Are malls going extinct in your area?

[agnes]

Jul 9, 2016 13:06:03 GMT -5 happywife said:

agnes, Do you ever go to Main Place? I haven't been there in years either.

Ive only been there once! Like 2 years ago. It had a lot of people there at the time. It just was never as convenient to go to as the others.

[themysteriouswife]

My current area has a lot of malls and they are all full.  Occasionally, will find one that has a few stores empty. We went yesterday and it was full of people shopping and eating.  The mall H and I grew up with is a ghost town and known for gang violence. We suspect it will close within a few years.

[Jalapeñomel]

No. They just built a huge one in the Bronx.

[stephm0188]

Ours are still pretty okay and do a fair amount of business.

The one in my hometown, not so much. I think they're 25% occupied.

[Deleted]

There are still physical malls here but more of the "village" type shopping centers are popping up

[TrudyCampbell]

I live in NYC and dream of suburban malls, haha. I love a good mall. It seems the malls in the suburbs outside of New York are getting more and more upscale.

[dexteroni]

Jul 9, 2016 12:47:37 GMT -5 lurknomore said:

Jul 9, 2016 12:12:04 GMT -5 dexteroni said:

The mall nearest to me is fine, in fact it's about to expand for the second time. But there's one a bit further away that is going the same route as the one you described - empty storefronts, independent stores that don't last, and last year its Macy's closed, which is definitely not a good sign.

Which is the second one...Richmond? We never go there except when we need Sears. The Randall Park mall was like 80% empty when we first moved here and then Sears left. They finally tore it down entirely a year ago or so. At one point it was the largest mall in the US. Kind of sad.

Yup. That mall's decline has happened twice since I moved to Cleveland. When I first moved here it had been neglected since probably the 70s, then they remodeled and added a bunch of new stores. And now it's in decline again. I only go there to buy workout clothes at Penney's (and I usually stop at the booth right outside to get some caramel popcorn). I used to go to the Sears for Lands End, then they discontinued it at that store.

I wasn't even counting Randall. That's such a sad story. When I was growing up, we would drive to Cleveland to shop at Beachwood and Randall, and even then (a looong time ago lol) my mom would comment on how it was going downhill. After a while we stopped going there and just went to Beachwood.

[Deleted]

We used to have two. Last time I checked, the old one was a ghost town. It just had like 1 nail place and a doctor office. That was 3 or 4 years ago.

The other mall went through a phase where it had NO stores. I'd say 3/4 of the stores shut down and the mall was almost empty. It's a tiny bit better now, but it's still pretty brutal.

I always go to the next town over if I need to go to the mall, but to be honest, I hate going to malls.

[jlt19]

We have many, and some are going under. However this seems to be the norm around here. I remember we had 2 downtown that ckosed up when I was little. And 2 others that did as well. It seems they ebb and flow around here.

[Deleted]

Yep, which is good for my career in revitalizing Main Street.

Think about why you go in to a store anymore. Because you're buying something you need help with before purchasing (electronics, jewelry, makeup), want to touch and feel before purchasing, or it's a perishable item (food). Because the experience of going in to the store is pleasant or an experience, not just making a purchase. For everything else? Fuck the chain stores and endless racks of clothes to sort through. I'll shop online where I can sort through sizes and colors quickly, in my PJs over my morning coffee. Nordstroms isn't about the only place I'll make a point of going to because their customer service is so awesome and they find me bras that fit without making me feel like a whale.

All of this is good for small business development on Main Streets.

[redwino]

When I moved to the area 15 years ago there were already 3-4 small malls that were on there last leg. Most of those have been boarded up or converted to business parks. The one closest to me has some small boutiques, 2 nice restaurants, and a discount theater. I have no idea how the businesses survive.

We currently have a upscale mall and a big typical mall. I think they're both doing ok but the large mall just lost Macy's. It was also slow when I went there this week but I chopped it up to it being mid-day. There are a ton of outdoor shooting areas and more are being built so I'm interested to see if the malls will survive. I prefer the outside areas but the malls are closer to me so I end up there a lot

[cabbagecabbage]

My hometown mall is sad but not really empty but my hometown has taken a turn in the past decade and crime and poverty have increased in the area and it's just a worse place in general. Near me is now is the fancy outdoor suburban mall that is full of designer stores. I don't go very often but it seems to be busy.

[Mrs.Rad888]

We only have one mall in the area, so we're a captive audience. It always seems to be both a state of ebb and flow. It took a big hit when the economy went to shit (like all of them did, I'm sure), and it's slowly recovering. At one point there was a motorcycle drivers school and an air conditioning sales place in it. Now, most of the food court closed and they put in a Buffalo Wild Wings, Q-doba and Potbelly Subs. The Forever 21 closed, but a Dick's Sporting Goods is taking over a block of stores. Our anchor stores are Macy's, JC Penney, and Sears, which have all threatened closing in the past few years. 
There is a new outdoor shopping center going in that may spell the end for the mall. That makes me sad because I do most of my clothes shopping at Macy's and that's where the MAC counter is. At least the new Ulta will make it easier to take if JC Penney closes and takes Sephora with it.

[cherryvalance]

No, but I live in NJ, land of the mall.

[mommytutu]

Jul 9, 2016 13:04:04 GMT -5 agnes said:

Jul 9, 2016 12:48:13 GMT -5 happywife said:

Yes!  I stopped going years ago, it's terrible.

i feel like it's turned in to the old Huntington Beach mall (now the Bella Terra). So either it's going to go completely out of business or it's going to get a facelift with in the next 10 years.

Totally agree. I haven't stepped foot into Westminster in years.

[gummybear]

I live walking distance to a mall of sadness. But there is a Wegmans attached that is always packed. There is another about 15 minutes away that is semi-nice with good stores and nice anchors that is pretty crowded.

King of Prussia is 20 minutes away and I believe it's the second biggest mall in the country. It's got everything you can think of, lots of super high-end stores and is usually packed.

[meowmaps]

I don't think they're dying out in my area but I honestly can't remember the last time I was inside one.

My preferred mall is the Internet.

[agnes]

Jul 9, 2016 16:00:53 GMT -5 @kirkette said:

No but my malls are Tustin Marketplace (I'm there almost daily because it's across the street), The Spectrum, and South Coast Plaza. They are destinations as opposed to traditional malls.

When we lived in LA, our mall was The Pointe and Manhattan Village. Those are holding on strong too.

i have spent a lot of time at Tustin Marketplace lately. That place is HUGE. I never realized it was that big.

[Elsa]

Yes for sure. Outdoor shopping centers have become more popular, which- what the fuck? It's Texas and miserable to be outside about 40% of the year. Malls make so much more sense here.

[RoxMonster]

I rarely go to the mall anymore, and if so, like you, I just go directly to the store I need.

The Macys that was there just closed and many of the other smaller stores are closing or changing hands.

We have a pretty nice outdoor mall that has a couple restaurants and department stores but I still don't see half as many people there shopping as I did 8-10 years ago.

[fivechickens]

The mall by us is still going strong and adding to it. The two malls by our old house were not doing well the last time I was there.

I very rarely go to the mall.

[Deleted]

Not really. There are plenty of big malls with lots of stores. There have always been a few " dirt malls" like in Mall Rats too & some newish large outdoor shopping plazas.

[joshlyman]

Yeah. There are a couple malls here that are going strong, but they are luxury malls and not places I would shop at frequently.

The popular shopping areas are outdoor mall types, instead of the traditional Mall models. (I.e. The Irvine spectrum)

[elleblue]

This reminds me of the photos of abandoned malls in various states of disrepair. So haunting and apocalyptic looking. link 

[circa1978]

I personally don't go there but I think the mall in my city is doing fairly well.

[spindle92]

I was just at the Mall of America today and it is doing just fine.

[CurlyQ284]

The mall by me is doing well. I hate going to the mall though.

[killercupcake]

It seems like we're going the way of the outdoor mall, which I hate, because weather. At least here. But I don't think they're going extinct.

H always talks about how malls are on their way out. I hope he's wrong, because I love walking around a mall.

[peachykate]

Only one of the three malls that were popular when I was growing up went downhill although it's still open.

An outdoor outlet mall just opened a few miles from my house and they are building another mall about ten miles south.

So not here.

[CloudBee]

There are quite a few malls within an hour of me. All are pretty much booming, with the exception of a few random independent stores. Vacancies are uncommon. However two malls near me seem to have a couple units that constantly change hands, selling cheap clothing with brands I'm unfamiliar with.

I live in the NYC metro, so retail is pretty big in this area. In the colder months I'm at a mall about once a week so DS can use the play place. Sometimes we buy lunch, sometimes we are in need of a tangible item, and other times we don't spend a dime.