Inspired by some comments in this thread (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=22815.0), are there any malls around that are still major destinations?
I don't mean just "doing OK", but business is actually booming, they're expanding, generating more traffic, and so forth. Eastview Mall (http://www.eastviewmall.com/), in the Rochester suburb of Victor, seems to keep expanding and becoming more popular. The commerce corridor which surrounds it has pretty much extended to the village of Victor, much to the disgust of anyone who uses NY 96 with regularity. Further, NYSDOT even built a new ramp to I-490 (https://www.google.com/maps/@43.0198048,-77.4409395,3a,75y,190.02h,90.61t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sPZ1vc086Zo96wPtyVIznyg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656) to allow mall traffic to avoid a left turn, thereby alleviating some of the congestion. Unfortunately, the Eastview expansion has been at the expense of some other local malls, like Marketplace, which is rumored (https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2016/06/01/marketplace-mall-reinvented/85184770/) to be transforming into an outlet mall (it hasn't happened yet, to my knowledge).
Also booming? As always, Mall of America!!! (https://www.refinery29.com/2017/08/167217/mall-of-america-popularity-analysis)
Short Pump Town Center, Potomac Mills, and that one in Tyson's Corner.
The King of Prussia Mall outside Philly, near where the Schuylkill Expressway (I-76) meets the PA Turnpike (I-76/276), is doing incredibly well, and just completed another expansion. It is actually larger than the Mall of America when it comes down to available store space.
Malls near me doing well include the Cherry Hill Mall, the first mall east of the Mississippi, opening in 1961. When you consider the passage of time, lifestyles, suburban living, etc, the fact that the Cherry Hill Mall is still going strong after 57 years without convenient access to a full highway is quite an overlooked success story.
Another successful mall is the Deptford Mall. It is aided by convenient access to two NJ Highways (Routes 42 & 55), and hasn't lost any of their 4 major anchors since Strawbridges was replaced with Boscovs in 2006.
In Delaware, the Christiana Mall just off I-95 continues to do quite well, with the lack of a sales tax helping drive sales there.
Many of the remaining Chicagoland malls tend to be destinations. Most of the ones that weren't are dead now and have mostly been redeveloped. Among the malls that have had recent expansions and have planned expansions (ignoring the demise of Carson Pirie Scott):
Orland Square
Louis Joliet Mall
Southlake Mall
Yorktown Center
Chicago Premium Outlets
Stratford Square (not as dead as one would think for the loss of three anchors out of six total)
Are doing fine, and have a good, steady, busy business (but no current or planned expansions):
Ford City
Chicago Ridge Mall
Bolingbrook Prominade
Fox Valley Center
Oakbrook Center
Old Orchard Center
Woodfield
Harlem-Irving Plaza
Hawthorn Center
Gurnee Mills
Quote from: jeffandnicole on May 24, 2018, 11:49:36 AMIn Delaware, the Christiana Mall just off I-95 continues to do quite well, with the lack of a sales tax helping drive sales there.
That tax advantage didn't help the Tri-State Mall further north (& a stone's-throw from the PA border) at all.
In Delaware County, PA (aka
Delco); the Springfield Mall seems to be doing okay. I'm sure the closing of the Granite Run Mall several miles away a few years ago helped boost Springfield's mall traffic.
In my old stomping grounds, the North Shore region of MA; both the North Shore Mall in Peabody and the Liberty Tree Mall in neighboring Danvers, when I last visited there, seemed to be doing okay.
I'm not much of a shopper myself, but the "Outlet" malls seem to see a lot of traffic.
Quote from: Brandon on May 24, 2018, 11:53:24 AM
Many of the remaining Chicagoland malls tend to be destinations. Most of the ones that weren't are dead now and have mostly been redeveloped. Among the malls that have had recent expansions and have planned expansions (ignoring the demise of Carson Pirie Scott):
Orland Square
Louis Joliet Mall
Southlake Mall
Yorktown Center
Chicago Premium Outlets
Stratford Square (not as dead as one would think for the loss of three anchors out of six total)
Are doing fine, and have a good, steady, busy business (but no current or planned expansions):
Ford City
Chicago Ridge Mall
Bolingbrook Prominade
Fox Valley Center
Oakbrook Center
Old Orchard Center
Woodfield
Harlem-Irving Plaza
Hawthorn Center
Gurnee Mills
I do a weekly to bi-weekly run to Ridge Mall, it's actually about to undergo a big food court remodeling soon. But new stores are opening up soon and houses one of last remaining Sears in IL.
Most, if not all, of the Mills properties. The fact that two have a Medieval Times, and one of the two also has a casino, probably helps.
Nearly all outlet malls (I personally never go just to go to one store). But even these are not immune to changes in shopping habits, considering the one in Huntley, IL went belly-up sometime last year.
In northern Indiana, University Park Mall in Mishawaka and Southlake Mall in Merrillville are both still doing plenty of business. Across the border in Taxland, the River Oaks Center is dying quickly.
As I mentioned in the other thread, the Mall at Rockingham Park and the Pheasant Lane Mall (also taking advantage of tax-free shopping, this time in New Hampshire).
Quote from: abefroman329 on May 24, 2018, 12:24:55 PM
Most, if not all, of the Mills properties. The fact that two have a Medieval Times, and one of the two also has a casino, probably helps.
Nearly all outlet malls (I personally never go just to go to one store). But even these are not immune to changes in shopping habits, considering the one in Huntley, IL went belly-up sometime last year.
That outlet mall in Huntley got killed by a few factors:
1. Gurnee Mills.
2. Chicago Premium Outlets (Aurora).
3. Chicago Fashion Outlets (Rosemont).
Same factors killed an outlet mall or two in Kenosha.
Quote from: Brandon on May 24, 2018, 01:24:43 PM
Quote from: abefroman329 on May 24, 2018, 12:24:55 PM
Most, if not all, of the Mills properties. The fact that two have a Medieval Times, and one of the two also has a casino, probably helps.
Nearly all outlet malls (I personally never go just to go to one store). But even these are not immune to changes in shopping habits, considering the one in Huntley, IL went belly-up sometime last year.
That outlet mall in Huntley got killed by a few factors:
1. Gurnee Mills.
2. Chicago Premium Outlets (Aurora).
3. Chicago Fashion Outlets (Rosemont).
Same factors killed an outlet mall or two in Kenosha.
I just assumed the outlet mall in Kenosha closed and was replaced by the one in Pleasant Prairie, I didn't know the PP one killed the Kenosha one.
Re Huntley, I'm surprised it didn't survive, since there aren't any others along that stretch of I-90.
Mall of America.
Fashion Square Mall in Scottsdale seemed be still pretty active when I passed through two years ago. Granted much of the traffic seemed to be there to head to Old Town or eat something.
Woodfield Mall, Schaumburg, IL
Quote from: Brandon on May 24, 2018, 11:53:24 AM
Many of the remaining Chicagoland malls tend to be destinations. Most of the ones that weren't are dead now and have mostly been redeveloped. Among the malls that have had recent expansions and have planned expansions (ignoring the demise of Carson Pirie Scott):
Louis Joliet Mall
Is the Louis going to undergo an expansion, or are you implying they recently underwent one? (I know they added the Cinemark theater complex, but that was 9 years ago or so.)
Quote from: inkyatari on May 24, 2018, 05:02:07 PM
Woodfield Mall, Schaumburg, IL
Quote from: Brandon on May 24, 2018, 11:53:24 AM
Many of the remaining Chicagoland malls tend to be destinations. Most of the ones that weren't are dead now and have mostly been redeveloped. Among the malls that have had recent expansions and have planned expansions (ignoring the demise of Carson Pirie Scott):
Louis Joliet Mall
Is the Louis going to undergo an expansion, or are you implying they recently underwent one? (I know they added the Cinemark theater complex, but that was 9 years ago or so.)
The theater as of recent, but they still seem to go full blast at 95% occupancy. I'm wondering what will become of the soon-to-be-former Carson Pirie Scott/Bergner's building. Von Maur did a lot of nosing around the area in 2007-08 with the Bridge Street Town Center (defunct plan - I-55 & I-80) and another development on IL-59 up by 119th Street. This is a ready-made building, about the size they wanted, in a center that's doing well, and with a central atrium that's similar to ones they like elsewhere. It's damn near a perfect fit for them.
Florida Mall in Orlando, FL is still one due to tourists from out of the country looking to stock up on clothing and supplies before returning home.
Plus you have the ones that live in the US who just have to buy at a mall away from home (many with a mall in their location also) for the heck of it that add to its being popular.
Oh yes, and the Crayola Experience attraction (the second floor of the closed Nordstrom) is attracting many as well.
Sawgrass Mills in the outer areas of greater Miami is a destination mall and is one of the longest mall corridors in the world extending over a mile in overall length does not help create a feat for some.
National Mall in Washington DC. :bigass:
In NC, it's Concord Mills.
Quote from: webny99 on May 24, 2018, 11:20:47 AM
Inspired by some comments in this thread (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=22815.0), are there any malls around that are still major destinations?
I don't mean just "doing OK", but business is actually booming, they're expanding, generating more traffic, and so forth. Eastview Mall (http://www.eastviewmall.com/), in the Rochester suburb of Victor, seems to keep expanding and becoming more popular. The commerce corridor which surrounds it has pretty much extended to the village of Victor, much to the disgust of anyone who uses NY 96 with regularity. Further, NYSDOT even built a new ramp to I-490 (https://www.google.com/maps/@43.0198048,-77.4409395,3a,75y,190.02h,90.61t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sPZ1vc086Zo96wPtyVIznyg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656) to allow mall traffic to avoid a left turn, thereby alleviating some of the congestion. Unfortunately, the Eastview expansion has been at the expense of some other local malls, like Marketplace, which is rumored (https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2016/06/01/marketplace-mall-reinvented/85184770/) to be transforming into an outlet mall (it hasn't happened yet, to my knowledge).
Also booming? As always, Mall of America!!! (https://www.refinery29.com/2017/08/167217/mall-of-america-popularity-analysis)
Isn't Destiny USA (formerly Carousel Center) in Syracuse also considered a destination mall? I was in Marketplace Mall recently and although it isn't officially an outlet mall yet they have giant posters advertising the coming change and some stores have already converted to outlet stores.
In north TX, for sure: NorthPark (Dallas), Grapevine Mills (Grapevine). I'm hearing that the Galleria in north Dallas is still hanging on, but you can tell it's been affected by the malls further north and the shrinking list of department stores out there. Most of the rest of the shopping areas/malls in the area are decidedly local or are not in the best of shape in the amount of foot traffic.
Quote from: roadman65 on May 24, 2018, 06:07:56 PM
Florida Mall in Orlando, FL is still one due to tourists from out of the country looking to stock up on clothing and supplies before returning home.
Plus you have the ones that live in the US who just have to buy at a mall away from home (many with a mall in their location also) for the heck of it that add to its being popular.
Oh yes, and the Crayola Experience attraction (the second floor of the closed Nordstrom) is attracting many as well.
Sawgrass Mills in the outer areas of greater Miami is a destination mall and is one of the longest mall corridors in the world extending over a mile in overall length does not help create a feat for some.
You forgot Mall at Millenia, a mall I can't afford to shop in but lots of foreign tourists do...
Malls in CT that are doing well: Westfarms Mall, Buckland Hills Mall, CT Post Mall, Danbury Fair Mall
Malls in CT that are doing ok but could do better: Meriden Square, Trumbull Mall
Malls in CT that are starting to decline: Stamford Town Center (wait till Norwalk opens), Crystal Mall
Malls in CT that may be on their last legs: Brass Mill Center, Enfield Square, Eastbrook Mall
Other malls in nearby states that are destinations: Holyoke Mall at Ingleside (MA), Palisades Plaza (West Nyack, NY), Garden State Plaza (Paramus, just not on Sundays of course).
Twin Cities:
Southdale
Ridgedale
Duluth:
Miller Hill
Quote from: jp the roadgeek on May 25, 2018, 02:30:54 AM
Malls in CT that are doing well: Westfarms Mall, Buckland Hills Mall, CT Post Mall, Danbury Fair Mall
Malls in CT that are doing ok but could do better: Meriden Square, Trumbull Mall
Malls in CT that are starting to decline: Stamford Town Center (wait till Norwalk opens), Crystal Mall
Malls in CT that may be on their last legs: Brass Mill Center, Enfield Square, Eastbrook Mall
Other malls in nearby states that are destinations: Holyoke Mall at Ingleside (MA), Palisades Plaza (West Nyack, NY), Garden State Plaza (Paramus, just not on Sundays of course).
The one thing with WestFarms: despite being successful, it doesn't have a food court. It also opened in 1974. There is Olive Garden, Wendy's and Red Robin nearby though. I see this mall being the one which helped accelerate the decline of downtown New Britain a few miles south down CT Route 71. Putting CT Route 72 through likely didn't help either.
P.S. The WestFarms name stems from the fact the mall straddles the Farmington/West Hartford town line.
Quote from: jeffandnicole on May 24, 2018, 11:49:36 AM
The King of Prussia Mall outside Philly, near where the Schuylkill Expressway (I-76) meets the PA Turnpike (I-76/276), is doing incredibly well, and just completed another expansion. It is actually larger than the Mall of America when it comes down to available store space.
SEPTA (Southeast Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, the Philadelphia regional transit agency), has a project to extend a transit rail line to and past the mall. Here's a link to the project: www.kingofprussiarail.com (http://www.kingofprussiarail.com)
Quote from: steviep24 on May 24, 2018, 08:57:35 PM
Quote from: webny99 on May 24, 2018, 11:20:47 AM
Inspired by some comments in this thread (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=22815.0), are there any malls around that are still major destinations?
I don't mean just "doing OK", but business is actually booming, they're expanding, generating more traffic, and so forth. Eastview Mall (http://www.eastviewmall.com/), in the Rochester suburb of Victor, seems to keep expanding and becoming more popular. The commerce corridor which surrounds it has pretty much extended to the village of Victor, much to the disgust of anyone who uses NY 96 with regularity. Further, NYSDOT even built a new ramp to I-490 (https://www.google.com/maps/@43.0198048,-77.4409395,3a,75y,190.02h,90.61t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sPZ1vc086Zo96wPtyVIznyg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656) to allow mall traffic to avoid a left turn, thereby alleviating some of the congestion. Unfortunately, the Eastview expansion has been at the expense of some other local malls, like Marketplace, which is rumored (https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2016/06/01/marketplace-mall-reinvented/85184770/) to be transforming into an outlet mall (it hasn't happened yet, to my knowledge).
Also booming? As always, Mall of America!!! (https://www.refinery29.com/2017/08/167217/mall-of-america-popularity-analysis)
Isn't Destiny USA (formerly Carousel Center) in Syracuse also considered a destination mall? I was in Marketplace Mall recently and although it isn't officially an outlet mall yet they have giant posters advertising the coming change and some stores have already converted to outlet stores.
Heh. Destiny USA really, really wants to be a destination mall. Whether it has achieved that goal is up for debate.
The Fashion Centre at Pentagon City in Arlington is thriving. I think there are two reasons: (1) easy Metro access; (2) for whatever reason, it seems to have become a hot tourist destination.
Quote from: 1995hoo on May 25, 2018, 11:11:33 AM
The Fashion Centre at Pentagon City in Arlington is thriving. I think there are two reasons: (1) easy Metro access; (2) for whatever reason, it seems to have become a hot tourist destination.
(2) is due to (1), as well as the fact that there are many hotels nearby.
What about Ballston Commons? It never seemed to be doing particularly well, despite also being very close to a Metro stop.
Quote from: qguy on May 25, 2018, 06:57:23 AM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on May 24, 2018, 11:49:36 AM
The King of Prussia Mall outside Philly, near where the Schuylkill Expressway (I-76) meets the PA Turnpike (I-76/276), is doing incredibly well, and just completed another expansion. It is actually larger than the Mall of America when it comes down to available store space.
SEPTA (Southeast Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, the Philadelphia regional transit agency), has a project to extend a transit rail line to and past the mall. Here's a link to the project: www.kingofprussiarail.com (http://www.kingofprussiarail.com)
Two things:
1. This particular project or ones similar to it (Schuylkill Valley Metro) has been touted out in for nearly (if not over) 20 years.
2. Based on the Project Schedule (enclosed in the link); the project will be still in the planning & development stage into next year (2019).
That said, this project IMHO is still at least 8 to 10 years away from becoming reality; and that's if there's no
hiccups or delays along the way.
Valley Fair (straddling the San Jose/Santa Clara border) has always been successful (273 stores, anchored by Macy's and Nordstrom), and now they are in the middle of another expansion that will add about 100 more stores, Bloomingdale's and Neiman-Marcus, a "luxury" movie theater and more restaurants and will expand its retail space to over 2,000,000 square feet.
Quote from: DTComposer on May 25, 2018, 12:26:36 PM
Valley Fair (straddling the San Jose/Santa Clara border) has always been successful (273 stores, anchored by Macy's and Nordstrom), and now they are in the middle of another expansion that will add about 100 more stores, Bloomingdale's and Neiman-Marcus, a "luxury" movie theater and more restaurants and will expand its retail space to over 2,000,000 square feet.
They opened a "luxury" movie theater at Old Orchard. It'll be a cold day in hell when I pay $25 for a movie ticket in 2018.
Quote from: abefroman329 on May 25, 2018, 11:14:40 AM
Quote from: 1995hoo on May 25, 2018, 11:11:33 AM
The Fashion Centre at Pentagon City in Arlington is thriving. I think there are two reasons: (1) easy Metro access; (2) for whatever reason, it seems to have become a hot tourist destination.
(2) is due to (1), as well as the fact that there are many hotels nearby.
What about Ballston Commons? It never seemed to be doing particularly well, despite also being very close to a Metro stop.
Ballston Common is closed for reconstruction. I believe Macy's remains open. Not sure about the Regal Cinema.
Quote from: Rothman on May 25, 2018, 08:11:21 AM
Heh. Destiny USA really, really wants to be a destination mall. Whether it has achieved that goal is up for debate.
It's definitely trying.
In it's favor, people from Rochester actually know it exists now and are prepared to travel there. That's a lot more than could be said for Carousel Center. Back before it became Destiny USA, you would have been looked at like you had three heads if you said "I'm going to Carousel Center for the day!" (
"What?")
Now, though, it has a lot more unique features than the malls in Rochester, like Wonder Works and the ropes course, and some different stores, too. That is to say, it's become more attractive for a family outing.
The Fashion Show Mall on the Las Vegas Strip seems to be doing well as far as I know. But the mall isn't so much a destination in itself as the LV Strip is.
There are also malls inside some of the larger hotel-casinos, such as Caesar's Palace. I think they expanded that at least 10 years ago.
Quote from: Brandon on May 24, 2018, 05:21:09 PM
Quote from: inkyatari on May 24, 2018, 05:02:07 PM
Woodfield Mall, Schaumburg, IL
Quote from: Brandon on May 24, 2018, 11:53:24 AM
Many of the remaining Chicagoland malls tend to be destinations. Most of the ones that weren't are dead now and have mostly been redeveloped. Among the malls that have had recent expansions and have planned expansions (ignoring the demise of Carson Pirie Scott):
Louis Joliet Mall
Is the Louis going to undergo an expansion, or are you implying they recently underwent one? (I know they added the Cinemark theater complex, but that was 9 years ago or so.)
The theater as of recent, but they still seem to go full blast at 95% occupancy. I'm wondering what will become of the soon-to-be-former Carson Pirie Scott/Bergner's building. Von Maur did a lot of nosing around the area in 2007-08 with the Bridge Street Town Center (defunct plan - I-55 & I-80) and another development on IL-59 up by 119th Street. This is a ready-made building, about the size they wanted, in a center that's doing well, and with a central atrium that's similar to ones they like elsewhere. It's damn near a perfect fit for them.
I think it should be the responsibility of that company out of New York forgetting the name to fill every fmr Bon Ton store since they bought them out just to close them. It was about the dumbest thing I have ever heard why would you buy a company just to close it? It would have closed if they hadn't bought it anyways. I wonder if Dillard's has any interest in expanding to Chicago. They do have a few stores in downstate Illinois.
Quote from: Brandon on May 24, 2018, 11:53:24 AM
Many of the remaining Chicagoland malls tend to be destinations. Most of the ones that weren't are dead now and have mostly been redeveloped. Among the malls that have had recent expansions and have planned expansions (ignoring the demise of Carson Pirie Scott):
Orland Square
Orland Square will be dead by 2025. It's not going to survive at the rate it's going.
-Years ago, it needed trolleys to bring the overflow of people in on Black Friday. Last year, there was parking available in the morning on Black Friday.
-The nearby Toys R Us has closed, so whatever traffic it brought to Orland Square is gone.
-The anchors are all struggling. Carson Pirie Scott is dead. Sears bailed and will be replaced by a theater. JCPenney is on life support. Macy's is still there, but some older shoppers were bitter they bought out Marshall Field.
-They've got competition from Orland Park Place, which is a plaza on the other side of 151st Street. This was once a mall, and it died many years ago. It was revived with a new format and less traditional mall stores.
-US 45/LaGrange Road is starting to fill up with tons of new places. The mall won't be necessary anymore.
Any "expansions" they're doing are just efforts to save it. They won't work.
Quote from: lepidopteran on May 25, 2018, 04:58:41 PM
The Fashion Show Mall on the Las Vegas Strip seems to be doing well as far as I know. But the mall isn't so much a destination in itself as the LV Strip is.
There are also malls inside some of the larger hotel-casinos, such as Caesar's Palace. I think they expanded that at least 10 years ago.
The Fashion Show Mall was limping along for the longest time.
In Michigan, the following malls appear healthy: Briarwood Mall (Ann Arbor), Fairlane Town Center (Dearborn), Great Lakes Crossings Outlets (Auburn Hills), Lakeside Mall (Sterling Heights), Mall at Partridge Creek (Clinton Township), RiverTown Crossings (Grandville), Somerset Collection (Troy), Southland Center (Taylor), Twelve Oaks Mall (Novi), Woodland Mall (Grand Rapids)
In South Carolina, there are maybe 4 or 5 thriving shopping destinations left. In Charleston, you have the Tanger Outlets, which bring in a lot of people from miles around, and Northwoods Mall, the oldest mall in our area, still does a pretty good business with most of its storefronts filled.
Columbia has one thriving mall left, Columbiana Centre. Greenville's Haywood Mall usually is pretty packed.
Myrtle Beach's Coastal Grand also has a lot of popularity, especially among the tourists. Other than that, every other mall in the state has pretty much lost its popularity.
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on May 25, 2018, 03:16:54 AM
Twin Cities:
Southdale
Ridgedale
Duluth:
Miller Hill
I can't say for sure, but it seemed safe to say Maplewood Mall is doing all right when I went through there a couple weeks ago. Also, Apache Mall in Rochester is doing all right as well.
Quote from: Takumi on May 24, 2018, 11:39:32 AM
Short Pump Town Center, Potomac Mills, and that one in Tyson's Corner.
Stony Point Fashion Park seems to be doing well. No massive volumes of shoppers, but no store fronts appear to be closed.
Willow Lawn is a smaller outdoor mall but seems to be doing well.
Quote from: qguy on May 25, 2018, 06:57:23 AM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on May 24, 2018, 11:49:36 AM
The King of Prussia Mall outside Philly, near where the Schuylkill Expressway (I-76) meets the PA Turnpike (I-76/276), is doing incredibly well, and just completed another expansion. It is actually larger than the Mall of America when it comes down to available store space.
SEPTA (Southeast Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, the Philadelphia regional transit agency), has a project to extend a transit rail line to and past the mall. Here's a link to the project: www.kingofprussiarail.com (http://www.kingofprussiarail.com)
Connecting a whole line of business complexes and residential areas.
Cleveland: Great Northern and South Park malls are still alive and kicking.
Akron: Summit Mall is also doing extremely well. Fairlawn PD has always kept the riff-raff out of the mall.
It may be due to size, but how about the Maine Mall in South Portland? At least 130 stores all spread out on 1 level. Many other retailers are a short distance from it. It also is part of Exit 45 from I-95/Maine Turnpike. (Largest mall in the state.)
Quote from: Beltway on May 26, 2018, 07:58:14 AM
Quote from: qguy on May 25, 2018, 06:57:23 AM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on May 24, 2018, 11:49:36 AM
The King of Prussia Mall outside Philly, near where the Schuylkill Expressway (I-76) meets the PA Turnpike (I-76/276), is doing incredibly well, and just completed another expansion. It is actually larger than the Mall of America when it comes down to available store space.
SEPTA (Southeast Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, the Philadelphia regional transit agency), has a project to extend a transit rail line to and past the mall. Here's a link to the project: www.kingofprussiarail.com (http://www.kingofprussiarail.com)
Connecting a whole line of business complexes and residential areas.
Yeah. Another Believe It When I See It project. While the timeline on several websites is promising, with construction possibly starting next year, it's notable that it doesn't appear on the DVRPC Draft 2019 TIP. Projects that aren't on the TIP don't get the funding needed to build.
Also, I happened to catch this in one paper: "The KOP Rail extension would reduce travel time between Center City Philadelphia and King of Prussia by approximately 30 minutes each way." ( http://www.timesherald.com/general-news/20180125/key-milestone-enables-king-of-prussia-rail-project-to-move-to-the-next-phase )
By car, it takes about 40 minutes with some congestion. By current mass transit options, it takes about 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes. So how does this rail line, only 4.5 miles in length and requiring a train transfer, reduce travel times to 10 minutes? Or even a half hour? Answer: It doesn't. It'll help get people to King of Prussia, but it is being vastly oversold to a certain population that will buy anything that has 'SEPTA' written on it.
Quote from: jeffandnicole on May 26, 2018, 10:46:33 AM
Another Believe It When I See It project. While the timeline on several websites is promising, with construction possibly starting next year, it's notable that it doesn't appear on the DVRPC Draft 2019 TIP. Projects that aren't on the TIP don't get the funding needed to build.
Also, I happened to catch this in one paper: "The KOP Rail extension would reduce travel time between Center City Philadelphia and King of Prussia by approximately 30 minutes each way." ( http://www.timesherald.com/general-news/20180125/key-milestone-enables-king-of-prussia-rail-project-to-move-to-the-next-phase )
By car, it takes about 40 minutes with some congestion. By current mass transit options, it takes about 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes. So how does this rail line, only 4.5 miles in length and requiring a train transfer, reduce travel times to 10 minutes? Or even a half hour? Answer: It doesn't. It'll help get people to King of Prussia, but it is being vastly oversold to a certain population that will buy anything that has 'SEPTA' written on it.
I rode the P&W (today's Route 100) some when I lived in the Villanova/Valley Forge area in the 1970s. It is convenient for a number of designations mostly along its route between 69th Street and Norristown. Not very convenient for getting to Center City Philadelphia, as you have to transfer to the subway/El at 69th Street. Over an hour travel time end-to-end, right?
Quote from: Beltway on May 26, 2018, 07:56:09 AM
Quote from: Takumi on May 24, 2018, 11:39:32 AM
Short Pump Town Center, Potomac Mills, and that one in Tyson's Corner.
Stony Point Fashion Park seems to be doing well. No massive volumes of shoppers, but no store fronts appear to be closed.
Willow Lawn is a smaller outdoor mall but seems to be doing well.
I haven't been to Stony Point in awhile, but it does seem to be doing all right. Willow Lawn has definitely been revitalized over the past decade or two. Chesterfield Town Center seems to be holding on fairly well. Even the Sears isn't
totally dead yet.
Quote from: Takumi on May 26, 2018, 12:17:33 PM
Quote from: Beltway on May 26, 2018, 07:56:09 AM
Quote from: Takumi on May 24, 2018, 11:39:32 AM
Short Pump Town Center, Potomac Mills, and that one in Tyson's Corner.
Stony Point Fashion Park seems to be doing well. No massive volumes of shoppers, but no store fronts appear to be closed.
Willow Lawn is a smaller outdoor mall but seems to be doing well.
I haven't been to Stony Point in awhile, but it does seem to be doing all right. Willow Lawn has definitely been revitalized over the past decade or two. Chesterfield Town Center seems to be holding on fairly well. Even the Sears isn't totally dead yet.
The rebuilt Quioccasin Road has been reopened in front of the Regency Mall. That is part of the effort to give the mall a major entrance road point.
Quote from: KEVIN_224 on May 26, 2018, 09:54:41 AM
It may be due to size, but how about the Maine Mall in South Portland? At least 130 stores all spread out on 1 level. Many other retailers are a short distance from it. It also is part of Exit 45 from I-95/Maine Turnpike. (Largest mall in the state.)
It's such a destination because there aren't many of these stores within an hour's drive of the mall. I ended up here once when I went to visit Conway, NH in late October, and it got to be later in the afternoon and everything was closing up. I figured I'd hop on 302 and head down to Portland and do some shopping and have dinner. Of course I get there, and the power goes out. The scary thing is this was right after 9/11, and being near Portland Jetport where the perps of the attacks originated their plot, it was quite freaky.
And near that mall, north on Maine Mall Road, is the Comfort Inn. I stayed at it in June 2017. A Peter Pan bus I was on passed by Bradley International (BDL) on that day (September 11th). It was the last bus of the day between Springfield, MA and Hartford (late afternoon/early evening). :no:
Getting back to malls...I want to say that Buckland Hills Mall of Manchester opened in the early 1990s? Westfield Shoppingtown of Meriden is some time in the 1970s. I-691 passes immediately south of it.
Yes, Buckland is that age. I forget what year it opened, but it was the early 1990s.
Malls are one thing that I liked as a kid that I no longer like. The one I really liked even though it was quite a ride from Ellington, Conn. was the Holyoke Mall at Ingleside. It was like a Mecca of retail to a young teen like me.
All Manchester had back then was the Parkade. I heard it was great if you were into cruising with a Chevelle, but I didn't have one. I still don't, but I'd like to get a muscle car if I get enough money to also keep my wife happy ;).
Holyoke Mall At Ingleside...Exit 15 from I-91, 12 to 13 miles north of the Connecticut border. My brother and I have been to a Red Robin in a small strip mall set up near them a few times. :)
Quote from: KEVIN_224 on May 27, 2018, 08:53:42 PM
Holyoke Mall At Ingleside...Exit 15 from I-91, 12 to 13 miles north of the Connecticut border. My brother and I have been to a Red Robin in a small strip mall set up near them a few times. :)
Meh. It used to be the "big mall" when I was a kid, but with the building up of businesses in Hadley and Northampton over the past 20 years, the number of customers from points north has had to have dropped off. Not sure how far people are travelling to get there now, but it isn't the attraction it once was.
Quote from: abefroman329 on May 25, 2018, 07:52:05 PM
Quote from: lepidopteran on May 25, 2018, 04:58:41 PM
The Fashion Show Mall on the Las Vegas Strip seems to be doing well as far as I know. But the mall isn't so much a destination in itself as the LV Strip is.
There are also malls inside some of the larger hotel-casinos, such as Caesar's Palace. I think they expanded that at least 10 years ago.
The Fashion Show Mall was limping along for the longest time.
The Fashion Show used to be the ONLY mall on the Las Vegas Strip. It had all the high-end stores and was THE place for Vegas locals to do their upscale shopping.
The prominence of Fashion Show began to wane in the early 1990's though. Caesars Palace opened The Forum Shops in 1992, which was the first of the Strip properties to have its own destination shopping mall with mostly high-end stores. There are now several such malls, and virtually every Strip property now has shops and boutique stores within (even if such stores are not arranged in a layout as expansive as a mall).
The destination malls on the Las Vegas Strip now include:
*Fashion Show Mall, 1981
*The Forum Shops (at Caesars Palace), 1992 (expanded circa 1997 & 2004)
*Grand Canal Shoppes (at The Venetian), 1999
*Miracle Mile Shops (at Planet Hollywood Las Vegas), 2000. (Formerly Desert Passage in the Aladdin)
*The Shops at Crystals (in CityCenter), 2009
Also of note as destination shopping for tourists and locals are a couple of outlet malls:
*Las Vegas Premium Outlets South (formerly Belz Factory Outlets), configured more like a traditional mall with a couple anchors
*Las Vegas Premium Outlets North, which is an open-air mall and without a traditional anchor
Besides Fashion Show, the Vegas area only has three other traditional malls:
*The Boulevard, 1968
*The Meadows, 1978
*Galleria at Sunset, 1996
(Of these, only The Boulevard has had significant struggles with occupancy. Sears is the only traditional anchor left, but they've filled in with other varied uses.)
The Vegas area also has some of the lifestyle center-style malls. Most of these more cater to locals, as they are more suburban:
*The District at Green Valley Ranch
*Town Square (on southern Las Vegas Blvd)
*Tivoli Village
*Downtown Summerlin
Quote from: thenetwork on May 26, 2018, 08:44:37 AM
Cleveland: Great Northern and South Park malls are still alive and kicking.
Akron: Summit Mall is also doing extremely well. Fairlawn PD has always kept the riff-raff out of the mall.
What about Beachwood? Isn't that one doing well? It appears Great Lakes is doing ok they are planned to get a new entertainment complex where one of the Dillard's stores were one of them closed. I think it's safe to say Richmond Town Square is dead and it's closure is inevitable as they have no anchor stores left. As far as Milwaukee goes Brookfield Square and Mayfair are still doing well although we shall see the affects of losing Boston Store especially with Brookfield Square that also recently lost Sears. The Bon Ton closure I think was most detrimental to Milwaukee than anyone else.
Quote from: Super Mateo on May 25, 2018, 05:09:05 PM
Quote from: Brandon on May 24, 2018, 11:53:24 AM
Many of the remaining Chicagoland malls tend to be destinations. Most of the ones that weren't are dead now and have mostly been redeveloped. Among the malls that have had recent expansions and have planned expansions (ignoring the demise of Carson Pirie Scott):
Orland Square
Orland Square will be dead by 2025. It's not going to survive at the rate it's going.
-Years ago, it needed trolleys to bring the overflow of people in on Black Friday. Last year, there was parking available in the morning on Black Friday.
-The nearby Toys R Us has closed, so whatever traffic it brought to Orland Square is gone.
-The anchors are all struggling. Carson Pirie Scott is dead. Sears bailed and will be replaced by a theater. JCPenney is on life support. Macy's is still there, but some older shoppers were bitter they bought out Marshall Field.
-They've got competition from Orland Park Place, which is a plaza on the other side of 151st Street. This was once a mall, and it died many years ago. It was revived with a new format and less traditional mall stores.
-US 45/LaGrange Road is starting to fill up with tons of new places. The mall won't be necessary anymore.
Any "expansions" they're doing are just efforts to save it. They won't work.
But the fact they can replace Sears with something instead of just having it sit there empty is a good sign. With the changing times I think having some kind of entertainment in malls will be key to their survival. I would think the booming La Grange Rd would help the mall not hurt it. Many malls have failed like Jamestown mall in the St Louis area becasue there was nothing else around it.
Northgate Mall in Seattle is doing okay... but the owners are planning an expansion putting upper floors in, and they're going to be office space and condos, not more retail.
Don't forget the West Edmonton Mall, Canadian precursor to the Mall of America. First time I was there in 1994, it was dying, with duplicate department stores in different parts of the mall (from chain mergers where the new companies couldn't find someone else to take the excess stores off their hands), and car dealerships with satellite showrooms in the mall. All that went away by my more recent visits the past few years.
You can buy WEM postcards there (with some digging), which I mailed to some of my more shopaholic relatives.
Quote from: dvferyance on May 29, 2018, 01:24:17 PM
Quote from: thenetwork on May 26, 2018, 08:44:37 AM
Cleveland: Great Northern and South Park malls are still alive and kicking.
Akron: Summit Mall is also doing extremely well. Fairlawn PD has always kept the riff-raff out of the mall.
What about Beachwood? Isn't that one doing well? It appears Great Lakes is doing ok they are planned to get a new entertainment complex where one of the Dillard's stores were one of them closed. I think it's safe to say Richmond Town Square is dead and it's closure is inevitable as they have no anchor stores left. As far as Milwaukee goes Brookfield Square and Mayfair are still doing well although we shall see the affects of losing Boston Store especially with Brookfield Square that also recently lost Sears. The Bon Ton closure I think was most detrimental to Milwaukee than anyone else.
Beachwood Place is a higher-end mall, and not your blue collar mall with nary a lower-end ( Sears, JCP, Kohls, or Target) department store as an anchor. They have had a couple of riots break out over the last couple of years there.
Great Lakes Mall may be doing OK, but their set up with the former Mentor Mall-turned shopping strip across the street makes it look more empty than what it might be. I did poke into GLM a couple of years ago on a Friday night, and it wasn't that busy.
Unlike Great Northern and SouthPark, Great Lakes is not conveniently accessible to a freeway -- one has to take at least a couple of local streets for a few miles to reach it. Despite the lack of direct interstate connection, it really is the strongest and only "stereotypical" (not high-end) mall on the East Side of Cleveland. And once Richmond Town Center closes up shop, it will only be Great Lakes and, if you can afford it, Beachwood Place as your two indoor malls.
Article I just found on dying malls:
https://americanaffairsjournal.org/2018/05/shopping-for-the-sublime/
Bumping this thread as it got linked to another one.
In Columbus, both Easton and Polaris were very busy last I went there (both sometime in 2021). Easton is an outdoor mall (or "lifestyle center), and from what I heard, those have more appeal than traditional indoor malls. And bonus points for the Lego Discovery Center there, drawing additional non-shopping traffic in. Lots of upscale stores with better dining options than the average mall food court at both malls.
The malls I been to in the Philippines are destinations.
Here is a shot from Tour from home TV where he just filmed a mall that has a grand opening in the Cavite area. Yes for us Americans this looks like a time warp from the 1990's but the video was filmed in this decade the 2020's.