HomeNews Blacksburg strip mall isn't the usual lineup
Blacksburg strip mall isn't the usual lineup
By
Feb. 24th,
2008,
The Roanoke
Times, http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/columns/wb/151980
Strip malls are
supposed to be interchangeable, homogenous retail wastelands that destroy a
town's character.
But the tenants
in the new strip mall component of the University Mall actually have that
down-home global synergy that makes Blacksburg
such a neat town to begin with.
Well, Quiznos
and RePlay Games are hardly unique, but they certainly fit pressing needs of
the thousands of college students who march constantly to and from the nearby
Math Emporium. (To say nothing of the squadrons of workers in the new office
building attached to the mall.)
Since these massive
chains need no help from me to rake in dollars, let's scoot on down the strip
where a home-decorating shop and a Web startup are sandwiched between an
international grocery and a barbecue joint.
Crea8tive
Expressions offers furnishings to the home decorator, especially those
decorators whose tastes lean toward the orange and maroon. Next door, there's
some sort of base for Mailtrust, formerly Webmail.us.
What with a lack of exterior signs, it's unclear what goes on inside, although
a pingpong table offers a nostalgic reminder of the heady days of the first Web
boom.
On either side
of these businesses, we have the yin and the yang of foodstuffs -- barbecue and
tofu mix.
Global Foods is
a place to get pita bread, rice, curries, Korean noodles and such while
listening to groovy world music. By my reckoning, it's the third international
grocery in Blacksburg,
but I imagine that carless international students who live on the mall side of
town are happy to see it.
Similarly, Log
Cabin BBQ is quite a bit like Pee-Wee's Pit in downtown Blacksburg. They're both small chains with a
simple, picnic-type atmosphere, and they both serve really tasty barbecue. But
if you're a hungry, bus-riding student who's just stumbled out of a session at
the Math Emporium, downtown Blacksburg
is a long way away. And the Log Cabin is right there with its country music and
hush puppies and sweet tea.
Bottom line: The diverse new lineup at the University
Mall is a welcome addition to the west side of town.
