why isn't Hanes Mall better? (Charlotte, Raleigh: rent, high crime, tenants)

[Gardner222]

There is a neat Mall in Columbia called Village at Sand Hill. It's very inviting and there is housing adjacent to the Mall which
allows walking to restaurants, shops, etc. If some of the department stores close in the future then it would likely be easier
to remake that space into medical, entertainment, etc. It's almost like a planned community.

[carolinadawg2]

Originally Posted by Gardner222

There is a neat Mall in Columbia called Village at Sand Hill. It's very inviting and there is housing adjacent to the Mall which
allows walking to restaurants, shops, etc. If some of the department stores close in the future then it would likely be easier
to remake that space into medical, entertainment, etc. It's almost like a planned community.

Is that a true enclosed mall? Isn't it actually a lifestyle center, with access to all stores from the outside? A mall is enclosed, with access to all stores (with the exception of anchors and sometimes a few restaurants or a movie theater) from the interior. I don't believe Sand Hill is enclosed.

[Gardner222]

Originally Posted by carolinadawg2

Is that a true enclosed mall? Isn't it actually a lifestyle center, with access to all stores from the outside? A mall is enclosed, with access to all stores (with the exception of anchors and sometimes a few restaurants or a movie theater) from the interior. I don't believe Sand Hill is enclosed.

Thats right it is not enclosed. I dont believe anyone is building enclosed Malls now from what I've read like Hanes or Four Seasons. With milder weather in SC I assume the concept works better than an enclosed Mall in frigid upstate NY. For me
I like the concept of a village type atmosphere where walking from my apartment to a restaurant, store, etc. without getting
run over by a car such as at Friendly Center.The streetscaping is also important for me. Some people may prefer living
in a gentrified downtown amongst sterile high rise office buildings and too many coffee shops with 20 somethings, not for me anyway!

[NYgal1542]

Originally Posted by dcbeachlovr

Why isn't Hanes Mall better?

I'm a native Winston-Salem girl, and I visit every so often, thinking about relocating, but whenever I go to that mall, it gives me pause. it's gone downhill, I feel. I dont even know why stores like Williams-Sonoma would stay there. It needs better lighting; it needs to be cleaner. It feels old. Some of the stores, like Belk, are fine, but others are, for lack of a better word, low-class and selling off-brands. Even some of the better brands like Banana Republic and J. Jill seem to be carrying a 'B' class of clothing. I don't get it. There are plenty of people with money in the area who would support a higher class of store.

When I was growing up, it was THE place to come, especially after it expanded past Penney's.

Also, in general what's up with the dearth of businesses for kids -- like bounce places, or My Gym/Little Gym/Gymboree/Petite Ballet, etc. With so many young families in the area, I know they would be supported. I'm sure folks in Winston would rather not drive to Greensboro to enjoy this type of business. They don't even have an Ann Taylor anymore.

I really don't mean for this to come off so harsh, because I do love my hometown, I'm just really surprised by some of this. I know the community could support retailers such as:

BCBG
NY & Co
Hanna Andersson
J. Crew
Talbots
White House/Black Market

I just returned to NY from W-S, NC. Had my first visit at Hanes Mall. I don't understand your complaint. Want to see a really bad mall???? Come to Syracuse, NY. You will see 3 of them. They were located in suburbs and did a thriving business until a man named Bob C came along and insisted on building his "dream" and got his tax deal done just the way he wanted it. So a lot of people go there now which takes away from the business the other malls had. But the new mall? Way over-priced restaurants, entertainment, etc.

I enjoyed my visit to Hanes Mall. JC Penney...... gone from all but the biggie. Sears...... same thing. And quite a few others I can't think of right now because I'm pretty tired from driving all day. I'm hoping to move there in late August/early Sept.

[carolinadawg2]

Originally Posted by Gardner222

Thats right it is not enclosed. I dont believe anyone is building enclosed Malls now from what I've read like Hanes or Four Seasons. With milder weather in SC I assume the concept works better than an enclosed Mall in frigid upstate NY. For me
I like the concept of a village type atmosphere where walking from my apartment to a restaurant, store, etc. without getting
run over by a car such as at Friendly Center.The streetscaping is also important for me. Some people may prefer living
in a gentrified downtown amongst sterile high rise office buildings and too many coffee shops with 20 somethings, not for me anyway!

If its not enclosed, then it isn't a mall, strictly speaking.

[AT9]

I think the only things wrong with Hanes Mall are:

1. Old facade. If the building were renovated to a more modern look on the outside, I think that would help improve its image.
2. Sort of a weird design - I've never seen a mall where a department store splits the mall in half. Makes it feel like two medium sized malls instead of one big mall.

Otherwise it seems to be a pretty decent mall, given the state of malls these days.

[WFW&P]

Originally Posted by AT9

I think the only things wrong with Hanes Mall are:

1. Old facade. If the building were renovated to a more modern look on the outside, I think that would help improve its image.
2. Sort of a weird design - I've never seen a mall where a department store splits the mall in half. Makes it feel like two medium sized malls instead of one big mall.

Otherwise it seems to be a pretty decent mall, given the state of malls these days.

I wasn't designed that way. JC Penny used to be the end of the mall, but then the mall expanded beyond that. Hanes was not designed for a 3rd floor like Four Seasons so expanding out was the only option.

[JoeTarheel]

Originally Posted by gsoboi78

There is also a negative perception about indoor malls. It has been said that some shoppers feel uncomfortable shopping where groups of "inner city" teens roam the malls. It's a reason Four Seasons put policies in place banning people from walking in large groups. The Triad will never see a new enclosed being built again unless the indoor mall is reinvented.

I haven't noticed that problem at all at HM. There is a negative perception of malls in general, but there are many malls across the country that are doing quite well - and HM is one of them.

[JoeTarheel]

Originally Posted by Gardner222

There is a neat Mall in Columbia called Village at Sand Hill. It's very inviting and there is housing adjacent to the Mall which
allows walking to restaurants, shops, etc. If some of the department stores close in the future then it would likely be easier
to remake that space into medical, entertainment, etc. It's almost like a planned community.

Yeah, the Village at Sandhill opened in 2004...Hanes Mall opened in 1975. The Village had 30 years of advantages in planning over HM. There was actually an attempt to do something great with HM back around 2007 or so called Silas Point. It included developing some of the parking lots surrounding the mall with open-air shopping and residential areas that would have connected HM with the surrounding streets (Hanes Mall Blvd, Silas Creek Pkwy, and Stratford Rd) I'm sure the recession killed that one, but it may still be out there and waiting for the right time. I think a building or two has been built and called Silas Point, but not on the scale that was planned back then.

[arbyunc]

Originally Posted by carolinadawg2

If its not enclosed, then it isn't a mall, strictly speaking.

Don't mean to sidetrack the thread, but this isn't true. While the word "mall" in popular usage has generally come to mean an enclosed structure, the word origins refer to an outside walkway or promenade. We need look no further than the Fayetteville Street Mall in Raleigh for an example. This is a former city street that was blocked off and reserved only for pedestrian traffic, with stores and restaurants along each side. It is definitely NOT enclosed.