What Retail Would You Bring to Huntsville? (Birmingham, Tuscaloosa: transplants, outlet malls)

[A&M Bulldawg]

I think that Juicy Couture is probably the better "high-end" retailer that's at BridgeStreet. (my opinion)

[djmaxwell]

Originally Posted by A&M Bulldawg

Arden B
West Elm
Crate & Barrel
B Moss
Homegoods
Sephora
Bakers
Hollister
Fresh Market/Whole Foods
Coach
H&M
Guess?
Uban Outfitters
BCBG
Saks
Armani Excahnge
Ed Hardy
Polo Store
Nike town/Nike store
Nine West
Forever 21
Stride Rite
Aldo
MAC Cosmetics
Panera Bread
Kenneth Cole
Macy's
Diesel
Nordstrom/Neiman & Marcus (why not?)
Dunkin Donuts
California Pizza Kitchen
Rainforest Cafe
Joe's Crab Shack
Hard Rock Cafe
Bahama Breeze
McCormick & Schmicks Seafood Restaurant
Chipotle


All of these stores should have a presence in Huntsville. Either these stores could be nice additions to Bridgestreet, or one of the large proposed shopping centers can include these stores. They could also be put in Madison Square Mall. An IKEA could be a great addition to Bridgestreet as well. How can we make this happen?

Didn't review the entire list, but we already have Panera and Fresh Market.

Consider this. These places are in the business of transferring money from your wallet to theirs. If they thought they could do that, they would be here.

[DavidH74]

Originally Posted by Huntsville_secede

Yeah that's true places like Coach/Aldo would have fared better than Kate Spade/Juicy Coture..its not a completely horrible list I just like to mess with KE but its not happening anytime soon our reputation is going to take a hit from what's happening at bridgestreet they shot too high. I've bought items at Aldo before, and California Pizza kitchen should have been here in the first place instead of Dolce group.

I know, Huntsville Secede.

I, too, agree about Coach and CPK.

Once again, I think OUTSIDE of the economy, which DOES affect us, even if on a much smaller scale comparatively, we are having growing pains in Huntsville. Ten years ago, we didn't even have Target. And, it's alot to absorb. The Dolce group is a mismanaged operation -- no doubt. I don't think Ruth's Chris has problems. I don't think Grille 29 is having problems. Dolce/Ketchup is just all about image and very little about quality.
BUT, if you look at the whole spectrum of restaurants, I don't think even Panera does great here. I think it's "safe" -- it does okay. But, you go most anywhere else and Panera is a "hub" of activity -- humming with people, for breakfast and lunch anyway. Ours is...eh...slightly busy at times, but mostly not jumping in the least. I think we've stretched our limits with "supply and demand".
I think Homegoods will come eventually. There's enough ads. It was supposed to go at that Winchester development. Macys is always rumored. Isn't Forever 21 in the old Gap space at Parkway Place already?
I know there are more things we will eventually attract, but...and this is where KE really never gets it -- with Parkway Place being at a real turning point (not going to trash it -- it still has Abercrombie, Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn, a higher-end Belk (not Parisian, but oh well), Chicos, Ann Taylor, and other respectable, upscale stores. But, it's lost alot of ground since its reopening and now. I'm not going to trash Madison Sq either. But...we all know THAT story. Bridge Street is not even two years old, and was probably at a crossroads BEFORE it opened based on poor decisions, bad luck, bad economy. We have THREE developments that underserve us in one way or another (or totally). Anyone who even hopes for one of these "Water" developments to happen is NUTS. I really think anything else new only hurts what is already here MORE than it is already hurting and bleeding. And, something KE doesn't get (AMONG OTHERS) is that retailers stick together. Some retailers have commitments that they'd only come if...Kate Spade...came. It's risk abatment. When one leaves, it CAN start a domino effect. AND, the third thing (as I said before) that isn't fully heard is that once these places close, they aren't coming back. AND, someone new even considering to enter the market, MAY consider at some level that a Kate Spade or a Juicy was a bad tenant mix for the area, but they will MOSTLY focus on thier not succeeding. Period.
We need to make sure our Panera that we have stays open before we start dreaming of Huntsville offering all that...Nashville has...AND MORE (even Nashville doesn't have Crate and Barrel, Polo, Niketown, Diesel, and Nordies is still done a tangible reality) with 1/5 or less population.
I think Kate Spade is an example of what happens when Huntsville gets something before Nashville or Birmingham. I stand by my if Nashville AND/OR Birmingham have TWO of something, Huntsville should be on the radar to get one.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by A&M Bulldawg

So Charles, what do you think about some of those stores that I listed?

I honestly don't know too much about many of them. I'm pretty boring. Almost as boring as I am ugly.

I'm so ugly that the proctologist stuck his finger in my mouth.

[pennquaker09]

Originally Posted by DavidH74

I don't think it's a horrible list. The high-end department stores are "cracky" thoughts. Polo, Niketown, Diesel, Crate&Barrel -- these things will never happen. We already had a B Moss at Madison Sq and it closed. We have a very successful (seemingly) Fresh Market. But, I think alot of the rest could be sustainable. Had only Bridge Street chosen stores like Mac and Aldo over highly-specialized stores, it would have been better off.
However, I don't think anything is coming anytime soon. Times are tough. I'm also worried what the perception of Bridge Street is going to be with retailers. If enough starts closing, we are going to be hurting. Places like Banana, which (seemingly) did fairly well at Parkway Place and does not seem to do well at all at Bridge Street, does not make it, we'll be in trouble for a long time. A store like Banana isn't going to close and reopen elsewhere over poor performance. Once we lose some of these places, we won't see them again for many, many, many years.
NO other big development is going to happen here for a LONG time.

Gap (as in the parent company) would have been better served if they had remodeled the existing stores at Parkway instead of moving to Bridge Street. The new Gap store cost somewhere around 2 million dollars.

[A&M Bulldawg]

Developer predicts Harris Hill work to resume in December


Wednesday, June 24, 2009 By Steve Doyle
Times Staff Writer steve.doyle@htimes.com

Restaurants sought for project at foot of Chapman Mountain
After some tough months courtesy of the economy, things are starting to pick up for the proposed 600-acre Harris Hill development at the foot of Chapman Mountain.
While the project will eventually include a mix of retail, offices and housing, developer Cole Walker said Tuesday the strongest interest right now is coming from restaurants.
Every day, about 55,000 potentially hungry drivers scoot past the scenic Harris Hill property at U.S. 72 East and Moores Mill Road.
"We're in dialogue right now with two or three different (restaurant) concepts," Walker said. "That's where the action is."
The fledgling development has yet to ink its first tenant, but Walker said there is a "very strong chance" some construction will be under way by December.
"Not huge volumes of it, but you'll see activity starting this year," he said.
On Tuesday, the Huntsville Planning Commission recommended that part of the Harris Hill tract now zoned for residential and smaller retail uses be rezoned to allow larger businesses. The change, which must still be OK'd by the City Council, affects 22.6 acres between U.S. 72 and the new Harris Hill Boulevard.
Walker, whose family bought the property in 2005, said the development has great potential as a regional shopping center serving all of eastern Madison County.
"We've really tried to look at who the audience is that this location would best serve, and what they would want and need," he said.
In addition to shopping and sit-down restaurants, the master plan calls for several hundred houses and condominiums, office buildings, walking trails, bike paths and other amenities. About 200 acres of the rolling property will be left in its natural state, Walker said.

Developer predicts Harris Hill work to resume in December - al.com

[Bamachic80]

I think it would be kool to have an "outlet" mall of sorts in the Huntsville area somewhere. I think of the ones in Foley, AL and in Seiverville, TN and I've always loved shopping at those.

[Huntsville_secede]

Originally Posted by Bamachic80

I think it would be kool to have an "outlet" mall of sorts in the Huntsville area somewhere. I think of the ones in Foley, AL and in Seiverville, TN and I've always loved shopping at those.

It would be better if it was between Huntsville and Decatur right along I-65 that way it can draw from the highway traffic like most successful outlet malls. I believe the Sweetwater development if its ever built should focus on this outlet aspect.

[autobahn]

Interesting read...
Huntsville Development News: Madison Square

[A&M Bulldawg]

To me:

Madison Square Mall should remain an enclosed mall. I think that there should like a town center type development on the property with some mid upscale stores that Bridgestreet and Huntsville don't have and that Huntsville can support. This idea should be similar to the The Riverchase Galleria and Patton Creek in Birmingham and like The Mall of Louisiana and the Boulevard in Baton Rouge. In stead of building The Peaks at Southchase, the stores that developers are planning to put there should go into Madison Square and the rest should go into the town center. The Peaks property should be developed into a small amusement/water park or should be an addition to the Cummings Research Park. Along with the town center idea at MS, there needs to be some entertainment with some nice restuarants and some night clubs. There should also be some condos and offices above the retail, similar to Atlantic Station. If enough room on the property, there needs to be an indoor go-kart place or family-fun indoor center that will bring more people to the mall's property. The exterior of MS needs ro be renovated to go along with the town center. The sea of parking lots needs to be converted into underground parking so there could be enough room for the idea of developments. I think that this new idea doesn't need to rival Bridgestreet or Parkway Place because, today, rivalry in Huntsville leads to mall deaths.