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The Mall at Green Hills


Richard Lawson

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Mercantile was the parent company of Castner-Knott, along with other regional chains including Gayfers, J.B. White, Maison Blanche, Bacon's, McAlpin's, Joslin's, Lion's, and several other chains. Mercantile Stores was acquired by Dillard's in 1998. The Nashville area had five area malls with both Castner-Knott and Dillard's stores; the overlapping Castner-Knott stores had to be sold to meet FTC antitrust regulations. Those stores were sold to Proffitt's, which was in the end a division of Birmingham-based Saks Incorporated. Saks, Inc. sold them to May Department Stores where they became Hecht's. May Department Stores was acquired by Federated Department Stores, the parent company of Macy's. Federated Department Stores is changing its name to Macy's Group in June (I think).

As for upscale luxury department stores, Nordstrom has a broader customer base and price ranges in merchandise than Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman-Marcus, and Bloomingdale's (also owned by Federated Department Stores, soon to be Macy's Group).

Having Macy's I thought would improve things. But the stores here stink. No better than Hecht's. Same merchandise, just a different name. Macy's I went to in Biltmore Fashion Park in Phoenix was much better.

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Having Macy's I thought would improve things. But the stores here stink. No better than Hecht's. Same merchandise, just a different name. Macy's I went to in Biltmore Fashion Park in Phoenix was much better.

This is very true. They made a mistake by not making the Green Hills store a Bloomingdale's. There are 4 other macy's very close to Green Hills (some of which would fare much better if they had the Green Hills Merchandise).

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I agree also Richard. In fact there seems to be all different levels of Macy's stores. The stores converted over to Macy's in Scraton PA, are lower end than the ones in Nashville. It makes since to cater to the market demographics, but I think the it causes an issue with people returning items to Macy's stores in different markets. In fact we already had an issue with some items purchased in Nashville that they would not exchange or refund because they don't carry certain product lines in the Scranton market.

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Having Macy's I thought would improve things. But the stores here stink. No better than Hecht's. Same merchandise, just a different name. Macy's I went to in Biltmore Fashion Park in Phoenix was much better.

I had high hopes for Macy's in Nashville, too. My one experience was at Cool Springs, back before Christmas. I went in to buy some cologne and expected this excellent service (it is Macy's, after all). I asked the "sales"-woman for help finding what I was looking for and she told me she worked for Clinique (or one of the other cosmetics companies), but that Joyce (or whatever the other, nonexistent clerk's name was) would be able to help me....when she returned from where she was!

I blundered around and found what I wanted on my own, got out, and haven't been back since.

Maybe my expectations were too high. I do know, if that had been Castner-Knott, the sales associate would have been making a sale, chatting me up, getting to know me and working towards future sales from me. Ah, those were the days!

I'd just as soon go to the internet the next time! At least I don't expect personal service there!

David

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Having Macy's I thought would improve things. But the stores here stink. No better than Hecht's. Same merchandise, just a different name. Macy's I went to in Biltmore Fashion Park in Phoenix was much better.

I agree that the Macy's stores in Metro Nashville have been a disappointment, just like Hecht's was. I have not traveled that much around the nation, but within the Southeast you would probably have to go to the Atlanta area to possibly be impressed with Macy's. I wouldn't be surprised if even the two Macy's stores in the Birmingham area are even better.

This day in time, you don't have department stores whose buyers are locals very much. The merchandise would either be bought at the corporate or division level.

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This day in time, you don't have department stores whose buyers are locals very much. The merchandise would either be bought at the corporate or division level.

But wouldn't that lead to more consistency across stores? I haven't been to the Macy's stores in Nashville. So I don't know.

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The green hills Macy's is a joke just like Hechts always was. The only thing different is the sign on the wall. I get depressed just walking through that place. It reminds me of a department store experience in the 70's or 80's.

It's really hard from me to understand how that parent company could be so visionless when it comes to maximizing their returns at that location. They have the undisputed creampuff retail location in Nashvillle but rather than create a flagship department store that would absolutely KILL IT they limp along, probably scratching their heads wondering why they're so unprofitable. Maybe the fools will accept defeat and seek a way out of their lease soon allowing a more capable retailer to maximize the potential of that location.

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The green hills Macy's is a joke just like Hechts always was. The only thing different is the sign on the wall. I get depressed just walking through that place. It reminds me of a department store experience in the 70's or 80's.

It's really hard from me to understand how that parent company could be so visionless when it comes to maximizing their returns at that location. They have the undisputed creampuff retail location in Nashvillle but rather than create a flagship department store that would absolutely KILL IT they limp along, probably scratching their heads wondering why they're so unprofitable. Maybe the fools will accept defeat and seek a way out of their lease soon allowing a more capable retailer to maximize the potential of that location.

Sadly, we lost our local department store in Birmingham this year...Parisians. It was sold by Sacks to Belk out of Charlotte. Sad to see it go. Speaking to your e-mail Jeeper12.....I noticed that the owners of the Summit Shopping Center in Birmingham arm twisted Belk into opening their only other flagship store outside of Charlotte....and this includes mechandise that is not carried at the regular stores. In the end, I think that mall/shopping center owners are responsible for making the A store happen. Perhaps they need a management/owner change at the Mall at Green Hills.

Here is a list of stores at the Summit

Abercrombie

Abercrombie & Fitch

Adrienne Vittadini

Adrienne Vittadini Accessories

Aldo

AmSouth Bank

Amy's Hallmark

Ann Taylor

Anthropologie

Apple Computers

Aveda Experience Center

baby GAP

Baker's Shoes

Banana Republic

Barnes & Noble

Bath & Body Works

BCBGMAXAZRIA

bebe

Bed Bath & Beyond

Ben & Jerry's

Birmingham Trunk

Bose

Bromberg's Fine Jewelry

Bruno's / Vincent's Market

Cach

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n the end, I think that mall/shopping center owners are responsible for making the A store happen. Perhaps they need a management/owner change at the Mall at Green Hills.

You may be right but I hate to be too critical of the current mall owner considering howmuch they've improved things in just that last 3-4 years. The eats and the tenants are much better than they were. However, if the Macy's was a flagship department store (under the Macy's flag or something more sexy) I think you'd see that entire mall go from red hot to white hot.

Not knowing the details of the lease Hecht's/Macy's has it's hard to know how much the owners can really influence things at this point. I guess the best we can hope for is a near term lease expiration or Macy's parent experiencing an epiphany that they're essentially wasting a prime location.

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Of course, there's always the possibility that a competitor can come in (to either GH or Cool Springs) and take the long-standing stores' business. Granted, GH is probably outrageously expensive, and a savvy developer/shopping center manager my choose to go to Brentwood anyway b/c that's where the new money is. Nordstrom was going to build there a few years ago and announced plans to go forward until the NIMBYs opposed it. For the time being, Nashville is left with subpar shopping (especially when compared to other cities the same size). Somebod(y/ies) will move in soon, and for all we know, the managers of the aforementioned malls are trying their hardest to land certain big anchors.

Just an observation, Atlanta was much smaller than Nashville is now when Phipps Plaza was first built right across the street from Lenox in the late 1960s. Certainly, that created a cluster of high-end shopping that itself became a destination for shoppers from all over the region. It's probably too late for Nashville to see a new mall around GH, but certain rumors point to that mall undertaking a large expansion in the near future. Who knows?

There may also be a bit of dilution of the concentration of high-end shoppers due to the distance between GH and Cool Springs. By this I mean that it's far enough to prevent synergies, but close enough that a big retailer may think long and hard before having to choose between the two (as they'd likely open only one outlet at first). Nevertheless, I suspect that this will shake-out with retailers ultimately choosing between the two locations. Also, as that area of Nashville grows, it will reduce what I called "dilution" above. In effect, the growth will continue to fuel demand for more high-end shopping. After all, what retail will continue to stay out of the wealthiest county in the South (Williamson)?

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There may also be a bit of dilution of the concentration of high-end shoppers due to the distance between GH and Cool Springs. By this I mean that it's far enough to prevent synergies, but close enough that a big retailer may think long and hard before having to choose between the two (as they'd likely open only one outlet at first). Nevertheless, I suspect that this will shake-out with retailers ultimately choosing between the two locations. Also, as that area of Nashville grows, it will reduce what I called "dilution" above. In effect, the growth will continue to fuel demand for more high-end shopping. After all, what retail will continue to stay out of the wealthiest county in the South (Williamson)?

I agree with your point about the big retailers like Nordstrom's being unable to choose between Cool Springs and Green Hills. It seems that neither submarket is deep enough to warrant their attention though the Nashville market as a whole is clearly big enough to justify a Saks and/or a Nordstroms. My theory is that these prestigious retailers will continue to sit on the fence until one or both of these submarkets gets big enough to justify a store without counting on much synergy from the other county. Given the continued growth in both counties I think this could only be 4-5 years away. It will also be interesting to see how all the new high end housing north of town (Indian Lake, Fairvue, etc.) will impact the Malls' numbers. My guess is that more of this is likely to go to GH than Cool Springs but it will certainly go to one or the other because despite the good things happening north of town they are still probably a decade or two from having anything approaching a GH or Cool Springs Mall.

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Think about the possibility of a Nordstrom on the Nissan HQ side of I-65. As I've said on TV, attracting Nordstrom is like recruiting a professional sports team. You basically have to pay the company seven figures to come to a city and give the space away. The latter is pretty much true of any department store. But I can't imagine paying for a Macy's, Dillard, etc. If only the Macy's would upgrade it's inventory at GH, that would be a start.

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And that's what I mean by the possibility that somebody can/will come here eventually. I just can't believe that the various mall management companies in the NSH market are asleep at the switch.

There's another thing I have read (still can't tell you if it's the Gospel in retail). It's that a metro area will not even be looked at by the high retailers until/unless its core county has a population of 600K. Well, after a lot of teeth-pulling and not much leadership from Nashville's metro government, the Census Bureau finally recognized its official estimate that exceed the magic number. My guess is that Nashville is just now landing on the radar of certain high retailers. There's probably a lot of indecision on their part right now due to the scenario I laid out above (e.g where to go, GH or CS, etc.).

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  • 7 months later...

The mall is definetly on its way to becoming THE retail destination in Metro Nashville. Burberry, Louis Vitton, Tiffany and Co., and Juicy Couture are here or coming, and more are on the way. I think the mall that we should really look at is Mall at Millenia in Orlando, or Lenox Square and Phipps Plaza in Atlanta's Buckhead neighborhood. Definetly the mall I'd like for it to look like is The Galleria in Houston, or NorthPark Center in Dallas, definetly 2 malls that are really nice, of coure NorthPark is semi-outdoors.

I personally like the direction the mall is headed in in regards to design. It appears to be headed towards being the focal point of an urban neighborhood. The last thing we need in Green Hills is some mammoth mega mall style complex.

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Just read your article, very good, and very valid points. We need to really recruit stores here, its absolutely rediculous, hell, supposedly Apple is coming to Murfreesboro! Here in Jacksonville,FL Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, and Saks are highly likely here in the next 3 years, NM and Nordies is possible by next year!

When Nordstrom announces a new store opening these days, it's several years down the road. The Birmingham area is getting a Nordstrom at the Riverchase Galleria in the spring of 2012. They will build the store on the site of the original Macy's that was later a Proffitt's and then Belk. Belk recently vacated that site in favor of the former Parisian store with greater highway visibility and also took the upper level of the former McRae's.

The problem in Nashville is there is hardly any room for a new luxury department store because of lack of space/land. It still remains to be seen what will happen with all of the land where Davis Street Land Company (owner of Mall at Green Hills) has bought properties to tear down.

Before I moved to Nashville I also considered Jacksonville. I visited St. Johns Town Center shortly after it first opened. I know they just opened phase two there that has room for luxury department stores.

So, any market now that announces it's getting a Nordstrom has to wait several years before it ever opens.

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richard lawson-

I was reading your article the other day about Nashville shopping. I found it interesting that so many Nashvillians will drive four hours and spend hundreds of dollars in Atlanta shops. I think Nashville definitely has the market for a Nordstroms and what not, I think Nashville needs to do whatever to make that investment now.

My question is if the new convention center gets built as planned, do you think we could kill two birds with one stone by converting the current convention center into a Nordstroms? We could.... 1.) Get a Nashville Nordstroms and 2.) get some serious downtown retail and another incentive for people coming downtown. I think this would be incredible. Everyones thoughts....?

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I also read the article and agree 100%. Although, I'm very spoiled when it comes to shopping. Atlanta doesn't even do it for me. There's only four or five cities in the US that I find myself shopping in and they are New York, LA, Chicago, San Francisco, and maybe Miami.

Really??? Not positive, but I've always heard next to Chicago; Altanta has the most (upscale) shopping per capita in the US.

Anyone confirm?

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Really??? Not positive, but I've always heard next to Chicago; Altanta has the most (upscale) shopping per capita in the US.

Anyone confirm?

I've never heard of a statistics called most upscale shopping per capita. What would that even be counting? # dollars spent on upscale goods / capita? What is defined as "upscale goods?"

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