ESPN Radio Savannah moving studios to Savannah Mall (White, Dillard: lease, construction)

[Newsboy]

I was in Savannah Mall the other day and noticed signs indicating that ESPN Savannah 104.3 FM and 1400 AM are building new studios on the first floor of the center court, next to Bass Pro. It appears the new studios will be glass-enclosed so mall patrons can see the deejays at work.

Another big boost for Savannah Mall! The transformation of the mall into a sports and entertainment destination continues.

-- The 46,000-sf Pole Position indoor go-cart center appears ready to open any day.
-- There's a new kick-boxing gym on the lower level near Dillard's, not too far from the gymnastics gym and that kids jungle gym play/party space.
-- And construction is well underway on both the 15,000-sf Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill on the upper level, near Target, and the 13,000-sf Wing Shack on the lower level, across from Ruby Tuesday.
-- There's also a new Tex-Mex eatery in the food court, which is 90 percent leased.

It will be interesting to see what all these new attractions do for retail business. It certainly can't hurt! Has the mall turned a corner?

Here's what to expect from Toby Keith's:
http://tobykeithusa.com/

Here's what to expect from Pole Position:
http://www.polepositionraceway.com/

Here's a prospectus link to what's happening at the mall:
http://urbanretail.com/factsheets/re...annah_mall.pdf

[SavannahLife]

I like all this b/c the food court keeps adding good restaurants. We go to eat dinner there often now.

[Newsboy]

Just came from the mall again (had to go to Target). It was very busy for a Thursday afternoon. There were even families lined up to ride the carousel. They also have a pretty cool butterfly exhibit in the center court with live butterflies inside a green house. Don't know if that's temporary or permanent.

Here's a picture I took of the new ESPN Radio studios:

[masonbauknight]

Good to see that Savannah Mall is finally getting its act together. It's about time. First, the layout plan and ambiance were always bright and inviting. Yes, it's on the far southside of town (and for those of us who grew up in southside Savannah decades ago, the southside today seems seedy, deteriorated and depressing), but the new Veterans Parkway linking Holland Drive to eastside Savannah is almost a direct hit. To avoid Abercorn, one can use White Bluff and the "back way" around Armstrong to reach the mall. It's pretty fast.

Savannah Mall has endless potential. There's no reason for it to be a shopping desert any longer.

[WanderingImport]

Seems like the owners are really trying to make this place a destination mall.

Good for them. I hope they keep it up.

Too bad they couldn't get one of the TV stations to move to the mall. That would've been cool.

On second thought, it would be cool if one of the studios moved downtown! WCCO-TV in the Twin Cities has its studios on the ground floor of a building on the Nicollet Mall (sort of their Broughton Street).

[SavannahLife]

Originally Posted by WanderingImport

Seems like the owners are really trying to make this place a destination mall.

Good for them. I hope they keep it up.

Too bad they couldn't get one of the TV stations to move to the mall. That would've been cool.

On second thought, it would be cool if one of the studios moved downtown! WCCO-TV in the Twin Cities has its studios on the ground floor of a building on the Nicollet Mall (sort of their Broughton Street).

Then they could do a morning show like Today with people outside it waving that you can see right before commercials maybe?

[zarethjones]

Originally Posted by Newsboy

I was in Savannah Mall the other day and noticed signs indicating that ESPN Savannah 104.3 FM and 1400 AM are building new studios on the first floor of the center court, next to Bass Pro. It appears the new studios will be glass-enclosed so mall patrons can see the deejays at work.

Another big boost for Savannah Mall! The transformation of the mall into a sports and entertainment destination continues.

-- The 46,000-sf Pole Position indoor go-cart center appears ready to open any day.
-- There's a new kick-boxing gym on the lower level near Dillard's, not too far from the gymnastics gym and that kids jungle gym play/party space.
-- And construction is well underway on both the 15,000-sf Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill on the upper level, near Target, and the 13,000-sf Wing Shack on the lower level, across from Ruby Tuesday.
-- There's also a new Tex-Mex eatery in the food court, which is 90 percent leased.

It will be interesting to see what all these new attractions do for retail business. It certainly can't hurt! Has the mall turned a corner?

Here's what to expect from Toby Keith's:
Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill locations

Here's what to expect from Pole Position:
http://www.polepositionraceway.com/

Here's a prospectus link to what's happening at the mall:
http://urbanretail.com/factsheets/re...annah_mall.pdf

Do you mean Que Rico?

[zarethjones]

Originally Posted by SavannahLife

I like all this b/c the food court keeps adding good restaurants. We go to eat dinner there often now.

That's one of the things that I love about Savannah Mall. In fact, Que Rico, Saigon Flavors, & Pete's Italian Ice are new at Savannah Mall's Food Court. The Food Court also needs one more restaurant.

[gentlearts]

Just how long does it take to build a Toby Keith's restaurant anyway? What's it been, about 2 years?