Northlake: the forgotten business district of metro Atlanta? (stores, nightclub)

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by brent6969

All I said was that it was really a premier mall back in the 70's. It just looks shotty to me.

Gotcha. I rarely go past the anchors and didn't realize it was rundown.

[JPD]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Gotcha. I rarely go past the anchors and didn't realize it was rundown.

I wouldn't say it's rundown. The building is maintained just fine, interior and exterior. Its problem is that it is stocked with stores that do not appeal to the residents of the surrounding area, which is mostly middle and upper middle class, so they take their money to Lenox and Perimeter.

[Big L]

Originally Posted by JPD

Stonecrest? I don't know about that. People in the area served by Stonecrest always had South Dekalb mall much closer to them than either Northlake or N. Dekalb.

I'm not too sure about that. When I lived in South DeKalb County from 1998-2001, most middle-class people that I knew in my area (including myself) avoided South DeKalb Mall like the plague. Stonecrest was completed after I left DeKalb, but prior to Stonecrest I was usually at Northlake or Perimeter depending on what I was looking for.

My mother was still in DeKalb for a few years after Stonecrest was built. By that time, most people skipped the ride to Northlake, Perimeter, or North DeKalb and went to Stonecrest. Stonecrest has since declined, but that's another story.

[Big L]

Originally Posted by LovinDecatur

Last time I counted, Northlake Mall had 14 athletic shoe stores. Need I say more?

Store offerings and turnover are usually a good sign that a mall in declining. I was actually in Northlake the other day to look for a Falcons shirt and I noted that it is nothing like it was 10+ years ago. The anchor stores also don't seem to have a decent selection compared to some at other malls, which is another sign.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by Big L

Store offerings and turnover are usually a good sign that a mall in declining. I was actually in Northlake the other day to look for a Falcons shirt and I noted that it is nothing like it was 10+ years ago. The anchor stores also don't seem to have a decent selection compared to some at other malls, which is another sign.

What makes a mall decline like that? I was under the impression the surrounding areas were rock solid and, if anything, experiencing something of an uptick.

[JPD]

Originally Posted by arjay57

What makes a mall decline like that? I was under the impression the surrounding areas were rock solid and, if anything, experiencing something of an uptick.

In Northlake's case, specifically, I think the fact that they're managed by Simon Malls is a major contributor to the mall's decline. Although there are some residential areas near the mall that are not at their prime, the vast majority of the surrounding neighborhoods are definitely not declining. There's is a lot of buying power in that area, and local residents WANT to shop and dine there, but first,the mall has to offer the things they want to buy. Simon Malls is NOT doing that, even though the community has put as much pressure on them to do so as they possibly can.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by JPD

In Northlake's case, specifically, I think the fact that they're managed by Simon Malls is a major contributor to the mall's decline. Although there are some residential areas near the mall that are not at their prime, the vast majority of the surrounding neighborhoods are definitely not declining. There's is a lot of buying power in that area, and local residents WANT to shop and dine there, but first,the mall has to offer the things they want to buy. Simon Malls is NOT doing that, even though the community has put as much pressure on them to do so as they possibly can.

You have to wonder what their long term strategy is. The idea of driving customers to Lenox and Phipps MIGHT make sense if Simon didn't own all three malls. By beating up on Northlake it seems like they're devaluing their own asset.

[lastminutemom]

Lots of malls are declining. I hear that Mall of GA has lots of vacancies. Anyone know if that is true?

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by lastminutemom

Lots of malls are declining. I hear that Mall of GA has lots of vacancies. Anyone know if that is true?

It's probably in part the sluggish economy generally and the fact that everybody is broke or at least in belt-tightening mode. Plus I'm sure online retailing is starting to dig into bricks-and-mortar stores.

[Big L]

Originally Posted by arjay57

It's probably in part the sluggish economy generally and the fact that everybody is broke or at least in belt-tightening mode. Plus I'm sure online retailing is starting to dig into bricks-and-mortar stores.

I agree. My wife and I dine near the Mall of Georgia every now and then, but I couldn't tell you the last time that I actually set foot into the mall. Most of our shopping is either done online or at places like TJMaxx or Marshalls. We usually only hit the mall if it is something that we either can't get online or at the discount spots.

I work near Cumberland Mall and some of us hit the food court for lunch at times. There always seems to be activity there, but I still tend to see very few people walking around with bags outside of teens and some young adults.