Of course the biggie is that next week is the official opening of the new Alameda Theatre.    I'll probably go into more detail next week, but, Eve Pearlman has posted an entry on her blog saying that the impossible has actually happened.   The gala event is sold out.   Really?!   $100 per person and they managed to sell it out, those are some very very excited people.  I guess that more than just a handful of people were or now currently are supporters of the theater.

Although, I was told that they will be screening some classic films during the event which sort of made me want to go when I heard that Singing in the Rain was going to be one of the movies featured.   Gene Kelly larger than life, that's a pretty big sell.  

And another tidbit from Eve P. the new Borders is open at Alameda Towne Centre.   I suppose this is what they term a "soft opening" since there hasn't been a lot of buzz around a May 15th opening date.  They will be having grand opening festivities starting May 30 through June 1, although I wonder who will bring in the bigger crowd, Strawberry Shortcake, or former San Francisco mayor Willie L. Brown, Jr?  There is a pretty interesting event prior to the Willie Brown book signing though, which features the authors of a book called Cooking with All Things Trader Joe's, which should be a draw for all you TJ fans out there.  From the website, it appears the authors are a more ethnic version of Sandra Lee and concentrate on using just items from TJ.

Finally, last but not least, Saturday will be the last of three community build days at the former Woodstock Elementary School for Alternatives in Action.   Alternatives in Action is moving their programs from Alameda Point to this site and that includes the BASE charter school, HOME Sweet HOME preschool, and the HOME Project.  What is great is that the Woodstock site will be playing home to many other great programs like the Boys and Girls Club and some AUSD resources will still be sited there.   So if you feel like picking up a paintbrush or a trowel this Saturday for a great cause, head over the Woodstock and build a community.

So here's what they've done, which I find completely puzzling.  In the redesign, hey have opted to entirely close off the Western entrance to the building.   That, for those of you not directionally-inclined, is the side that faces the old Safeway building/now defunct proposed site for Target.   So there is a parking lot for people to park, but no entrance as is currently available in the exisiting building.   When asked about this, the answer given was something about display space inside the building and needing the extra walls to properly display items.   Also I think there was some mention about having to hire extra personnel to cover additional entrances in the case of shoplifting.   Understandable, I suppose, but if anything is ever proposed and finally approved for the old Safeway building then it really will stand alone rather isolated from the rest of the mall area.

Plus the greige (gray and beige) coloring on the Kohl's building is really sort of blah.   Yes, Harsch has promised to put lots and lots of landscaping around the building to make it look less like a huge mass of concrete with a little bit of beige brick thrown in for color.  It seems to me that the developer sort of lost inspiration by the time they finished up with everything else and ended up with this building, because personally I find that the rest of ATC is a vast improvement over what was there, which used to be really depressing.   But with the nice landscaping that Harsch has put in and the new facades, it really is shaping up to be a much more pleasant shopping experience, it really does need better stores though and more dining options for those who might choose to stay for more than a few hours.  However when I was there this past weekend, apparent the new Massage Envy is offering introductory rates for one hour massages.   I believe it's $39 for a one hour massage, sounds like a pretty good deal for those of you feeling rather tense.

So, I'm not pleased with "new and improved" Kohl's building, but I suppose it was better than what was there, but that's not saying a whole lot.   And since I none of the stores on that side of the mall necessarily  appeal to me anyway, I won't be seeking a whole heck of a lot of it.   It's just disappointing that Harsch didn't try a little harder.   After this, can they please do something about that office supply store?

In a completely unrelated topic, apparently Alameda Daily News is preciently seeing glimpses of the future.   I have attached is here in case it disappears as magically as it appeared:

If only Don R. could channel his future telling abilities into revealing to us all what future lottery numbers would be.

Borders, the nation's second-largest bookseller, said Thursday it may put itself up for sale and that it has lined up $42.5 million in financing to help the chain continue operations.

Shares tumbled more than 29 percent, or $2.07, to $5.03 in volatile trading at midday.

Borders has lost market share both to online retailers and to discounters like Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and its possible sale was given mixed prospects by industry analysts.

...

"We see little opportunity in the near term for Borders to be sold, with the number one candidate Barnes & Noble not likely to pursue a deal at this price," Balter wrote in a note to investors.

Barnes & Noble Inc., the nation's largest bookseller, on Thursday said fourth-quarter profits declined 9 percent.

...

Same-store domestic sales, or sales at stores open at least a year, were up 2.1 percent from the same quarter a year ago. Same-store sales are a key economic indicator.

The sales performance marked the third consecutive quarter of positive same-store sales at domestic Borders stores, and Jones said it shows Borders hasn't been as hard hit as some other retailers...

It wouldn't be very promising if the Borders ended up closing shop as quickly as it opened.  But if you have been to ATC lately you will have noticed that the Borders location is now sporting a spanking new sign and it appears that there is some construction work being done inside.  Personally, Borders should probably just get rid of their Music and Movies departments and just concentrate on the books, magazines, and coffee, because isn't that the real reason why people go to Borders?   I don't think I've purchased a new CD in years.

And in other shopping center news, as much as people tend to dislike the Bridgside redevelopment effort -- it is better than what was there though, right? -- according to the Alameda Sun, it can now call itself "award-winning" along with other Alameda insitutions.  The California Redevelopment Association will be presenting the City with an award for the work at Bridgeside:

...Alameda's Bridgeside project took top honors in the category "Commercial/Industrial Development."

...

The new Bridgeside Center was a $36 million project with the city contributing $2 million in redevelopment funds to be repaid from the tax increment generated by the project. More than 175 new jobs have been created as a result of the project and more than 30 new businesses have opened in the adjacent business district and nearby Alameda Towne Centre. In addition, sales tax revenues have increased by eight percent in the area, according to the CRA.

Highlights from the Alameda Journal article:

...Officials with the shopping center say they're finalizing plans for an expansion that will go for study before the Planning Board on Nov. 13, though no decisions will be made then.

For about a year, controversy surrounded the shopping complex because of plans for a Target store on the site of a boarded-up Safeway store near the Willows condominium complex.

While Target withdrew its plans, Towne Centre still wishes to expand.

"What they told me is they want to resuse and maybe expand the (Safeway) building for tenants," Alameda Planning Manager Andrew Thomas said. "The expansion wouldn't be anywhere near as big as Target was proposing."

...

In the meantime, the center, owned by Harsch Investment Properties, already has seen many changes in the form of new buildings and new stores as part of a $75 million redevelopment that began in 2003. Among the businesses that have opened within the past year are Old Navy, T.J. Maxx, children's clothing store A Children's Place, a 24-Hour Fitness "Fit Lite" facility and Color Me Mine.

Scheduled to open in mid-November is Bed Bath and Beyond; and in the spring, Borders Books, Nine West Shoes, Massage Envy and Zeytini Bar and Grill.

"We have probably another five restaurants we're talking to right now," said Mike Corbitt, the portfolio manager for Towne Centre. "We're anticipating most of them will be over on the east end of project."...

I hope they plan on something for the old Safeway site soon because it looks like crap.   Particularly with the new facades going up, a vacant building, particularly that vacant building is an eyesore.  

The only thing that kept us from lingering at ATC the other day was a dearth of stores, I know that Harsch is really trying to get retailers into the empty storefronts, but until they do, I think most folks will limit their visits to the occassional pop-in and pop-out to pick up what they need rather than spending the time leisuring strolling through.

And I know that this is dead horse, but can I just say how much I loathe the new name?   The only thing to complete this "Towne Centre" would be a pillory for public floggings,  maybe Trader Joe's and Safeway can provide the produce.  That's a joke, by the way, for the humor impaired.