Eastland Mall Redevelopment

[StevenRocks]

^^What's up with the shellac on the escalator enclosures? It's not like painting them would make them look any worse.

Edited May 9, 2006 by StevenRocks

[mallguy]

I can't figure out that store as it is- the costs to Dillard's of paying utilities and rent or property taxes or whatever (not sure if it owns or leases its store) on the bottom story, which is blocked off, shouldn't be much lower than what it pays for the top story, which is open and is used for low-end sales space- just a bunch of clearance racks crammed together. Apparently Dillard's cannot even recoup those costs by having the bottom floor open as sales space, so the sales for that store must be abysmal. Same goes for the bottom-story space that Belk's partially blocked off. Neither store has any use for the sales space that is blocked off- neither store can find any way of putting that space to productive use, such as an expanded athletic shoe department (as shoe stores proliferate in that mall, indicating that shoes sell well)?

Seems odd but I'd guess that those two stores must thus be doing VERY badly. Sales at the Dillard's must have dropped dramatically recently- if the store was renovated 10 or so years ago, Dillard's must have had hope then that the store was worth the investment.

Greenville Mall in SC had a Dillard's that was a regular-priced department store on the bottom level and a clearance center on the top floor, so Dillard's has operated mixed stores like that in the past.

Also, for the uptown Ivey's- when Dillard's bought the chain, was the store converted into a Dillard's and then closed, or did it remain an Ivey's and then closed? If it became a Dillard's, was it a clearance center for a while before it closed?

Thanks.

Edited May 9, 2006 by mallguy

[xyhamiltonboi]

Yet today we have another blow for Eastland Mall.

Harris Teeter closing

An eastside community leader says a company official told her the store at Eastland Mall is set to close.

The last day for Harris Teeter - Eastland Mall will be June 26, 2006. The company has no immediate plans for a new location, but has not made a profit recently at the Eastland Mall location.

Edited May 9, 2006 by xyhamiltonboi

[DigitalSky]

Yet today we have another blow for Eastland Mall.

Harris Teeter closing

An eastside community leader says a company official told her the store at Eastland Mall is set to close.

The last day for Harris Teeter - Eastland Mall will be June 26, 2006. The company has no immediate plans for a new location, but has not made a profit recently at the Eastland Mall location.

not a surprise at all.

[mallguy]

Probably will be replaced by a Compare Foods or the like- a better match for the market anyway. Maybe a Food Lion? Something lower-end than HT.

Edited May 9, 2006 by mallguy

[krazeeboi]

I'm simply surprised it didn't happen sooner.

[DigitalSky]

Probably will be replaced by a Compare Foods or the like- a better match for the market anyway. Maybe a Food Lion? Something lower-end than HT.

Compare Foods if anything. Keep in mind Food Lion closed their store down the street not too long ago (Kimmerly Glen)

[StevenRocks]

I can't figure out that store as it is- the costs to Dillard's of paying utilities and rent or property taxes or whatever (not sure if it owns or leases its store) on the bottom story, which is blocked off, shouldn't be much lower than what it pays for the top story, which is open and is used for low-end sales space- just a bunch of clearance racks crammed together. Apparently Dillard's cannot even recoup those costs by having the bottom floor open as sales space, so the sales for that store must be abysmal. Same goes for the bottom-story space that Belk's partially blocked off. Neither store has any use for the sales space that is blocked off- neither store can find any way of putting that space to productive use, such as an expanded athletic shoe department (as shoe stores proliferate in that mall, indicating that shoes sell well)?

Seems odd but I'd guess that those two stores must thus be doing VERY badly. Sales at the Dillard's must have dropped dramatically recently- if the store was renovated 10 or so years ago, Dillard's must have had hope then that the store was worth the investment.

Greenville Mall in SC had a Dillard's that was a regular-priced department store on the bottom level and a clearance center on the top floor, so Dillard's has operated mixed stores like that in the past.

Also, for the uptown Ivey's- when Dillard's bought the chain, was the store converted into a Dillard's and then closed, or did it remain an Ivey's and then closed? If it became a Dillard's, was it a clearance center for a while before it closed?

Thanks.

I think Dillard's and Belk have goiven up at Eastland. They can't have excellent sales to close up as much of the space as they have, but I think it's more perception that things aren't going to improve than actual emperial data.

The stores that succeed today offer more value, selection, and shaper pricing than Belk and Dillard's do. if they don;t improve their business models and soon, they're gonna have to seal up mores pace, not just at Eastland, but chain-wide.

I don't think Ivey's Uptown was ever a Dillard's.

[otherstream]

Compare Foods if anything. Keep in mind Food Lion closed their store down the street not too long ago (Kimmerly Glen)

I'm betting not even that, because of the new Mega Food Bazaar (I think that's the name) opening soon a block south of Eastland in the old Syms location. It looks like it may be a pretty nice store, with a fair amount of investment behind it.

I think the HT may sit vacant for quite a while, or maybe be subdivided into something like a Dollar Tree and something else.

[mallguy]

Maybe the HT could become a flea market like the vacant Hannaford?

Eastland also could probably benefit from a check cashing store that also can wire money to other countries, along with some ethnic-theme stores.

[xyhamiltonboi]

Harris Teeter confirmed Tuesday it will close its Eastland Mall store by June 27, but Eastland officials said another grocery store may be ready to take its place soon afterward.

Harris Teeter's lease expires in August, and the closing will allow time to clean and vacate the location, spokeswoman Jennifer Panetta said in a statement. The company will open a new Margaret Wallace store at Mintworth Commons, at 5706 Wyalong Drive, on June 28. All 52 employees at the Eastland store will be offered jobs within the company, Panetta said.

"We are already in negotiations with another supermarket," said Marvin Snyder, Eastland's general manager, who declined to name the potential replacement.

[StevenRocks]

Maybe the HT could become a flea market like the vacant Hannaford?

I hope not. I don't think that area needs another flea market.

[mallguy]

So who will be next? I say Dillard's, but not until 2007 or whenever Bridges at Mint Hill opens. I'd doubt that another anchor would close until after the 2006 holiday season.

Sears really ought to relocate to the next vacant anchor space, since that run-down Sears needs help and some TLC; a new Sears store could probably do OK there. But has Sears given up, too, given the large parts of the store that aren't chock full of merchandise?

Also, what is Compare Foods- just a value-priced grocery store or a Hispanic-oriented grocery store? If it's just an inexpensive grocery store, why wouldn't someone just shop for groceries at the new Wal-Mart coming to Independence Blvd.?

[DigitalSky]

Because that's an additional 3 miles to travel. Compare Foods has an emphesis on international foods, but is overall an inexpensive no frills grocery store.

[mallguy]

Thanks for the info. BTW check out the Compare Foods website- comparesupermarkets.com- it shows pictures of its stores, each with the store's "ancestry" (e.g., "Gastonia, Former Winn-Dixie")- absolutely hilarious, and kind of like McAlister Square Mall's directory that has "Former Belk's" listed as one of the anchors.

[DigitalSky]

wow they are certainly growing fast in NC. yeah, I love that they say what the building formerly was.

[mallguy]

yeah, I love that they say what the building formerly was.

that just makes that chain look so ghetto! Cracks me up.

[MZT]

No food store could look more ghetto than "Wayne's Market" on Graham ave.

[StevenRocks]

that just makes that chain look so ghetto! Cracks me up.

It is funny, but it definately helps people find the stores. A lot of people don't know addresses, but they remember where the old Winn-Dixie was.

[mallguy]

The more I see that horrid sun logo above the mall entrances, the more I think it looks bad. Back in the '70s it probably was neat, but now it just makes Eastland appear instantly to be a "dying ghetto '70s mall". Just removing it- perhaps along with a fresh paint job for the mall and maybe a replacement of the brown glass around the Belk entrances- would do wonders.

[DigitalSky]

Yeah simple things like that would do wonders really. The trick is finding someone willing to do that

[mallguy]

Just saw the wikipedia.com online encyclopedia article on Eastland- loved it! To the author- thank you for providing that; well-researched and most entertaining!

[StevenRocks]

maybe a replacement of the brown glass around the Belk entrances

Belk won't even put burnt-out lightbulbs back in

[StevenRocks]

The mall is officialy for sale now...

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/business/14616058.htm

[mallguy]

The mall is officialy for sale now...

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/business/14616058.htm

They are selling their dead mall portfolio.

Maybe NC's dead mall king, Heyward Whichard, will buy it.

I still think Eastland still has a future as an urban-style, multi-cultural mall with locally-owned stores, as evidenced by the new tenant coming soon. But prospective purchasers visiting the mall surely cannot be impressed by the soon-to-close HT and the flea market opening in the former Hannaford.

And I'd assume that when Glimcher or another mall owner buys a mall, top management does careful diligence on the mall and signs off on the purchase? I'd hate to be a junior person at Glimcher whose boss storms in one day yelling, "Remember that mall you said we should buy? It's going bust- some of the anchors are shutting down and we're having to sell it at a fire sale price. Great job, NOT!"

Edited May 20, 2006 by mallguy