SouthPark Mall

[AuLukey]

Lululemon is definitely going in the old Kenneth Cole space.

Lululemon Athletica

I REALLY like the exterior design of this store. There was a good crowd forming in front of the store trying to figure out what it was (as the exterior is only represented by a single omega-like symbol.)

[StevenRocks]

Lululemon is my new favorite storefront at SouthPark.

[mallguy]

Why did Kenneth Cole close? Slow sales or high rent or something else?

[101_ce]

Lululemon is my new favorite storefront at SouthPark.

Yes it looks great! I was interested in it and Googled it, and what do you know, your picture came up! haha looks nice!

[StevenRocks]

Yes it looks great! I was interested in it and Googled it, and what do you know, your picture came up! haha looks nice!

Glad you liked it. I just had to get a shot of it.

Why did Kenneth Cole close? Slow sales or high rent or something else?

Changing tastes. KC has a lot bigger a few years ago. They closed most of their stores.

[Temeteron]

Unfortunate news.....I heard from a sales associate at Neiman Marcus that the Cartier store there will be closing soon. Also, there are around 120 Cartier stores/ accounts that are planned to close this year.

[101_ce]

That's sad. But I do think that they would have done better with a boutique in the mall. Does anyone know if Neiman Marcus is licensed to sell Cartier themselves? It would be a bummer to not have Cartier products avaliable anywhere in Charlotte.

[Neo]

I meant to post this yesterday, but being that I was in the hospital because our new daughter was born on Sunday, I guess I have a good excuse.

There is a good rumor that Apple will be expanding their current SouthPark store into the Sur La Table space next door. While Apple could definitely use the expansion at this location, I would be very sad to see Sur La Table go. Does anyone have any more information on this?

Source: http://www.ifoapplestore.com/db/2011/07/25/north-carolina-store-scheduled-for-expansion/

[DigitalSky]

Sur La Table is an excellent store, I hope they relocate elsewhere in the mall or at least stay in CLT which I'm sure they will.

[southslider]

^I wouldn't mind seeing Sur La Table move to a non-mall location, such as Phillips Place, Foxcroft, Cotswold, or Metropolitan.

[DigitalSky]

^I wouldn't mind seeing Sur La Table move to a non-mall location, such as Phillips Place, Foxcroft, Cotswold, or Metropolitan.

Yeah, I hope so too. I like their store in Friendly Center better because it's easier to get in and out of. Surprised they don't have a Triangle location, yet.

[kermit]

I meant to post this yesterday, but being that I was in the hospital because our new daughter was born on Sunday, I guess I have a good excuse.

Congratulations!

Now try to get some rest, you will need it.

[101_ce]

That's good to hear! I just always felt Apple didn't give Charlotte what they deserved. Now, with an expanded SouthPark location and Northlake location, it is on par with what it should be, if not better.

[Kenneth Disraili-Jean]

I meant to post this yesterday, but being that I was in the hospital because our new daughter was born on Sunday, I guess I have a good excuse.

Congratulations Neo. I am happy for you and your wife. You will be amazed when she utters the word," dada." If I had a Cuban cigar, you would get one!! May you and your family have many years of happiness and joy!

As for Apple, I agree with ct36 that Charlotte's premier shopping complex should have a large store. I like Sur La Table, but I also like Williams-Somona. Oh well, why not have both?

Southpark has really changed over the last ten years or so, and it is making great strides into the luxury sector that Charlotte was missing for so long. In fact the entire Southeast is evolving and maturing. It used to be Buckhead and Bal Harbour, now Charlotte, Nashville, Orlando, Tampa, and to some extent Birmingham (The Summit) and Jacksonville are beginning to see more upscale/luxury stores in their cities as well. I am glad to see our region prospering not only in luxury retail, but in other areas as well.

Edited August 1, 2011 by Kenneth Disraili-Jean

[101_ce]

Congratulations Neo. I am happy for you and your wife. You will be amazed when she utters the word," dada." If I had a Cuban cigar, you would get one!! May you and your family have many years of happiness and joy!

As for Apple, I agree with ct36 that Charlotte's premier shopping complex should have a large store. I like Sur La Table, but I also like Williams-Somona. Oh well, why not have both?

Southpark has really changed over the last ten years or so, and it is making great strides into the luxury sector that Charlotte was missing for so long. In fact the entire Southeast is evolving and maturing. It used to be Buckhead and Bal Harbour, now Charlotte, Nashville, Orlando, Tampa, and to some extent Birminham (The Summit) and Jacksonville are beginning to see more upscale/luxury stores in their cities as well. I am glad to see our region prospering not only in luxury retail, but in other areas as well.

Yeah I was at SouthPark yesterday (Saturday) and there was a line to get in the store. Didn't they just have a new MacBook Air and OS come out? I think it was a week or two ago maybe, so the store definitely needs to be larger. I don';t know, but whenever I go to SouthPark it just makes Lenox feel dated. Sure, it's a nice mall with nice stores, but it is somewhat to extremely dated in every part of the mall except the Neiman Marcus wing (level 2 only). And the average SouthPark customer is generally more classy, rich, and conservative than the average Lenox shopper. There's really not a problem with Lenox being like that, but if I ever buy luxury goods, then they're on the classier, conservative side rather than the trendy. Also, I've noticed that the people that work at the stores in SouthPark are generally nicer than the ones that work at Lenox. This is probably good though, lol. That means I'll be a lot less likely to go to Atlanta, which then translates into less expenses than going to Charlotte, which then means I'll have more money to spend on clothes, accessories, etc. in Charlotte.

This has probably already been mentioned but there's a jewelry store going into the former Jessica McClintock space. I don't remember the name though. I really want the PURE store to go. The problem is that it has the worst location. Since (you guys probably know this already) SouthPark's corridors widen at the department stores, it means there's absolutely no visibility from the circle court. Plus the Belk wing coming off of the circle court is probably the least busiest wing in the mall.

Lululemon was definitely still bewildering mall shoppers, but the store itself looked pretty empty. Nordstrom was the busiest store there by far, though. Wonder why? Lol.

I don't know. There's just something really special about SouthPark. It's very charming, regardless of how crowded it is (usually).

I also ate at The Cheesecake Factory for National (1/2 off) Cheesecake Day, it it was extremely packed. Even at 2:30, the wait was around 50 minutes. Luckily, we went through a few stores and by the time we got back outside it was time for our table, so that was pretty cool. It was definitely great food and the service was great as well, especially considering the crowd.

Edited August 2, 2011 by ct36

[101_ce]

Another thing I noticed is that the Sephora store at SouthPark was smallish. The one at West Town seemed considerably larger. The SouthPark one was really busy, so I hope they expand. I'm hoping that Justice will move/close and a small tenant can take the place of Justice and Sephora can have a new stockroom. Then, they can use the stockroom behind the store for more women's stuff, and move the men's things into the stockroom that is out to the side (that faces Sharon Rd.). <br><br><br>

Edited August 1, 2011 by ct36

[DOLCE&GABBANA]

Yeah I was at SouthPark yesterday (Saturday) and there was a line to get in the store. Didn't they just have a new MacBook Air and OS come out? I think it was a week or two ago maybe, so the store definitely needs to be larger. I don';t know, but whenever I go to SouthPark is just makes Lenox feel like a dump. Sure, it's a nice mall with nice stores, but it is somewhat to extremely dated in every part of the mall except the Neiman Marcus wing (level 2 only). And the average SouthPark customer is generally more classy, rich, and conservative than the average Lenox shopper. There's really not a problem with Lenox being like that, but if I ever buy luxury goods, then they're on the classier, conservative side rather than the trendy. Also, I've noticed that the people that work at the stores in SouthPark are generally nicer than the ones that work at Lenox. This is probably good though, lol. That means I'll be a lot less likely to go to Atlanta, which then translates into less expenses than going to Charlotte, which then means I'll have more money to spend on clothes, accessories, etc. in Charlotte.

This has probably already been mentioned but there's a jewelry store going into the former Jessica McClintock space. I don't remember the name though. I really want the PURE store to go. The problem is that it has the worst location. Since (you guys probably know this already) SouthPark's corridors widen at the department stores, it means there's absolutely no visibility from the circle court. Plus the Belk wing coming off of the circle court is probably the least busiest wing in the mall.

Lululemon was definitely still bewildering mall shoppers, but the store itself looked pretty empty. Nordstrom was the busiest store there by far, though. Wonder why? Lol.

I don't know. There's just something really special about SouthPark. It's very charming, regardless of how crowded it is (usually).

I also ate at The Cheesecake Factory for National (1/2 off) Cheesecake Day, it it was extremely packed. Even at 2:30, the wait was around 50 minutes. Luckily, we went through a few stores and by the time we got back outside it was time for our table, so that was pretty cool. It was definitely great food and the service was great as well, especially considering the crowd.

I see you have a serious issue with Lenox because in all your post all you do is talk crap about Lenox mall when truth be told Southpark couldnt even touch it in sales nor retail offerings.

[Kenneth Disraili-Jean]

Look, I was only saying that for the size of Charlotte, that it needed a larger Apple Store. And all of this city/mall bashing IS wrong. This does nothing except to create dissention, anger, and flare up tempers.

No Lenox Square is far from being called a dump, or the mall would not be attracting high profile tenants such as Henri Bendel New York, Ermenegildo Zegna, Fendi, Prada, and the list goes on. This mall that is a so called "dump" has 35 million visitors a year and together with sister mall Phipps Plaza across the street pumps in 1 billion dollars in sales into the economy. So be careful what you bash until there are some concrete facts. Also, do not be deceived by how people dress. I saw a woman wearing a sweat suit go into Louis Vuitton's Global Boutique and purchase around 10k worth of designer goods just from that one boutique alone.

As far as being friendly, many people have differing views of that too. Atlanta is a Beta 2 World City, Charlotte is a major American City, maybe in a smaller city, people may be friendlier, IDK. What I do know is that I never intended for my post to end up being a "my mall is better than your mall" argument.

[101_ce]

Uhh no i don't have a problem with Lenox. It's a very nice mall. However, it just about is a fact that most of it is dated. If you actually read my posts (other than 2 of them) then you would realize that. It sounds like you have a lot more problems with SouthPark than I do with Lenox.

Also, I am a member of a different forum and Lenox was brought up. I was the one who defended Lenox. The other two were from Atlanta, and they said that Lenox was ghetto and I said it wasn't. So there.

How am I even bashing it? I didn't even say it WAS a dump. Just because it's getting/has those stores has hardly anything to do with the look of the mall. The same people on that forum were calling luxury brands ghetto as well. They did have a point. When some random rapper decks out in Gucci it does make it seem....well not ghetto, but I guess just less classy. Most of my so called "bashing" was mostly on Simon's part above anything else. The way people dress and the relationship to the money they spent has nothing to do with what I said either. I said that the average SouthPark shopper is classier and more conservative than that of a Lenox shopper. That's why I like SouthPark better, since I think I would fall under that category rather than trendy like Lenox. That means that SouthPark stores will be more likely to have things that fit my style. SouthPark is much more attractive than Lenox. You can't deny that.

IDK, but whenever I go to Lenox the customer service I get is usually fairly sub-par. At SouthPark, it seems like each store has always strived to give me and everyone else Nordstrom-esque service.

That post wasn't even meant to be published. I wasn't sure about some of the things I said, but after I submitted it I got an error page. I went back to the SouthPark topic and it wasn't there, so I thought it would be alright. When I finally get back I see that it finally got posted and two SouthPark haters came and acted like I was "bashing" Lenox. I know they're just jealous because SouthPark doesn't actually look bad anywhere. Lol.

Jk

Edited August 2, 2011 by ct36

[Kenneth Disraili-Jean]

When I finally get back I see that it finally got posted and two South Park haters came and acted like I was "bashing" Lenox. I know they're just jealous because SouthPark doesn't actually look bad anywhere. Lol.

Jk

If you are referring to me, you will not find a post anywhere in this thread where I have made any critical statements about SouthPark Mall. So I do not HATE SouthPark Mall, and honestly comparring SouthPark Mall to Lenox Square is like comparring Lenox Square to South Coast Plaza.

But saying you FEEL like you are in a dump IS like saying you ARE in a dump. I highly doubt that the many shoppers, visitors, tourist, and conventioneers that go to Lenox Square each year are going to take what a young teenager has to say very seriously, as well as the outstanding Architectural skills that you seem so crafty in by comparring a mall that was built as a lifestyle center in 1959, enclosed in 1972, enlarged in 1980 and 1984, and made two levels in 1994 as well as the second level addition in 2007, and the expansion of Neiman Marcus to 235,000 sq feet to become the largest NM outside of Texas. That is why the mall is somewhat mismatched, but this has been true also with The King of Prussia, and South Coast Plaza, as well as other high profile malls.

[101_ce]

If you are referring to me, you will not find a post anywhere in this thread where I have made any critical statements about SouthPark Mall. So I do not HATE SouthPark Mall, and honestly comparring SouthPark Mall to Lenox Square is like comparring Lenox Square to South Coast Plaza.

But saying you FEEL like you are in a dump IS like saying you ARE in a dump. I highly doubt that the many shoppers, visitors, tourist, and conventioneers that go to Lenox Square each year are going to take what a young teenager has to say very seriously, as well as the outstanding Architectural skills that you seem so crafty in by comparring a mall that was built as a lifestyle center in 1959, enclosed in 1972, enlarged in 1980 and 1984, and made two levels in 1994 as well as the second level addition in 2007, and the expansion of Neiman Marcus to 235,000 sq feet to become the largest NM outside of Texas. That is why the mall is somewhat mismatched, but this has been true also with The King of Prussia, and South Coast Plaza, as well as other high profile malls.

Uhh can't you tell that the statement I made was exaggerated? I'm sure I'm not the only one that thinks that. If two people from Atlanta think it's ghetto, then that's definitely not good. Plus you even said it yourself:

Kenneth Disraili-Jean Brown said...I agree that these luxury retailers should have located in Phipps Plaza and not semi ghetto Lenox Square. After all Phipps Plaza was built specifically for high end luxury retail.

That's pretty bad if you actually say it yourself, at least if you ask me. It's hardly like comparing Lenox to SCP. When I went to SouthPark over the weekend, there were probably almost as many people as Lenox had one Saturday I went there. And what do you know? People at SouthPark were actually buying things. Unlike Lenox, where half of the people just walk around the mall, not attempting to buy anything at all. Don't tell me to "get my facts straight" because you haven't either.

According the The Neiman Marcus Group website, the largest store in the chain is located in San Francisco.

Hmmm....interesting. SouthPark opened in 1970, and has been expanded many times as well. Last time I checked, it actually looked nice and MATCHED. Lenox is not matching at all. They have like what, 5 different types of flooring? Skylights every other section, then warehouse style-roofing, etc. Sure sounds like a luxury paradise to me!

Lenox isn't even in the top 10 performing malls in North America, and most likely the US as well.

The comment that I made wasn't even supposed to be published, and if it does and two people come get all offended and whatnot, then I'm not sure that I want to be a member of this forum. I'll see how it goes, especially considering there are many nice people here. Getting your undies in a twist this much over a comment that wasn't even anticipated to be published is just somewhat ridiculous.

Can't we just leave it at that?

I edited my original post? Happy now?

Edited August 2, 2011 by ct36

[Kenneth Disraili-Jean]

WOW

Edited August 2, 2011 by Kenneth Disraili-Jean

[Kenneth Disraili-Jean]

I will be more than happy to give you some facts and figures with references to back it up if you want to continue this "my mall is better than your mall" mentality. Just hop over to the Atlanta Forum under the Lenox Square/Phipps Plaza thread. After all this thread is about SouthPark Mall NOT Lenox Square ct36.

[NCMike1981]

Can't we all just get along?

[DigitalSky]

If Metro Monsoon were still here... there'd be some people banned LOL... just sayin'

back on topic, guys