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Four Seasons Town Centre

DigitalSky

By DigitalSky
in The NC Triad

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StevenRocks City

StevenRocks

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Actually, I'm pretty sure M&R had a two-level store at Four Seasons. It was great, with the marble and all. They also had a separate (but connected) men's department with its own mall entrance, as I recall, that almost looked like they'd expanded into an adjacent space.

I think most if not all of their NC mall locations were two levels, which always looked a little odd since none of them were in anchor positions.

It could have easily been two levels. The typical M&R prototype for their '70s mall stores was two floors with an escalator connecting the levels. They expanded cautiously with a lot of midsized "specialty stores" in new markets, which is similar to what Thalhimers was doing at the time (except that Thalhimers typically had a large downtown store to augment the branches' selection).

I guess the reasoning was that if they caught on, they would be relocated and expanded, but it never came to pass at M&R. Thalhimers did end up expanding most of their small stores though.

Miller & Rhoads fell apart when Allied Stores took over. They pretty much exited North Carolina, save for Raleigh, under them. I think one of the reasons that the North Carolina stores got axed is because of their size and secondary anchor postitions. Most of the latter day M&R stores that survived were in the 100,000 square foot range and rather prominent, and most of those stores were in Richmond and Tidewater

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otherstream Whistle-Stop

otherstream

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Strangely enough, I was going through a pile of old newspapers last night that I'd stored at my parents' house for several years. In a 1927 copy of the Greensboro Daily News, there was an ad for the Miller & Rhoads store in Richmond. It must have been a pretty great store if they expected people to make that much of a trip to visit it.

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sax184 Hamlet

sax184

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That may be true but it was refered to as a Village. Many Shoping Centers all over the country have Village in the name.

The fact that strip malls and shopping centers label themselves "villages" is only an indicator of the generally brain-dead approach the commercial real estate industry in America has towards the construction of our cities and towns. Let's not encourage them. This is a shopping center we're talking about.

Below, now that is a village. (Gordes, France)

Gordes.jpg

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StevenRocks City

StevenRocks

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The fact that strip malls and shopping centers label themselves "villages" is only an indicator of the generally brain-dead approach the commercial real estate industry in America has towards the construction of our cities and towns. Let's not encourage them. This is a shopping center we're talking about.
Do you propose we call up Koury Corporation and admonish them for using the word "village" in their description of the new project? :dontknow:
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blburton Whistle-Stop

blburton

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I don't think it will have an effect considering plans for revitalization of the corridor... not to mention the fact that Four Season's Mall isn't deteriorated?.....

With Four Seasons Mall's [and High Point Road's] relative deterioration/decline over the past few years, how you think this movie theater will perform compared to new ones in more suburban areas (i.e. Palladium, Grande, etc)
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StevenRocks City

StevenRocks

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I agree that Four Seasons hasn't deteriorated. Tenants have shifted, yes, but there's still three department stores anchoring and new stores coming in. Bath & Body Works is relocating into the old Bombay space, and Charlotte Russe and Bakers Shoes are replacing The Limited.

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sax184 Hamlet

sax184

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Do you propose we call up Koury Corporation and admonish them for using the word "village" in their description of the new project? :dontknow:

Actually, I think that's a terrific idea. Seriously. An even better idea would be to go speak to the municipal bodies that would be permitting this development, make the point about what a joke it is to call such stuff a village, and tell them that the preferred course of action would not be for them to stop using the word "village," but to actually make one using vertically mixed-use traditional townbuilding practices.

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DigitalSky City

DigitalSky

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Actually, I think that's a terrific idea. Seriously. An even better idea would be to go speak to the municipal bodies that would be permitting this development, make the point about what a joke it is to call such stuff a village, and tell them that the preferred course of action would not be for them to stop using the word "village," but to actually make one using vertically mixed-use traditional townbuilding practices.

I suppose we ask for places like Morocroft Village and The Village at SouthPark to be changed too?

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sax184 Hamlet

sax184

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I suppose we ask for places like Morocroft Village and The Village at SouthPark to be changed too?

Well, if they're already built I suppose there's not much point. However, we could ask the City Council not to let anything named "Village" be built unless it was mixed use.

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StevenRocks City

StevenRocks

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Well, if they're already built I suppose there's not much point. However, we could ask the City Council not to let anything named "Village" be built unless it was mixed use.
In this case, it's a moot point because the "village" is next door to a "town centre." I'm not interested in names at this point, content is more important.
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ILoveCallingNCHome Hamlet

ILoveCallingNCHome

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One big difference between Friendly Center and 4 Seasons (and the reason why I doubt 4S will go under) is visibility and accessibility. Friendly Center's only disadvantage is that it's visibility to the city is lacking. It's kind of nestled off in the inner Greensboro suburbs while 4S is blatantly obvious on I-40. Coming from Gibsonville, I always shopped at 4 Seasons because it was a straight shot on I-40 vs. stoplight after stoplight on Wendover to get to Friendly.
Im just the opposite. I rarely go to Four Seasons, yet end up going to Friendly (from Gibsonville via wendover) two -three times a month.

I prefer Wendover to the Highway. :)

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cityboi Metropolitan Area

cityboi

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Im just the opposite. I rarely go to Four Seasons, yet end up going to Friendly (from Gibsonville via wendover) two -three times a month.

I prefer Wendover to the Highway. :)

Four Seasons is a nice mall but I dont shop there. I also like Friendly Center. To me it more convienient and easier to find parking close to where you want to go. If you are just going to a few stores, you dont have to walk very far.

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nowensone Burg

nowensone

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I'd like to echo blburton's comment on this needing a residential component, otherwise this could end up like other sections of High Point Road that have high vacancy rates and deterioration. There is already oversaturation, and the neighborhoods up and down the corridor through here are lower middle class at best and not dense, and therefore will not be supporting yet more retail. Some traffic will obviously be generated from proximity to I40, but then I would think the mall itself would suffer in turn. I'd really like to see a stipulation attached of townhomes at a minimum, preferably apartments (at 4 levels).

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ILoveCallingNCHome Hamlet

ILoveCallingNCHome

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Lets say this new "village" ( and I use that word lightly) attracts a high rate of shoppers. How will traffic be relieved or diverted when there are coliseum events? That part of High Point road is very conjested in general.

I think that has been addressed by the multi-use lanes that run from High Point Rd through to the coliseum that were developed several years ago. Lanes change directions/purposes when traffic is expected to be heavy to easy in and out arteries to the events. High Point Road has always had heavy traffic...I doubt that this new village would really add much more to any existing traffic generated by people that frequent that side of town already.

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crowe1856 Unincorporated Area

crowe1856

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New & Record quote:

"If realized, the shopping center would be about the size of the retail component of The Village at North Elm, a mixed-use project the company is finishing at North Elm Street and Pisgah Church Road."

So what does this new development mean for Koury's Village at North Elm? I just moved out that way, and the number of vacancies leaves me concerned for the success of the few businesses that are already there. I'm sure it will pick up when/if they ever get the residential portion built, but it seems like this new project will just create additional retail competition.

Does Koury not have an interest in the success of their properties, or do they just build 'em & move on to the next project? Not to compare apples & oranges, but it seems like Shoppes at Friendly & Jefferson Village already had tenants lined up before ground was broken.

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