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Question in the title, it seems it is dying a very slow painful death, which is a shame because it's an amazing looking mall(the inside is gorgeous) but the area is killing it, with all the rage going to friendly, that means development will keep happening there, and around that entire area, i like to think of it as a somewhat smaller north hills area in raleigh, they seem pretty similar lots of banks more "upscale" stores, surrounded by very wealthy neighborhoods(irving park, county club, star mount)who apparently love the area... but back to my question, what can save Four Seasons, and what do you think the future has in store for Four Seasons.
And now there is talk of a 6 acre high profile development for friendly, I feel very bad for Four Seasons.
As mentioned previously, it has more to do with indoor malls falling out of favor in general. It's just a matter of time until it closes, IMO. That may be years away, unless someone is proactive with redeveloping it, but it's probably inevitable.
I've only been there once (I live closer to Winston, so I go to Hanes Mall the rare times I go to a mall). I'm amazed how well Hanes Mall does, but there isn't a convenient alternative in the city (like there is with Friendly in G'boro).
In the long term future even shopping centers like Friendly could be in danger. More and more people are shopping online and its the preferred way of shopping for many people.
Nothing will save that mall, it's just the changing of how people shop.
Unfortunately I think this is correct. I've been in Greensboro for 2 and a half years and haven't been to Four Season's once (I go to Friendly Center almost weekly).
I think it would be really cool if someone could come up with a unique idea to re-purpose the space...any off-the-wall ideas? I think it could still be a viable attraction given it's proximity to I-40, Koury Convention Center, and the coliseum. But I think in order to thrive it will need to evolve, just not sure what it should evolve into.
In the long term future even shopping centers like Friendly could be in danger. More and more people are shopping online and its the preferred way of shopping for many people.
That's sort of true. I mean, by that logic, WalMart and Target are in danger, too. But I don't think it's as dire as all that.
As more commerce moves online, retailers still have a few advantages:
- Immediacy: Not everyone wants to wait a few days for their purchase to arrive, and many are willing to pay a premium to get their purchase the same day they decide to buy it.
- Impulse purchases: Along those same lines, it's plenty common to walk into a retail store totally just intending to browse and kill time and walk out with a purchase. That can happen online too, of course, but the instant gratification mentioned above compounds the effect.
- Hands-on experiences: People like to touch things. Feel the fabric. Try things on. Feel the construction of an item. Check for flimsy finishes. You can do that in a retail store.
All of those things lend themselves to some kinds of stores more than others, and smart retailers are finding ways to stay relevant.
Unfortunately I think this is correct. I've been in Greensboro for 2 and a half years and haven't been to Four Season's once (I go to Friendly Center almost weekly).
I think it would be really cool if someone could come up with a unique idea to re-purpose the space...any off-the-wall ideas? I think it could still be a viable attraction given it's proximity to I-40, Koury Convention Center, and the coliseum. But I think in order to thrive it will need to evolve, just not sure what it should evolve into.
Before Joseph Koury died, he had plans to expand the mall and connect it with hotel and Koury Convention Center. I Remember seeing a picture of the original model from the early 1990s. The 28-story Koury tower had a completely different design. It was a more sleek triangular tower with an almost entirely reflective glass exterior and sloped large black cylinders on the three corners. There was a new wing of the mall connecting JC Penny with the Koury Convention Center and a large parking deck outside of Dillards. There were also a few towers on the other side of High Point Rd at the I-40 interchange. I'm assuming those were planned hotels at the time. All those high-rises would have created a mini skyline.
In the long term future even shopping centers like Friendly could be in danger. More and more people are shopping online and its the preferred way of shopping for many people.
To some extent perhaps but the large part of the appeal for going shopping is the 'going' part. There are things that just don't make sense to buy online like first time purchases.
There are things it can learn from Durham, people can hop right off the American tobacco trail and into the mall(it would be cool if they can make some type of greenway, where bikers, and joggers will pass the mall any way while there on it), and southpoints has a outdoor streetscape feature which would be something they could add(they could start out putting stores that are not in the greensboro area, or that might not be in NC period, that goes for food options too, people will go anywhere for good food, heck give some local folks with a good business model some incentives to make it unique, it can add a attraction, again, in Durham Northgate mall has the same issue so they added a trampoline park which would be popular, they could add in some type of mini theme park, even if it is just one rollercoaster(a lot of places around here seems to focus on little children, this is where they are messing up, there aim should be all of the college kids as far as attractions go, shoot greensboro needs a skate park, you can put a really nice one inside the mall, it can even have a portion inside and a portion outside, they can start have events there, let local musicians are even street performers inside the all, I don't know just throwing out ideas.
There are things it can learn from Durham, people can hop right off the American tobacco trail and into the mall(it would be cool if they can make some type of greenway, where bikers, and joggers will pass the mall any way while there on it), and southpoints has a outdoor streetscape feature which would be something they could add(they could start out putting stores that are not in the greensboro area, or that might not be in NC period, that goes for food options too, people will go anywhere for good food, heck give some local folks with a good business model some incentives to make it unique, it can add a attraction, again, in Durham Northgate mall has the same issue so they added a trampoline park which would be popular, they could add in some type of mini theme park, even if it is just one rollercoaster(a lot of places around here seems to focus on little children, this is where they are messing up, there aim should be all of the college kids as far as attractions go, shoot greensboro needs a skate park, you can put a really nice one inside the mall, it can even have a portion inside and a portion outside, they can start have events there, let local musicians are even street performers inside the all, I don't know just throwing out ideas.
I agree, In order for indoor malls to survive long term, new elements need to be introduced in them. They wont survive on retail alone. Maybe the owners of indoor malls should look at The Mall Of America for some inspiration. Its not just a mall it has a theme park, aquarium, theater, night clubs, miniature golf and more.
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