Dead/Dying Malls in Your Area and Predictions

ShopShreveport
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Re: Dead/Dying Malls in Your Area and Predictions

Post by ShopShreveport »

It’s amazing how two people can have such different perspectives. Pierremont Mall is certainly not a super regional center. But, it was the first enclosed mall in Louisiana. When it opened in 1962, it boasted a roster of exclusive specialty shops that catered to the oil and gas community that surrounded it. When Dillard’s purchased Selber’s, the other merchants accused them of cheapening them. South Park was a Simon property. It was almost always at capacity. This was Dillard’s second location in Shreveport, the first being Shreve City. In fact, that was Dillard’s first location in Louisiana. Mall St Vincent was added to an existing Sears. Palais Royal was the other anchor. Wellan’s bought them in 1985, converted it to their name in 1987, and closed in 1988. Pierre Bossier was our last mall. It very much struggled when it first opened. Many storefronts remained vacant for several years after opening. In fact, there’s still a vacant anchor spot. Today, the mall is our most successful. Yet, there are still many vacancies.
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Re: Dead/Dying Malls in Your Area and Predictions

Post by wnetmacman »

ShopShreveport wrote: February 12th, 2022, 6:18 am It’s amazing how two people can have such different perspectives. Pierremont Mall is certainly not a super regional center. But, it was the first enclosed mall in Louisiana. When it opened in 1962, it boasted a roster of exclusive specialty shops that catered to the oil and gas community that surrounded it. When Dillard’s purchased Selber’s, the other merchants accused them of cheapening them. South Park was a Simon property. It was almost always at capacity. This was Dillard’s second location in Shreveport, the first being Shreve City. In fact, that was Dillard’s first location in Louisiana. Mall St Vincent was added to an existing Sears. Palais Royal was the other anchor. Wellan’s bought them in 1985, converted it to their name in 1987, and closed in 1988. Pierre Bossier was our last mall. It very much struggled when it first opened. Many storefronts remained vacant for several years after opening. In fact, there’s still a vacant anchor spot. Today, the mall is our most successful. Yet, there are still many vacancies.
The difference between Pierremont and the other two malls (Pierre Bossier and South Park) was that Pierremont had largely local stores. The building was and is still only 60,000 sq ft. Selber Bros. was locally owned. Dillard's was always a larger company than Selber, as they never had more than 10 stores. Dillard's did not buy the whole Selber chain; the downtown Shreveport store, Acadiana Mall in Lafayette and Monroe were closed at separate times. Downtown actually ceased operations as a department store in 1977. Tyler's Broadway Square and Longview Mall's stores were taken over for a second store to the main store, which housed Men's clothing. A year later, almost all the rest of the chain except Acadiana, which would close soon after, and Pierremont closed. Pierremont was indeed Dillard's for a short time, but it was very short lived, as they went to Mall St. Vincent and took over the abandoned Palais Royal/Wellan's and combined with Shreve City, which became a Clearance center. They are still in Mall St. Vincent today. Shreve City was demolished for Walmart.

I wouldn't say that Dillard's cheapened the three Selber stores they bought. If anything, the merchandise changed because it wasn't the merchandise that Dillard carried. Dillard's, even by that time, had a far wider line of merchandise than Selber. They just weren't a hometown store any longer, and I thin that bothered Shreveport more than anything.

In the long run, none of these stores are open today. Monroe's store in Mid City was converted to office tenants. Acadiana Mall was demolished in favor of JCPenney in 1990. Longview combined the two stores into a heavily expanded main store a few years back. Tyler combined as well, and the store became inline space for the mall. Pierremont would become Shreveport's first Stein Mart, and we know how that went. South Park Mall was bought by a church, but the Selber space became a Burlington that is that mall's only remaining tenant.
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Re: Dead/Dying Malls in Your Area and Predictions

Post by ShopShreveport »

Yes, Pierremont Mall is a tiny building, and it was comprised of local and regional merchants. However, the merchandise carried by Selber's and the other tenants were a step above what Dillard's had at that time. Selber's catered to the elite shoppers that lived in the neighborhood surrounding the mall, who were rich with oil and gas money. They considered themselves more of a specialty store. Their stores were designed by the same company that designed Neiman Marcus and Sakowitz's. They also has an Atoine Salon., another similarity to Neiman Marcus. Dillard's Shreve City and South Park were full line stores, including appliances, records, etc. They were, at that time, under their massive buying spree of regional department stores, and had not refined their merchandise selection as it is today. The Shreve City Store lacked style, and the South Park store (which I personally liked) was dark. So, from the perspective of the other merchants, Dillard's was a stepdown to them. They did not buy Selber's to acquire their 40,000 square foot store. As you said, they closed it three years later, after they built a store nearly three times the size at Mall St. Vincent. They bought Selber's for market share, their "carriage trade" clientele, and their relationships with certain designers that they did not yet have. I shopped all of the Selber's store, except Twin Cities and Acadiana Mall. I was a regular at the Pierremont store until Dillard's converted it to a woman's store. They were grand stores, albeit unsustainable in our city, and with the locations they chose. Dillard's Mall St Vincent is a great store. I was there opening day, and continue to shop with them today. Although, the mall is on life support. Unless someone intervenes, it will go they way of South Park. As far as South Park, Burlington is in the former Rubenstein's space. Half the store was empty at Christmas. I fear we may loose it too.
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Re: Dead/Dying Malls in Your Area and Predictions

Post by timanny »

This thread is super long so I don't know if it's been mentioned or not, but in my area (Las Vegas), Boulevard Mall is pretty much dead. The Broadway/Macy's is now an Anthem Blue Cross facility of some sort, Dillard's is split between a few businesses including a John's Incredible Pizza, and Sears is completely empty.
There's an Old Navy still accessible from the front parking lot, but I don't know if the inside of the mall is open at all or not, as I haven't been inside in years and don't plan on trying. It is a very sketchy area; "Crack Alley" is a block or two west.
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Re: Dead/Dying Malls in Your Area and Predictions

Post by storewanderer »

timanny wrote: February 19th, 2022, 4:13 pm This thread is super long so I don't know if it's been mentioned or not, but in my area (Las Vegas), Boulevard Mall is pretty much dead. The Broadway/Macy's is now an Anthem Blue Cross facility of some sort, Dillard's is split between a few businesses including a John's Incredible Pizza, and Sears is completely empty.
There's an Old Navy still accessible from the front parking lot, but I don't know if the inside of the mall is open at all or not, as I haven't been inside in years and don't plan on trying. It is a very sketchy area; "Crack Alley" is a block or two west.
The mall is open. Just down the street from the sketchy Twain Vons. Foot Locker is still present. Always the last to go. Stuck by Park Lane in Reno to the bitter end too (See's was as I recall the only other chain that stayed to the end). Actually looks like a number of chains are still left in Boulevard: Hot Topic, Bath and Body Works, Victoria's Secret, LensCrafters, Visionworks, Zumiez, Torrid, Rainbow, Journeys, Kid Foot Locker, Lids... wonder if their website is outdated. Appears some of them are definitely still there besides Foot Locker though. Also Primal Steakhouse is there (not a cheap place).

They also have a popular aquarium in the mall. Sea Quest.

Feels like this mall is trying to make it, with anchor tenants 99 Ranch and Goodwill (yikes), in a tough neighborhood... and isn't completely dead yet...
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Re: Dead/Dying Malls in Your Area and Predictions

Post by marshd1000 »

When I first posted in this thread, I had made a prediction about The Commons at Federal Way. I had predicted that maybe a Whole Foods Market might go in the old Sears space. Well I was kind of close, Amazon Fresh is going in there! But since my previous post, I should make a mention of Westwood Village in West Seattle. Westwood Village is owned by Canadian developer BentallGreenOak but unlike it’s Canadian retail properties, it is managed by Madison Marquette, owners of Downtown Seattle’s Pacific Place. This had been a property that was in an open air mall configuration and was developed in the 1960’s by the same company that developed Aurora Village and University Village. In the 1970’s it had gained a Lamont’s which became Gottschalks. It became kind of a hybrid Lifestyle and Community center and was demalled. The Gottschalks space became Marshall’s and Bed Bath and Beyond in the early 2000’s. Bed Bath and Beyond is closing or has closed. So I don’t have any idea really what will go in their place. When the current design was proposed in the late 1990’s there was supposed to be a Regal Cinemas which pulled out. Could a theater be in the future? Or could a small Kohl’s locate there? Kohl’s doesn’t operate inside Seattle currently. I’m also wondering if this could be a site for condos or apartments? Or how about a small hotel and throw in a nice restaurant?
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Re: Dead/Dying Malls in Your Area and Predictions

Post by cjd »

Eagle Ridge Mall in Lake Wales FL (south of Orlando/Davenport area) is a very dead mall.

It originally sported Sears (with separate Auto Center and Toys R US as outparcels), JCPenney, Dillards. I visited the mall in 2012 and it still looked pretty good back then and fairly healthy although Toys R US was long gone at that point. I visted again summer of 2016 it was already pretty sad. The JCPenney I think was still open but Sears were gone. Dillards still manages to hang on, and even Aeropostale survives.

There still seem to be a number of small tenants on their website which I question because I find with rising rents in malls most of these are pretty much gone from malls.

When I was in the area again in December 2019 I decided not to bother and went to the nearby Kohls instead.
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Re: Dead/Dying Malls in Your Area and Predictions

Post by Jeff »

Im officially putting Puente Hills Mall on death watch. The last traditional Department store at the mall, Macys, closed. Its only being anchored by an AMC Theater, Round 1, Burlington and Ross. Funny thing, Ross had moved into the mall from the center across the street. Its down to a few stores inside. I wouldnt be surpised if they close it this year.

Twin Pines Mall, er Lone Pine Mall will soon be Dead Pine Mall.
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Re: Dead/Dying Malls in Your Area and Predictions

Post by cjd »

Strange to see those discounters in a mall, around here those stores pop up in the newer "power center" type strip malls that seem to have become very popular over the last decade or two and are still being built. I find those centers are doing very well, the one here always has lots of traffic.

I'd bet they will demolish the corridor part and redevelop what remains in business as an outdoor type center.
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Re: Dead/Dying Malls in Your Area and Predictions

Post by SamSpade »

Portland, Ore. center formally known as "Mall 205" is shuttering March 31, 2022.
https://www.wweek.com/news/business/202 ... yd-center/
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