[SteveM85]

Originally Posted by JayCT

It’s coming. Nordstrom at the SoNo Collection is hiring 280 people. Good news. Jay

https://www.thehour.com/business/art...e-14301345.php

This has become the other hot topic of discussion in our social gatherings among the hoity toity personnel.
The men discuss the unprecedented levels of real estate inventory and price declines. The wives are counting down the days to the grand opening of the new mall.

[CTbrooktrout]

I keep thinking this mall will be a success but that’s only if this is a different kind of mall in that it will feature lifestyle amenities and events that bring people to the central gathering place for things besides shopping. The location is great as from the mall you can wall to a movie theatre, restaurants, park, etc. you could spend the whole day in the area without driving from one place to another. The only thing I hope they don’t mess up on will be the parking fee. I imagine they will charge. If it’s over $3 then they messed up. I hope they do residents a solid and keep it free which would kinda go with keeping it a lifestyle place and attracting a loyal and frequent customer base. For those that think nobody will go there you not understanding the clientele in the surrounding towns. Plus Nordstrom and Bloomingdales does have some higher priced items which can be costly to order say 10 items that are $100-300 each so you can try on at home and return later. A lot of people would rather go to the store in that situation and that’s the client base that is within range of this mall. But again I hope they do it smart and make it more than just a mall.

[SteveM85]

Originally Posted by CTbrooktrout

I keep thinking this mall will be a success but that’s only if this is a different kind of mall in that it will feature lifestyle amenities and events that bring people to the central gathering place for things besides shopping. The location is great as from the mall you can wall to a movie theatre, restaurants, park, etc. you could spend the whole day in the area without driving from one place to another. The only thing I hope they don’t mess up on will be the parking fee. I imagine they will charge. If it’s over $3 then they messed up. I hope they do residents a solid and keep it free which would kinda go with keeping it a lifestyle place and attracting a loyal and frequent customer base. For those that think nobody will go there you not understanding the clientele in the surrounding towns. Plus Nordstrom and Bloomingdales does have some higher priced items which can be costly to order say 10 items that are $100-300 each so you can try on at home and return later. A lot of people would rather go to the store in that situation and that’s the client base that is within range of this mall. But again I hope they do it smart and make it more than just a mall.

I hear there is going to be a rooftop beer garden.

These developers know exactly what they're doing. They have the perfect demographics and location. Their primary client base is a force to be reckoned with in the area....The Bored Housewife Stay Home Mom. These personnel are ruthless with an amex gold in hand. When Jack or Bruce head to the office in Manhattan, she drops Aiden and Emma off at school then heads right to the new mall.

[AD232]

Take it easy buddy...

[1000fc]

Originally Posted by CTbrooktrout

I keep thinking this mall will be a success but that’s only if this is a different kind of mall in that it will feature lifestyle amenities and events that bring people to the central gathering place for things besides shopping. The location is great as from the mall you can wall to a movie theatre, restaurants, park, etc. you could spend the whole day in the area without driving from one place to another. The only thing I hope they don’t mess up on will be the parking fee. I imagine they will charge. If it’s over $3 then they messed up. I hope they do residents a solid and keep it free which would kinda go with keeping it a lifestyle place and attracting a loyal and frequent customer base. For those that think nobody will go there you not understanding the clientele in the surrounding towns. Plus Nordstrom and Bloomingdales does have some higher priced items which can be costly to order say 10 items that are $100-300 each so you can try on at home and return later. A lot of people would rather go to the store in that situation and that’s the client base that is within range of this mall. But again I hope they do it smart and make it more than just a mall.

Free parking would be the worst thing for the local residents. People would come in from out of town and park all day. The entire concept of paying for parking is so that there is parking available for people, if its free there is less parking available.

I can't imagine they'll charge too much considering the parking garage across from the maritime center currently doesn't fill up and is very inexpensive. I agree with you and think it will be in the 3-5 dollar range.

Westchester:
$3 for 0-3 hours, $5 for 3-5 hours, and $9 for 24 hours.
Stamford:
$1 for 0-2 hours, $3 for 2-3 hours, $4 for 3-4 hours, and a dollar for each extra hour, maxing out at $9

[allanny13]

Originally Posted by SteveM85

I hear there is going to be a rooftop beer garden.

These developers know exactly what they're doing. They have the perfect demographics and location. Their primary client base is a force to be reckoned with in the area....The Bored Housewife Stay Home Mom. These personnel are ruthless with an amex gold in hand. When Jack or Bruce head to the office in Manhattan, she drops Aiden and Emma off at school then heads right to the new mall.

I don't know- these women in Greenwich, Darien, New Canaan etc. are more likely to head to the country club or Equinox, followed by Aux Delices or a cafe for lunch, and then shopping at Richards/Saks or their friends' vanity boutiques. Sort of the whole point of these towns, and reflects how provincial they can be. I think it will be a bigger hit with their kids, the younger millennial crowd, and people from the towns without strong town centers.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by allanny13

I don't know- these women in Greenwich, Darien, New Canaan etc. are more likely to head to the country club or Equinox, followed by Aux Delices or a cafe for lunch, and then shopping at Richards/Saks or their friends' vanity boutiques. Sort of the whole point of these towns, and reflects how provincial they can be. I think it will be a bigger hit with their kids, the younger millennial crowd, and people from the towns without strong town centers.

Agree. There's a strong provincial bubble mentality in the wealthy enclaves. They pay a lot of money to be near those shoppable downtowns, and they're not going to drive to an indoor mall in Norwalk IMO. I think the hope for a very high end demographic is a fantasy. You'll get upper middle class in good numbers though, no doubt.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by Stylo

Agree. There's a strong provincial bubble mentality in the wealthy enclaves. They pay a lot of money to be near those shoppable downtowns, and they're not going to drive to an indoor mall in Norwalk IMO. I think the hope for a very high end demographic is a fantasy. You'll get upper middle class in good numbers though, no doubt.

As I understand it, the customers for the SoNo Collection are the Connecticut shoppers that drive to White Plains to shop at the upscale stores there. Nordstrom knows exact where their customers are by carefully monitoring the addresses of shoppers in their stores. They would not commit to opening a new store in Norwalk unless they were pretty certain it would be successful. We will see if the rest of new stores are successful too. Jay

[Masterj]

Originally Posted by SteveM85

I hear there is going to be a rooftop beer garden.

The Bored Housewife Stay Home Mom. These personnel are ruthless with an amex gold in hand. When Jack or Bruce head to the office in Manhattan, she drops Aiden and Emma off at school then heads right to the new mall.

Your stereotyping of women is what's boring us around here.

[1000fc]

Originally Posted by JayCT

As I understand it, the customers for the SoNo Collection are the Connecticut shoppers that drive to White Plains to shop at the upscale stores there. Nordstrom knows exact where their customers are by carefully monitoring the addresses of shoppers in their stores. They would not commit to opening a new store in Norwalk unless they were pretty certain it would be successful. We will see if the rest of new stores are successful too. Jay

A few things, while I agree the intention of SoNo collection was to get the upscale shoppers, I'm not convinced that will happen. They still have Westport and Greenwich for upscale shopping.

In regards to Nordstrom opening there.... retail spaces are highly regulated by retail property developers. If you want to open on Greenwich Ave. or Main St. (Westport) you'll have to also sign on to occupy a mall space at another location operated by the same developers. If you want to open up on Worth Ave. in Palm Beach, you're also opening up at the Palm Beach Gardens mall etc. This happens all over the country, and was a huge driving force for why vineyard vines (for example) had to open up mall stores.

I have no doubt many of the brands opening at the SoNo collection are doing so because of agreements like that.


That being said...Nordstroms has only had their Westchester location to serve the highly coveted shoppers of Fairfield county, they have to contend with Saks and Richards (Mitchells) in Greenwich, and Mitchells in Westport (and to some degree Lord & Taylor in Stamford) They can't get onto Greenwich Ave, and haven't been able to get into Westport, so this is a huge opportunity for them.