Greenville Mall

[csedwards72]

Glad to hear about Harold's. I just still think they'd do better downtown (like Rush Wilson does) or on Augusta Road. I like malls, but it's kind of depressing to shop in dead ones.

I just think that Greenville Mall unfortunately has no future, other than being torn down and rebuilt as a strip mall or a non-retail property. If the owners had turned it into a lifestyle center before Williams-Sonoma and other high-end stores left, it could probably have made a successful transition, since even though the mall lost all of its department stores it still had the high-end tenants that lifestyle centers attract and probably had enough in-line tenants to fill a few hundred thousand square feet of space. But now that the Shops at Greenridge is opening right down the road, there are now fewer potential big-box tenants to go into a revived Greenville Mall, and there aren't even enough in-line tenants left to fill a lifestyle center.

It's a sad story; it was such a beautiful mall and I really liked Parisian when it was there. That mall just had the worst blows happen to it.

[btoy]

I think it could be revived. I think if things were to ever happen with Bass Pro Shops that would do the trick. But there are other options. There a a handful of Mall Anchors not in our area if they could land one or two of them that would help.

Nordstroms

Lord & Taylor

Bloomingdales

I know there are others but that is all I can think of.

[greenvilleguy]

I hope you're right Brad. However, it seems harder to get department stores now into exsisting malls with all the mergers. The company that owns Lord and Taylor, May Company, was just bought buy Federated, who owns Macy's and Bloomingdale's. An article on Federated's website states that all May Co. stores will probably become Macy's like all the current Federated stores did. That means no more Lord and Taylor, Marshall Field's, Hecht's, or Foley's, just to name a few. And I doubt Federated will put a Bloomingdale's here with Macy's just around the corner. Also Proffitt's will not put another store in that mall, which knocks out Saks, Parisian, Proffitt's and McRae's. The only company left is Nordstrom and that would be a stretch. I don't know where the mall is going to find any upscale big box retailers other than department stores without looking like an outlet mall. With all the other retailers surrounding it, I don't know what's left....sad day for Greenville Mall...

[Spartan]

We know that Bass Pro Shops is looking for a location in the Upstate, so it is not a stretch for it to want to locate at Greenville Mall.... with a sign that faces 385. Think of the exposure there.

[btoy]

I hope you're right Brad.  However, it seems harder to get department stores now into exsisting malls with all the mergers.  The company that owns Lord and Taylor, May Company, was just bought buy Federated, who owns Macy's and Bloomingdale's.  An article on Federated's website states that all May Co. stores will probably become Macy's like all the current Federated stores did.  That means no more Lord and Taylor, Marshall Field's, Hecht's, or Foley's, just to name a few.  And I doubt Federated will put a Bloomingdale's here with Macy's just around the corner.  Also Proffitt's will not put another store in that mall, which knocks out Saks, Parisian, Proffitt's and McRae's.  The only company left is Nordstrom and that would be a stretch.  I don't know where the mall is going to find any upscale big box retailers other than department stores without looking like an outlet mall.  With all the other retailers surrounding it, I don't know what's left....sad day for Greenville Mall...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I see your point, the furture isn't looking to bright.

I have always thought that if we were to see a Norstroms in Greenville that downtown would be the place for it. And I know that the city would like to land a department store down there.

[csedwards72]

Greenville doesn't have the population and income to support a Nordstrom or Bloomingdale's, unfortunately. Bloomingdale's is almost as high-end as Saks Fifth Avenue. Parisian was the most upscale store that would come to Greenville but the one at Greenville Mall bit the dust. Rumors (from contacts at Saks) are that Parisian might come to Haywood Mall, but that's not definite.

Savannah Mall in Georgia might be a good model for Greenville Mall. It was apparently a somewhat upscale mall that was built to compete with a more established mid-market mall, but Savannah Mall didn't do well and it lost its anchors except Dillard's. Target and Bass Pro Shops replaced two of the anchors and Svannah Mall is now apparently doing OK. I have to wonder, though, why the owners of Greenville Mall didn't court Target to fill the Montgomery Ward anchor space, which was available when Target opened down Woodruff Road.

I don't see Greenville getting another downtown department store, other than perhaps a small version (like the Saks Fifth Avenue in downtown Charleston or the small Parisian in downtown Birmingham) of a mid-market chain, as much as I'd like to have another one to complement the Mast General Store.

[btoy]

I had read recently about Walmart and Target Locating in some Malls but unfortunatly they are both already nearby.

[goodbye]

I believe that some City council members are interested in attracting more high-end retail to dowtown. I'd love to see a nice mixed-use shopping area included in the Gateway site development. I woud connect it with a large, enclosed pedestrian bridge over traffic coming into town from I-385.

[greenvilleguy]

Hello, csedwards72! When did you hear Parisian may go to Haywood??? Where would it go if it did? All the anchors there seem to be doing well and none are in danger of going out of business. It would be nice if the mall would add another wing off the Sears side opposite of the other wing. Then Macy's could have 2 mall entrances like Belk and Greenville could get more stores. There are so many shops that Greenville could support but do not have, and I don't see anybody else going to Greenville Mall. Pottery Barn is opening in August but I would still like to see a Crate and Barrel, Smith and Hawken, Armani Exchange, Cole Haan, etc... Eddie Bauer is also supposed to move over by the end of the year. BTW, see if you can confirm the Parisian thing!! That would be awesome!

[csedwards72]

Hello, csedwards72!

[roads-scholar]

Greenville Mall is dead. It's never been really sucessful for all the reasons mentioned and should be demolished.

Greenville is big enough to support two malls but, with the recent wave of department store consolidations, its going to be tough going for the "other" mall in mid-sized cities.

One big change in the retailing world is K-Mart's acquisition of Sears. There is serious speculation that the new entity will be looking at prime non-mall locations. I think this spot would be perfect for the new Sears concept being considered. The downsides are (1) the mall would have to be torn down and (2) Sears may pull out of Haywood Mall.

The visibility this spot affords is too good for it to be occupied by a dead shopping mall.

[Spartan]

Here is a question for you guys-

I attribute Greenville Mall's failure to being so close to Haywood Mall, which is essentially a better mall. Ifit is s demolished, Greenville will have only 1 mall. Other similar sized cities in SC have at least 3 malls, or mall-like arrangement. Should Greenville County have another mall, and if so where should it be located?

[jarvismj]

What about Phipps and Lenox in Atlanta? One is high end, the other is more middle class. Haywood could be the regular mall with the Gap, Abercrombie, etc. Greenville Mall would have the higher end. I've thought about what if Border's opened a multimedia/bookstore in Wards anchor. I'd like Restoration Hardware, and other types of stores like that.

[roads-scholar]

Here is a question for you guys-

I attribute Greenville Mall's failure to being so close to Haywood Mall, which is essentially a better mall. Ifit is s demolished, Greenville will have only 1 mall. Other similar sized cities in SC have at least 3 malls, or mall-like arrangement. Should Greenville County have another mall, and if so where should it be located?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Haywood's strong suit is that it is centrally located. Columbia's mall's are located NW, E, and NE of the city. Charleston's malls are W and N of the city.

I have thought about the site of another mall and really don't think one is feasible anytime soon. Long term, south of Simpsonville on I-385.

[csedwards72]

Haywood's strong suit is that it is centrally located.

[Spartan]

What about in the Taylors/Greer area?

[btoy]

That could be about impossible, well not totally but very hard. It would be about impossible to do something of that magnitude on Wade Hampton Blvd. It is an old road, properties along it have been broken into small peices over the years. Notice that is whay Lowes, Home Depot and the Dill Creek Bi-Lo are so close to the Rd. It could cost a huge fortune to put something together large enough.

It may be possible though out past WalMart. To far away in my opinion or up HWY 290. Which wouldn't be a bad idea since it runs to Traveler's Rest.

[Spartan]

I was thinking more along the interstate... maybe at Highway 14. I'm not sure how the airport would play into that though. 290 would also be good. I am thinking that Greer will get a major shopping center sooner or later considering how it and the area around it in Duncan/western Spartanburg County and eastern parts of Greenville County are growing like mad.

[btoy]

That area at 14 and 85 are part of the GSP Airposrs Environs Special Land Use Area and that type of development probubly would not be allowed becuase a plane could crash into it. This area is why parts of Batteville and Pelham Roads are so industrial, that is about all that is allowed.

[Spartan]

Ah. It figures At least there is a method to the madness...

[goodbye]

Believe me, there's definitely method to the apparent madness. All you have to do is take a close look at the future plans for GSP International to realize the impact on the surrounding areas someday. Just think how huge landing that regional hub for FedEx would have been!

[greenvilleguy]

Anyone see the article in the Greenville Journal about Greenville Mall? Supposedly the guy in charge of the new Verde project told a group of about 500 people that the Greenville Mall is going to see a resurgence. Anyone know of any plans??????

[Spartan]

This was mentioned in one of the other threads I think I would bet that its the Bass Pro Shops deal. I can't think of anything else that would cause such a stir.

[RestedTraveler]

Anyone see the article in the Greenville Journal about Greenville Mall?  Supposedly the guy in charge of the new Verde project told a group of about 500 people that the Greenville Mall is going to see a resurgence.  Anyone know of any plans??????

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yea - asked the same question here:

http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/index.ph...ndpost&p=109253

Not sure what the resurgence is though. The last I saw in the news about the Greenville Mall (a year or so ago), it was going to literally be turned inside-out by a developer from Charlotte (i.e. the corridors inside the mall today would be outdoor sidewalks after the rennovation).

[greenvilleguy]

Rode through Greenville Mall parking lot yesterday and there were about 20 cars in the old Dillard's/JB White lot. The brown paper that covered the doors has been torn off and someone wearing a suit walked out of the building with 2 other people. I don't know if all the cars belonged to people inside but they definately parked on the far end close to Ashley furniture so I know that they weren't just mall shoppers. This was only a few weeks after the "resurgence" announcement. Anyone know anything else????