Dying Malls in Tennessee

[crabbj]

Much has been said over the last few years about the demise of malls in both Memphis and Nashville. Check out http://www.deadmalls.com/malls/100_oaks_mall.html. This is a great site dedicated to the closing of malls in the US. What is the latest fate of 100 Oaks Mall? A few other malls... Bellevue Mall, Harding Mall, Mall of Memphis, and Hickory Ridge Mall (Does Fountain Square count??) have either closed or lost all their major tenants. Someone on that page comments on a former Church Street Center mall downtown (Nashville). I don't recall that, where exactly was it and who were its major tenants?

Speaking of, anyone remember Germantown Village Square and Kirby Woods Mall in their heyday? Seems Kirby Woods Mall was about 99% water fountains at the time.

[Rural King]

Dyerburg's mall is struggling from what I hear, but thats more due to the size of the market area I would assume. I hope it doesn't close, but if most folks in NW or West Tennessee you would probably not take off over to Dyersburg to shop at its smallish mall. It serves more of the Dyer, Lauderdale, and Lake County area - an area that is easily within the commute of Jackson and its mall.

[it's just dave]

Nashville's Harding Mall is more than closed, it's gone, and is under contruction for a WalMart SuperCenter. Church Street Mall was where the new library sits. I don't remember the tenants. 100 Oaks has nothing of note inside, but the large big boxes with outside entrances are doing fine. Bellevue...hanging on by a thread, but there's some hope for that one. All the others are doing okay, I suppose. Green Hills keeps expanding and adding new upscale retailers.

[smeagolsfree]

Last time I was at Bellevue Mall I was amazed at all the empty stores that were there. I had not been there in about 5 years and the difference was like night and day. Maybe the mall was built before its time as to the amount of growth in that part of the county. Looks as if the growth is starting to catch up out there, so there may be hope for it yet. Another thing is that Rivergate, Hickory Hollow and Coolsprings Malls are all owned by CBL out of Chattanooga and they seem to do a better job of keeping tenants and they see to do a better job of developing the outparcels of the malls they own. I am not sure who owns Bellevue but i'll bet someone will be able to tell us.

[qwertycc]

well, the Hickory Ridge Mall has one lost major tenant of 3 to the new mall opening soon in Collierville, but I believe the other 2 remain.

the Raleigh Springs Mall has lost at least 3 of its 4 major tenants (I think Sears may remain). One tenant has been replaced with a 12-screen movie theater. I haven't been there in about 3 or 4 years, so I'm not sure if anything else has been filled or if Sears has left yet.

[mandrws1]

well, the Hickory Ridge Mall has one lost major tenant of 3 to the new mall opening soon in Collierville, but I believe the other 2 remain.

the Raleigh Springs Mall has lost at least 3 of its 4 major tenants (I think Sears may remain).  One tenant has been replaced with a 12-screen movie theater.  I haven't been there in about 3 or 4 years, so I'm not sure if anything else has been filled or if Sears has left yet.

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A lot of the smaller stores in Hickory Ridge Mall have left. Virtually none of the smaller national retail stores in the Raleigh Springs Mall remain. Only shoe stores and jewelry stores, etc. Sears is still going strong though and the movie theater does really well. WalMart announced plans for a huge supercenter in the place of where J.C. Penny's used to be. The area is struggling, but its holding on pretty strong. I wonder how the Southland Mall is going to perform with the new mall opening a few miles south in Desoto County in October?

[ricky_the_great]

A lot of the smaller stores in Hickory Ridge Mall have left.  Virtually none of the smaller national retail stores in the Raleigh Springs Mall remain.  Only shoe stores and jewelry stores, etc.  Sears is still going strong though and the movie theater does really well.  WalMart announced plans for a huge supercenter in the place of where J.C. Penny's used to be.  The area is struggling, but its holding on pretty strong.  I wonder how the Southland Mall is going to perform with the new mall opening a few miles south in Desoto County in October?

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whats the name of the new mall in Collierville?

[mandrws1]

whats the name of the new mall in Collierville?

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The Avenue Carriage Crossing. Its an open air mall with two national anchors and about 35 or so stores with 18 foot wide sidewalks and curb parking.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/local_...3922603,00.html

The new mall in Desoto County is called the Southaven Town Center.

[NickR78]

Oak Court Mall in East Memphis seems to be doing quite well. I have a friend who works at the Macy's there and she said that average transaction is much higher than at Wolfchase.

[cdarr]

Oak Court Mall in East Memphis seems to be doing quite well.  I have a friend who works at the Macy's there and she said that  average transaction is much higher than at Wolfchase.

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A few weeks ago, I noticed that Oak Court was almost 100% leased up. It is the closest mall to my house and easily my favorite. I wish it had a few more stores, especially more in the food court. Considering all the residential infill occurring in East Memphis, I wonder if an expansion is feasible or even possible?

[cdarr]

What is the latest fate of 100 Oaks Mall? A few other malls... Bellevue Mall, Harding Mall, Mall of Memphis, and Hickory Ridge Mall (Does Fountain Square count??) have either closed or lost all their major tenants. Someone on that page comments on a former Church Street Center mall downtown (Nashville). I don't recall that, where exactly was it and who were its major tenants?

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I can't believe the Bellevue Mall is doing poorly. I've never been in it but I have gotten off at that exit on the way into town before. The whole retail center seemed about as busy as Wolfchase here in Memphis or Hickory Hollow in Antioch.

How is Hickory Hollow these days? It was THE place to go back in the '80s when I was in high school.

Speaking of, anyone remember Germantown Village Square and Kirby Woods Mall in their heyday? Seems Kirby Woods Mall was about 99% water fountains at the time.

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I do! I just barely remember Kirby Woods Mall from my early childhood, and I don't remember any people being there. I remember Germantown Village Square a lot better. It seemed to be pretty full in the early '80s. It had a cool glass elevator and a multi-level subterranian parking deck.

There was also Park Place Mall - the interior portion of it was totally deserted. It opened in 1981, the same year as both Hickory Ridge and the non-departed Mall of Murder.

Kirby Woods, Germantown Village Square and Park Place were all turned inside-out during the 90's and seem to be thriving.

[Hankster]

I agree that malls in Tennessee seem be dying slowly in general. However, contrary to this trend is the fact that bids went out today for site work and new construction for a 719,000 square foot mall in Nashville. The mall will house national and regional retailers. A firm construction schedule has not been established but the estimated start date is Fall 2005. I got this from a website which requires a fee to find out the location. I don't have the exact location.

[Rural King]

^ Are malls dying, or there just too many malls, esp. in Nashville and Memphis. It seems malls (as a concept) do as well as ever, its just a question of how many malls are really viable, which has alot to do with where folks want to shop with in a city. Folks are increasingly un-localized and willing to go across town to what they view as the nice Sears/JC Penny/Mall instead of the not so/less nice one down the road. I also think the area and commerical activity (esp. restaurants and big box stores) around a mall has as big or bigger effect on which malls folks shop at.

[mandrws1]

^ Are malls dying, or there just too many malls, esp. in Nashville and Memphis. It seems malls (as a concept) do as well as ever, its just a question of how many malls are really viable, which has alot to do with where folks want to shop with in a city. Folks are increasingly un-localized and willing to go across town to what they view as the nice Sears/JC Penny/Mall instead of the not so/less nice one down the road. I also think the area and commerical activity (esp. restaurants and big box stores) around a mall has as big or bigger effect on which malls folks shop at.

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I think you're right. My aunt lives in Raleigh, and always goes to the "good" Sears at the Wolfchase Galleria. There are just too many malls.

[it's just dave]

I just don't do malls much. Mills 'cause it's close, Green Hills because it's nice. Some malls may be sick, but Nashville's retail specs are outstanding. 1) One of the Top 5 lowest retail vacancy rates in the country, and 2) A 6% retail sales growth over 2004. I'm sure there are other stats, but this should tell quite a story. It should also explain the rapidly expanding retail offerings around town. None will be enclosed malls, but let's see, off the top of my head.

Hendersonville: Indian Lake-something, I seem to remember 1,000,000 sq ft retail, 2 million office/other commercial/residential

Hendersonville: 500,000 sq ft upscale lifestyle center with large Marriott/Convention facilities (something like that)

Mt. Juliet: Providence Village, 3500 homes, commercial district, 850,000+ sq. ft retail lifestyle/mallish thing. Belk, J.C. Penney, the usual suspects, lots of food and you know the rest.

Green Hills: Lifestyle Center, 2 or 300k sq ft, maybe more, hasn't started yet.

West Nashville: Large lifestyle center. 500,000 or so.

Murfreesboro: too many to mention, the darn place will be as big as Chattanooga before long it seems. Retail, retail, retail, condos, apartments, freeway enhancements, $350 million hospital...Lord knows what else.

Franklin/Brentwood: Goes without saying. Millions more sq ft of office on the way along with the wives and daughters and sons and husbands of those who will occupy those spaces. They will make the bucks, and spend the bucks. Lots of new retail all the time. A couple of lifestyle centers, but who counts anymore.

65 to be widened to Maury County, bids soon. Retail, I'm sure will follow the people.

RiverGate seems to be healthy, as does Hickory Hollow, Opry Mills is among the most successful Mills operations in the country for what that's worth. 17-20 million a year sounds healthy to me plus a high per person expenditure.

Bellvue will probably be okay, it's a nice facility and its time will come.

100 Oaks might as well close the mall portion, but everything else around there is booming.

Harding Mall....oh yeah, I remember it, it's history..and dirt at the moment.

Church Street Center was very, very nice, but 20 years too soon. It's gone, never to return in that silly form.

Cool Springs: probably has its own area code by now. And the area just gets bigger and bigger.

That's all I can get to roll off my head at this point. I don't think we have any "bad" malls, but I probably won't find out anyway.

Oh yeah, the Skyline thing on Dickerson Road at I-65. Just approved by the council, will start construction in late 05. 719,000 sq ft, I think that might be the one you asked about, Hankster.

[crabbj]

Oh yeah Park Place Mall! L&N Seafood, an ice cream store, Godfather's Pizza, in the mid 80s this was the place to be. There used to be an arcade where Wangs Mandarin house is (if that's still there)... I forgot the name of it but it was great.

I haven't been to Hickory Hollow in about 4-5 years. It stays pretty full though, and is in a prime location.

I can't believe the Bellevue Mall is doing poorly.  I've never been in it but I have gotten off at that exit on the way into town before.  The whole retail center seemed about as busy as Wolfchase here in Memphis or Hickory Hollow in Antioch.

How is Hickory Hollow these days?  It was THE place to go back in the '80s when I was in high school.

I do!  I just barely remember Kirby Woods Mall from my early childhood, and I don't remember any people being there.  I remember Germantown Village Square a lot better.  It seemed to be pretty full in the early '80s.  It had a cool glass elevator and a multi-level subterranian parking deck.

There was also Park Place Mall - the interior portion of it was totally deserted.  It opened in 1981, the same year as both Hickory Ridge and the non-departed Mall of Murder.

Kirby Woods, Germantown Village Square and Park Place were all turned inside-out during the 90's and seem to be thriving.

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[smeagolsfree]

Ypu beet me to the punch Dave. The 719,000 sq footer is what I was thinking about when it was mentioned. I think this is going to be a strip mall. You probably know better that me. This project should be great for that end of Dickerson rd.

Lets through a question out as to what defines a mall. There are strip malls and then there are traditional malls. Are we talking about both or just the traditional malls.

I was up in Kingsport last weekend visiting and the old Kingsport Mall had been almost entirely torn down and replaced by a strip mall (all entrances to store were parking lot faced with no internal public space). It was an improvement I thought because the old mall had been built in the early 70's. Ft. Henry Mall in Kingsport seemed to be doing O.K. but there was not a lot of people there except for the theaters, and there were a few vacant shops. I went to Johnson City and the mall there was packed with people and doing very well, although this is not a very large mall even by Nashville standards.

[it's just dave]

I guess the trendy term nowadays for the tweener between a traditional mall and a strip mall is the Lifestyle Center. It's seems to be similar to a mall except you can get rained on between stores.

[sleepy]

I guess the trendy term nowadays for the tweener between a traditional mall and a strip mall is the Lifestyle Center. It's seems to be similar to a mall except you can get rained on between stores.

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"Lifestyle Center"--imho an ugly term, the perfect con job marrying consumerism with some sort of basic values.

But at least it's an honest term--we're raised from day 1 to be consumers--that's our "lifestyle".

[sleepy]

double post

[DaddyYo]

I guess the trendy term nowadays for the tweener between a traditional mall and a strip mall is the Lifestyle Center. It's seems to be similar to a mall except you can get rained on between stores.

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Ahh, ha, ha. So true. It is also a mall where it looks like every one walked there to buy their plasma big screen tv at Best Buy except you never see anyone on the sidewalks carrying their 150lb. purchase. You are supposed to pretent that all the cars aren't behind the stores and Aunt Bea and Barney are just around the corner buying ice cream and soda pop.

I love the Lifestyle Center concept. Not because it conforms to this goofy "pedestrian friendly" insistance of the recent planners graduates but because it subverts the intent and makes a profit.

I can't understand why planners hate to see cars and insist on regulating everything to deny their existance. They don't want garages on the front of your house but they love to see the sidewalks lined with cars.

The other great thing is how developers are subverting the New Urbanist concept and making more money than before. I love it when government social engineering gets turned around into larger profit margins.

Now instead of (or rather, in addition to) 100 McMansions on 1 acre lots in a farmer's field we have 400 McBungalows on 1/4 acre lots in a farmer's field.

Thank you planners! That's much better.

[Clobber]

well, the Hickory Ridge Mall has one lost major tenant of 3 to the new mall opening soon in Collierville, but I believe the other 2 remain.

the Raleigh Springs Mall has lost at least 3 of its 4 major tenants (I think Sears may remain).  One tenant has been replaced with a 12-screen movie theater.  I haven't been there in about 3 or 4 years, so I'm not sure if anything else has been filled or if Sears has left yet.

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I think Raleigh Springs has kind of settled down/bottomed out. Went there for a movie during a Christmas vacation last year. Pretty decent crowds even for Christmas day.

[Clobber]

Oh yeah Park Place Mall! L&N Seafood, an ice cream store, Godfather's Pizza, in the mid 80s this was the place to be. There used to be an arcade where Wangs Mandarin house is (if that's still there)... I forgot the name of it but it was great. 

I haven't been to Hickory Hollow in about 4-5 years. It stays pretty full though, and is in a prime location.

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Does Park Place still have Amerigo? I really liked that place. I remember way, way back when they had the Happi Stores.

[cdarr]

Does Park Place still have Amerigo?  I really liked that place.  I remember way, way back when they had the Happi Stores.

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Yes, it's still there. Park Place is mainly a restaurant center now, and it has some good ones. Amerigos, PF Chaings, Wangs, Jason's Deli. You can't find a parking place at lunch time on weekdays.

Believe it or not, there's still one original tenant left from 1981 - Oshman's Sporting Goods.

[mandrws1]

I think Raleigh Springs has kind of settled down/bottomed out.  Went there for a movie during a Christmas vacation last year.  Pretty decent crowds even for Christmas day.

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Yeah, the crowds are always pretty decent. They just don't have a lot of variety when it comes to shopping. Its the perfect place to go if you want a pair of nike's or some jewelry though. There isn't even a food court. I remember when a food court was planned along the south-western side of the mall, but most of the anchor stores left and the construction was never finished. Its still boarded up. The movie theater is doing great though! The renovations made a big difference in the appearance of the mall and thats about it. Some smaller well-known retailers are moving in though. Radio Shack, which was the first store to sign a lease (besides the anchors) finally called it quits earlier this year.