Madison Square Mall Shutting Down (Huntsville, Hoover: salon, mattresses, price)

[raj kapoor]

Originally Posted by RocketCityMama

MS is a ghost town essentially, it's quite sad. I went there this past weekend and was surprised on how many stores were no longer open. Most stores had a small handful of people if that in them, most workers looked bored to death and it was only in Dillards did I see the most people.

I worked there many times in and out of high school and it was always so busy, you couldn't hardly find a parking spot on Black Friday, I imagine that's not a problem these days. I think the reno of Parkway Place and the opening of Bridgestreet hurt them, and the prices are quite high at MSM, at least it was years ago, I imagine it still is. I think Huntsville could support an outlet mall and I really wish that is what they would turn MSM into, they have enough food spots to revamp it, take out the tired arcade (I guess it's closed now anyway??) and get some new stores in!!

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and the prices are quite high at MSM, at least it was years ago, I imagine it still is. [quote]
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The above quote is read often on posts in Huntsville/Madison. Considering that large malls usually have more national than local stores, the prices would be the same as they are anywhere. Therefore I am confused as to why someone would think that MSM was/is high priced.

It is mentioned that Dillard's was the busiest on the day of the visit and of course it is now a discount outlet, so I suppose that accounts for it being busy.
None of this would surprise me except I read about it in reference to BSTC as well.

I would like to suggest that this is the reason there are so many threads about wanting nicer/better stores in the Huntsville/Madison area. They are not there because the outlying demographics don't support it. And I suspect that many in the city who aren't on a budget shop elsewhere often.

Just a thought.

[TN2HSV]

[quote=raj kapoor;35578266]----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
and the prices are quite high at MSM, at least it was years ago, I imagine it still is.

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The above quote is read often on posts in Huntsville/Madison. Considering that large malls usually have more national than local stores, the prices would be the same as they are anywhere. Therefore I am confused as to why someone would think that MSM was/is high priced.

It is mentioned that Dillard's was the busiest on the day of the visit and of course it is now a discount outlet, so I suppose that accounts for it being busy.
None of this would surprise me except I read about it in reference to BSTC as well.

I would like to suggest that this is the reason there are so many threads about wanting nicer/better stores in the Huntsville/Madison area. They are not there because the outlying demographics don't support it. And I suspect that many in the city who aren't on a budget shop elsewhere often.

Just a thought.

I had this same exact thought and agree with your assessment 100%. Most malls, MSM included, are mainly filled with national stores, so the prices at Gap in Dallas are going to be the same as Gap in Huntsville. So to say prices are "high" at MSM is an invalid argument. Higher than Walmart, yes. But not higher than any of the same stores in another city.

There are some nicer, high-end boutique shops here in town that carry brands that cannot be found at local malls. And you are right....a lot of people who live here look at shopping as an event, so travelling to Nashville/Atlanta/Birmingham for the day or weekend is part of the fun. (it is for me!) But a mall full of high-end shops HERE in Huntsville? No, I don't think the demographics here support it. Yes, the area is full of well-paid engineers, and dual income families. But engineers are notoriously frugal people! I know....I'm married to one AND my dad is one!

[NoleFanHSV]

I would consider much of what is in bridgestreet high end, outside of DSW and Old Navy. I think that pretty much supports those who can afford it. Sears and Penney's have been more budget stores while Macy's and Dillards a little more high end. Belk sort of falls in between. And of course, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom are probably above Macy's in terms of price.

IMHO, the reason why higher end stores aren't supported isn't as much about the demographics in terms of income. I think with all these engineers in the city, they can't see spending retail or high dollar for the same or similar items that are available at the high end stores.

Chaps shirt at Dillards is 45 dollars. Same shirt at Kohls for 30 or even Burlington for 20.

[Tourian]

Yeah, but MSM is supposed to be your every man, every budget sort of place. No, it wasn't an outlet mall - but it shouldn't carry the perception that its prices are higher then everywhere else- because as has been said, the most likely weren't. But if people truly believe that then retailers will have a hard time figuring out what and where to put stores and how to group them for success because it seems Huntsville wants to build a new strip center every other week 3 more blocks down the road and subsidize them with city tax dollars in a race to out build Madison and Decatur who are just a few more miles down the road. Higher end retailers are not even going to try unless they get lots of gimmies from the city coffers.

[TN2HSV]

Macy's isn't high end. It's a department store like Dillard's, Belk's, etc. Location, demographics, etc determine the merch & brands (& price) carried at each store. For instance, Macy's at Green Hills in Nashville is going to carry higher end stuff than the one at Cool Springs. I think Macy's would do great here because they DO have great sales.

NoleFan, I think you have your brands mixed up. Chaps is the lower end Ralph Lauren brand. Don't think they even carry it at Dillard's etc anymore. Dillard's, Belk etc carry Ralph Lauren and Polo Ralph Lauren. RL also has purple label & black label that gets into major bucks. You'll have to go to Neiman, Saks, Nordstrom for that. And YES, you can get lucky & find all the above at Marshall's, TJ Maxx, etc I frequent those stores for that very reason.

[TN2HSV]

And PS....Gap, Gymboree, Justice etc aren't high end. They're typical mall fare. Anthropologie, J Crew, Michael Kors....yes, higher end. So, BSTC is a mix of both.

What I think would go over GREAT somewhere around the 65/565 interchange is a nicer outlet mall. Like the one in Leeds....across I20 from Bass Pro Shop.

[RocketCityMama]

I should have phrased that better guys/girls. I meant the rent at MSM is high, not the products, I believe they all rank similar no matter if in strip mall, mall or outdoor mall such as BSTC.

[Tourian]

Originally Posted by TN2HSV

And PS....Gap, Gymboree, Justice etc aren't high end. They're typical mall fare. Anthropologie, J Crew, Michael Kors....yes, higher end. So, BSTC is a mix of both.

What I think would go over GREAT somewhere around the 65/565 interchange is a nicer outlet mall. Like the one in Leeds....across I20 from Bass Pro Shop.

Yeah and BSTC has a mattress store too, right?

It would've been nice if it had stayed exclusively high end. But now that Bayer is in charge, those mainstream stores might need to watch out when their leases or up. They keep the bar set high for the Summit. But then again, with MSM about to die, having a mix of mainstream and highend might be just the ticket for BSTC.

And yes, Grand River is awesome and doing quite well. However, it does have a lot of attractions around it including Barber's Motorsports Park and the Bass Pro you mentioned. There's also a huge housing development about to be built nearby so it will become even better as the economy gets back rolling.

[Tourian]

Originally Posted by CoreLysium

If they showed us the most impressive parts of it, no, it's actually pretty lame. Untrained security guards sissyfighting with perps.

Originally Posted by dijkstra

Seriously! Whoever thought that was some insane fight has obviously never seen a real fight and certainly never been in one. They were just grabbing each others' clothes and slapping. lol

Forgot to comment on this...

I think you guys are missing the point. If you want to see a MMA match there's plenty of ways to scratch that itch. The insane part is that this is happening in what is supposed to be a premier shopping venue in a "nice" part of town. No it isn't nice anymore and MSM is weak, but the fact remains no one wants or needs to see this going on in a place frequented by women and children. The length of time it goes on is another. I'm trying to think how many dozens of Hoover Tahoes would descend on the scene in a matter of seconds if this took place at the Galleria, or BPD Caprices if it were the Summit. Hell, Hoover probably would've shown up with an armored car and the SWAT team... (you think I'm playin')

You can't let crap like that go on. Of course stuff happens sometimes and thugs will be thugs. Our Western Hills Mall has similar issues. But when it does jump off, you have to deal with it accordingly and the length of time that video goes on and no mall security and no Huntsville police show up is insane. A video like this being shown on the news will kill business, whatever little is left. It seems the community has already written the mall off.

[raj kapoor]

Originally Posted by Tourian

Forgot to comment on this...

I think you guys are missing the point. If you want to see a MMA match there's plenty of ways to scratch that itch. The insane part is that this is happening in what is supposed to be a premier shopping venue in a "nice" part of town. No it isn't nice anymore and MSM is weak, but the fact remains no one wants or needs to see this going on in a place frequented by women and children. The length of time it goes on is another. I'm trying to think how many dozens of Hoover Tahoes would descend on the scene in a matter of seconds if this took place at the Galleria, or BPD Caprices if it were the Summit. Hell, Hoover probably would've shown up with an armored car and the SWAT team... (you think I'm playin')

You can't let crap like that go on. Of course stuff happens sometimes and thugs will be thugs. Our Western Hills Mall has similar issues. But when it does jump off, you have to deal with it accordingly and the length of time that video goes on and no mall security and no Huntsville police show up is insane. A video like this being shown on the news will kill business, whatever little is left. It seems the community has already written the mall off.

Agreed. I remember thinking as I watched the video that another hundred or so people just said they would never go there again.