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Old 05-21-2014, 09:08 PM
 
Location: VA
796 posts, read 505,199 times
Reputation: 327

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I see that JCPenney closed at Military Circle Mall. Its sad how that mall went down. This is bad for the city of Norfolk because the city will loose tax revenue. I read in the past that the military highway corridor made the city more than downtown Norfolk business district. Sears closed 2 years ago. The doubletree hotel closed and wasn't remodeled. Also Anna's Linens moved to Janaf Shopping Center.

What will happen to this mall? Only Macy's and Ross is still open when it comes to anchor stores. What you think should happen to the declining mall? Why did it go down so much? It was the spot back when I was in high school and college. I know it has a reputation for young urban patronage but will that crowd now go to MacArthur Center in downtown Norfolk or Greenbriar mall in Chesapeake? Its sad the city of Norfolk and mall leadership let this mall get like this. Its in a good location close to the interstate and close to parts of Virginia Beach and had the anchor stores MacArthur didn't have.
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Old 05-22-2014, 04:14 AM
 
Location: Roanoke, VA
1,812 posts, read 4,220,012 times
Reputation: 1178
This mall has already made the deadmalls.com website.

DeadMalls.com: Military Circle Mall: Norfolk, Virginia
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Old 05-22-2014, 06:40 AM
 
3,733 posts, read 2,553,512 times
Reputation: 6760
Quote:
Originally Posted by VABlkCONSERV View Post
I see that JCPenney closed at Military Circle Mall. Its sad how that mall went down...
What will happen to this mall? Only Macy's and Ross is still open when it comes to anchor stores. What you think should happen to the declining mall? Why did it go down so much? It was the spot back when I was in high school and college..
VAB, hi.. if u don't mind me asking, how far do you go back (?) Because I also remember Military being busy, but never nice. In the first half of the 80s there weren't many movie screens in VB, so I remember ppl from the beach going to Military & Janaf for the movie theaters.. and Military used to have an Orange Julius, which was kinda tight.. but it seems like Military was always kinda' beat up, ideal consumers have never really been at Military, probably that's slowly sealed it's fate (?)

Not sure what they would put there, like u stated.. it's @ nice crossroads, but..

Last edited by Babe_Ruth; 05-22-2014 at 08:04 AM..
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Old 05-22-2014, 08:28 AM
 
Location: VA
796 posts, read 505,199 times
Reputation: 327
Quote:
Originally Posted by Babe_Ruth View Post
VAB, hi.. if u don't mind me asking, how far do you go back (?) Because I also remember Military being busy, but never nice. In the first half of the 80s there weren't many movie screens in VB, so I remember ppl from the beach going to Military & Janaf for the movie theaters.. and Military used to have an Orange Julius, which was kinda tight.. but it seems like Military was always kinda' beat up, ideal consumers have never really been at Military, probably that's slowly sealed it's fate (?)

Not sure what they would put there, like u stated.. it's @ nice crossroads, but..
I go back to the 90's. It was never as nice as Lynnhaven in Va Beach but Military Circle used to be the only mall in Norfolk before MacArthur was built. Even when MacArthur was built, Military Circle was remodeled and Sears was added. MacArthur Center started out as an upscale mall and had lots of stores new to the region. Now, MacArthur went down and Lynnhaven went up so they both competing and have a lot of the same stores. MacArthur going down probably hurt Military Circle because by MacArthur downscaling it caused more shoppers to go there. MacArthur even has urban stores now. It used to complement Military Circle and Greenbriar cuz it had Norstroms and Dillards whereas Military Circle and Grernbriar had Macy's, Sears, and JCPenney.

But ur right about ideal consumers not having Military Circle as the first stop mall unless they lived in Norfolk or parts of Va Beach like college park or over there off witchduck and Newtown rd.

Do u think they should build a town center there? Or a shopping center like Portsmouth did with Victory Crossing for the old Tower Mall? I think its perfect for a sports arena but hampton roads area isn't likely gonna get that.
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Old 05-22-2014, 12:14 PM
 
Location: metropolis
734 posts, read 1,081,599 times
Reputation: 1441
Nobody wants to go there. It's not a safe place to shop. If you go to that mall, you risk getting robbed or shot.
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Old 05-23-2014, 05:02 AM
 
3,733 posts, read 2,553,512 times
Reputation: 6760
Quote:
Originally Posted by VABlkCONSERV View Post
I go back to the 90's. It was never as nice as Lynnhaven in Va Beach but Military Circle used to be the only mall in Norfolk before MacArthur was built.
Do u think they should build a town center there? Or a shopping center like Portsmouth did with Victory Crossing for the old Tower Mall? I think its perfect for a sports arena..
(hi again).. I like the idea of something like a town center there.. but imo., Norfolk has a real problem, where every nice project they construct eventually becomes a gangsters' paradise.
Waterside was essentially an early town center.. it just kept having problems keeping ppl coming into downton Norfolk. In the late 90s, Waterside kinda' revitalized with night clubs (Have a Nice Day cafe', etc).. but when they started having shootings in the parking garage, the clubs were finished. Decent ppl don't wanna deal with that. MacArthur's curfews,.. Military Circle's demise. It unfortunately is the same script over & over. If u get bored, Google image search 'Military Circle mall', it's pictures of mugshots, arrests, & flash mobs (smh).

The paradigm of Norfolk's leadership will probably have to change (into old school, law & order types) for the city to get serious about improving, but can they win elections ?.. It seems like Hampton is able to build nice attractions (like Power Plant & their new convention center) and they don't have the problems Norfolk does, or am I missing something (?) /peace/
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Old 05-24-2014, 10:35 AM
 
Location: Portsmouth, VA
6,509 posts, read 8,448,265 times
Reputation: 3822
Quote:
Originally Posted by VABlkCONSERV View Post
I see that JCPenney closed at Military Circle Mall. Its sad how that mall went down. This is bad for the city of Norfolk because the city will loose tax revenue. I read in the past that the military highway corridor made the city more than downtown Norfolk business district. Sears closed 2 years ago. The doubletree hotel closed and wasn't remodeled. Also Anna's Linens moved to Janaf Shopping Center.

What will happen to this mall? Only Macy's and Ross is still open when it comes to anchor stores. What you think should happen to the declining mall? Why did it go down so much? It was the spot back when I was in high school and college. I know it has a reputation for young urban patronage but will that crowd now go to MacArthur Center in downtown Norfolk or Greenbriar mall in Chesapeake? Its sad the city of Norfolk and mall leadership let this mall get like this. Its in a good location close to the interstate and close to parts of Virginia Beach and had the anchor stores MacArthur didn't have.
Talk to the owner of the mall. Chances are, nothing will happen to it. Military reminds me of Salem Mall in Trotwood, OH when it was open. When I was in the city, the entire second floor of the mall was abandoned, the Sears was the only anchor store open and they had a post office there. The food court was closed. It was a few years after that the mall was demolished and made way for something else.

Some dead malls continue to stand long after all of the tenants have left. Military may be an exception because it is not in suburbia, as many dead malls are so the chances for a turnaround are actually a lot greater but it all depends on the owner.

It went down for all of the reasons all indoor shopping malls go down.
  • Better prices at other stores outside of the mall
  • Better selection of merchandise at other stores
  • Curfews and other restrictions on teenagers at the mall
  • Violence, or the potential for violence
  • An inability to attract other races, socioeconomic factors to the mall

The kids that go to Military Mall are already at Janaf Shopping Center. No reason for them to go downtown or to Chesapeake. Plus Chesapeake has a different dynamic than Military Mall, which is consistent with the demographics of the city as Chesapeake Square Mall and MacArthur Mall are actually a lot closer than Greenbrier, for the socioeconomic group that would normally hang out at Military Mall and Janaf. MacArthur has its own crowd that lives nearby. People generally shop where they live, rarely do people leave their own neighborhoods to shop elsewhere unless there are special deals, there is an outlet mall, or they happen to be in a mall in a different neighborhood because they had other business in that neighborhood. A WalMart is being raised on Virginia Beach Avenue where Bill's Market existed. I am not going to stop visiting the WalMart on Tidewater Ave. to go all the way out to that WalMart. I rarely go to the WalMart on Sam's Way in Chesapeake as it is. People will just crowd into other stores in their neighborhood.

The future is lifestyle centers and strip malls.
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Old 06-01-2014, 08:01 AM
 
3,733 posts, read 2,553,512 times
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Anita Blanton on closures at the Gallery at Military Circle mall - YouTube

(good times at the Gallery..)
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Old 06-01-2014, 09:16 AM
 
Location: From TX to VA
8,578 posts, read 7,072,873 times
Reputation: 8175
The Doubletree Hotel at the Mall was purchased at auction on May 24. This article came out in the Virginian Pilot on May 28, 2014. It would be nice to see some positive signs of life over there again.

DoubleTree buyers plan to invest $3 million | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com
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Old 06-01-2014, 10:52 AM
 
Location: Portsmouth, VA
6,509 posts, read 8,448,265 times
Reputation: 3822
Quote:
Originally Posted by LilyLady View Post
The Doubletree Hotel at the Mall was purchased at auction on May 24. This article came out in the Virginian Pilot on May 28, 2014. It would be nice to see some positive signs of life over there again.

DoubleTree buyers plan to invest $3 million | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com
Good news. Military Circle may have its issues but that mall is not going down without a fight. I've seen far worse cases than Military Circle so I doubt it is going anywhere soon.
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