What's up with Southridge? (Des Moines, Hawkeye: fit in, 2010, shop)

[tcbabs]

Hopefully Southridge can keep its big stores...JCP, Sears, Younkers, and Target, if any of those pull out...they will indeed be in big trouble. 3 malls in Kansas City have closed or are close to closing in the last year and half. Barnes & Noble owns all of the Waldenbooks and thus closing most of those smaller stores...I agree...always stopped there.

[mrs_moby73]

Actually it's Borders that owns all the Waldenbooks stores. They are closing lots of them in our area too. Seems that the ones in malls are on their hit list right now. I think they want to just go to the stand-alone, big-box format. It's sad to see a store close, but for a bibliophile like me it is nice to be able to take advantage of the sale prices.

[El Rhino]

I just bought a ton of cookbooks, art coffee table books and a few novels for $50. I guess my mom went in and bought about 20 children's books for my nephew for $50.

I think I'll wait until a few days before it closes (Jan 23) and hit it up again and see if the prices are slashed even lower.

[tcbabs]

On Saturday...Waldenbooks had their "cheap books" all 75% off...they were disappearing fast, the rest of the store was 40% off. Great sale!
Just wished they were not closing!
Oh yea...the Sbarro pizza place was closed up as well...add that to the list: Steve & Barry's, Shoe Carnival, Waldenbooks, Sbarro...?

[Strategery]

Originally Posted by El Rhino

No, it was inside. I believe it was near where Shoe Carnival is now, but I could be wrong. It is that big upside down "L", wherever it is. I can kind of picture it, but I wasn't any older than five when the thing was around.

The theater used to be attached to the mall. If you were to head towards Sears and hang a right, that's where it was at. I'm not sure what they do with it now. Around 2000-ish the theater was a Christian rock venue called Frank's House of Rock.

Hey, do you know if Frank's House of Rock moved somewhere else? I was just telling someone about that place. I'd like to do something similar in my neck of the woods.

[El Rhino]

Originally Posted by Strategery

Hey, do you know if Frank's House of Rock moved somewhere else? I was just telling someone about that place. I'd like to do something similar in my neck of the woods.

If it did move somewhere else, it's not in the Des Moines area. Someone was actually talking to me about Frank's the other day and I'm sure she would've mentioned something about it moving if it did.

[RonnieJonez]

Originally Posted by Strategery

Hey, do you know if Frank's House of Rock moved somewhere else? I was just telling someone about that place. I'd like to do something similar in my neck of the woods.

That place was actually cool.

[JoeisSweet]

Three malls in KC have closed! Really?
I thought that only Bannister Mall had closed. Which ones?

If Southridge can survive this "depression/recession" then I think it will stay alive for a while longer. Hopefully that new T-shirt store they have "Shag" will stay open, even though I haven't seen anyone in it for a long time.

[El Rhino]

Originally Posted by JoeisSweet

If Southridge can survive this "depression/recession" then I think it will stay alive for a while longer. Hopefully that new T-shirt store they have "Shag" will stay open, even though I haven't seen anyone in it for a long time.

Is that the store with the "Mexicans Do It Better", "I'm not fat I'm building a shed for my tool" and other shirts of that ilk? Oh man, that's exactly the kind of place that Southridge doesn't need to change it's image.

I saw on the sign outside of Southridge the other day that a thrift store is opening up in the mall. That's... uhh..... unusual. Not very promising.

[mofford]

There are still some pretty nice neighborhoods in close proximity to Southridge off SE 5th. I'm concerned about the cluster of appartments south of Army Post off SE 5th next to the mall. Don't know if it is still this way, but they never used to take section 8 housing residents there. Behind and around those appartments there is alot of newer middle class type housing. Just south of them is Ft Des Moines Park which is a very nice little park with a pond and wooded trail, a nice place to take a walk. Further south across county line is the Greenfield Plaza neighborhood that is quiet and has good housing, and lower property taxes since it is in Warren County.

Should also mention the housing between SE 5th and SE 14th from a few blocks north of Army Post up to around Porter or so is above average too. Those lucky residents have most the shopping right at thier fingertips with thier little island of nice homes tucked out of sight from SE 14th. If I was to buy a house on the SE side of town, I would choose that neighborhood above easter lake or greenfield plaza, especially if you don't have kids and like to shop.