draw businesses.
Western Branch's claims to shopping fame are primarily Chesapeake Square Mall and Pier 1 Imports, a favorite for new homeowners looking to decorate. That could change, if the Virginia Department of Transportation and Hampton Roads cities agree on a VDOT proposal to redesignate the region's interstates. Transportation officials say the shift would reroute much of the area's traffic to the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel and I-664, away from the congested Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel.
That would send more traffic through the Western Branch area, which would lure more businesses.
Meanwhile, Great Bridge and Greenbrier seem to be the more frequent targets for upscale merchants, Goldberg said.
But there's even a difference between those two top regions, said Shelton Groves, a personal physical trainer who is eyeing Great Bridge for his next gym.
``I was on the fence between Greenbrier and Great Bridge,'' he said.
``I found that Great Bridge residents are a little older, more mature and have more discretionary income than those in Greenbrier, who tend to max out on their homes,'' said Groves, whose independent research led him to decide on the Great Bridge Shopping Center.
Businesses that cater to good living do their homework carefully when sizing up the relatively new Chesapeake business environment.
``Before we move, we have a fairly accurate profile of the residents of the area and if they're likely to use our services,'' Groves said.
Those that have made the jump have reported few concerns about success.
Although Taste Unlimited opened the doors of its new Great Bridge shop just weeks before Christmas, the store did almost as much business as the firmly entrenched locations in Norfolk and Virginia Beach, said Connie Weis, Taste Unlimited's merchandise manager.
Great Bridge residents are devouring the store's prepared gourmet dishes, specialty foods and wines.
``We knew we had a customer base out here,'' Weis said. ``Our mailing list told us Chesapeake residents were coming to our other stores. We knew we could sell here.''
Other tony businesses think so, too. This spring, Harris Teeter and Barnes & Noble will both take a shot at the Greenbrier marketplace.
Harris Teeter, a grocery store chain based in North Carolina, is known for incorporating both conventional and gourmet services. Some Harris Teeter stores include sushi or pizza bars among their services. Others have hired professional chefs to prepare gourmet dishes and desserts while customers look on.
Barnes & Noble, a book store chain, has earned a reputation for quaint coffee cafes tucked among the rows of Martha Stewart cookbooks and gardening how-to manuals.
And there are other businesses that grab shoppers with money to spend, such as Pro Golf on Greenbrier Parkway, The Weekend Gardener, which sells trendy garden supplies and decor in its shop on Greenbrier Parkway, and The Bagel Works, a bakery and sandwich shop on North Battlefield Boulevard.
Chesapeake Square Mall and Greenbrier Mall have caught on, with trendy stores and gourmet coffee and tea shops among their lineup.
With the influx of new residents and construction of new subdivisions, Goldberg expects more of the same.
``I hope to see a luxury hotel move here - one that offers convention services,'' he said.
Customers aren't the only ones welcoming polished businesses to their neighborhoods. Existing merchants are just as pleased to see them move in.
``Taste Unlimited will be our anchor store,'' said Delores Kirby, whose shop, Kirby's School & Office Supply, is located in the same strip mall near the intersection of South Battlefield Boulevard and Cedar Road.
``They will bring in customers that might not know we're here,'' Kirby said. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos by MORT FRYMAN
ON THE COVER
Rob Anderson enjoys lunch at the new Taste Unlimited in Great Bridge
in a staff [color] photo by Mort Fryman.
Christina Rogers is manager of Pier 1 Imports in Western Branch. The
business is a favorite for new homeowners looking to decorate.
Donald Z. Goldberg, director of economic development, stands at the
site of a new Barnes and Noble store.
Jim and Delores Kirby enjoy lunch at Taste Unlimited at Great
Bridge.
Mary Fagerlund and Anne Garncarz at Taste Unlimited.
Graphic
GETTING TO KNOW US
The median age of a Chesapeake resident is 31.3 years.
Average number of persons per household is 2.87.
About 73 percent of Chesapeake residents own their own homes.
77.1 percent of the population has a high school diploma or some
college.
64 percent of Chesapeake households are headed by married
couples.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau and the Chesapeake Planning Department.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau and the Chesapeake Planning Department.
by CNB