The changing landscape of Coconut Grove
I find it fascinating how certain areas or the popular areas of the Grove and then they aren't and then they are again, all based on the businesses. When I was a kid, Commodore Plaza was the main area in town. CocoWalk wasn't there yet, Winn Dixie was where part of Mayfair was and it just seemed that the locals may have been in those areas, but the visitors and people looking for things to do, did it on Commodore. Of course that ended up moving down toward CocoWalk and Mayfair in years to come, but now with changes on Commodore, that seems to be back in fashion.
I also find it interesting that Florida Avenue was always a sleepy little street and now with the addition of Bombay Darbar and of course the Bookstore, there are sometimes traffic jams on the street. It is no longer sleepy with more restaurants joining that area.
You would think that Main Highway would be a popular street, and it is for traffic, but not so much for people who stick around, most just seem to walk by. But now with the addition of Panther Coffee, it's the new place to be. One business can easily change the complexion of a street. CocoWalk is working on remaining the main area of town. The new owners have plans, but at this point most are rumors.
I also find it interesting that Florida Avenue was always a sleepy little street and now with the addition of Bombay Darbar and of course the Bookstore, there are sometimes traffic jams on the street. It is no longer sleepy with more restaurants joining that area.
You would think that Main Highway would be a popular street, and it is for traffic, but not so much for people who stick around, most just seem to walk by. But now with the addition of Panther Coffee, it's the new place to be. One business can easily change the complexion of a street. CocoWalk is working on remaining the main area of town. The new owners have plans, but at this point most are rumors.
posted by Tom Falco at 5:00 AM
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2 Comments:
Many ot the businesses (mostly sad clothes shops) on Main closest to Lulus are relics of another era. The new places (mostly restaurants) such as Lokal, Strada, Panther, Vinos, Gamba, the bigger Bombay Darbar, and the terrific Bookstore are the future. Harry's Pizza and the new fish place from the owner of Lokal should be very popular as well.
If the older businesses want to thrive they need to update their look and inventory. All of this done well could lead to "charming" and interesting.
I loved what we called the arcade. Yucky's, The Last Carrot, the Clog Shop, Cocoplum, and best of all, the huge bulletin board. It was the perfect "craigslist" of the Grove. We really miss that bulletin board.
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