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orulz

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I have a feeling if Macy*s came to Asheville it would be in the form of some new "lifestyle center"...they seem to be very trendy right now although they tend to hurt the enclosed malls located nearby...has one been built in Asheville yet?

That would be Biltmore Park, although their retail selection is pretty limited.

Macy's also seems to be experimenting with freestanding stores similar to Kohl's according to the internet.

My point still stands. I see it as a possibility that the rather podunk appearance of Asheville Mall might push some retailers who would otherwise locate in a mall, to look downtown instead. In fact, IMO it's already happening; note Urban Outfitters on Haywood Street. It's not too far-fetched that the trend would continue, either; Charleston, for example, has mall-style retail downtown including at least one major department store. Not that I would mimic what Charleston has done to a T as it leans a bit too heavily towards chains and upscale, but something along those lines could probably work in Asheville.

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I have a feeling if Macy*s came to Asheville it would be in the form of some new "lifestyle center"...they seem to be very trendy right now although they tend to hurt the enclosed malls located nearby...has one been built in Asheville yet?

Yes, it is called Biltmore Park Town Square. It's actually not exactly a lifestyle center, but sort of close. It's really nice, however, it seems to be having a few hardships finding small retail shops to open there. With Hilton, Regal, REI, PF Chang's, Brixx Pizza, Barnes & Noble, it has very strong anchors. I don't think there would be room for a Macy's, though.

I really don't want national retailers to move to downtown. I think the "quirky" stores would definitely be better suited for downtown, not national stores. Also, there are tons of people that refuse to shop in downtown Asheville because of that reason, and you should probably add me to that list. I mean it's nice for tourists and "quirky" people, but everyone else doesn't really care for it. The Asheville Mall probably receives a lot more traffic, too. I think they just need to do some exterior work and add tile to the entire mall, but let's face it, CBL isn't good enough to do that. If Simon refuses to renovate the much-need Lenox Square Mall, then CBL definitely will not renovate the Asheville mall that much.

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Yes, it is called Biltmore Park Town Square. It's actually not exactly a lifestyle center, but sort of close. It's really nice, however, it seems to be having a few hardships finding small retail shops to open there. With Hilton, Regal, REI, PF Chang's, Brixx Pizza, Barnes & Noble, it has very strong anchors. I don't think there would be room for a Macy's, though.

I really don't want national retailers to move to downtown. I think the "quirky" stores would definitely be better suited for downtown, not national stores. Also, there are tons of people that refuse to shop in downtown Asheville because of that reason, and you should probably add me to that list. I mean it's nice for tourists and "quirky" people, but everyone else doesn't really care for it. The Asheville Mall probably receives a lot more traffic, too. I think they just need to do some exterior work and add tile to the entire mall, but let's face it, CBL isn't good enough to do that. If Simon refuses to renovate the much-need Lenox Square Mall, then CBL definitely will not renovate the Asheville mall that much.

That's a nice area, but in my opinion, it's way too far south of I-40 to be considered "Asheville."

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  • 1 month later...

It looks like the Belk renovation on level one is complete. I don't know if they are planning to renovate level 2, but after they did level one the 2nd level looks outdated. But seriously the renovated part looks similar to a mix of the former store and Nordstrom, and the way it looked before was nice too!

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  • 4 months later...

Coming soon:

Encore (Shoe Department)-Between Sears and Dillard's North

Hallmark-opening in former Kirkland's

Mori Luggage & Gifts-(in former Sharon Luggage space)

Maurice's-opening in former Shoe Department space

Trade Secret has closed

Ulta has opened. It is really nice, but as always, doesn't have a big selection for men. I am hoping that JCPenney will renovate and open a Sephora.

There *is a space between GNC and Old Navy that is a temporary Halloween store now, and I can easily see Kirkland's moving there once it closes (probably next week). I would hate to see Kirkland's go because I think they have some pretty nice stuff there. It always smells like cinnamon in there and they have really nice picture frames and decorations.

More notes:

The Books-a-Million across from the mall has closed and Jo-Ann crafts & fabrics will be opening in its place

Haverty's is getting ready to open their new store in the former Circuit City.

Dick's has completely renovated their store.

Belk has added an upscale, nice Coach section to their handbag department.

The Target on Tunnel Road is starting to look pretty old and is pretty hard/annoying to get to. I hope Kmart will eventually close and they will raze the whole shopping center down there and build a brand new Super Target (hopefully with a Jamba Juice, haha)!

Then, tear down the Target, movie theatre, Michael's and everything on the hill. Then, they could add a new movie theatre (like the Biltmore Regal, only smaller), a new Michael's, On The Border Mexican Cantina (awesome!), another restaurant, and another few stores.

Then, tear down the Innsbruck Mall and build a Costco.

Then, there's also the many cheap motels on Tunnel Road that can be replaced with much nicer (but somewhat budget friendly hotels) like Hilton Garden Inn, etc. Heck even a new Super 8 or something would look much better than what they have now.

I just think that the area is pretty nice, but it definitely seems like since the recession has started to soften up there have been major improvements to the mall and South/Tunnel Road itself. The only flaw in my thinking is that Asheville may not quite be ready for all this yet, and the traffic would probably be a lot worse. I think that it would be really nice though having Biltmore Village then you can go a mile and get to the Tunnel Road stretch, while less expensive is still nice.

As for the mall:

Sears seems to be doing horribly (especially the Asheville store). With a 225,000 square foot store and with the few people in the store (usually less than 10 on an average day), I would expect sales per square foot to be about four times (if not more) less than Belk's spsf.

JCPenney renovation

Connect the two Dillard's stores. I mean come on, there's only about 5 feet in between both stores, so why not connect them? At least on level one. Have a new exterior too. I think they could easily make it look like one store from the outside. Preferably it would look like the Perimeter store that has two entrances on one side (one for each store).

If Sears closes, take both levels of the store and turn it into mall space. Then, add a Macy's in the remaining space and take up all of the Sears parking lot.

Then, add the tile in the food court wing to the rest of the mall.

It is a lot to ask for, but it's not too far-fetched over the next 5-10 years.

Even though some of these ideas are mostly wishful thinking, you have to remember that (I'm not sure if this has been posted yet) the Biltmore Square Mall will likely be turned into a mills-type outlet mall.

Davis Furniture will be torn down and replaced with an outdoor, lifestyle center. Belk and Dillard's look like they may be staying on, but I'm not sure.

Not sure about Bass Pro Shops, but they could easily fit it on the other side of Davis Furniture.

http://www.westmillcapital.com/portfolio/retail-development/blue-ridge-outlets/

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That would be Biltmore Park, although their retail selection is pretty limited.

Macy's also seems to be experimenting with freestanding stores similar to Kohl's according to the internet.

My point still stands. I see it as a possibility that the rather podunk appearance of Asheville Mall might push some retailers who would otherwise locate in a mall, to look downtown instead. In fact, IMO it's already happening; note Urban Outfitters on Haywood Street. It's not too far-fetched that the trend would continue, either; Charleston, for example, has mall-style retail downtown including at least one major department store. Not that I would mimic what Charleston has done to a T as it leans a bit too heavily towards chains and upscale, but something along those lines could probably work in Asheville.

Greenville, too, is getting a few national chains downtown; they would be otherwise suited for the decrepit-looking Haywood Mall.

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The Target on Tunnel Road is starting to look pretty old and is pretty hard/annoying to get to.

Agreed that it's hard/annoying to get to. But old? When did it open? 2002? That's not old, even by big box standards.

But I would argue that the real solution to all the traffic congestion problems on South Tunnel Road is a Swannanoa River Road exit on I-240. Frankly, it's something that has been needed for decades, since long before the Target, Wal-Mart, Lowe's, or Best Buy were ever built. I really wonder why it wasn't included back when I-240 first opened in 1980. Swannanoa River Road is a numberd US and NC highway.

Building it now will be harder than it would have been before Wal-Mart was built, but it should still be possible.

See a map of an idea for how it could be done here.

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Agreed that it's hard/annoying to get to. But old? When did it open? 2002? That's not old, even by big box standards.

But I would argue that the real solution to all the traffic congestion problems on South Tunnel Road is a Swannanoa River Road exit on I-240. Frankly, it's something that has been needed for decades, since long before the Target, Wal-Mart, Lowe's, or Best Buy were ever built. I really wonder why it wasn't included back when I-240 first opened in 1980. Swannanoa River Road is a numberd US and NC highway.

Building it now will be harder than it would have been before Wal-Mart was built, but it should still be possible.

See a map of an idea for how it could be done here.

I agree that it is way to new to just tear down, but the newer Target in South Asheville makes it look old. Living closer to the South Asheville store, that is the one that I go to the most, and even only around 3 years newer it still looks a lot newer. So the few times I go there it looks really old. I don't know, it's just that I went to the Kannapolis SuperTarget and it was so nice and new, and I love Jamba Juice! It was so big and I feel that Target is better than Walmart. I have heard that they treat their employees better, and the looks and the way they maintained the store was almost like comparing Belk at the Asheville Mall to the Sears there.

I actually think that could work. The only problem they would have would be the height of the interstate in relation to Swannanoa River/Tunnel Roads.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Kmart just put a new sign up for that store, it seems like Kmart has staying power in Asheville.

True but Belk also seems to be putting up new signs everywhere too, even if it's a 30,000 square foot store in a dying mall.

I went to the mall today, and it was packed (as usual for Christmastime).

Even though I used to sort of not like the Asheville Mall, lately I am liking it more and more. Of course definitely not at the rate of SouthPark, I may actually be getting to liking it better than Haywood. I mean it has all the general stuff I need. Usually I buy more expensive items not sold here very infrequently and can purchase during one of my quarterly visits to SouthPark, I think it's almost a different place from a few years ago with the new Barnes & Noble, renovated Belk, Ulta, etc. Now just for a renovated JCPenney with Sephora, Ann Taylor Loft and Express (my sister would be so thrilled, lol).

I'm still hoping Dillard's will eventually connect their stores, because I hardly ever take the effort to go down to the Dillard's men store when I can usually get most stuff at Belk for less. Heck the stores are just feet apart. Plus an exterior renovation to make it look like one store with two entrances would make a world of difference.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I went to the mall on Black Friday. I was there from around 1 to 4:30. It was extremely packed, and it really surprised me. Last year, there weren't too many people out anywhere. It wasn't much busier than an average Saturday. You know how you see the packed malls on Black Friday on TV? Well, that's how it was at the Asheville Mall. 2009 and 2010 almost seem fake compared to this year, being that it didn't seem to be crowded enough at all the past two years. It was really hard to get through the center parts of Belk since there were a lot of people passing through to get to the other part of the mall. It was a little tacky when people started to pay out at the Laura Mercier counter :shok:

They must have been short upstairs as the lines up there were around 15-20 people deep.

Ulta's line was probably also around 20 deep, and wasn't moving at all.

Don't even get me started on the South Asheville Target! We stayed there around 10 minutes before we decided it was ridiculous and left. The line was (if I and people I have heard from are correct) was from the Target store all the way to Office Max. Probably 1,000 people total. We went over to the Asheville Target (we were there by 12:30) and we found absolutely no line to get in the store, whereas I heard someone say at the mall their friend waited over 2 hours before they even got inside the store! From now on, we are going to the Asheville Target on Black Friday instead. It seemed like every store opened before they said they would (except Target). I really love Black Friday shopping! Can't wait until next years!

Also, I'm extremely surprised that Dillard's refused to have a sale. Aren't they doing poorly? I don't think they had a sale, since the mall opened at 4 and it was definitely not anywhere near open at 4. Things like this are going to finish them. Dillard's doesn't have sales like Belk and doesn't have brands and customer service like Nordstrom. I just feel like they are getting themselves into trouble. Dillard's just isn't exciting. Nordstrom has fabulous brands, nice stores, and amazing customer service. Belk has good sales, and can reinvent themselves with better brands and nicer stores. Dillard's stays the same. Year after year. It's a good thing that there is no Macy's in Asheville, because I'm not sure I can see them staying open with Macy's too. Belk generally has better brands and is more upscale than Dillard's in women's, however, Dillard's generally has a better/more upscale men's department. Another thing to point out is that Dillard's often has "double header" stores, and I, like most people. would much, much rather go to a 3 story 200,000 square foot Dillard's than having 2 separate stores 2 story store equaling 240,000 square feet. While it does give more space, it is often a pain and with the combination of Dillard's being boring and overpriced, I could definitely seeing people choosing Belk or Macy's rather than having to go to two separate Dillard's stores.

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  • 6 months later...

Yes, it is called Biltmore Park Town Square. It's actually not exactly a lifestyle center, but sort of close. It's really nice, however, it seems to be having a few hardships finding small retail shops to open there. With Hilton, Regal, REI, PF Chang's, Brixx Pizza, Barnes & Noble, it has very strong anchors. I don't think there would be room for a Macy's, though.

I really don't want national retailers to move to downtown. I think the "quirky" stores would definitely be better suited for downtown, not national stores. Also, there are tons of people that refuse to shop in downtown Asheville because of that reason, and you should probably add me to that list. I mean it's nice for tourists and "quirky" people, but everyone else doesn't really care for it. The Asheville Mall probably receives a lot more traffic, too. I think they just need to do some exterior work and add tile to the entire mall, but let's face it, CBL isn't good enough to do that. If Simon refuses to renovate the much-need Lenox Square Mall, then CBL definitely will not renovate the Asheville mall that much.

That's pretty funny. I actually agree with you. I like Asheville a lot, but I stay away from downtown most of the time. I would rather not deal with crackheads, panhandlers, "occupy" groups who just do nothing all day...Is that supposed to be inviting for tourists? No wonder people just stay near Biltmore Village or Biltmore Park when they come here. If I was introduced to the city's downtown by seeing all of that garbage, I would too!

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That's pretty funny. I actually agree with you. I like Asheville a lot, but I stay away from downtown most of the time. I would rather not deal with crackheads, panhandlers, "occupy" groups who just do nothing all day...Is that supposed to be inviting for tourists? No wonder people just stay near Biltmore Village or Biltmore Park when they come here. If I was introduced to the city's downtown by seeing all of that garbage, I would too!

Hmm, when was the last time you went downtown? 1987? Do you really think downtown is just full of crackheads, panhandlers and occupiers?

Particularly on an evening with nice weather, Asheville's downtown has an absolutely amazing vibe. Seriously: Packed to the gills with people, both tourists and locals, sidewalk cafes galore, buskers on every corner. (Buskers don't count as panhandlers, by the way, in case you're wondering.) Plus the fact that the activity is spread pretty evenly throughout downtown on many streets and in many districts, giving the impression that one could explore for a week and still not have a chance to see it all. It's just incredibly fun. I'm sure there are plenty of tourists who only come to Asheville to see the Biltmore Estate and they might happen to go to Biltmore Village since it's close by, but Asheville's downtown has an extremely positive reputation.

There might be some panhandlers but there are so many people out to enjoy the shops and restaurants and atmosphere that it doesn't feel like a problem at all. Contrast that with your average American downtown where there aren't so many people wandering about and the ratio of panhandlers to non panhandlers is much, much worse.

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Hmm, when was the last time you went downtown? 1987? Do you really think downtown is just full of crackheads, panhandlers and occupiers?

Particularly on an evening with nice weather, Asheville's downtown has an absolutely amazing vibe. Seriously: Packed to the gills with people, both tourists and locals, sidewalk cafes galore, buskers on every corner. (Buskers don't count as panhandlers, by the way, in case you're wondering.) Plus the fact that the activity is spread pretty evenly throughout downtown on many streets and in many districts, giving the impression that one could explore for a week and still not have a chance to see it all. It's just incredibly fun. I'm sure there are plenty of tourists who only come to Asheville to see the Biltmore Estate and they might happen to go to Biltmore Village since it's close by, but Asheville's downtown has an extremely positive reputation.

There might be some panhandlers but there are so many people out to enjoy the shops and restaurants and atmosphere that it doesn't feel like a problem at all. Contrast that with your average American downtown where there aren't so many people wandering about and the ratio of panhandlers to non panhandlers is much, much worse.

If you like that sort of thing, I guess downtown is your haven. I'm just saying I can see why some people dont.

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I don't think that downtown is that bad, it can sometimes even be sort of pleasant. However, I definitely think that it is over hyped and definitely isn't as nice as many other downtowns (Charlotte, Orlando, etc., which may not be as unique, but seem safer and are nicer looking).

The good thing about the Asheville Mall is that, after losing all of it's other more upscale stores (Express, Godiva, Ann Taylor, etc.) and replaced them with crappier stores, that means that they really can't afford to lose Abercrombie & Fitch, so that means that they will probably not close, even more so since there is not one for about 100 miles if they close the Asheville store. I guess I'm just scared, haha, since I don't know what I would do if that store closed.

I really think that the mall is getting pretty sub par. Now if they could get the Express and Godiva back, add a Macy's (close Sears), add nicer stores like Loft, force JCP into a renovation with a Sephora, etc. They could have had a Loft next to Ulta with an outdoor entrance, but instead they are just putting this random chinese place :dontknow:

The mall would be so much nicer if Old Navy had an outdoor entrance, along with a Loft next door. Why not just have outdoor shops all the way from Belk to Sears (Macy's)? That would definitely make the mall a lot more attractive instead of the old, crappy look they have now.

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I don't think that downtown is that bad, it can sometimes even be sort of pleasant. However, I definitely think that it is over hyped and definitely isn't as nice as many other downtowns (Charlotte, Orlando, etc., which may not be as unique, but seem safer and are nicer looking).

The good thing about the Asheville Mall is that, after losing all of it's other more upscale stores (Express, Godiva, Ann Taylor, etc.) and replaced them with crappier stores, that means that they really can't afford to lose Abercrombie & Fitch, so that means that they will probably not close, even more so since there is not one for about 100 miles if they close the Asheville store. I guess I'm just scared, haha, since I don't know what I would do if that store closed.

I really think that the mall is getting pretty sub par. Now if they could get the Express and Godiva back, add a Macy's (close Sears), add nicer stores like Loft, force JCP into a renovation with a Sephora, etc. They could have had a Loft next to Ulta with an outdoor entrance, but instead they are just putting this random chinese place :dontknow:

The mall would be so much nicer if Old Navy had an outdoor entrance, along with a Loft next door. Why not just have outdoor shops all the way from Belk to Sears (Macy's)? That would definitely make the mall a lot more attractive instead of the old, crappy look they have now.

You're right, that mall, for being the only one is Asheville, is pretty sad. The Biltmore Square Mall never took off, and I really couldn't think of a decent place for a second mall. However, like all enclosed malls, it will probably eventually meet it's demise. The move to outdoor malls is what the future is (other than shopping online). The ULTA store was probably the only poisitve thing in that mall in a while. Holiday traffic is a nightmare near the mall, and I don't know if Macy's would ever choose the Asheville Mall in all honesty. Like you mentioned, they are just not quite upscale enough for a Macy's, and I doubt they ever will be.

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You're right, that mall, for being the only one is Asheville, is pretty sad. The Biltmore Square Mall never took off, and I really couldn't think of a decent place for a second mall. However, like all enclosed malls, it will probably eventually meet it's demise. The move to outdoor malls is what the future is (other than shopping online). The ULTA store was probably the only poisitve thing in that mall in a while. Holiday traffic is a nightmare near the mall, and I don't know if Macy's would ever choose the Asheville Mall in all honesty. Like you mentioned, they are just not quite upscale enough for a Macy's, and I doubt they ever will be.

I always hear about people going to the AVL Mall, but yet I have seen about more people at Haywood Mall? Kind of odd...haha.

I don't really think a second mall could work very well either. I really don't think that lifestyle centers (outdoor malls) are really the future. Someone had pointed out that people usually don't like lifestyle centers anymore than malls, they are just cheaper to build. If you look at where lifestyle centers are built, they are usually in a Coastal area or during (or right before) the economic downturn, which makes sense, as they are cheaper to build. Sometimes they are nice. In Jacksonville, I want to go to St. John's Town Center, not a regular boring mall like the Avenues. Here? I would rather go to an enclosed mall with air conditioning, etc. Besides, malls are a good place to go to on a rainy day. You still somehow manage to get soaked in an outdoor mall, even when it is partially covered. I actually feel like most people actually would like malls better. Malls generally appeal to everyone, but outdoor malls seem to only appeal to upper middle class women in their 30's (i.e. with J. Crew, Pottery Barn, Chico's, etc.) I like J. Crew and PB too, but most of their customers are usually female. If you look at the top 10 malls in the US (sales) only 2 our outdoor if I am correct (Bal Harbour, even though it is more partially outdoor, and Ala Moana). The other 8 are enclosed malls, I think. What I have heard is that the weak malls will die off and the stronger ones will get even stronger. That means the demise of Blue Ridge and Bitmore definitely, and hopefully AVL Mall is much stronger than we think.

I can see that they're trying to improve with Barnes & Noble, Ulta, New tile in the food court wing and new carpet in the mall, etc. Why didn't they just have the tile throughout the mall? It is kind of pointless to replace carpet with tile in one part of the mall and carpet with carpet in the rest. Tile in the whole mall would look much, much better. Besides, how many malls have carpet now?

I have been thinking that Macy's may not open at the Asheville Mall, too. Macy's has many stores in malls less upscale than the Asheville Mall, but those were only conversions, not them opening stores themselves. Considering how desperate Von Maur seems to open in the south, they may even open here. I would be open to that, but I would still prefer a Macy's.

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I also don't think that outdoor malls are the way things are headed. An outdoor mall is certainly not inherently more attractive than an indoor one; to the contrary, on rainy, cold, or hot days, which are plentiful, malls offers a welcome chance to strech your legs.

I don't think shopping trends are moving away from indoor malls as fast as people think. There will certainly be some retrenchment since malls were overbuilt during their heyday. But indoor malls definitely do have their niche which I don't see going away. To whatever degree shopping trends are moving away from indoor malls, I don't really think that outdoor malls are the direction. I think the movement is headed toward: (1) power centers and big boxes in suburban areas and mid-tier cities, and (2) urban downtown style retail in the largest cities.

Regarding Macy's, I personally don't view Macy's as being all that upscale, probably not too upscale to have a single location at the only real mall in WNC. I think a relatively minor exterior and interior renovation (plus the departure of Sears) would be enough to convince them to make the investment.

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I agree with everything you said about malls.

As for Macy's, I think they would probably want a complete renovation of the exterior, and probably the interior most likely. However, I think that they would mostly just want a slightly different store layout, new flooring, roofing, etc. I don't think it would be that expensive. Even though I love Belk and like Dillard's a lot, I would love to have a Macy's. Even though I like Dillard's, I do generally like Macy's better.

How long can Sears last, anyway? It was empty on a Tuesday afternoon, and only had about 10 other people on a Saturday (while the mall was crowded)

Edited by ct36
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I also don't think that outdoor malls are the way things are headed. An outdoor mall is certainly not inherently more attractive than an indoor one; to the contrary, on rainy, cold, or hot days, which are plentiful, malls offers a welcome chance to strech your legs.

I don't think shopping trends are moving away from indoor malls as fast as people think. There will certainly be some retrenchment since malls were overbuilt during their heyday. But indoor malls definitely do have their niche which I don't see going away. To whatever degree shopping trends are moving away from indoor malls, I don't really think that outdoor malls are the direction. I think the movement is headed toward: (1) power centers and big boxes in suburban areas and mid-tier cities, and (2) urban downtown style retail in the largest cities.

Regarding Macy's, I personally don't view Macy's as being all that upscale, probably not too upscale to have a single location at the only real mall in WNC. I think a relatively minor exterior and interior renovation (plus the departure of Sears) would be enough to convince them to make the investment.

Don't forget about online shopping. That's made a huge difference in retail.

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Online shopping has hurt big box stores like Best Buy, etc., I think. Most malls are even more packed now than they were before online shopping got so big, or at least it seems. Besides, I hardly ever buy clothes online because it is so annoying to take it back if it doesn't look right/doesn't fit, etc.

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Online shopping has hurt big box stores like Best Buy, etc., I think. Most malls are even more packed now than they were before online shopping got so big, or at least it seems. Besides, I hardly ever buy clothes online because it is so annoying to take it back if it doesn't look right/doesn't fit, etc.

Most malls are "packed" because teens and other people loiter around them. That being said, teens rarely buy anything of a substantial value, other than maybe Claire's, FYE, or the food court, so when you see a packed mall it is very misleading. The Asheville mall is starting to become like the old Four Seasons mall in Greensboro when it comes to people loitering around. And as far as Best Buy goes, it does seem like they are on their last legs. Movies, CDs, TVs, and practically everything else they sell is all available cheaper online. I haven't been inside a Best Buy in probably 10 years.

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How long can Sears last, anyway? It was empty on a Tuesday afternoon, and only had about 10 other people on a Saturday (while the mall was crowded)

Sears Holdings tends to shut down grops of stores after the holiday season. So in all likelyhood, I would expect the Sears at Asheville Mall, the adjacent Kmart, and the Skyland Kmart to shut down sometime around the beginning of 2013. This would leave the Brevard Road and Patton Ave. Kmarts as the only two remaining Sears Holdings properties in the Asheville area (not counting the Kmart in Hendersonville).

Edited by mediamongrel
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Most malls are "packed" because teens and other people loiter around them. That being said, teens rarely buy anything of a substantial value, other than maybe Claire's, FYE, or the food court, so when you see a packed mall it is very misleading. The Asheville mall is starting to become like the old Four Seasons mall in Greensboro when it comes to people loitering around. And as far as Best Buy goes, it does seem like they are on their last legs. Movies, CDs, TVs, and practically everything else they sell is all available cheaper online. I haven't been inside a Best Buy in probably 10 years.

Sears Holdings tends to shut down grops of stores after the holiday season. So in all likelyhood, I would expect the Sears at Asheville Mall, the adjacent Kmart, and the Skyland Kmart to shut down sometime around the beginning of 2013. This would leave the Brevard Road and Patton Ave. Kmarts as the only two remaining Sears Holdings properties in the Asheville area (not counting the Kmart in Hendersonville).

I do agree with you. There are way too many teens around malls, but it seems like the girls are actually shopping more. Like you said, the guys mostly just "hang out" and act like they are up to no good (gosh do I sound old, lol) and maybe go by FYE and the food court. However, even though a lot of people do this, I don't really notice too many people other than this group without at least one shopping bag.

I hope you are right about the Sears properties. The K-mart by the mall and H'ville road are definitely the ones doing the worst. There is never anyone there. The one at Biltmore definitely seems to be doing better.

The Best Buy in south Asheville was rumored to close, but it was not on the list. As Best Buy continues to struggle, I can see them closing their south Asheville location anyway. I wonder about the one in Waynesville, too. That one hasn't been open for much longer than 2 years, if I am correct.

I kind of wonder about B&N too. Their nooks seem to sell really well, but I don't know why they are trying to kill themselves. I wanted 3 books from there, so I went over to the store at the mall to buy them. I went in and each one was $18. I thought that was pretty expensive, even though they were hardcover. So, I looked online and they were only $10 on their website. I don't understand why everything is so much more expensive in store. Are they trying to close their stores or something? If they continue this, I could see them having to close a lot of stores and maybe much smaller stores with new releases and nooks only.

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I kind of wonder about B&N too. Their nooks seem to sell really well, but I don't know why they are trying to kill themselves. I wanted 3 books from there, so I went over to the store at the mall to buy them. I went in and each one was $18. I thought that was pretty expensive, even though they were hardcover. So, I looked online and they were only $10 on their website. I don't understand why everything is so much more expensive in store. Are they trying to close their stores or something? If they continue this, I could see them having to close a lot of stores and maybe much smaller stores with new releases and nooks only.

Yes that is really odd. Especially considering B & N has two stores within 10 miles. (Asheville Mall & Biltmore Park) Speaking of Kmart, another thing that is puzzling is that you can get a B & N Nook at Kmart (when they are on sale) for $30 less than B & N's price. They are just killing themselves in essence. Also, they try to make people think all their dvds are a bargain at 50% off, but the regular prices on some of their DVDs are $39.99 for ONE Blu-Ray! People just go to B & N to read without paying, get coffee at the coffee bar, and leave. I don't see the B & N stand alone stores surviving for more than 5 years. There's too many outlets to get books that are a lot cheaper, like E-books, or if you want the actual paper versions, they are always cheaper on Amazon anyway.

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