21 replies to this topic

[avery]

Prime Outlets Redevelopment

[Transplant]

I eat at the outlet mall on occasion.

I see two problems with the mall as it currently is:

1) No one knows its there. They need to add some signs on the highway, or cut back some trees so people know theres a mall.

2) There are no reason to go there. The place is a ghost town. All the decent 'outlet' stores left town.

[StevenRocks]

I've never been to that mall.  I doubt I could even find it.

[NCMike1981]

It's a beautiful mall, although some could say it's very early '90's, I love the hardwood floors. The only thing there of substance anymore seems to be Off 5th and some shoe stores. Even the food court, which up until several years had no empty spaces, is starting to thin out...that can't be a good sign.

On a side note the article states that the mall was built in 1982 and converted to an outlet mall in 1991. If you think the mall is isolated now just think of 1982, there probably wasn't much of anything out there back then aside from a gas station or two. Anyone have any memories of the mall in it's pre-outlet days? I have never heard of the mall having traditional anchors, maybe it was more of a South Hills type mall, with mainly service stores and maybe a Roses type anchor, or some local anchor from the '80's....I'm a little intriqued

Edited by NCMike1981, 10 April 2006 - 10:37 AM.

[DigitalSky]

It's the only mall in the Triangle i've never been to.  Yeah they need to advertise it more or something

[orulz]

They actually have some neat stores there. I like the Totes and Samsonite stores, and that place that sells kitchen gadgets.

They do also have the Off 5th, but I'm not too into shopping at places like that.

I'm astounded at how few people know it's there, though. I guess they must not have had an advertising budget for the past decade or so.

[Tayfromcarolina]

It is strange that this place isnt more talked about and visited. Especially considering the success of the outlets in Smithfield. Whatever comes, Hope it will be nice and be better than the outlets. It is a good location I think.

[ncwebguy]

I go there for lunch once in a while.  There are only six places open in the food court (greek fiesta, subway, cheesesteak and hamburgers, cajun, chinese, and ice cream/coffee/snacks) left, and all are typical food court level of food.  There is a sign for a new tenant in the food court, but it doesn't look like they're in a hurry to open.

Almost all tenants are on the main axis of the mall.  It has two cross aisles, but other than Off 5th, they're all empty.   There are a few ok stores - totes, rack room, van heusen (?), but some are filler, like the SPCA and book warehouse/publisher overstock stores.

There is a sign visible from 40, but it is above the tree line, and therefore out of view.  When the Levis/Dockers outlet closed, they said they did a lot better business in Smithfield, and a good amount of their business came from travelers killing time before catching their plane at RDU.  It never did well because the major residential centers have malls closer to them.  And parking isn't well laid out.  You have to use stairs to get to the mall from the west or south, cross a street and stream to enter the food court from the north, or enter through Off 5th from the east.

They could try reinventing it as a movie/restaurant/entertainment destination (ice or roller skating, indoor soccer/basketball, swimming?), but that would take a lot of work.

[Subway Scoundrel]

NCMike1981, on Apr 10 2006, 12:31 PM, said:

On a side note the article states that the mall was built in 1982 and converted to an outlet mall in 1991. If you think the mall is isolated now just think of 1982, there probably wasn't much of anything out there back then aside from a gas station or two. Anyone have any memories of the mall in it's pre-outlet days?

I have lived here a long time and remember when it was built.   It was a mall a few steps above South Hills but I don’t remember any anchor standards there like Belks.   The hardwood floors were put in when it was redone in the early 90’s when they started to call it an outlet mall.  I remember when they just had a few restaurants and that was unusual as it was before food courts were being built in malls.   They later built the food court there is now.

When I got out of under-graduate school (several years ago), I moved back to Raleigh to look for a job.  I had a friend who worked for a temp-agency in the Concourse building next door.  She got me a 3-day job with the development company that built/own the mall.  It was probably 5 years old at this time.   They also owned all the land behind the mall at that time and were starting to build office buildings.   I remember they planned on building numerous office buildings that would support the mall.   Since then, I think the property has been sub-plotted and sold in parcels many time over, including the mall.  I think the mall has been sold many times by itself with some of the surrounding land developed.    

Back then, the guy I was working with took me around the property and explained what they were trying to do.  I think they thought this was the beginning with the expansion of I-40 that tied in Raleigh and Durham on an interstate instead of 2 lane roads.  Malls were the future.

This was at the start of the boom times with RTP growing, satellite offices being set up  and companies and people moving here on a wholesale basis.

I like the Geoffrey Beane store if it is still there and the travel stores are good but rarely go there even though I drive past it twice a day.

[Atlside]

Here's an aerial of the mall

http://terraserver.m...p...raleigh|nc|

[NCMike1981]

the lot looks kinda full there, in front of Saks and the food court at least

Edited by NCMike1981, 13 April 2006 - 07:57 PM.

[DigitalSky]

I always forget they have an Off 5th Saks Outlet there

[NCMike1981]

That's probably the only thing that's kept the mall going all of these years....I think if they had attracted stronger anchors and done a little more advertising the mall would be in much better shape today

[DCMetroRaleigh]

Perhaps, if like so much along I-40 in the Triangle, it didnt have a thick barrier of trees obscuring it from being seen from the busy interstate, people would be inclined to go there.

[NCMike1981]

New owners going upscale at Prime Outlets mall

Apparantely half of the mall will be demolished to make way for a hotel and office building but Saks and part of the mall will remain. The Saks outlet has a lease until 2011 and says it is happy with the location, but one must wonder how well this new plan is going to work in the long run...

[StevenRocks]

It's worth a shot.  Maybe building a hotel tower will give it some presence from the interstate.

[NCMike1981]

So it appears as if things have been status qou at the Morrisville Outlet Mall. The previously mentioned demolition/rebuild never occured, probably due to the economy. Interesting to note per the above comments that Off 5th's lease is expiring this year...wonder if they are planning on renewing. I think if they left the mall would officially close shortly thereafter. Here are several pics of the Saks Outlet:




Thoughts as to the future of this center? Any recent updates on redevelopment?

[ctl]

Shopped there earlier this month. Virtually deserted at 3 pm on a weekday.

[DigitalSky]

I don't know how this place remains open, I think a lot of people forget it's even there.  Saks Off 5th may close, especially now that there's the new one in Mebane.

[NCMike1981]

Looks like Off 5th is not renewing their lease and will be closing as of 1/1/2012, citing "redundancy" as the Mebane store is located "nearby" (about 50 miles west). I personally think they were just biding their time until their lease expired.

http://blogs.newsobs...-in-morrisville

I have a feeling the mall will officially die now within a year or two now that it is anchorless...and once the economy gets back in full swing it will probably be torn down and replaced with.....ummmmmm I'm not sure what. I don't know if a lifestyle center would work there....maybe some office buildings, hotels, restaurants?

Or who knows maybe a miracle will happen and an anchor will be found, although that is probably unlikely....

Edited by NCMike1981, 21 October 2011 - 05:55 PM.