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I was in the mall today and counted 14 empty spaces. 9 on the lower level and 5 on the top level. plus a restaurant space in the food court. I noticed most of the empty spaces were near the end entrances to the mall (in front of the department stores). As nerdy as that sounds, I took it a step forward and visualized what types of stores could feel those empty spaces. An example for you is that I feel the best available space for an Apple Store would be where Deb went out. It looks as if it's the same size as a typical Apple Store. I think the old Radio Shack and Camera Store spaces should be made into one big store that could be a Household product store like Williams and Sonoma. The Off-Broadway Shoe store also has gone out of business, but it is being instantly replaced with a Rack Room Shoes (the state's first).
The Outback Steakhouse at the mall's Court Street Entrance is under going a pretty significant remodel both inside and out. it will look very different when complete and will be closer to the sidewalk.
You can disagree with the census numbers and metro designations. However you have to play by their rules for population matters because it is the standard followed around the country and the majority of businesses use them for their business decisions. They are what they are and you just have to learn to live with them and how to play inside their rules.
I've heard the Outback renovations will be nice and that they may have outdoor dining space added too.
Yeah, I see what you mean. I think we haven't gotten some desirable store brands for the same reason. Part of the problem is the guys who make those decisions, many of whom live in or around New York City, have never been west of the Hudson so they have no clue as to what is really going on out there in what they call "yee haw" country (anything west of the Hudson out to the West Coast). I know this for a fact since I lived among and worked with those bozos for several years. They are the most provincial people in the country. They're willing to cut a little slack for their cousins living on the "island" in Chicago, but that's about the extent of it until you get to Los Angeles and San Francisco to them.
On a more interesting note, Macy's is actually based in Cincinnati and runs almost all of their siting and analytics operations out of their home tower.
On a more interesting note, Macy's is actually based in Cincinnati and runs almost all of their siting and analytics operations out of their home tower.
That's sort of shocking for a company that was a NYC mainstay since its inception. Having lived in the NYC area for years, I actually am friends with a guy who is the head of maintenance and construction for the Manhattan store. I had no idea they had moved their headquarters to Cincy. There must be a tax advantage to that or something.
I doubt either the Huntington Mall or Town Center Macy's will end up upgrading. On a related note, I would love to see the metro areas put in an outlet mall. Teays Valley/Hurricane would be the best place for it and it's something that would do a lot of business since the closest ones otherwise are in Jeffersonville OH and Shelbyville KY. A good 2.5 hour drive from Huntington. This would open up a lot of higher end retailers to the area but keep them at competitive prices
I doubt either the Huntington Mall or Town Center Macy's will end up upgrading. On a related note, I would love to see the metro areas put in an outlet mall. Teays Valley/Hurricane would be the best place for it and it's something that would do a lot of business since the closest ones otherwise are in Jeffersonville OH and Shelbyville KY. A good 2.5 hour drive from Huntington. This would open up a lot of higher end retailers to the area but keep them at competitive prices
Outlet malls are sort of a dying trend, being usurped by internet options and exposed as selling different merchandise than their mainline counterparts.
Outlet malls are sort of a dying trend, being usurped by internet options and exposed as selling different merchandise than their mainline counterparts.
I agree with this. Go to Fishkill, NY and see what happened to that long established outlet mall. It is half empty and neglected. Those things were a fad, and there is a reason they aren't taking off any longer. I sure don't claim to be expert on such matters, but I do get around a lot and what I'm seeing is new strip malls taking front and center most places. I don't know why. Traditional malls are still around, but the new stuff seems to be mostly of the strip variety.
Here's a thought. What do you do when a mall has outlived what the merchants believe to be its useful life cycle? I don't see a lot of that in West Virginia, but in NY there are empty big box stores all over the place just taking up space. NY area malls seem to have about a 20-30 year duration period, and they don't get repurposed much up there. The way I see it, when you have a mall, sooner or later somebody will come along and build something newer and more fashionable. That is when the issue comes to the forefront.
Outlet malls are sort of a dying trend, being usurped by internet options and exposed as selling different merchandise than their mainline counterparts.
I agree with that. I lived in Charleston in the '80s and '90s, when outlet malls were hitting their prime. Whenever I came back to NW PA, I'd made a beeline for the Prime Outlets, a specially built outlet complex that's off an exit of I-79. It's now called Grove City Premium Outlets, because Prime went bankrupt or nearly so and was bought or reorganized and renamed.
Back in the mid '90s, that outlet center was fabulous. Tour bus lines brought shoppers from Canada and from Pittsburgh. London Fog, Baldwin Brass, Mikasa, Wedgewood (china), Pfaltzgraff, a rug store, Chicago Cutlery, Farberware, Corning & Revere, Eagle Eye sweaters and clothing, as well as a plethora of other stores that sold women's clothing and shoes. I used to go there and load up on not only bargains, but unique high-end merchandise that I didn't find in department stores or catalogs, at least not at reasonable prices. I bought tons of careerwear, plus tons of housewares for the home I bought.
But those days are done. Most of those stores don't even exist now. I rarely go to the Grove City outlets nowadays even though it's only a half hour drive from me now. The quality of merchandise is lower than what was offered in the outlet heyday. The clothing styles are weird, or they are colors for olive or dark skinned coloring. Regardless of where you shop, unless perhaps in a very affluent section of a very large city, the merchandise is all the same government issue styles and colors out of China. I see pretty much the same thing at my small town Macy's as at those outlets. Same stuff, essentially, every store, every town. And I don't see many bargains at the outlets, either. The last time I went to Premier Outlets was last fall with my mother and my aunt. They each bought some casual clothes on the clearance racks, to wear around the house. I bought some grilling accessories on clearance.
From a devout outlet shopper who used to drop easily $500 - $800 there per year (sometimes that much per visit), I literally can't find much there to buy. I think the shift to all goods being manufactured in China is the nail in the coffin for retail. Instead of finding unique things, we only get to choose from whatever China is making this year. And if we consumers reject that, then the retailers are probably going to suffer that whole year or perhaps longer, until China cranks out some style(s) that have greater appeal.
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Here's a thought. What do you do when a mall has outlived what the merchants believe to be its useful life cycle? I don't see a lot of that in West Virginia, but in NY there are empty big box stores all over the place just taking up space. NY area malls seem to have about a 20-30 year duration period, and they don't get repurposed much up there. The way I see it, when you have a mall, sooner or later somebody will come along and build something newer and more fashionable. That is when the issue comes to the forefront.
Vacate and demolish it. Another point to mention is that many of those types of buildings were designed with a 25 or 30 year service life in mind. And as they get closer to that mark, they are going to need some extensive and expensive remodeling and repairs to keep going. Probalby in many cases it's preferable to build new retail space if there is still land available.
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