The Deleted Scenes - New Toy, New Ride
I screencapped this photo off Twitter a few months ago, of a building in Akron, Ohio: It’s a Tesla showroom—but of course it isn’t, or rather wasn’t. There’s a good chance you’ll recognize what it used to be right off the bat, but maybe not, because there were several standard model buildings for the old tenant, and this is one of the newer ones. Here are a couple of older ones I’ve photographed, also repurposed. You’ll know the answer after these. You can still buy a new toy, just a more expensive one, and a different kind! Like Borders, Toys ‘R’ Us left behind a huge physical footprint of “medium-box” stores, which are increasingly difficult spaces to fill as retail goes the way of either big-box warehouses or boutique shops. It’s no wonder that many of these buildings end up seeing unconventional second lives for retail structures. Of course, some tweaks are in order. “The building is 30,629 square feet, including a concrete loading dock, on 2.79 acre,” writes a local newspaper. “Interior improvements are to include a 20,886 square foot primary service floor area with 10 vehicle bays. Other improvements include a wash area, storage space and a customer lounge.” It’s somewhat unusual to see car dealerships in old stores, or for that matter to see stores in old car dealerships. However, I’ve seen and featured both here! Here’s a former Safeway in Seattle that’s now a Toyota dealer, and here’s an old dealership near Doylestown, Pennsylvania that’s now an Italian deli! In fact, this is apparently not even the only former Toys ‘R’ Us to become a Tesla dealer! Here’s one in Oregon outside of Portland in the works, and Tesla also wanted to open a location in an old Toys ‘R’ Us in Naples, Florida. I’ll end with my usual observation on these things: the land use and the buildings range from unremarkable to poor, but it’s always cool to see something we often think of as disposable find new life. It’s the stuff of placemaking, the balance of change and continuity. It’s only a shame our raw material for that human impulse is so substandard. Related Reading: What Do You Think You’re Looking At? #7 What Do You Think You’re Looking At? #20 Thanks for reading! Please consider upgrading to a paid subscription to help support this newsletter. You’ll get a weekend subscribers-only post, plus full access to the archive of over 300 posts and growing—more than one full year! And you’ll help ensure more material like this! You’re a free subscriber to The Deleted Scenes. For the full experience, become a paid subscriber. |
Older messages
Northern Virginia Tour
Friday, June 17, 2022
Finding fascination in the ordinary
Old City Driving
Tuesday, June 14, 2022
When you close a street, you open a city
Inside Eden Center
Monday, June 13, 2022
What a strip mall can be, part 2
The COVID Neutron Bomb
Saturday, June 11, 2022
It's almost weirder when everything is still there
New and Old #61
Friday, June 10, 2022
Friday roundup and commentary
You Might Also Like
Meghan Markle Just Wore The #1 Color Of The Season
Wednesday, May 15, 2024
The looks just kept coming.
The Best Thing: May 14, 2024
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
The Best Thing is our weekly discussion thread where we share the one thing that we read, listened to, watched, did, or otherwise enjoyed recent… ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
The French Girl Secret To Healthier Hair Just Dropped
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
And it only involves one product.
Sydney Sweeney Revived A Y2K-Era Staple And Made It Chic
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
Plus, EmRata's corporate sleaze outfit, your horoscope for Tue. May 14, & more.
8 Obscure Home Upgrades You Didn't Know You Needed
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
What's 'BBL Drizzy'? The benefits of most home upgrades are obvious and widely known, but these eight small but mighty changes are usually overlooked. Not displaying correctly? View this
Don’t fall for “climate-friendly” beef
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
New FOIA documents give insight into the secretive, industry-funded science behind the much-hyped product. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Inside Facebook’s Free-Sperm Economy
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
What's new today on the Cut — covering style, self, culture, and power, plus interviews, profiles, columns, and commentary from our editors. Brand Logo TUESDAY, MAY 14 parenting Inside
Welcome to the chainification of America
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
Why do cookbooks include so many shots of bare skin?
New from Tim — "A Strategic Deep Dive on TikTok, The Boiling Moat of Taiwan, and China’s Next-Gen Statecraft"
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
The latest from author and investor Tim Ferriss
The Opposite Of Small Town Blues
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
Highways weren't made for people, and classic urban fabric wasn't made for cars ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏