My idea from the day Bloom closed has been to turn that into a roller skating rink. I think it would be a perfect location and would draw a lot of people. The closest ones are Purcellville and Manassas. We have so many kids in Ashburn alone, I think it would do great. I just need a millionaire to back my idea. :)

One of the wishes I have heard a number of folks express has been to put a Trader Joe's in the Bloom space. Many folks seem to like that store.

Trader Joes

Trader Joes!!!

OK, two good ideas so far. I can say this about Trader Joe's, unfortunately. Loudoun Commissioner of the Revenue Bob Wertz told me he tried to contact Trader Joe's about the space and they were not interested. The Dulles Town Center has also tried to attract them, but were told no. Maybe they'll reconsider? That name comes up a lot around here.

Trader Joes Location request page:
http://www.traderjoes.com/about/location-requests-form.asp

Trader Joes. And if they're not available then... Trader Joes!

Barnes & Noble bookstore would be great

Radiocats: I'm hoping to get to that store in a future post. Thanks for the suggestion. Does anyone else have suggestions for empty spaces to feature here?

I'll have to see if I can find anything out about the Borders site Stacy S. mentioned for Trader Joe's. Clearly the store has some demand in Loudoun.

It is upsetting seeing the Belmont Greene strip mall a ghost town -- in the beginning it seemed to be flourishing. But unfortunately Loudoun County "powers-that-be" continue to allow more and more strip malls to be built--which of course does not allow the existing ones to thrive and stay in business. I'm not sure anything at this point will survive there. But I'm hoping I'm wrong for the sake of the existing businesses already there and for the Ashburn community.

Maybe a permanent, community-owned, indoor farmer's market? Is there any precedent out there for the feasibility of such a thing? Maybe the landlords of the building would take an extreme discount as opposed to letting the place sit unoccupied and moldering? It could be a mecca of "locally-grown" food and goods, who knows?

Trader Joe's or Whole Foods!!!!!

I think Whole Foods would be a draw to the location. If we're going to have yet another grocery store, it needs to be one that will get people to go out of their way to come to Belmont Greene. I'd rather see an indoor skate park/bike park. Something you could do with your kids would be a great use for that site. I don't think we need another grocery store. You can't swing a dead cat without hitting a store.

Indoor Skating ring. Would be a great idea for the whole family to go.

They should have an Ikea, the closest one is in Woodbridge, more than an hour away. With all the new construction in Ashburn and all the older homes, I think it would work. I love Ikea.

LOVE the skating rink idea! The space is big enough to have several rinks... one for little kids & their parents and then one for the older kids/adults. Also, not sure this is the best location for it, but I would LOVE to see Loudoun get a Children's Museum! (Like the one in Richmond!) How great would that be? There are so many kids around here and it would be a great place for local fieldtrips for the schools.

Ikea....good idea....Then there would be jobs for the people in Ashburn area :-)

I always thought a children's exploration museum would be a great way to fill the space over in Belmont Greene. Piggybacking off the idea of the farmer's market, perhaps a theme around our local farms and produce. Something fun as well as educational. This could integrate nicely with using this space as an indoor home for the Loudoun Farmer's Market (as mentioned above)

Live in Belmont Greene and walk pass that empty space on my morning walks. An indoor farmers market is a great idea. Originally from PA, I enjoye going to Philly's Reading Terminal (which has a few Amish stands). With so many grocery stores and restaurants in Ashburn this might be a hard location. Same with Trader Joe's. As popular and dedicated their customers, it's not a visible location as "Ashburn Mom" mentioned. With so many kids and so few indoor activities, a skating rink or children's museum might work. Perhaps Belmont Greene's HOA could reach out to to the Purcellville and Manassas skating rink owners and ask if they are interested in opening another location. I also saw the Children's Science Center is looking for a 40,000sf location. This space would fit that requirement . . . and it's in the heart of kid county (as I refer to Loudoun), just off the Toll Road or Rt. 7. http://www.thechildrenssciencecenter.org/about_us.html

Whole foods. Traders joe.

Should tear it down and plant more trees