Can eastern N.D. attract tourists?

   While still not much of a tourist destination, North Dakota has experienced some encouraging results of its marketing efforts to increase tourism from international visitors related to adventure and attractions in the western part of the state, according to the state tourism division. State tourism officials say they have been well received during stops at international travel shows this year in Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Germany, Wyoming, Las Vegas and Australia (the first time N.D. has participated in a travel show there). The state's tourism push is currently focused primarily on its history and outdoor attractions in the western part of the state, evidenced by its "Legendary" marketing campaign. That's great and highlights unique attractions in the state. But what about the eastern part of the state (more specifically the Grand Forks and Fargo areas) that comprise a good portion of the state's population?

   Here's a recent Salt Lake Tribune article, which notes that North Dakota ranks last about the lower 48 states in annual visitors. The story goes on to chronicle outdoor tourist activities in Theodore Roosevelt National Park and the western part of the state (no mention of Fargo or Grand Forks and the only mention of Bismarck is that it is a 2-hour drive from the park).

   During a Herald editorial board meeting earlier this year with local business owners and community leaders, the lack of promotion of tourism in eastern North Dakota was discussed. I know attracting tourists to North Dakota is a difficult sell, especially during the winter months and Fargo and Grand Forks are smaller than most midsized U.S. cities and don't have as many amenities as some cities. But there has to be some way to successfully market Fargo, Grand Forks and Bismarck more to tourists (at least regionally). If nothing else, the cities and their nearby attractions could be promoted as cheap packaged family weekend vacation options (fly in, stay a few nights in a hotel, rent a car and drive around to some attractions -- waterpark, zoo, outdoors activities -- while escaping the crowds and traffic of larger cities). With high gas prices flying or driving to North Dakota instead of destinations farther away seems like it could be a decent draw.

   What do you think? Would tourists be interested in coming to eastern North Dakota? How can North Dakota improve its tourism industry?

Posted by: Schuster80 on 7/26/2008 at 12:01 AM | Comments (4) | Permalink

Fargo mall may add Barnes & Noble

   The Fargo Forum is reporting that West Acres mall in Fargo is negotiating with Barnes & Noble to place a bookstore in an expanded area of the mall including the soon-to-be vacant Walgreens store. If the deal is finalized, the mall would add an additional 12,000 square feet to the 15,000-square-foot Walgreens store. Barnes & Noble would also take over the former Stride Rite and Tom's Shoe Repair spots, making room for an approximately 32,000-square-foot bookstore in the mall. That would make the mall spot larger than Barnes & Noble's current location near the mall.

   West Acres appears to be doing pretty good and despite its obstacles, Columbia Mall is doing better than many other malls in areas more affected the U.S. economy's struggles. But many malls across the country have resorted to changing the way they lease space, adding nontraditional tenants just to fill some of their vacant storefronts and avoid having to give existing tenants rent breaks for not having anchor tenants. Malls are increasingly getting more creative in how they renovate themselves and how they fill vacant anchor spots.

   GK Development has looked at the possibility of adding a larger bookstore to Columbia Mall as part of its redevelopment of the former Target space. Larger-scale bookstores like the Barnes & Noble at the upscale Eden Prairie Center mall in the Twin Cities have been a big hit for bookstores and malls alike, doing well financially for the bookstores and bringing in traffic to the mall.

   What do you think of Barnes & Noble possibly going into West Acres? Would the same concept of a bigger bookstore work at Columbia Mall, offering more selection and longer hours than the college bookstore by the Ralph Engelstad Arena?

Posted by: Schuster80 on 7/25/2008 at 2:21 PM | Comments (3) | Permalink

Season's restaurant building for sale in EGF

   The Season's Family Restaurant building along the U.S. Highway 2 business route in East Grand Forks has been for sale for months without attracting any takers. But the restaurant's owner, who built the restaurant building in 1993 (replacing a Dairy Queen that was formerly located at the site), said Season's will remain open and he will continue to run it. He said even if the building is sold, he expects the restaurant to remain in business and hopes much would remain the same for customers.

   The 4,500-square-foot restaurant is listed for sale for $350,000 on the Dakota Commercial and Development Co. website. But the owner said he doesn't think he will be able to sell it. He said he is looking to step aside and let someone else run the restaurant after 35 years owning the former Dairy Queen and more recently Season's at the same site.

   What do you think? Do you like Season's? Do you remember the old Dairy Queen "Dog House" that used to be located there? What is a business owner to do when they wish to retire, but don't have anyone willing or financially capable of taking over the business or buying the building?

Posted by: Schuster80 on 7/25/2008 at 12:01 AM | Comments (7) | Permalink

Space Aliens plot course for Grand Forks

   A Space Aliens restaurant appears headed for Grand Forks and may open in the next year. While nothing has been finalized yet, a prospective franchisee for the chain has been scouting (probing?) the city for locations. A Space Aliens official in charge of franchising said a few sites on 32nd Avenue South between I-29 and Columbia Mall are being looked at (how about the open spot in front of Kohl's that Hooters was interested in or the open spot between the Village Inn and Arby's?) The chain wants to be near the interstate, restaurants, shopping and entertainment options.

   Space Aliens has expressed an interest in coming here before and has long been interested in the Grand Forks market, but three other restaurant openings in the last 21/2 years has kept them busy. Finding a franchisee and a suitable site at a good price have also complicated matters. Opening a Space Aliens restaurant, with its trademark flying saucer theme, can cost a franchisee $2 million in start-up costs ranging from franchisee rights fees, building from scratch and outfitting the facility.

   Space Aliens has locations in Fargo, Bismarck and Minot in North Dakota and Waite Park, Albertville and Blaine in Minnesota. The chain's offerings include barbecue, fire-roasted pizza and a full bar. Menu items have names like: Wings from Planet X, Jalapeno Rockets, Outer Space Fries, Alien Burgers and Martian Munchies (boneless pork strips). The restaurant's interior has a mix of murals and outer space and alien memorabilia like tabloid headlines of alien encounters. There's also an arcade. My 3-year-old daughter loved going to the Space Aliens in Fargo (but she also likes Dora the Explorer and fart sounds). The exterior and interior of the restaurants are unique, but I started getting the feeling that the aliens from the Mars Attacks! movie were about to jump out and start shooting at everybody.

   Have you ever been to Space Aliens? What did you think of the place? Would you check it out if they came to Grand Forks?

Posted by: Schuster80 on 7/24/2008 at 12:00 AM | Comments (14) | Permalink

Beware of hidden airline fees

   Allegiant Air has introduced limited introductory one-way $99 rates on its new Grand Forks-Las Vegas flights (tickets must be purchased by Saturday for travel through Dec. 15 -- for more info visit allegiantair.com or call (702) 505-8888). Regular Allegiant one-way ticket range from about $129 to about $210.

   Those sound like good prices, and they are, but beware of hidden fees that can add up. First, the tickets are priced for one way, so the round-trip fares start at $198. And that doesn't include airport and government taxes, fees for booking the tickets and selecting your seats or checking bags (which many airlines have gone to as they are squeezed by rising fuel prices). Allegiant also charges for snacks and beverages. Today when I went through the booking process on Allegiant's website, my two $99 one-way fares turned into about $300 after all the fees were added in. That's still a decent price and part of Allegiant's allure is you can get good prices on the whole vacation package (hotel, transportation, shows, etc.)

   It's not just Allegiant. With rising fuel prices and airlines' profits dwindling, ticket prices are going up and more airlines are adding on extra fees. Here's a list of the 10 most obnoxious hidden airline fees. Here are some ways to avoid added airline and hotel fees. While airline travelers in Grand Forks don't have many other options, save driving to Fargo or Minneapolis to fly, here's some tips about finding the best deals:

-- Compare rates using as many sources as possible from travel sites, airline sites and travel agents (kayak.com compiles the results from more than 140 other travel sites and helps you select the best one). Grand Forks International Airport's website also compares when their rates are cheaper or comparable to flying out of Fargo and Minneapolis.

-- Consider purchasing tickets as a package along with hotel, rental car, etc., which can often give you a better deal.

-- Book flights as early as possible.

-- Be flexible in what dates and days of the week you travel (midweek flights are often cheaper). Consider traveling to destinations during non-peak times of the year.

-- Purchasing tickets in the morning online is often cheaper as prices generally increase during the day as flights fill up, according to MarketWatch.

Posted by: Schuster80 on 7/23/2008 at 7:39 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

Grand Forks hotel growth

   The opening of the Canad Inns Destination Center last year was a watershed moment for the city and the region. All indications so far have been that the hotel/waterpark/restaurants attached to the Alerus Center have been a success and have helped lure more Canadian visitors to the area. Before the Canad Inn opened some local hotel and motel operators worried that adding 200 rooms to the local market would hurt other local hotels and motels. Maybe its partially because of Canadian shoppers being influenced by a favorable exchange rate, but so far it seems that there has been enough business for everyone and the Canad Inn's business has spilled over to other local hotels when it sells out.

   A 100-room Country Inn and Suites by Carlson recently opened on South 42nd Street near 32nd Avenue South and I-29. In addition, a SpringHill Suites by Marriott (92 rooms) and a Staybridge Suites (86 rooms, focusing on extended stay guests), are planned for South 42nd Street between the Alerus Center and the Country Inn and Suites. If that wasn't enough, a Courtyard by Marriott (100 rooms) is also planned near Ralph Engelstad Arena.

   Developers say the Grand Forks hotel market is underbuilt and say they have done studies of the market that suggest there is enough business to support themselves. Some local hotel operators think there is enough room for more hotels, while others aren't so sure.

   What do you think? Is there room for all the planned hotels? Will the semi-upscale new hotels help attract more and better events to the Alerus Center and REA? What will happen when the exchange rate isn't as favorable and Canadians stop visiting here as often to shop?

Posted by: Schuster80 on 7/22/2008 at 10:15 AM | Comments (13) | Permalink

No Grand Forks Starbucks stores to close

   Starbucks stores in Grand Forks will not be among the more than 600 underperforming company-owned stores that the chain will close between now and March 2009. Starbucks recently released a list of more than 600 stores slated for closure on its website (see full list here). The closure list includes three Starbucks in Fargo (1601 University Drive, 1310 25th Street and 3402 13th Avenue South) and the Starbucks inside Kirkwood Mall in Bismarck. Also on the list are 27 Starbucks locations in Minnesota, including 19 in the Twin Cities area.

   The company's decision spares company-owned Starbucks on 32nd Avenue South in the Marketplace and on South Washington Street. The Starbucks inside SuperTarget and the Tower Cafe inside Barnes & Noble's UND bookstore, which sells Starbucks coffee, are not owned by Starbucks and would not have been subject to closure by the company. The store manager of the Starbucks on 32nd Avenue South near Jimmy John's and Qdoba said her location is doing well. I know GrandForksGuy posted a blog about the local Starbucks being safe earlier in the week after the company released its initial list of 50 stores to close, but I just wanted to give everyone an update with the complete store closing list and some more info.

   Starbucks web site lists six locations in Fargo and one in Moorhead and five more in Bismarck (including the stores slated for closure). So, with Starbucks paring down from seven Fargo-Moorhead locations (including one inside Target) to four and from five to four in Bismarck (including one inside Target), it looks like Starbucks overbuilt in those cities. With three Starbucks in Grand Forks (including one inside SuperTarget and not counting the Tower Cafe), it looks like all the locations have enough business. One could argue with the pending mega development on the city's south end by the Marcil Group that at least one more Starbucks is warrented in the coming years. But I doubt Starbucks will be adding many store locations for awhile given their over-aggressive expansion strategy that backfired.

   What do you think? Are you relieved the local Starbucks will remain open? Do you think Fargo and Bismarck have too many Starbucks stores? Who makes the best coffee in town? Have coffee shops lost business since McDonald's started selling iced coffee for about $2?

Posted by: Schuster80 on 7/18/2008 at 1:17 PM | Comments (9) | Permalink