Wolfchase Galleria Changes

[sleepy]

I never equated good shopping with high-end retail anyway.

I mean, they just opened a new shoe store in south main where all the shoes cost about $500 apiece. Does that mean Memphis has arrived?

Personally, I think you'd have to be insane to spend $500 on shoes. But then, I grew up in a family where we mowed our own lawn, so what do I know...

[Rural King]

^ You mean Memphis's problems wouldn't have been solved if the Parisian had stayed in the Memphis market? LOL

I agree with everyone. Having one prestigous high-end retailer over another, or at all, does not really mean that much beyond the fact that market research done by a retailer has produced statistics indicating that a city/area has a suitable demographic to sell their goods at their price point due to the prestige or quality or status attached to their name. A city may have several demographic consumer segments capable of paying for a store's price point and buying into a store's name, but that does not mean they will, for they may already have pre-established buying habits and store affiliations at lower price points that may be hard to break.

High-end retailers are nice amenities for a city and its residents to have and brag about, but thats about it when it comes to the quality of shopping and quality of life for the vast majority of citizens in a city, as most high-end retailers are really just about a very small group of targeted shoppers.

[Clobber]

You know I must say that I am quite amazed that even though my father is an owner of a relatively large engineering firm, that because he landscapes his yard he is considered poor. It would never have occured to me, he must cover it up pretty well because he has told me for a very long time that he enjoys it. Spring time is one of his favorite times of the year because this is when he goes to the nursery and buys his flowers and other plants. Gardening is where my father releases stress that has built up during the day.

My grandfather was a neurosurgen, he also enjoyed yard work...when he actually had the time. I think most people know how much they make.

Someone mentioned hermes' earlier. The store has closed in Oak Hall. The levy's are family friends and I asked them why it did. Hermes is trying to market their stores differently right now, meaning they want freestanding stores that sell everything they have; clothing, home furnishings, and etc. Hermes has closed many of their stores in the US because of this. Ties and scarves were very hot sellers in memphis. Some of their other clothing did fine here as well, when someone actually wanted to spend $500 for a button down. This is true, I have held in my hands a $500 button down dress shirt. Why would someone pay that for a shirt?

While on the subject of Oak Hall. This is one of the nicest stores in the us. James Davis is as well. It is very rare to have two stores of their caliber in a city of our size. Because of this many high end retailers don't want to come in due to their boutiques within these two stores doing so well. Nashville doesn't have a nice men's store. Levy's is the closest, but it doesn't come close to carrying the extensive clothing lines either of these stores. For instance, Levy's used to carry Brioni, due to the brand not selling well they had to let it go. On the other hand, oak hall has recently expanded their selection of brioni, they also keep a could of their $15000 suits on hand.

Also Oak Hall carrys the full line of Ermenegildo Zegna. If you look at their web page, memphis is one of only a handful of stores in the us. Birmingham does carry zegna but nashville doesn't.

I have never heard of nashville having better shopping than memphis. I have also only heard birmingham as being at most comparable. As for the saks in birmingham, the only reason it is their is because that is where the headquarter is. It is just a little bit nicer than what our parisians in collierville was like.

As for mednikow, cities would die to have a jeweler like this. I would encourage everybody to read about the mednikow family and their travels to america. It is very similar to tiffany and other well known names around this country. I would also encourage everyone to visit mednikow second store in atlanta's premier mall Phipps Plaza.

Truly memphis must have bad shopping.

[northernbizzkit1]

Don't forget Robert (?) Shelton of Shelton Clothiers downtown. I think he used to be associated with James Davis. I also think I remember that Nicole Miller opened one of her first stores here... Anyone else recall that?

[Clobber]

I remember hearing about a Nicole Miller store in Saddle Creek (i'm too young to remember it firsthand haha). I see there is a Nicole Miller sign in the shopping center near the Central Library that has Elfo...is that the same store or is it just connected with another?

[G-townTN]

My friend works at a store called Ella in, I think, chickasaw oaks shopping center by the main library. I am pretty sure this is where Nicole Miller opened her store. If you drive past it on poplar you will see the name ella and nicole miller right next to it.

[G-townTN]

I do want to add that money is not everything. If you go to miami or los angeles you will find some of the most stuck up people in the world. It is kind of funny but the trend is actually starting in nashville. Granted I would love to have all the amenities that one of these wealthy cities have, but honestly I would rather live in a place that keeps me honest. Money is the root of all evils. Once it pollutes your mind it is hard to recover. Memphis is a place that you can be incredible wealthy, but still respect what you have because of the poverty (miami should be this way because of all the poor immigrants). It is not difficult to see your donations at work in this city. It is also not very difficult to reach out and help someone here.

We have people at my church that have incredible amounts of money, but you would never know it because they are the ones getting dirty while working on a habitat house they solely funded.

[tennreb]

You mentioned Birmingham....I would challenge you to look at the disposable income numbers of Moutain Brook, AL (suburb of Birmingham), and compare them to Germantown, TN (suburb of Memphis). We might be all enlightened ? or we might have a good laugh !

[tennreb]

pearlbobb, i have similar experiences.

I have also lived in St. Louis and Arizona, and in addition to those states, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and California.

I know very few families who mow their own lawn or consider it "a hobby."

Moreover, there are other ways to teach children responsibility than manual labor.

Northernbizz - fyi, theres no such thing as a Bloomingdale's co-op, its Barneys co-op.

[TennBear]

For all those people worrying about expensive areas, I live in Howard County Maryland. It is the third wealthiest county in the country. We have plenty of people here that cut their own grass. "Shock, Shock! Don't tell me it's so" We have "Nordstrom's", but no other big name retailers. I did remember that we have "Lord and Tayor", some people would consider that to be a big name retailer. We have alarge Mall with five Department stores, the afformentioned along with Sears, J C Penny and Macy's (formally Hecht's). That's ok though. The thing that I hate is that we don't have a decent grocery store. They are in the process of constructing a Harris-Teeter and a Trader Joe's. That would be a start. Wegman's is fighting to bring in a 160,000 sq ft store here, but Safeway and Giant are doing everything that they can to keep them out. Much of the reason that we do not have many of the prestige stores is that this area began as a planned community. It is starting to get some of strip mall growth that is throughout most of the suburbs, but it is still very low when compared to most places. Columbia has Village Centers where the groceries are and they were designed in the '60's and '70's and are far smaller than modern grocery stores.