Topic: Dead Malls (Read 13277 times)

DaBigE · « **Reply #75 on:** March 04, 2012, 03:18:51 PM »

Quote from: mgk920 on March 04, 2012, 01:21:23 PM

It did, but the clock was returned to its old home in a small town in Mississippi(?) not long after the mall closed in 2003. I forget the name of the place offhand, but you should be able to search it out.

Well, at least it was saved. I assume the bell went with the clock too? Sucks it's not in Green Bay any longer, as that was my favorite part of that mall as a kid. Never knew it wasn't original to Green Bay.

cpzilliacus · « **Reply #76 on:** March 09, 2012, 09:35:37 AM »

Quote from: F350 on March 04, 2012, 11:40:41 AM

Lakeforest Mall in Gaithersburg, Maryland was put up on the block a few days ago. While the mall is nearly fully occupied, most people refuse to go near the mall. This is due to the transit center in front of it. Criminal activity has been growing without action in sight. It's the next Landover Mall.

350, it is heresy in Montgomery County to question any transit center or any policy that might possibly lead to anyone taking mass transit. No matter how much collateral damage it does.

cpzilliacus · « **Reply #77 on:** March 09, 2012, 09:39:23 AM »

Quote from: 1995hoo on March 04, 2012, 09:53:19 AM

Landmark Mall in Alexandria, VA, isn't yet dead but it's quickly dying, has been for some time. It was originally an outdoor promenade-style mall with two anchors (Sears and Hecht's). Like at the late Landover Mall mentioned up the thread by cpzilliacus, the department stores actually owned their buildings instead of leasing them from the mall. At some point in the early 1980s it was rebuilt into an indoor mall and expanded and spiffed up, though it was never a huge smashing success. Now they're planning to raze it (except, again, for Sears and perhaps Macy's, which bought Hecht's around 2005 or so) and convert it back to an outdoor promenade-style like it used to be.

Way back in the 1970's, it was a major bus stop for the Shirley Express buses running up and down Shirley Highway (I-395 today) (especially in the off-peak hours). That brought a lot of customers to the mall, but the powers that be did not like Shirley Express, and it withered away over time.

Quote

My gut tells me it'll never be a great success. Not a pedestrian-friendly location despite lots of apartments and condos nearby, and most people who drive will just go to any of the other much nicer (and easier-to-access) malls throughout the area. Landmark's demographics are off-putting to many retailers, too. My brother worked loss prevention at Sears some years back and he said it's considered an "inner-city" mall due to the demographics and the major shoplifting problem.

Agreed.

Just because those apartments and condo complexes off of Va. 236 (Duke Street) look nice to advocates of Smart Growth does not mean that Landmark Mall is going to be a big success story.

Jordanah1 · « **Reply #78 on:** March 09, 2012, 01:33:42 PM »

the downtown oshkosh mall was the state of the art parking on top downtown mall built in the 1960s, economic center of the valley untill the gigantic Fox River mall opened in grand chute in the (1990s?)...the oshkosh downtown mall didnt have a chance, and now is mostly office space...

DaBigE · « **Reply #79 on:** March 09, 2012, 01:48:54 PM »

Quote from: Jordanah1 on March 09, 2012, 01:33:42 PM

the downtown oshkosh mall was the state of the art parking on top downtown mall built in the 1960s, economic center of the valley untill the gigantic Fox River mall opened in grand chute in the (1990s?)...the oshkosh downtown mall didnt have a chance, and now is mostly office space...

Actually, the Fox River Mall opened in 1984.

1995hoo · « **Reply #80 on:** March 09, 2012, 02:00:27 PM »

Quote from: cpzilliacus on March 09, 2012, 09:39:23 AM

Quote
My gut tells me it'll never be a great success. Not a pedestrian-friendly location despite lots of apartments and condos nearby, and most people who drive will just go to any of the other much nicer (and easier-to-access) malls throughout the area. Landmark's demographics are off-putting to many retailers, too. My brother worked loss prevention at Sears some years back and he said it's considered an "inner-city" mall due to the demographics and the major shoplifting problem.

Agreed.

Just because those apartments and condo complexes off of Va. 236 (Duke Street) look nice to advocates of Smart Growth does not mean that Landmark Mall is going to be a big success story.

The other interesting dynamic affecting Landmark is the future of Springfield Mall. WTOP reported yesterday that the long-planned renovation (perhaps not strong enough a word) is set to begin this summer with all stores other than the three remaining anchors (Macy's, Target, and JC Penney) closing. I believe I read a year or two ago that the plans involve demolishing the existing mall and turning it into more of a "town center" style development, though at least initially without office space. It will never match Reston Town Center, that's for sure. Anyway, I'm sure the redevelopment of Springfield Mall will have at least some effect on the success or failure of the Landmark renovations.

I go to the Sears at Landmark from time to time. It's still a good place to buy appliances, vacuum parts, etc., and I've purchased tires from their auto center located across the car park. I have the road hazard protection, so I've gone back there with a flat. I'd rather go to Sears than to the Wal-Mart here in Kingstowne, as Wal-Mart tends to be a zoo. Aside from the Sears, though, I can't really see much reason ever to go to Landmark Mall these days. My wife sometimes goes to their Macy's because she prefers that one to Springfield Mall. I was going to go to the Ritz Camera there to get passport photos so I can renew, but apparently the store closed.

Jordanah1 · « **Reply #81 on:** March 09, 2012, 05:53:22 PM »

Quote from: DaBigE on March 09, 2012, 01:48:54 PM

Quote from: Jordanah1 on March 09, 2012, 01:33:42 PM
the downtown oshkosh mall was the state of the art parking on top downtown mall built in the 1960s, economic center of the valley untill the gigantic Fox River mall opened in grand chute in the (1990s?)...the oshkosh downtown mall didnt have a chance, and now is mostly office space...
Actually, the Fox River Mall opened in 1984.

thanks for the clarification, thats why i (?) the 1990s...i was to lazy to look it up.

hobsini2 · « **Reply #82 on:** March 09, 2012, 08:35:11 PM »

Quote from: Jordanah1 on March 09, 2012, 01:33:42 PM

the downtown oshkosh mall was the state of the art parking on top downtown mall built in the 1960s, economic center of the valley untill the gigantic Fox River mall opened in grand chute in the (1990s?)...the oshkosh downtown mall didnt have a chance, and now is mostly office space...

The mall in Downtown Oshkosh was called Park Plaza Mall. I still have vivid memories of coming up the ramp off Jackson to get into the parking garage and the fountains that lined the main corridors in the mall.
http://www.labelscar.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/08/park-plaza-mall-02.jpg
http://www.labelscar.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/08/park-plaza-mall-04.jpg
http://www.labelscar.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/08/park-plaza-mall-10.jpg

These last 2 pics are from inside the mall. Unfortunately, the fountains are gone.

Takumi · « **Reply #83 on:** March 10, 2012, 02:10:44 PM »

I can now confirm that Cloverleaf Mall has been entirely demolished. I drove by the site today and it's just a bunch of dirt. A sign for the Kroger that's slated to replace it has been installed, saying it'll be in place later this year. Comically, the original "Thru Traffic Prohibited" sign is still present.

Beltway · « **Reply #84 on:** March 10, 2012, 07:38:18 PM »

Quote from: Takumi on March 10, 2012, 02:10:44 PM

I can now confirm that Cloverleaf Mall has been entirely demolished. I drove by the site today and it's just a bunch of dirt. A sign for the Kroger that's slated to replace it has been installed, saying it'll be in place later this year. Comically, the original "Thru Traffic Prohibited" sign is still present.

I was about to post about that ... yes indeed the demolition was completed last week, at least the demolition of the buildings. Some of the foundations still remain to be demolished.

The property looks entirely different seeing the buildings gone.

Takumi · « **Reply #85 on:** March 10, 2012, 08:06:42 PM »

The property really is more spacious than it looked before with the buildings there, but I didn't remember the old Thalheimers in the back until recently. The exit road has been ripped up (but the rocks are still there), so unless you have a serious off-road vehicle, you have to turn around on the entrance road to leave. There are also a couple "do not enter" postings so I didn't stay long.

roadman65 · « **Reply #86 on:** March 10, 2012, 08:16:37 PM »

Another thing to mention is the fact that retail drug store chains are moving out of indoor and outdoor strip malls and going into stand alone buildings. In Florida, Walgreens and CVS (the two dominate chains in Orlando) have opened up newly built buildings at major intersections. If one puts one up on one corner, then the other will put up one on the other corner.

24 Hour drug stores are on the way out as the Walgreens in Kissimmee, FL is the only one left in the southern Orlando area. CVS cut back on their stores where they had a few open all night, but Wal Mart in most of Florida is open 24/7 changed that. Even Krystal Hamburgers who were 24/7 for years now closes at night.

Colonial Drive in the Pine Hills area was loaded with malls years ago, but since Pine Hills became the crime capital of Orlando (hence a knickname given by us locals as Crime Hills) they faded out over the decades there. Car dealers are moving away from West Colonial Drive to other parts of Orlando.

The fade is coming to an end. Just like Blockbuster and East Coast Video was big in the 80s and 90s, now has ended due to internet replacing the need to use videos and dvds. Malls came in the 60s, 70s, and 80s as being state of the art and the place to shop are now old and replaced. I hate to admit it, but I shop at Wal Mart because you can not beat his prices! I have no need to go to the malls because of this and you get everything under one roof. Even groceries can be bought at all Wal Marts except in New Jersey where for some reason Wal Mart did not push for this here like the other states. Obviously, NJ has some things that deter certain businesses from going in. They managed to not get the self serve gasoline in their state when nationwide everyone wanted that to save money on gas back in the 70s when gas went over 30 cents a gallon. How they managed that, I will never know. Anyway, sorry to say but this may become relic soon.

Brandon · « **Reply #87 on:** March 10, 2012, 08:53:04 PM »

No, I don't think malls are going away, just poorly placed and poorly anchored ones. Wal-Mart kind of sucks for any real sort of quality, and it is usually the bottom of the barrel around here, excluding K-Mart. Their prices aren't all that good. Meijer, Ultra Foods (Central Foods Coop), and Food4Less (Kroger) have better typical food prices with better quality, and even Dominick's (Safeway) can beat Wal-Mart's sales. On the clothing end, JCPenney, Carson's, Target, and Kohl's have Wal-Mart beat for value with better quality for the dollar. Wal-Mart's only really good for some electronics, some hard goods, and a few other odds and ends. Wal-Mart kind of reminds me of K-Mart of the 1980s or Montgomery Ward of the 1990s. When they crash, it's going to be hard.

As for malls, I say that they aren't going away as the established ones seem to be doing fairly well around here. In fact, the local one is up over 95% occupancy. Stores go out of their way to look for a space around the mall, or in the mall.

Sorry to see your 24 hour drug stores coming to an end in Kissimmee, FL, but that must be a local thing down there. CVS hasn't opened too many around Chicago, but Walgreen's basically owns the 24 hour market. As for video, Blockbuster is a victim of its own excesses. Too many small stores and silly pricing strategies. Family Video around here is still going very strong.

roadman65 · « **Reply #88 on:** March 10, 2012, 09:18:24 PM »

Well we still have Millenia Mall and Florida Mall doing quite well. As far as quality goes, I have to pay cheap at times, but you are right as Publix supermarkets are the best for that along with customer service. That is in Central Florida! Areas do have to do with it is right as Osceola Square Mall used to be booming, but when the area around it declined, that is when the mall (along with the US 192 tourist area) went downhill in Kissimmee.

I was reffering to the fad of the video era, but that you mention it my uncle once told me that if a business went under it is because of bad management not do to the economy. Best Buy is still strong, but Circuit City and Sound Advice went under. I am sure it is because Best Buy knows how to run a business while the others did some things that cost them theirs.

Takumi · « **Reply #89 on:** March 10, 2012, 09:19:49 PM »

24 hour CVS's have increased here in the past year. My store didn't change, but one close to me did. Some of the Wal-Marts around here are 24 hours, but Chesterfield County supposedly has a cap on 24 hour businesses, so I don't know all of the ones that are and aren't. The video store market here has also decreased, but there are still a few Blockbusters and the like. The only independent ones I've seen in recent years are towards Suffolk, where an ex girlfriend of mine worked at one. I agree with Brandon's statement that not every mall is doomed; I think in several cases re-evaluating the demographics helps. Case in point: Southpark Mall. Over the years the customer base has changed with the expansion of Fort Lee and Petersburg Area Transit starting to go to the mall area, and for the most part the mall has kept up with it.

roadman65 · « **Reply #90 on:** March 10, 2012, 09:41:51 PM »

I cannot wait for WaWa to open in Orlando. The PA based convenience store is starting a new marketing area along I-4 just like along I-95 from Fredericksburg to I guess Philadelphia (I do not know at what point they stop going north).

I hear many from South Jersey say how good they are compared to 7 Eleven and cannot wait for the one near Sea World to open. That is a great location as many will leave the park to avoid paying the high park prices and get a cheaper meal nearby.

I know this is one trend that will never cease and that is the convenience store thing.

ARMOURERERIC · « **Reply #91 on:** March 10, 2012, 10:31:15 PM »

One oddity in San Diego that helps keepour malls going: Walmart took over many of the Montgomery Wards anchors, and is now looking at many fromer Mervyn's sites.

The Walmart at Parkway Plaza kinda freaks me out. The structure shakes too much for me, it is a 2 story Walmart, just like the one in the fromer Montgomery Wards at Grossmont Plaza

mgk920 · « **Reply #92 on:** March 16, 2012, 11:53:24 AM »

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=U0&Dato=20120301&Kategori=GPG01&Lopenr=203010801

Enjoy!

Mike
Appleton, WI

KEVIN_224 · « **Reply #93 on:** March 16, 2012, 10:34:39 PM »

There once was the Worcester Common Outlets in downtown Worcester, MA, close to the DCU Center and the Amtrak/MBTA train and Greyhound/Peter Pan Bus terminal. Much of that building and an adjacent parking garage has since been torn down. The Auburn Mall sits fairly close to I-90 and I-290 in Auburn, MA, but never looks that busy when passing by it.

WestFarms Mall opened on the West Hartford/Farmington town line in 1974, hence its name. It doesn't have a food court, but yet still does very well, being very close to I-84 and the CT Route 9 expressway. It already sits on CT Route 71, which receives a ton of traffic. Red Robin, Wendy's and the Corbin's Corner shopping plazas are all walking distance from where the city busses let off.

Westfield Shoppingtown in Meriden is close to I-691 and is off of CT Route 71 (Chamberlain Highway), a good 7 miles or so to my south. It has a food court at least. It nearly doubled in size back in the 1990s, opening a wing which includes Best Buy, Old Navy and Dick's Sporting Goods. There was a Border's book store there. Oh well!

NJRoadfan · « **Reply #94 on:** March 17, 2012, 02:06:03 AM »

Quote from: roadman65 on March 10, 2012, 09:41:51 PM

I cannot wait for WaWa to open in Orlando. The PA based convenience store is starting a new marketing area along I-4 just like along I-95 from Fredericksburg to I guess Philadelphia (I do not know at what point they stop going north).

Wait.... what....WaWa... in Florida?! Something isn't right about that, they need to start building out in North Jersey again before going further south, the one in Parsippany isn't enough!

Roadgeek Adam · « **Reply #95 on:** March 19, 2012, 04:25:58 PM »

Quote from: NJRoadfan on March 17, 2012, 02:06:03 AM

Quote from: roadman65 on March 10, 2012, 09:41:51 PM
I cannot wait for WaWa to open in Orlando. The PA based convenience store is starting a new marketing area along I-4 just like along I-95 from Fredericksburg to I guess Philadelphia (I do not know at what point they stop going north).

Wait.... what....WaWa... in Florida?! Something isn't right about that, they need to start building out in North Jersey again before going further south, the one in Parsippany isn't enough!

Quick Chek is going to eat most of northern NJ Wawas alive. Same for Quick Cheks going southbound. That's why they are building north into NY rather than south.

Steve · « **Reply #96 on:** March 19, 2012, 07:46:41 PM »

Quote from: Roadgeek Adam on March 19, 2012, 04:25:58 PM

Quote from: NJRoadfan on March 17, 2012, 02:06:03 AM
Quote from: roadman65 on March 10, 2012, 09:41:51 PM
I cannot wait for WaWa to open in Orlando. The PA based convenience store is starting a new marketing area along I-4 just like along I-95 from Fredericksburg to I guess Philadelphia (I do not know at what point they stop going north).

Wait.... what....WaWa... in Florida?! Something isn't right about that, they need to start building out in North Jersey again before going further south, the one in Parsippany isn't enough!

Quick Chek is going to eat most of northern NJ Wawas alive. Same for Quick Cheks going southbound. That's why they are building north into NY rather than south.

Quick Chek doesn't have gas. The Wawa in question is around the cheapest gas to be found. They can make it work.

Roadgeek Adam · « **Reply #97 on:** March 21, 2012, 05:38:18 AM »

Quick Chek has gas. All the new Upstate NY ones have ones. There's one on NJ 35 right at the NJ 440 ramp. There are some scattered in places, but I can't remember at this moment.

(Hell there is a proposal for one on 23 in Butler.)

Steve · « **Reply #98 on:** March 23, 2012, 12:35:33 AM »

Quote from: Roadgeek Adam on March 21, 2012, 05:38:18 AM

Quick Chek has gas. All the new Upstate NY ones have ones. There's one on NJ 35 right at the NJ 440 ramp. There are some scattered in places, but I can't remember at this moment.

(Hell there is a proposal for one on 23 in Butler.)

OK, some QC's have gas. Just like some 7-11's do. I still think Wawa can make it. Their subs are higher quality.

roadman65 · « **Reply #99 on:** April 01, 2012, 10:02:57 AM »

All I know from South Jersians that Wawa's food is made fresh to order and serve more hot meals. Almost anyone who flies in and out of ACY stops at the Wawa at the circle before the terminals. Being flights now rarely serve peanuts anymore, get a food item here and take it aboard providing you do not have big bottles for TSA to let you through.

News:

Author Topic: Dead Malls (Read 13277 times)