Madison Square Mall Shutting Down (Huntsville, Selma: crime, tenant, live)

[Lamar Bowman]

Originally Posted by writerwife

No... they merely remodeled it to the same type of layout that Parkway has now. The decatur one is all on 1 floor also.. no upstairs in the mall. I would have to say that the sears there is usually just about empty but I usually see a fair amount in JC Penny's if I go there and probably because it is a Penny's outlet rather than a regular store.

I thought the JC Penney was closing in that location? I havent been in that area in about six months.

[NoleFanHSV]

I like Belk, Penney's, and Sears. I think we need a Macy's though somewhere in this town. I don't care much for Dillards or Dillards outlet.

Madison square mall is in a nice spot. There isn't any real reason why it can't do well but the stores are old and there is no real attraction I guess.

[SarahBellum]

When malls first became popular, they were made up of lots of more local businesses with large corporate anchors. It used to be fun to go to a new city and check out their malls because it had a personality. Unfortunately, over time malls started charging so much that smaller merchants couldn't afford the rent. In came the cookie cutter corporate stores and before long, every mall was made up of pretty much the same old same old, except for whatever the regional department stores were along with Sears, Penney's, etc. Most malls ended up being just about the same except for a different layout of stores and a different fountain in the middle. While I don't think it's the main reason malls started dying, I do think that shoppers just got bored. And once the economy started to tank a few years ago, the corporations pulled out and left some high dollar retail real estate that no one, especially local businesses, could afford.

I worked at Mad Square many, many years ago. Quite honestly, the place was pretty quiet during the week. On the weekends we were swamped, but you'd be amazed at how many people would look there then actually buy at Parkway City later. The store I worked in had a location in both malls and we were more of a showroom than anything else.

We actually stopped in Mad Square a couple of weeks ago. Penney's had some good selection and prices on men's clothes but the rest was just okay. The Dillard's outlet was just depressing. We did a 5 minute walk through Sears and saw high prices and no one shopping. One thing we did notice was that it was sweltering hot in all three of those stores. We didn't stop in any of the other few stores that were open. It's quite an odd mix now. I'm still curious as to how that toy car race track place can stay in business there. Maybe I don't want to know.

[raj kapoor]

Originally Posted by SarahBellum

When malls first became popular, they were made up of lots of more local businesses with large corporate anchors. It used to be fun to go to a new city and check out their malls because it had a personality. Unfortunately, over time malls started charging so much that smaller merchants couldn't afford the rent. In came the cookie cutter corporate stores and before long, every mall was made up of pretty much the same old same old, except for whatever the regional department stores were along with Sears, Penney's, etc. Most malls ended up being just about the same except for a different layout of stores and a different fountain in the middle. While I don't think it's the main reason malls started dying, I do think that shoppers just got bored. And once the economy started to tank a few years ago, the corporations pulled out and left some high dollar retail real estate that no one, especially local businesses, could afford.

I worked at Mad Square many, many years ago. Quite honestly, the place was pretty quiet during the week. On the weekends we were swamped, but you'd be amazed at how many people would look there then actually buy at Parkway City later. The store I worked in had a location in both malls and we were more of a showroom than anything else.

We actually stopped in Mad Square a couple of weeks ago. Penney's had some good selection and prices on men's clothes but the rest was just okay. The Dillard's outlet was just depressing. We did a 5 minute walk through Sears and saw high prices and no one shopping. One thing we did notice was that it was sweltering hot in all three of those stores. We didn't stop in any of the other few stores that were open. It's quite an odd mix now. I'm still curious as to how that toy car race track place can stay in business there. Maybe I don't want to know.

But what you are saying is that it has come full circle, right? Now it has the unique one of a kind type businesses that you would not find in another city or the other side of town. You don't have to weed your way past gaps galore and abercrombies ad nauseum.

[SarahBellum]

Originally Posted by raj kapoor

But what you are saying is that it has come full circle, right? Now it has the unique one of a kind type businesses that you would not find in another city or the other side of town. You don't have to weed your way past gaps galore and abercrombies ad nauseum.

To some degree, yes. But now you have to weed past lots of dark and empty spaces with a few odd stores, not really interesting places, to get to the big dinosaur anchors who can afford to sit there and lose money. It just isn't a viable business structure anymore.

[Tourian]

It is definitely not viable when the city has picked the horse it wants to ride by giving it incentives, ie BS.

[SarahBellum]

Originally Posted by Tourian

It is definitely not viable when the city has picked the horse it wants to ride by giving it incentives, ie BS.

Yep!

[writerwife]

Originally Posted by Lamar Bowman

I thought the JC Penney was closing in that location? I havent been in that area in about six months.

That might be possible, I hadn't heard that but, I haven't been to the mall lately except for Belk and Chuck-e Cheese hell.

[raj kapoor]

Originally Posted by SarahBellum

Yep!

Also, if I am correct, CBL owns both MSM and PP. With the extensive redo of PP, I am just doubting seriously the CBL is going to invest a like amount of money in making MSM into a place that basically would have the same stores as both PP and/or BS. Even cannibalizing PP possibly.

This paints a dark picture for those who want MSM to continue to be a shopping center of some kind.

I suspect the only future for the property will be a hybrid or mixed use development that has little in common or memory of MSM.
This could certainly be a good future but I also think that what happens at MSM has to be good enough to help turnaround what is happening up and down US72. It too has been evolving through the years. Not so bad to the west, not so good to the east. Now MSM can't bear the whole burden but I suspect the city is not going to want to be proactive in helping the area avoid any further decline. I think the city funds are just focused elsewhere on newer things which is always the case it seems. Gentrification is hard to sell to some city councils unless it is obviously historical which of course we are not discussing.

Now all of this is just my view based on my experiences that are occasional. If I am missing the boat on any of this people let me know what I am not seeing.

This should be important to people in Madison County whether they ever go to this mall or not. It is a type of urban maturity that the community is just now really experiencing. A lot can be learned from what has happened in other cities and also it is worth watching what CBL does, and has done in other cities.

Raj

[AU HSV]

CBL & Associates Properties Inc. plans to sell 21 of its shopping malls, about a quarter of its nationwide holdings, in an effort to upgrade its remaining properties and boost the Chattanooga company's income.

Stephen Lebovitz, CBL's chief executive, said that the company plans to divest the properties within the next 24 to 36 months. He didn't identify the centers.
The only Penney's that is scheduled to close in the state is in Selma.