72 replies to this topic

[comreguy]

ArkansasTraveler, on 25 July 2011 - 09:52 AM, said:

This makes me think more of those airport-style kiosks than a full-fledged store.

They are a full service operation typically leasing between 1,500 and 2,500 sf. The store in Fayetteville is actually a good looking store.

[ArkansasTraveler]

comreguy, on 25 July 2011 - 10:18 AM, said:

They are a full service operation typically leasing between 1,500 and 2,500 sf. The store in Fayetteville is actually a good looking store.

Come to think of it, I think I might have seen one or two of these as well, while careening through the Atlanta airport.

[SangreRaVen]

I think it will be an actual store, not sure where it will go in the mall.

-R

[thewizard16]

I visited McCain yesterday and thought I would share some photos of the progress so far for those of you that haven't been recently. I apologize for the quality, these are just from my cell phone's camera.

The new entrances are coming along:
http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/3570/mccainentrance.jpg
The new floors, ceilings, glass dividers and railings, paint, and lights have gone up on the second level:
http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/9272/mccainwalkway.jpg
The new floors, lighting, dividers/railings, and paint are done in the Food Court, and work on the elevator is underway:
http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/2301/mccainfoodcourt.jpg
A look at the new lights in the food court, and a better view of the new dividers/railings, paint, ceilings in the walkway areas, etc.:
http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/8181/mccainlights.jpg

My thoughts: I'm pretty impressed with what they've done so far. The buzzing gym lights, metal mesh dividers, and nasty ceilings were the worst part of the mall pre-remodel, and with those things replaced with more modern fixtures, the atmosphere difference is amazing. The colors are an interesting choice and I'm not sure I like the scheme (very mild/bland), but it looks much better than before, and the new floors look very nice. I know there was a lot of doubt that the amount of money they were spending on the remodel would have much of an impact/be a band-aid fix, but I think my view of "if they use it wisely, it could make a big difference" is coming true, luckily. There are still some distinct areas of improvement on the overall exterior of the mall, but the new entrances will look much nicer and the new common areas are really coming together nicely.
On an unrelated note, I strongly dislike this new forum software. I couldn't get it to let me insert images any other way than HTML and it's been a pain to work with when it comes to formatting posts. It seems we upgraded to a sleeker looking forum with much older/less functionality.

[thewizard16]

Not only that, but I can't edit that post to fix the image links it altered.... Very frustrating.

I visited McCain yesterday and thought I would share some photos of the progress so far for those of you that haven't been recently. I apologize for the quality, these are just from my cell phone's camera.

The new entrances are coming along:

Shot at 2011-08-19
The new floors, ceilings, glass dividers and railings, paint, and lights have gone up on the second level:

Shot at 2011-08-19
The new floors, lighting, dividers/railings, and paint are done in the Food Court, and work on the elevator is underway:

Shot at 2011-08-19
A look at the new lights in the food court, and a better view of the new dividers/railings, paint, ceilings in the walkway areas, etc.:

Shot at 2011-08-19

[Architect]

I guess I should wait until they're complete, but as is, this is not great.  Either do it well, or don't do it at all.

[thewizard16]

Architect, on 19 August 2011 - 03:01 PM, said:

I guess I should wait until they're complete, but as is, this is not great.  Either do it well, or don't do it at all.

I respectfully disagree. I don't love the color scheme, but everything else in the common areas has seen a dramatic upgrade. The atmosphere is already much nicer than it was before the remodel started, which was the whole point of this project. Does it make it seem like a whole new mall? No. But it did update and modernize the decor and fixtures, floor, and ceiling in the mall. The only thing that I can really think of that would have made it better is a more dramatic color scheme, ripping out the old metal/skylight ceilings and glassing those all in with large peaked skylights, and some new touchscreen directories/displays. You may not like the style of the remodel, but I don't think there's any denying that this is a big improvement over the dated, run-down look it had, and will increase the appeal and prolong the life of the mall. In my opinion, that's much, much better than just leaving it as it had been.

[Architect]

thewizard16, on 20 August 2011 - 02:38 AM, said:

I respectfully disagree. I don't love the color scheme, but everything else in the common areas has seen a dramatic upgrade. The atmosphere is already much nicer than it was before the remodel started, which was the whole point of this project. Does it make it seem like a whole new mall? No. But it did update and modernize the decor and fixtures, floor, and ceiling in the mall. The only thing that I can really think of that would have made it better is a more dramatic color scheme, ripping out the old metal/skylight ceilings and glassing those all in with large peaked skylights, and some new touchscreen directories/displays. You may not like the style of the remodel, but I don't think there's any denying that this is a big improvement over the dated, run-down look it had, and will increase the appeal and prolong the life of the mall. In my opinion, that's much, much better than just leaving it as it had been.

I don't deny that it's an improvement, but that still does not make it great.

[thewizard16]

Architect, on 20 August 2011 - 06:40 AM, said:

I don't deny that it's an improvement, but that still does not make it great.

Oh, absolutely- they definitely could have done more (and doing more would have probably had a greater impact on their appeal to future tenants/shoppers/etc.), I just think this is a lot better than if they'd done nothing. This might be enough to turn things around for them a little bit, it always amazes me how much busier Park Plaza is than McCain and its reputation has suffered in the past several years too. I was talking to a friend when I was at McCain yesterday and when I mentioned where I was, his response was "For the love of God, why?". I'm hoping for them (and their tenants) that this remodel will be enough to turn that perception around.

[ArkansasTraveler]

thewizard16, on 20 August 2011 - 01:15 PM, said:

I'm hoping for them (and their tenants) that this remodel will be enough to turn that perception around.

I'm with you on that.  McCain Mall has already had a few retailers over the years to vacate not for greener pastures but just to cut their losses.  Reshuffling the deck with a new theater in the mix and a (slightly?) fresher look isn't earth-shattering, but it couldn't hurt.

Also...

thewizard16, on 19 August 2011 - 02:02 PM, said:

I apologize for the quality, [this is] just from my cell phone's camera.

The new entrances are coming along:

Shot at 2011-08-19

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that I thought the picture quality turned out just fine, especially the colors in this shot of the entrance.

[thewizard16]

ArkansasTraveler, on 05 September 2011 - 04:27 PM, said:

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that I thought the picture quality turned out just fine, especially the colors in this shot of the entrance.

Thanks, cell phone cameras certainly have gotten better, but it still doesn't do well in low light or anything involving movement.

[Gavdog28]

They have completed enough of the main sign "renovation" to get a little more information from what will be coming next.  Most importantly, we now know that the movie theater will be a Regal Cinemas theater.  On the Regal website, it says this theater will be opening in 2012, It will feature 12 screens, stadium seating, and will feature an RPX theater (Regal Premium Experience), which is the same thing as the large screen at the new Conway theater.  This will be a VAST improvement on Lakewood 8 which appears to have its days numbered.

[thewizard16]

I went to McCain tonight and looked around a bit after I did some Christmas shopping. Here are my thoughts on the remodel now that it's essentially finished:

• The new sign at the entrance looks much better, even though the top isn't finished yet. The anchors have more prominent, attractive signs than before and it looks more modern.
  
• The new entrances are much, much nicer.
  
• The overall atmosphere inside is much more modern before. No, it doesn't feel like a whole new mall, but they really made the money they spent work hard and I think it has dramatically increased the appeal of the mall and definitely extended the life they'll get out of it before another major update.
  
• The new bathrooms are actually some of the nicest I've ever seen in a regular mall, they did a good job there.
  
• They still need to work on the areas of ceiling around the skylights- it looks as tired/worn as it did before and detracts from the new lighting and drop ceilings throughout the rest of the mall. I guess that wasn't planned in this remodel, but some nice glass pyramid skylights like the ceiling of Park Plaza would make the halls seem much nicer.

My verdict overall: As I'd hoped/suggested originally, the amount of money they spent could dramatically improve the mall if done intelligently and it appears they did just that. It's not perfect, and there are some things that will need to be updated before too many years pass, but McCain is definitely going to get some new life out of this remodel.


A couple photos from my phone that aren't great, but get the idea across.