Alec Depcynski, a staff writer for BizSense, has put some shoe leather into his reporting on business conditions in Carytown. By his count, 22 of the 164 store fronts in the Cary Street retail corridor are vacant – making a vacancy rate of 13 percent.
Using a Thalhimer retail report as a yardstick, he concludes, that's higher than every single submarket in the Richmond region. Vacancy rates range from 3.1 percent in the Regency area to 8.2 percent in the Willow Lawn submarket.
But no one seems alarmed. Frances Daniel, owner of Mrs. Marshall's Carytown Café, said, "There's always turnover. That's the one thing about this area ... People are always going in" and filling up the vacant buildings. Businesses will always be buying space in Carytown because of its history and its vibe, she told Depcynski. "It's still the coolest shopping district around."
Bacon's bottom line: I agree. I live halfway between the Regency Mall and Stony Point Fashion Park, but neither can hold a candle to Carytown.