Worst Southern Mall?

[AlabamaGuy2007]

The Colonial Mall in Decatur has to be the worst mall in the union. The shops are bad, though we're getting better ones, very slowly. But, the mall is smaller than other malls in smaller cities in the state, and the city won't approve any money to renovate it. Ughhh......

[davidzLA]

But, the mall is smaller than other malls in smaller cities in the state, and the city won't approve any money to renovate it. Ughhh......

[Captain Worley]

Houston Mall in Warner Robins GA was horrid.

[Huntsville_secede]

The Colonial Mall in Decatur has to be the worst mall in the union. The shops are bad, though we're getting better ones, very slowly. But, the mall is smaller than other malls in smaller cities in the state, and the city won't approve any money to renovate it. Ughhh......

[rivercity123]

I guess you guys have to shop in Huntsville at Madison Square, Parkway Place and Bridge Street malls :-) Decatur is big enough to have its own mall metro of 150K, this is slighty smaller than Tuscaloosa metro but Tuscaloosa has two malls although they arent any good either but still better than Decaturs

[ohb]

100 oaks mall in Nashville

[DruidCity]

Tuscaloosa has two malls although they arent any good either but still better than Decaturs

[Huntsville_secede]

There used to be a third mall, Bama Mall, but it was converted to big box center McFarland Plaza several

years ago.

It will be interesting to see how the future of weak McFarland Mall plays out, once the Midtown Village mixed-use project opens in 2008 across from University Mall.

In addition to probable anchors Barnes & Noble and Circuit City,

here's a list of the tenants Midtown Village hopes to sign :

1 Image Makers

2 ( Spa )

3 Thai Spice

4. ( Entertainment venue )

5 Justice for Girls

6 Motherhood

7 ( Shoe store )

8 Strasburg

9 Hallmark

10 ( Furniture store )

11 The Loop Pizza

12 Maurice

[peaceloveunderstanding]

Isn't Freedom Mall in Charlotte pretty bad? I've never been in that area so I couldn't say.

[DruidCity]

Still no best buy for Tuscaloosa? I thought it was going to be in this complex ?..

[rivercity123]

Still no best buy for Tuscaloosa? I thought it was going to be in this complex, so they plan on adding all 58 of these stores or some of them? 58 stores is quite a lot for Tuscaloosa didnt realize it was such a big project just thought it was another strip mall

[EastSideResider]

As for my experiences:

If were looking at the crime aspect - Eastland Mall in Charlotte. It's in a really rough area. Also, most people speak little english.

If were looking at the boring and outdated aspect - Gaston Mall in Gastonia, NC.

[mallguy]

As for my experiences:

If were looking at the crime aspect - Eastland Mall in Charlotte. It's in a really rough area. Also, most people speak little english.

If were looking at the boring and outdated aspect - Gaston Mall in Gastonia, NC.

[gs3]

Yea, Colonial Properties keeps asking for money to expand the mall:

1) Combine all 4 locations of Dillards into on central location

2) Build an addition to the mall to include the movie theater

3) Overhaul on renovations to make the place look better

4) Just overall improvements.

The city council just won't provide the money!? I don't understand why. Business has gone up, better stores have steadily moved in, Colonial would have no reason to sell this place after they improved it. I don't see why the city council stalls so much!

But, yea, it sad, the second largest metro in north alabama, and it has the smallest mall in the region.

[kayman]

Just curious....when did cities start funding the remodel of malls? I thought this mall was owned by a private company. The company pays for any remodel if the business warrants it. Just so I'm clear, we are talking about the mall that used to be known as Beltline Mall, correct?

[jervais]

Actually, Reidsville's "Penrose Mall" is even more pathetic.

There are a couple of other pathetic malls: LaGrange Mall (LaGrange, GA) and the Statesboro Mall (Statesboro, GA).

[UptownNewOrleans]

Sharpstown Mall-SW Houston. This is a hood mall, located in the hood and caters to the inner-city crowd. You can even get yourself a grill here.

[GAOnMyMind]

Any other suggestions as to the South's worst mall?

[mallguy]

Don't think anyone can top this eye sore: Regency Mall (in the 80's it was the largest mall in GA). It's been abandoned for years, and weeds grow in it's parking lot.

[kmccloud]

>> Four Seasons Mall in Greensboro. It's always crowded with crazy people

>> and people who do nothing but hang out and block entrances and everything

>> like that. It's just too popular and not nostalgic enough.

this is one of the best malls in the state, you just don't like people

>> Eastland Mall in Charlotte. It's in a really rough area.

pure comedy

[mallguy]

Thinking about what constitutes "worst", I'd say that Triangle Town Center in Raleigh is among the worst because it was built to be a more or less '80s mid-market mall surrounded by a sea of parking, despite evolution/improvement in retail developments overall since then. These days I'd expect that a new mall would be pedestrian-friendly, with a mass transit connection, and at least with a better lifestyle/outdoor component than TTC has. Plus the stores aren't that great- apart from the Saks and a few others, nothing better than a typical '80s mid-market mall.

[davidals]

Eastland in Charlotte is getting to be unfortunate. I grew up near there in the 1980s, and it used to be the place to be. What a difference 20 years makes. It hung on reasonably well into the early 90s (if memory serves, they even got rid of that 70s Three's Company-style decor inside), but the slide over the last 10-12 years has been precipitous. We'll see if it goes the way of South Square or Carolina Circle. *Shudder*

South Square's decline was weirder, more dramatic. It hung on reasonably for years, until Southpoint opened; it just seemed that there was less of a protracted decline, and more of something like the mall equivalent of a black hole implosion - bang, and it's gone. Now there's a few big boxes out there. That road it's on - Bus 15/501 ain't exactly the prettiest piece of Durham either...though I love that seafood joint where the staff sings and dances around the room while you're eating...

Chapel Hill's University Mall. I dreaded that mall as a kid

[mallguy]

Eastland in Charlotte is getting to be unfortunate. I grew up near there in the 1980s, and it used to be the place to be. What a difference 20 years makes. It hung on reasonably well into the early 90s (if memory serves, they even got rid of that 70s Three's Company-style decor inside), but the slide over the last 10-12 years has been precipitous. We'll see if it goes the way of South Square or Carolina Circle. *Shudder*

[urbanvb]

Small-town malls are usually just dreary. I remember the malls in Lenoir and Wilkesboro (before they gave up the ghost) - cavernous, lotsa emptiness, people hanging out with no place to do anything, a few nail salons and the typical hair places...

[mallguy]

For someone who likes even bad malls, this one might be worth a visit!

http://www.southgatemallec.com/index.htm

Too bad Elizabeth City is so far away!