Opinions on the new mall (Tampa: appointed, home, buy)

[joeyddog]

I just visited today and found there was no problem getting into the mall. The traffic flowed well up Cattlemen with multiple entrances starting at Dillards. There was plenty of parking at 11:30. The mall itself is beautiful, stores are spacious so it is easy to maneuver with a stroller, walker, wheelchair or scooter around the aisles. However I found in both Dillards (one of my favorite stores) and Macy's that the selection of merchandise was actually very limited compared to the old stores. I asked a salesperson in Dillards why there was such a small selection (in petites) and whether they would be getting in more stock. She didn't answer directly but implied that they were concentrating on more high end designers. Anyway, the store itself was very disappointing as I was looking forward to an expanded selection instead of a much more limited choice. Macy's gave me the same impression. I can't buy space and aisles, I'd rather buy clothes when I go shopping. The mall has decent traffic inside but I did not see many shoppers with purchases. I hope this is a temporary situation and that inventory increases.

[beninfl]

Thanks for starting a new thread on this, we were all just wondering if anyone had gone to the mall or not! We had no idea, it hasnt been discussed at all for some reason... Thanks for letting us know.

[Pump my own gas???]

We just went there for the first time Wednesday evening. Took a little while to find a parking space by the restaurants. We were there for dinner at Brio. The restaurants were very busy so good thing we had a reservation. The mall had light foot traffic. Since I was with my husband and a male friend we didn't go into many stores but from what I could see there were stores with very small inventory. It's a visually beautiful space but I was disappointed in a few things. It's smaller than I expected. I don't care for the location of the restaurants. When you are sitting outside you are looking a the parking lot (maybe so you can see the sunset?). My husband thought they would situate them to look over the rowing facility instead. I prefer International Plaza in Tampa where the restaurants open onto a courtyard so it seems less like you are at a mall. Also, I know food courts are not the "in" thing but sometimes you just want to grab a quick something to eat while you're shopping instead of having a pricier sit down lunch. I think the restaurants will do very well and the upscale shops will do a sporadic but profitable business. From what I have heard, the mall opening has been a positive to the surrounding businesses as well. I would have been happy to give Benderson my ideas for this mall if he just would have asked!

[tzais01]

Joeyddog, I agree with you that the Petite departments in both Macy's and Dillards are very small. I did not care for the clothing selections either as they tended to be geared toward a more elderly petite lady. Just because someone is petite does not mean they are do not want stylish clothes. I have this same feeling about the Kohl's and Beall's stores in the area as well. I guess it's just the older demographic in the area.

I thought the Home department in Macy's was small as well.

Yes, it's a nice classy mall with a good mixture of stores. I'm glad it's so close to home and that I don't have to fight any traffic to get in and out.

[photoman_6]

havent been there, dont plan to, but my sense of the place from looking at the tenants is an upscale mall with limited, expensive eateries, meant for "ladies who lunch". I think it was poorly conceived (Open, uncovered parking lot; limited dining options; limited access)

[calico777]

We went and we did not like it. Very sterile and cold. It seemed very loud with 'normal' traffic (not overloaded but a good amount of traffic). Lack of food court is a minus I think (but I did hear they want to keep the kids out).
I will give the old mall my business.

[bbronston]

I doubt they want to keep kids out since they have a large play area, and that would be counter-productive, but I know what you mean about the noise and the "sterile" comment. I've only been once but I was a little surprised at how plain it looked.

[Chester Burnett]

My wife found the selection of styles to be less geared toward the older crowd and was pleased to find clothes more appropriate for her age. It is not New York or LA but after years of not living near a place to find suitable business clothing and higher end styles in our sizes (smallish) the new mall is a welcome addition. I shop at Guitar Center fairly regularly and love Tandoor so I usually mentally prepare myself for traffic when I go there anyway. Growing up in NYC and living in Chicago make that kind of traffic less of a big deal. I don't really care about the decor, parking lot, children's area, and which way the restaurants face. I can understand those concerns for some people. Just not us so much. We are not particularly wealthy but we are grateful for higher end options in the area. And yes, Macy's kitchen department is lame.

[ready2move]

Thanks for all the reviews. I am disappointed to hear about the petites in Macy's and Dillards :-(

[bbronston]

You shoppers of petite clothing you should tweet about the selection (or lack thereof) to Macys. Most large companies have people who monitor tweets about their companies and they tend to be pretty responsive. I would also let the store manager know what you think. It will make a difference.