Hanes Mall

[StevenRocks]

It'll be good to see things freshened up a bit (it's been about 18 years since they did a major renovation), but the typical Belk remodel these days involves a lot of white paint and beige floors with not much else. Still, I'm hoping for the best.

[DigitalSky]

It'll be good to see things freshened up a bit (it's been about 18 years since they did a major renovation), but the typical Belk remodel these days involves a lot of white paint and beige floors with not much else. Still, I'm hoping for the best.

Yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing the results of the renovation

[StevenRocks]

I'm cautiously optimistic. This is a really important store for Belk, and previous renovations have been pretty decent. In fact, the 1990 remodel at Belk Hanes Mall was an industry award winner. But department stores have changed a lot since then. Simpler design is considered better, though many Belk remodels of late have veered towards the simplistic.

[JerseyBoy]

Steven, I remember you saying that in order for high-end retailers to even consider locating at Hanes Mall they would look at how well luxury items sold at the anchors. Do you think with this renovation they'll bring in items that are in their SouthPark store?

[StevenRocks]

Steven, I remember you saying that in order for high-end retailers to even consider locating at Hanes Mall they would look at how well luxury items sold at the anchors. Do you think with this renovation they'll bring in items that are in their SouthPark store?

I think the chances are good for more luxury items at Belk. They have the room and the store does good business. In terms of actual brands though, It'd be hard to say at this point.

[StevenRocks]

I got to go to Hanes Mall over the weekend. It was a brief but enjoyable visit. The inside of the mall was healthier than i've seen it in years. Lots of crowds and a bunch of cool stores.

The Belk remodel was not particularly dramatic. Most of the 1990 remodel has been left in place. The textiles part of the Home Store shifted to Level One, and Today's Woman took its place. The main floor (Level Two) featured new handbag and sportswear departments (with a prominent location for the new line by "Sex and The City) star Kristin Davis), and the ladies' shoe department was heavily remodeled to resemble the one at Crabtree Valley Mall.

[twincity]

a family fun center called Funigans's opened behind the mall in the former Michaels space.

[Roadgeek]

I haven't been to Hanes Mall since March 12, 2008. Wonderful mall it is. I might go there more often once I start driving.

Last time I was there, I got sad when I noticed that Suncoast Video and Auntie Ann's Pretzels were gone. I sure do like FYE (Former Camelot Music) though.

[StevenRocks]

News flash! Dillard's Hanes Mall is remodeling for the first time. It's been nearly 19 years since they opened, and it's not a complete remodel, but it is a refresh of a store that had gotten really tired and threadbare.

[StevenRocks]

Update: Dillard's only remodeled the center core around the upper level escalator well. It looks better, but the rest of the store still screams Ivey's. Not that I'm complaining.

[JerseyBoy]

Update: Dillard's only remodeled the center core around the upper level escalator well. It looks better, but the rest of the store still screams Ivey's. Not that I'm complaining.

I noticed this as well during a visit before Christmas. The mall seemed to be very healthy despite the current financial troubles. Any news on potential store openings? I always wondered what Hanes' purpose was for that poll they took on their website asking shoppers what stores they'd like to see next...

Also, Arby's will be opening a restaurant in the Food Court.

[suburban george3]

I was reading one of the NC business magazines which had just been released, and it said that Winston-Salem was one of a few NC metros to record an increase (albeit amall) in retail sales this December. Greensboro and Raleigh both had decreases.

[StevenRocks]

I noticed this as well during a visit before Christmas. The mall seemed to be very healthy despite the current financial troubles. Any news on potential store openings? I always wondered what Hanes' purpose was for that poll they took on their website asking shoppers what stores they'd like to see next...

Also, Arby's will be opening a restaurant in the Food Court.

I don't know of anything in the pipeline for Hanes Mall, but it's got the best potential (of the Triad's enclosed malls) to land the coveted national chains. Scoring bebe, Forever 21, aerie, and Shi by Journeys was a coup, but Ann Taylor looks unhealthy.

It's an interesting reversal of fortune. Five years ago, Hanes Mall was filling up with garbage stores, Friendly Center was a non threatening middle market mall, Four Seasons was riding an upscale wave, and nobody shopped in Burlington. Now Hanes and Friendly are hot and getting hotter, Alamance Crossing is holding its own, and Four Seasons...

[beyonce245]

I don't know of anything in the pipeline for Hanes Mall, but it's got the best potential (of the Triad's enclosed malls) to land the coveted national chains. Scoring bebe, Forever 21, aerie, and Shi by Journeys was a coup, but Ann Taylor looks unhealthy.

It's an interesting reversal of fortune. Five years ago, Hanes Mall was filling up with garbage stores, Friendly Center was a non threatening middle market mall, Four Seasons was riding an upscale wave, and nobody shopped in Burlington. Now Hanes and Friendly are hot and getting hotter, Alamance Crossing is holding its own, and Four Seasons...

I would tend to agree with your assessment, at least with respect to the Triad's indoor malls, although Four Seasons also has a Forever 21 store. So that would have to be removed from your "coup" list. But in terms of future growth potential, I would put my money on Friendly Center. With the Apple store opening in February and Anthropologie opening in January, Friendly Center would be my best bet on the Triad mall to receive future "hot" stores. The Apple store alone will be a magnet for future stores. Plus, since Friendly and Hanes are now owned by the same company, it's unlikely that we'll see upscale retailers opening locations at both malls given their close proximity.

[StevenRocks]

Hanes Mall and Friendly Center will have an equal chance at hot stores. Friendly's got the superior demographics, and Hanes Mall has the massive trade area.

[101_ce]

I do not think Friendly or Hanes will get very upscale. It is also all CBL's fault. They do not do upscale. TTC just so happens to have Saks and there is one other CBL mall with a Nordstrom. They probably would have went to other malls, but there was no space avaliable. CBL's "premium" malls would be considered just a notch above a regular mall by Simon. SouthPark is still the largest mall in NC even not including the The Village. Hanes is 1,497,000 square feet and SouthPark is 1,626,000 Square feet. If you take out the C&B store, it is about 1,600,000 square feet. And is the village over 100,000 square feet? I do not think so. At a mall, would you not count an outdoor portion with stores? No.

[beyonce245]

I do not think Friendly or Hanes will get very upscale. It is also all CBL's fault. They do not do upscale. TTC just so happens to have Saks and there is one other CBL mall with a Nordstrom. They probably would have went to other malls, but there was no space avaliable. CBL's "premium" malls would be considered just a notch above a regular mall by Simon. SouthPark is still the largest mall in NC even not including the The Village. Hanes is 1,497,000 square feet and SouthPark is 1,626,000 Square feet. If you take out the C&B store, it is about 1,600,000 square feet. And is the village over 100,000 square feet? I do not think so. At a mall, would you not count an outdoor portion with stores? No.

How did you transition from talking about the mix of stores to square footage? And what is the point you're trying to make?

[cyrus_hiatt]

A couple of weeks ago when I was at Hanes I noticed a few stores that shut down,

including

Straburg Children, Ann Taylor, KB Toys, and I think a jewelry store upstairs by the food court. I wonder if CBL plans on filling these spots or are these places going to remain vacant for awhile due to the economy.....

[StevenRocks]

Even if Hanes Mall does not rival SouthPark to some, it's still a very nice mall by most measurable standards.

[beyonce245]

Even if Hanes Mall does not rival SouthPark to some, it's still a very nice mall by most measurable standards.

Southpark will die a slow death once all the bank money begins flooding out of Charlotte like the great deluge of 1929. Just kidding. But really though, I wouldn't be surprised if Southpark gets hit worse than some malls since Charlotte was built on wealth that no longer exists.

[nyxmike]

Southpark will die a slow death once all the bank money begins flooding out of Charlotte like the great deluge of 1929. Just kidding. But really though, I wouldn't be surprised if Southpark gets hit worse than some malls since Charlotte was built on wealth that no longer exists.

I think SouthPark will be just fine. There is still a good amount of wealth in Charlotte (to say it no longer exists is ridiculous and inaccurate) and once the economy picks up it will begin to grow again. SouthPark has several stores that do not exist between Washington DC and Atlanta. Charlotte is the largest metro area between those two cities and is also central to both NC and SC. Believe it or not, I see lots of cars (high-end too) from Columbia, Greenville, and even the Triad and Triangle and a good amount of out-of-state (not NC or SC) plates too. I think we might not see many new stores open at the mall for awhile, but I think for now it will be fine.

[StevenRocks]

Southpark will die a slow death once all the bank money begins flooding out of Charlotte like the great deluge of 1929. Just kidding. But really though, I wouldn't be surprised if Southpark gets hit worse than some malls since Charlotte was built on wealth that no longer exists.

I don't think it will, primarily because SouthPark has things other malls don't. It's got a niche, and it serves it well.

[beyonce245]

I think SouthPark will be just fine. There is still a good amount of wealth in Charlotte (to say it no longer exists is ridiculous and inaccurate) and once the economy picks up it will begin to grow again. SouthPark has several stores that do not exist between Washington DC and Atlanta. Charlotte is the largest metro area between those two cities and is also central to both NC and SC. Believe it or not, I see lots of cars (high-end too) from Columbia, Greenville, and even the Triad and Triangle and a good amount of out-of-state (not NC or SC) plates too. I think we might not see many new stores open at the mall for awhile, but I think for now it will be fine.

To quote a fellow Triad resident, "why so defensive Sasha Fierce?" Hmm...It just doesn't seem to work unless your name is Beyonce. Oh well. Obviously I don't believe that all the wealth in Charlotte has evaporated...just the 80-90 % in stock value of Wachovia and Bank of America. I was just poking fun and trying to bring some humor to an otherwise humorless situation our nation finds itself in. But thank you for the geography lesson.

[cyrus_hiatt]

Anyway this topic is about Hanes Mall and not Southpark Mall in Charlotte.....

[101_ce]

How did you transition from talking about the mix of stores to square footage? And what is the point you're trying to make?

I like to make my post long by talking about many things, not just one. It is still the same topic and I would rather make one post about many different things that many short ones about different things. I was saying that Hanes & Friendly will not get many stores because of CBL, so people should not be expecting Nordstrom to come (as mentioned earlier in the thread). I was also saying that SouthPark is larger that Hanes because many people still think Hanes is the largest mall in the Carolinas. I still think that the boutiques at SP can still stay open and do well. Charlotte is the 19th largest city in terms of the metro area, and some cities before it do not have an income as high as the Charlotte area. I am sure that they make enough off of their merchandise that they can stay open.