Is the Chippewa boom fading or is it undergoing a cyclical turn-over in ownership? Four Chippewa area bar businesses are currently for sale (Tantra, Utopia, Jade and Area 42) and two others have either been sold or have been taken off the market. The Chippewa strip, the long-running drinking destination for the younger crowd, is far from fizzling out, but the number of bars catering to the same student and twenty-something clientele may have grown too large. New ownership and investment is great, but it may be an ideal time for reinvention and some diversity in Chippewa's offerings.
Most of the existing bars have undergone renovations every few years. The process of renovations and name changes has not required inventing something new. It has typically meant rediscovering what has been successful in the past and casting it in a new light. But now we're seeing some failures as the number of bars chasing the same demographic has increased.
Chippewa still has a thriving restaurant/bar/coffee scene, but shopping is non-existent and restaurant options are few. Among the hottest trends in retail is "shoppertainment." Shoppertainment combines apparel and fashion with food and entertainment as equal elements. The addition of shops, bistros, cafes and restaurants would make Chippewa multi-dimensional with street life throughout the day. Many of us who 'grew out' of Chippewa's party scene are looking for a reason to go back. With a growing downtown population, a vibrant cultural, eating, drinking, shopping and entertainment district may finally be within reach. Salsaritas may be first in a new wave of investment on Chippewa.
Is retail next?