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Metropolitan, Midtown Redevelopment


uptownliving

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Belk used to have tons of stores near each other, in a variety of sizes, and now Target and Walmart are building small stores in dense areas.

Why doesn’t Belk follow in their footsteps and its history and open a small-format store here?  

Uptown has so few regular apparel stores that it’s an unmet need.  Not that I love Belk- I don’t- but for a pair of khakis or a button down shirt, there aren’t a lot of options uptown.

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11 minutes ago, Cadi40 said:

There’s practically zero options Uptown. The Overstreet Mall has SO much potiential if it were to be renovated and redone with modern/fashion retailers and not dinky tourist shops, I’m surprised they’re still in business. 

Agreed, plus maybe additions of a few large-format retailers that would have access to both the street and Overstreet Mall, which would help drive foot traffic (by customers who aren't office workers racing to lunch).

Didn't Overstreet Mall used to have regular mall chains in it when Belk and Ivey's were uptown? I am pretty sure it did.

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43 minutes ago, Cadi40 said:

There’s practically zero options Uptown. The Overstreet Mall has SO much potiential if it were to be renovated and redone with modern/fashion retailers and not dinky tourist shops, I’m surprised they’re still in business. 

Anyone know why CCP or the City pushed for the Mall?  We don't  have the unbearable heat or the killer cold that Houston or Minneapolis have respectively. Houston has tunnels, Minny has the skyways

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55 minutes ago, Boricua said:

Anyone know why CCP or the City pushed for the Mall?  We don't  have the unbearable heat or the killer cold that Houston or Minneapolis have respectively. Houston has tunnels, Minny has the skyways

Crime and hot weather and back then, anything called “mall” was seen as desirable.

Edited by PuppiesandKittens
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Anyone know why CCP or the City pushed for the Mall?  We don't  have the unbearable heat or the killer cold that Houston or Minneapolis have respectively. Houston has tunnels, Minny has the skyways

I’m pretty sure CCCP didn’t exist in the 70s, but could be wrong. Short answer is the city travelled to Minneapolis in the 70s and were enamored with their network of connected buildings with shops and restaurants. Meanwhile Minnys was grown up out of necessity because of harsh winters. Crime and heat were issued here, but it ended up causing the death of street life as we knew it as post modern buildings replaced storefronts over the next 30 years.


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2 hours ago, PuppiesandKittens said:

Why doesn’t Belk follow in their footsteps and its history and open a small-format store here?  

Now that Belk is owned by a private equity firm, I think the chances of an Uptown store are less likely than the past. I think it will hapoen eventually, but Belk is probably going to be a follower and not a leader into Uptown. Their new owners seem more focused on e-commerce investments and preparing Belk for a sale / IPO down the road. Belk management will have to weigh the opportunity cost of a store in Uptown versus other investments and justify the ROI. That's the only way their bosses at the firm will view things and the sentiment of doing something for the community won't be a strong selling point to out of town private equity.

Edited by CLT2014
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Good points.

As someone who prefers shopping in department stores instead of smaller stores (one-stop shopping, even compared to going from store to store in a mall), I am intrigued and disappointed by the general decline of department stores.  The last one built in Charlotte must have been around 2005 at Northlake Mall, and how many in the Charlotte region have been lost since then?  I just see how well the few national retailers that venture into downtown areas can do (look at booming downtown Greenville, SC, for example, which has its own mini-department store that's packed full of customers), and I see mainline department stores missing some opportunities: adding small to mid-size stores in center cities.  Nobody needs a 500,000 sf Belk uptown, but maybe a 75,000 sf one with work and weekend clothes and a home section would fit a niche.

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as for this vacant Metropolitan space I would think it would along the lines of Ross or HomeGoods or TJ Maxx as it is 2nd level space which many retailers dont like but will do if the center performs well enough.  All 3 of those stores draw huge crowds.  

As for uptown retail the overstreet mall was conceived in the 1970s to stop the stem of retail moving to the suburbs and by connecting department stores together Iveys and Belks it could stem the tide.  Hot summers and rainy days were a consideration too.   BUT that was a very different time period and there was very little housing in uptown.  The whole dynamic has changed but to blame the Overstreet Mall network on the decline of retail uptown is not fair. It was severely declining anyway.  Fast forward to today where office landlords are actively converted first floor space back to retail.   I think now in today's environment both kind of retail space can thrive uptown.   I do think the rental rates are so high only chains or high end restaurants can afford it and I wish some landlords would take less as investment in the uptown's future but that is another issue.   I do think a mini Belks would work that has their best selling departments. 

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7 hours ago, Cadi40 said:

I could see an H&M or an Urban Outfitters. Something trendy would definitely go there. Maybe Zara will infill a space at SouthPark.

SouthPark is struggling to keep tenants and attract upscale ones, so let’s stick with Metropolitan. 

There is no need for a TJ Maxx or HomeGoods when Marshall’s is literally right beside the space. 

Edited by TheOneRJ
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This discussion is off topic. 

My memory of Overstreet Mall from the late '70s is that it was a place that people of my age at that time (30ish) could start a retail business that was distinct from the street level businesses which were clearly of another age and another clientele. The market for specialty dining (The Paper Plate) , coffee imports/tea/equipment (The Coffee Bean), better lingerie (with fitting by those of one's age) (I forget the name), a distinctive gift store with unusual hand wrought items (The Unicorn) was small and concentrated downtown and did not exist elsewhere but existed in the OSMall. Rent was affordable. Parking was available. It was an anti-suburban movement of limited effect but the reality was it belonged to us, the early Boomers, and we embraced it. Other than Belk the shops and restaurant were owned by us, the early Boomers. It was a place to see us and our working peers. There was a small Belk there for limited selection of clothing and cosmetics. A modern bank employee had a modern shopping opportunity. It was ours.  For a while. 

The demographics moved on.

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actually TJ Maxx Corporation routinely clusters their brands because they know there are many crossover shoppers.  and since space like this is hard to come by a HomeGoods would TON it there even though 20K space is a little small for them.  

Yes that mini Belks was in BofA Plaza.  Nordstrom is doing some really small stores in LA now in urban areas basically a  place to pick up online orders but try them on there etc.  I wish they would do this in Charlotte and uptown.  Here is a story on the Nordstrom Local store https://www.forbes.com/sites/walterloeb/2017/10/10/nordstrom-innovates-retail-a-new-store-with-only-services-and-no-inventory/#50428ec949ef

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58 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

actually TJ Maxx Corporation routinely clusters their brands because they know there are many crossover shoppers.  and since space like this is hard to come by a HomeGoods would TON it there even though 20K space is a little small for them.  

Yes that mini Belks was in BofA Plaza.  Nordstrom is doing some really small stores in LA now in urban areas basically a  place to pick up online orders but try them on there etc.  I wish they would do this in Charlotte and uptown.  Here is a story on the Nordstrom Local store https://www.forbes.com/sites/walterloeb/2017/10/10/nordstrom-innovates-retail-a-new-store-with-only-services-and-no-inventory/#50428ec949ef

I had forgotten about that Nordstrom.  That’s a great idea for uptown or any urban area.  

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  • 2 weeks later...
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On ‎7‎/‎19‎/‎2018 at 6:16 PM, KJHburg said:

Drive by shots of the new Realtor Association building coming along good and I will be happy to see the old building meet the wrecking ball.

 

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I agree.

Looking at this photo reminds me of the great Ethiopian restaurant, Meskurem, that used to be near this site.   I loved that place.

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