Thoughts about Miller Hill Mall (Duluth, Crystal: to move, build, retailers)

[duluthian2008]

It seems like it is a good size site. It would be nice if the got a strip center to be built or a couple of restaurants to be built there. I definantly think it would help Valvolines Business.

[CrystalIce]

I wonder if KFC would ever be interested in building on top of the hill. I don't think they have a location near the mall. I don't know about a strip center. I wonder if the mall would sell to someone that plans to build something that would directly compete with them. It will be interesting to see if anyone is interested. The other location on Trinity has been for sale since the church came down.

[duluthian2008]

I remember when the church came down. I really just dont know what would go in that location where the church was. It seems very interesting to me that nothing has yet gone in there. It seems so far off the main corridor and so close to homes that I really dont know what would go there. Does that land run all the way to Valvoline? I was wondering the exact same thing about KFC. I asked them and they said they want a location over the hill but dont know when it will happen. I think they would be great in Duluth Hill, but Culvers already has the fast food site. I wonder if they would go in the new land for sale at the mall? Is that a large parcel of land though?

[bbtrips]

I think a KFC or something like that would be great there. By the way, does anyone remember the KFC they used to have over the hill many years ago? It was on the corner of Haines/Miller Trunk Highway - I believe they took it out for the Cinema 8 expansion (that definitely dates me!). I just went to the mall today, and really wish there was more 'coming soon' signs

It would be great if the entire space from Coldwater Creek through the Great American would be cleared and high profile retail put in there.

Oh...one more thing - a co-worker of mine said that he knows the management at the Outback, and that they had said the Coldwater site was originally supposed to be for TGI Fridays, but that there was a problem with the liquor license. Anyone know if this is bogus?

[duluthian2008]

I always thought that end cap where Coldwater Creek was should have been a T.G.I. Fridays. It wouldn't seem weird if that was true. I could see T.G.I. Fridays locating at the mall and I thought I once heard too that T.G.I. Fridays was going to be located at the mall. I was looking at a Simon mall in Missouri and they have a little "streetscape" like ours. Theirs though is entirely leased. I still dont get why the mall doesnt try to get a food retailer and a high end clothing retailer to open in the streetscape. I really think they should get something like Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, J. Jill, Brooks Brothers, etc, those types of retailers to locate. The missouri mall had an entire side of their mall as the streetscape. It seems a little weird to me that the Miller Hill Mall has only leased one space in the redevelopment section. I really thought that entire space would have been leased right away. I still think the mall should do what you said with the front of the mall. Kick Great American Bar and Grill and Old Country Buffet out of the mall. Then turn Great American Bar and Grill into two spaces and lease them to higher end retail. The with Old Country Buffet I think they should try to lease it to a higher end restaurant or a restaurant like T.G.I Fridays, Benihana, Chilis, Romanos Macaroni Grill or Ruby Tuesday. If they cant lease it to one of them I think they should try to lease it to a place like Chipotle, Noodles, Panera, etc. Then I think they mall should try to get DSW to add an exterior entrance and also remodel the exterior of their store to a lifestyle center design. The mall should redo all of the side walks in the front, add lamp posts and planters and make it look as if it is a continuation of the streetscape. If they did this I think people would walk a lot more outside due to the large amount of retailers there, I know I would atleast. Also I think J.C Penny should remodel their exterior of their store. I think this would make the mall looks so nice.

I thought it would be cool too if where the DTA bus stop is on the side of the mall, if the mall did a sort of lifestyle center with five to ten retailers off of there. They would all run off of the mall and people would drive down to the end of the lifestyle center and walk through it in order to get to the mall.

There will be another wave of coming soon signs in the fall of 08 so dont be worried.

I wonder if that means T.G.I Fridays is trying to get into Duluth if they were suppose to locate at the mall. Maybe they will be the freestanding restaurant with the Residence Inn, that would be great!

[bbtrips]

I sure like the way you think duluthian2008

I LOVE living in Duluth (my hometown), but there are so many times of the year that the weather is not exactly 'pleasant'. I really think they could transform the mall into a regional entertainment center, much like you talked about. I really think they should adapt ALL your ideas - making it exciting, vibrant, and where there is always something going on. People have PROVED that they will support retail/restaurants up here, and we just have to hope that Simon will do something like this.

Wouldn't it be exciting to see a completely transformed front for the mall with a streetscape like you talked about (and a new sign for heaven's sake!).

So, what kind of coming soon signs do you think we will be seeing this fall? I'm so excited that you said that!

[duluthian2008]

I do hope they do something with exterior of the mall. I also think where the lifestyle center should be, or anywhere at the mall, an AMC should locate to be drawing people to the mall.

They re wrapped the mall sign a few years ago, but I too would like to see a new sign. A sign with stone and nice lighting would be really cool.

Well lets see, Fall, Winter. There will be Hallmark, Build A Bear, Helzberg, PureBeauty, Buckle, Chicken Now and the makeup place, hopefully Sephora. There are so other things also that will be announced soon from what I heard.

[CrystalIce]

All of your ideas are great - in theory. All of the stores that you are listing have leases with terms so the mall can't just kick someone out unless the store is breaking a rule or something. The same goes for remodels of their stores. Also the streetscape and landscaping are great ideas, but will this actually bring people to the mall? Sure it would be a lot nicer to walk around the outside and to look at, but will it make you spend more? I do believe that the mall needs to ad higher end tenants, this would definitely bring people to the mall and they would hopefully spend more. But in this economy, I don't know that many malls are doing a lot of updating and if they are I would imagine that it would be to a select few higher end malls. I have heard that General Growth, who owns the mall in St. Cloud and a handful in the cities is hurting so much for money they may be selling malls.

I had heard back about 4 years ago that TGI Fridays was coming to Duluth. I had talked to a real estate agent that was looking for them and was told that they were the ones that were originally going into the location where Outback Steakhouse is now. I thought I had heared that TGI had issues with Duluth, including the liquor license issue so I don't know if they will ever actually build here.

FYI - Whitehall Jewelers just filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. I wonder if they will be leaving.

[duluthian2008]

Whitehall, wow now I didnt see that.

I had talked to the owners of the site where Outback is and I heard a few different restaurants were looking at that. I heard T.G.I Fridays also but Outback was always the one they wanted.

I think a renovation and addition to the streetscape would bring tons of people to the mall. if the mall got higher end tenants I know many of the people I know would stop going to the cities to shop and shop here instead. I dont think the mall realizes how many people dont shop here in Duluth and venture to the cities just because of the difference in stores.

[sunkist901]

I heard Whitehall was having problems years ago. I'm surprised theyve lasted so long in our mall since their store is so tiny and there are so many other jewelers. Has anyone heard about what is taking the spot where Charter was? I heard quite away ago that champs was going to move into one of the spots by coldwater creek and some beauty supply store was going to take most of champs and charters spot.