What's your fav mall in Orlando area? (Miami: low income, crime)

[brinkofsunshine]

Originally Posted by boy3365

Festival Bay owner prepares $100M revamp - Orlando Business Journal

I can't read the whole article (not subscribed). I'm glad it's getting a revamp but country western theme?! Of course, replace the cheesy dated tropical decor with something even more cheesy and dated!

[boy3365]

Originally Posted by brinkofsunshine

I can't read the whole article (not subscribed). I'm glad it's getting a revamp but country western theme?! Of course, replace the cheesy dated tropical decor with something even more cheesy and dated!

I originally heard about this on WFTV or something, but I couldn't find an article on their website. They are keeping the anchors and doing to bulldoze the interior and make it an outdoor complex. That's the "thang" nowadays.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by Crane's Rooster

Well I think a rise in other large corporate stores has alot to do with it. More and more families are going less to the mall and more to super centers like Target and Walmart for their shopping needs. Places like Kohls, Target, TJ Maxx, Ross, etc have also eaten into the marketshare that major malls once dominated. For instance, in an area like Fashion Square Mall, the mall itself is not doing well, but just down the street Colonial plaza with Marshalls, Ross, Old Navy, Big Lots are all doing well. Same with Seminole town Center, my understanding is the discount stores surrounding the mall are doing ok. We just have to accept that the days of mega malls may be coming to an end when places like Waterford Town Center can provide more options. Ohh my youth is becoming a thing of the past.

For whatever reason (probably due to demographics and poor economy) what you mention is more a Florida issue, which is why after moving back recently have been stunned as to how it's changed over the past several years. Malls aren't dying elsewhere in the country like they are here. The trend is to build more outdoor centers versus regional malls, but the regional malls in existence aren't dying off like they are here. Milennia and Florida Mall thrive due only to international tourists and a favorable exchange rate. It's really sad how downmarket this area is headed and quite frankly a little scary in terms of how it may affect the area overall in terms of who stays/who moves out, the demographic that is drawn here, the affect on the housing market and how the economic conditions will possibly deter new businesses from relocating here. I know that sounds somewhat snobbish but this area is headed toward a one-dimensional existence in terms of goods and services, which isn't attractive to many.

[Crane's Rooster]

Outdoor centers make more sense to developers in FL for the biggest reason of no AC cost. Without it you can charge much less for rent, each tenant pays their own utilities and you can attract more tenants with cheaper rent. This of course doesn't make sense up north because although people are willing to bare 100+ heat, they will not go to an outdoor shopping mall when it's snowing or below 50 when the alternative is nice heated indoor mall protected from the elements. Before leaving the Norhtheast I also noticed their indoor malls did well. But I also noticed the market wasn't saturated. In Providence, which is a little smaller population wise than the Orlando Metro, I can only remember about 4 malls total.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by Crane's Rooster

Outdoor centers make more sense to developers in FL for the biggest reason of no AC cost. Without it you can charge much less for rent, each tenant pays their own utilities and you can attract more tenants with cheaper rent. This of course doesn't make sense up north because although people are willing to bare 100+ heat, they will not go to an outdoor shopping mall when it's snowing or below 50 when the alternative is nice heated indoor mall protected from the elements. Before leaving the Norhtheast I also noticed their indoor malls did well. But I also noticed the market wasn't saturated. In Providence, which is a little smaller population wise than the Orlando Metro, I can only remember about 4 malls total.

Actually I can tel you as a long time Retail Manager it has little to do with energy costs, as retailers pay their own A/C costs and typically the common areas of a mall are controlled by individual retailer spaces or by minimal common area units. Go into most malls first thing in the morning before stores open their doors and you'll feel the difference. It has more to do with who developers feel they can attract to a new development here. Smaller upscale specialty retailers are reluctant or flat out won't open new stores here because the demographic can't support them. That leaves outdoor "big box" concepts that attract the usual suspects (Target/Marshalls/TJ Maxx/Bed Bath and Beyond/Best Buy etc.). You made a good point that the market here probably is saturated since our population isn't that large (Orlando's population is just 238,000) although the "metro area" is over 2 million but that includes a somewhat odd 4,000 square mile area. The Providence metro area by contrast is just 153 square miles.

[taekwondor]

I enjoy the outlets in Orlando, Florida Mall, and Millenia -

Anyone have any idea of the traffic or $$$ per square foot for Seminole Town Center in Sanford, FL?

[chopchop0]

Redevelopment likely at Fashion Square likely after planned sale - Orlando Sentinel

[lovfl]

The places I like, Are "Winter Garden Village", Kohl's, in Clermont and the outlet mall on 535. Everybody I know, shops for their kids clothes at Kohl's.

[IAm_FloridaBorn]

Florida Mall hands down
Fashion Square
Prime Outlets
Premium Outlets

after that, nothing else in Orlando is worth going too.

[chopchop0]

Originally Posted by IAm_FloridaBorn

Florida Mall hands down
Fashion Square
Prime Outlets
Premium Outlets

after that, nothing else in Orlando is worth going too.

Can't afford millennia? Sorry, but it's a nice mall and although it may not have every mainstream store you need, the Macys there is fantastic.