Thoughts about Miller Hill Mall (Duluth, Buffalo: extended stay, for sale, real estate)

[duluthian2008]

Yes it does. But it is 2008 and other malls are competing with it

[duluthian2008]

Did anyone hear anything on the food court or redevelopment of the mall?>

[nateduluthnative]

Does anyone really believe that Macy's will open a store in Duluth? Macy's
is the store that was Marshall Field's for the first 5 years of the new mil-
linium and prior to that, Dayton's. Remember the 70s, 80s and 90s when
the Miller Hill Mall expanded, planned to expand or new malls were planned
(Harbor Square above I35 and "Ridgewood", where Wal-Mart now stands,
come to mind)? I remember the headline "Dayton's wants this expansion"
in 1996 when a planned mall expansion went to a citywide voting referendum.
I dont believe Duluth could support a large upscale department store be-
cause unlike other mid-sized cities, Duluth loses people and wealth every
decade since the 1960's.

[duluthian2008]

Wait there were other malls planned for the Duluth area? Also there was a third mall expansion planned?

[newcastle]

Duluth needs more restaurants that are not fast food or chains. Yuck. I'm so sick of the same kind of food being served everywhere you go. Also, having to wait 30-45 minutes to get a table and have the same mediocre menu options (Tejas, Outback, Grandma's, Ground Round etc.) and then once you eat being rushed your bill and feeling pressured to leave almost in less time than you were waiting to get in!

It would be great if Duluth had more seafood options other than Red Lobster; something like Anthony's Homeport in Seattle would be great.

[duluthian2008]

We do need more restaurants. But I think the mall wouldnt be the right place for the ones you mentioned. I could see the Cheesecake Factory at our mall.

[duluthian2008]

Aluminumpork I talked with someone today about DQ possibly becoming a Grill and Chill in the mall and they said that DQ is leaving the mall due to the high rent. He said they are closing their store once their lease is up. Do you know if this is true?

[aluminumpork]

My good friend is a manager at DQ and works closely with the owner. My friend was offered a full managerial position there when it turned to a Grill and Chill. I guess it's possible that they would close, if something changed within the last week.

[edit] Just talked with my friend, he's positive they're not closing. [/edit]

[duluthian2008]

Trust me I thought you were right, just checking. Thanks a lot you have helped a great deal. By the way at the mall Vanity moved today next to the Old Wilsons Leather and they also are going to start boxing out the old Copper Fox store. I dont know what will take its place. Hey aluminumpork do you know when they will make the switch to Grill and Chill? When the remodel will take place? Also do you know what will happen to Orange Julius?

[nateduluthnative]

Originally Posted by duluthian2008

Wait there were other malls planned for the Duluth area? Also there was a third mall expansion planned?

Yes. There was a plan to build a mall above the freeway between the DECC
and Downtown in the late 70's. At the same time a mall was being planned
in Hermantown where Wal-Mart now stands. Sears, Dayton's and Donald-
son's (another defunct Minneapolis based upscale dept. store chain) were
to be both of those malls anchor tenants. The usual political battle be-
tween Downtown and the "Hill" killed both of them. I read about it from
newspaper clippings at the library.

The Miller Hill Mall was expanded in 1987. A year or two later a strip mall
dubbed "Trinity Court" was planned behind the Sears wing by the malls
owners with two anchors. The City Council voted it down. In the mid-90's
an expansion to the mall with a two-story Sears, Dayton's and several
smaller stores in the current Sears space was proposed. That and a de-
velopment with Best Buy/Tj Maxx type stores were planned at the cur-
rent Home Depot site. Both of those projects were so controversial they
had to be taken to a citywide voting referendum. The Home Depot site
mall was voted down and the Miller Hill expansion was voted for. It was
never explained why the expansion was never built.