Which indoor mall is most likely to die (poll)? (Skokie: condos, shops)

[Griffland219]

Originally Posted by edsg25

I'm not really sure why you decided to go with indoor malls since by expanding by 2, Old Orchard and Oakbrook, you would be including all major malls in the Chicago area. Old Orchard are Oakbrook are like their brethren in all ways, save for having a roof, and are subject to the same conditions that face the other malls (although, in fairness, Old Orchard, Oakbrook, and Woodfield transcend the regular mall concept, being more like super malls)

Thanks for your answer. They certainly are major malls, but the reasoning for not including them is that although some of the indoor malls on here ARE thriving, indoor malls are taking most of the flack for declining as a whole, and many failing indoor malls end up being converted to outdoor developments of some form. Plus, if I include outdoor centers, it's tough to say where to draw the line for what is and isn't included.

[edsg25]

Originally Posted by ChiGal7

Stratford square is in really bad shape. There are many closed storefronts there and it's starting to look like a ghost town. I expect it to go the way of Charlestowne in the not so distant future.

Given the location so close to Woodfield, why did they build Stratford Square in the first place. Even crazier, Stratford offered a smaller, subpar Marshall Field's when a bigger better one was a short distance away at Woodfield.

[Griffland219]

I understand all the criticism for Stratford Square since it does have a lot of vacancies and is close to Woodfield (that is its biggest problem), especially with JCPenney and now Macy's going. That being said, the food court and theaters and the whole central area around Sears and Kohl's is still thriving, and it has a few draws not all malls have. It has a Round One Japanese arcade in the Carson's wing with a bowling alley and pool tables which is always booming and is the first in the Chicagoland area and Midwest in general. This draws from all over, and it attracts a lot of youth to the mall. Stores like Hot Topic, Spencer's, fye, Too Cool (anime and anime merchandise store), and Hot Rags probably still do well there.

And they're adding more destination restaurants and entertainment oriented venues. It also has Carson's, which is very unlikely to close given their track record of staying open at places like Randhurst, Woodmar, Lincoln Mall, Marquette Mall, and so on. And with Burlington Coat Factory and Kohl's, it seems to me the mall fills a "budget" segment that simply doesn't exist at Woodfield.

And should Sears close one day, the good thing is it's located just past the theaters with virtually no retail space leading up to it, so it wouldn't cause other inline areas to die. And another silver lining is JCPenney and Macy's are located in a somewhat distant wing of their own, so with Macy's now closing, the remaining tenants there could transfer to the wing that includes the huge arcade and Carson's and Burlington Coat Factory, which would allow the more active parts to thrive. Again, the area by Kohl's and the theaters is almost entirely filled and can get very busy surprisingly, and the food court is full and busy, and should tenants in the Macy's and JCPenney wing move, the Carson's and Burlington Coat Factory wing would thrive too while the JCPenney and Macy's wing could be redeveloped.

While the JCPenney and Macy's buildings may never get filled, they could always fill that wing with varied offices, add a gym, make it a medical center, add a YMCA or something, things for kids, etc. I believe that would help draw people and work with the budget and family oriented theme. Or they could tear that wing down and make it a little outdoor strip. I believe the rest of the mall will do just fine.

I really think Stratford Square's biggest issue is that it was built too large. But I think new ownership is working to right past mistakes, and it can thrive as a more budget, youth, family and entertainment oriented mall.

[pvande55]

Cermak Plaza has been on the skids since they removed the Spindle.

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/6557

[BOBNCHI]

The owners had better do something with Woodfield soon. I was there for the first time in about 10 years and it is dreadful.

Howevet, Spring Hill gets my vote to die off soon.

[Griffland219]

Originally Posted by BOBNCHI

The owners had better do something with Woodfield soon. I was there for the first time in about 10 years and it is dreadful.

Howevet, Spring Hill gets my vote to die off soon.

Dreadful? It's still very well maintained and is the largest in all of Chicagoland with nearly every (if not every) space filled. Not to mention, it's extremely popular with a good amount of higher end stores. It's possibly the "healthiest" indoor mall in Chicagoland.

As for Spring Hill Mall, I could see that. Since JCPenney closed a few years ago, they ended up tearing down that building and the food court and they did build an outdoor accessible theater at the end of the wing recently and are planning to build exterior facing retail soon, but not sure how successful they'll be. But in addition to the theater, they just opened an H&M, so maybe things are on the upswing. I think it was just too large before.

[westcoastforme]

Originally Posted by BIG CATS

No Charlestowne Mall in St. Charles? That place is a ghost town. Sad.

Yep. Surprised this one wasn't bulldozed 10 years ago

[Griffland219]

Originally Posted by westcoastforme

Yep. Surprised this one wasn't bulldozed 10 years ago

Agreed, it's fallen into disrepair too. But as said in the details, I didn't put it on the poll options because the question is a matter of which one will decline. Not which one is the most sorry mall already.

[Master Jay]

I understand Old Orchard Mall has plans for renovating even more so. Since the last post here in 2017, Barnes and Noble has moved it's location, inside. I believe they are in good shape!

I still am a fan of Northbrook Court. In fact, I plan to go there tonight!

[ChiGuy2.5]

Golf Mill just got the greenlight for a redevelopment. It's going to include apartments even. I think this will be a wonderful upgrade!

https://www.golfmill.com/redevelopment/