Brookwood Village Dead or Alive? (Birmingham, Hoover: bankruptcy, theater, closing)

[TimCity2000]

there was a plan to put a movie theater at brookwood, but it looks like that didn't materialize.

totally agree that online shopping plus "lifestyle" centers like the summit are the preferred means of shopping these days (and have been for at least the last 10-15 years). i think people just prefer the convenience these offer over enclosed malls.

[jero23]

There is a new plan released by the current owner to evolve the center to include an upscale theater, upscale hotel, and an additional office tower.

[cherokee48]

That's a good idea, they need to be innovative to compete in the age of amazon. The Galleria has been aggressive and is bringing in Dave & Busters to expand their entertainment offerings and be more attractive, perhaps this(theater, hotel, tower) will give it a boost.

[JesseRohr]

My wife is an employee of Bayer and was the Marketing Dir for the Summit property until she took over the Pizitiz for them this summer. The amount of effort the Summit puts into maintaining their position as the best retail space in the metro is incredible now that I have seen a glimpse behind the curtain. These developers have to be nimble in real time while also thinking 3, 5 and 10 years down the road.

It's a business where if you don't constantly evolve you die. Brookwood did the later IMO.

[MiriamALtoTN]

Originally Posted by jero23

There is a new plan released by the current owner to evolve the center to include an upscale theater, upscale hotel, and an additional office tower.

Oh nice. I didn't see anything about a new plan, only tossing around ideas according to an article on AL.COM. Those are normally fluff pieces unless you know of more concrete discussions taking place.

Are there any other upscale (I guess that means dine-in) theaters in the area? About the upscale hotel, I'm no Commercial Real Estate mogul but I stayed at the very nice Grand Bohemian in Mountain Brook and it didn't seem very full or crowded. I have a hard time seeing the demand for upscale hotels in Birmingham.

I disagree that the Galleria is thriving. The quality of its stores seems to have gone downhill sharply and perhaps serves a different clientele which is the first step to becoming Century Plaza.

I'm just surprised because most of the places I travel have only seen mall closings in their marginal parts of town. This seems to be the hotspot area from younger people in Birmingham yet they're letting their mall close. I would find it hard to believe anyone would risk a new project in this area other than something simple and sure-money. If the area cannot support a nice mall, why would a company dump millions into high-end dining/theater/hotels? That would be a hard bargain to present to a bank for a loan but stranger things have happened!

I hope it happens, I just don't see a positive trend that would make one feel anything other than not confident.

[bhamguy]

Originally Posted by MiriamALtoTN

Oh nice. I didn't see anything about a new plan, only tossing around ideas according to an article on AL.COM. Those are normally fluff pieces unless you know of more concrete discussions taking place.

Are there any other upscale (I guess that means dine-in) theaters in the area? About the upscale hotel, I'm no Commercial Real Estate mogul but I stayed at the very nice Grand Bohemian in Mountain Brook and it didn't seem very full or crowded. I have a hard time seeing the demand for upscale hotels in Birmingham.

I disagree that the Galleria is thriving. The quality of its stores seems to have gone downhill sharply and perhaps serves a different clientele which is the first step to becoming Century Plaza.

I'm just surprised because most of the places I travel have only seen mall closings in their marginal parts of town. This seems to be the hotspot area from younger people in Birmingham yet they're letting their mall close. I would find it hard to believe anyone would risk a new project in this area other than something simple and sure-money. If the area cannot support a nice mall, why would a company dump millions into high-end dining/theater/hotels? That would be a hard bargain to present to a bank for a loan but stranger things have happened!

I hope it happens, I just don't see a positive trend that would make one feel anything other than not confident.

This seems to be an updated plan for Brookwood.

https://www.shopbrookwoodvillage.com...compressed.pdf

[TimCity2000]

Originally Posted by MiriamALtoTN

I disagree that the Galleria is thriving. The quality of its stores seems to have gone downhill sharply and perhaps serves a different clientele which is the first step to becoming Century Plaza.

what type of clientele is that?

[MiriamALtoTN]

Originally Posted by TimCity2000

what type of clientele is that?

The type of clientele that wants lower-end brands and who doesn't want to over pay for premium names. I would call them "normal" Americans. Stop trying to bait.

[TimCity2000]

So providing brands that cater to "normal Americans" is the "first step to becoming Century Plaza."

Got it.

[MiriamALtoTN]

Originally Posted by TimCity2000

So providing brands that cater to "normal Americans" is the "first step to becoming Century Plaza."

Got it.

Correct. It starts with nice stores closing and being replaced with lower cost brands/goods. They do well for a few years then people stop going because lower rents/sales don't allow the upkeep they once enjoyed.

Or it can remain a very viable middle of the road mall for many decades to come but then it's not an attraction, it's more of a necessity like a grocery store.

A thriving Olive Garden isn't attracting nice things but maybe nice things isn't what works there. Nothing wrong with that but when your neighbors sell their Mercedes for a Honda, you don't look at them as moving on up. You look at them as probably struggling.