Friendly Center & The Shops at Friendly

[beyonce245]

Anyone know what part of Friendly they're going in?

In the restaurant space formerly occupied by Muse and Swensen's before that.

[cityboi]

I saw on the news that the mid-rise condos at the Shops are still going to be built. No word yet on the time table

[beyonce245]

A new chain restaurant called Zoe's Kitchen is opening in the Shops portion of Friendly Center, according to the Friendly Center website. The chain has already opened in Charlotte and one in Raleigh is also slated to open.

It looks pretty interesting. Check it out.

[DigitalSky]

A new chain restaurant called Zoe's Kitchen is opening in the Shops portion of Friendly Center, according to the Friendly Center website. The chain has already opened in Charlotte and one in Raleigh is also slated to open.

It looks pretty interesting. Check it out.

Yeah I just saw in the Midtown Charlotte thread that Metropolitan is getting a Zoe's Kichen as well. Thanks for the news update Beyonce!

[StevenRocks]

from Hanes Mall thread

Off topic, I know. But IMO, Soho didn't close because it was too contemporary, it closed because it never had a market to begin with at Friendly. Soho tried to be upscale but its offerings were always less than stellar - middle of the road brands that were overpriced. It if wanted to be upscale, it should have gone all the way and offered brands and styles that competitors didn't. Factor in the fact that it was sandwiched between DSW and Bandolino, offering similar styles at much better prices, and it makes since they closed. I suppose Friendly "trends older" because all the usual youth stores (Forever 21, Hollister, blah blah blah) are at Four Seasons.

If my opinion makes any difference, I think H&M would work well at Hanes.

Speaking of Friendly Steven, I think it's time that they start revamping the old section of the center, mainly the exterior facades. But it seems like it would be pretty difficult to do that without completely disrupting retailers. And I'm not even sure CBL could stomach it, given the hefty price they paid for Friendly just a couple of years ago. What are your thoughts? You can post a response on the Friendly thread.

Again mods, sorry for the off topic-ness.

Points well taken on Soho Shoes. I don't know if I ever went in there. The ones I'm familiar with are in the Raleigh market,. and it sounds like they did a better job there than in Greensboro.

Friendly Center is long overdue for a renovation. It could be done without a lot of retailer distress, because I remember when they did it back in the 1980s and 1990s. It likely won't happen anytime soon because of the costs associated with it. For 10 and 25 year old facades, the older section looks pretty fashionable, and without a major retailer signing on (read: higher rents or sales) it won't be cost effective.

[JESmith]

Out of curoisty, how long has the Showbiz/Chuck E. Cheese been at Friendly?

On that note, even though I doubt anyone cares, I noticed last week that the Chuck's at Friendly is finally getting the renovations that the rest of the chain got back in 2006. In other words, gone will be the biege and tan walls that the interior has had since it opened as Showbiz, and instead will have purple walls making the place look even more preschoolish than it already is. The wall seperating the game room and the room with the robot stage show will be removed. Makes me wonder if they'll replace the old robots that they've had since it opened with the modern Studio C Chuck robot while they're at it.

(Stupid fact: The Friendly Chuck's is about the only location in the whole chain to still have the old 80s/early 90s logo out front on the green awnings, even though the company and every other location phased it out waaay back in the late 90s).

[beyonce245]

Five Guys and Zoe's Kitchen are both now open at Friendly.

[beyonce245]

A new store called Charming Charlie is open at Friendly. It has taken up two store spaces in the older section, beside AT&T where some of the Christmas seasonal stores used to open up. It's a women's accessories store based out of Houston. The store had a great layout, and I thought it was really cool how everything in the store was organized by color. All yellow stuff here. All turquoise stuff here. etc.

I think this is the first store to open in North or South Carolina. But I wouldn't be surprised if others open quickly. I think women will really enjoy this store.

Photo Courtesy of their Flickr page.

[beyonce245]

Red Mango is opening a location at Friendly Center. And the Swoozies at Friendly will be one of seven locations that will re-open later this summer.

[toast002]

Belk at Friendly Center is under construction to become a "flagship store" with completion in October. This store will feature much higher end merchandise not found in a typical Belk store.  Belk will also have a stand alone home store completed by late summer located on Green Valley Road across from the main Belk store.  Also a buckle store appears to be opening soon according to their website.

[cityboi]

Belk may be closing at Four Seasons, but this  "flagship" store and the Belk Home store makes up for the loss. Friendly Center has really become the place for high end retail in Greensboro. If the city ever does get a store like Nordstroms or Neiman Marcus at some point in the future, it will likely be located at Friendly Center.

Edited June 3, 2014 by cityboi

[RALNATIVE]

What's high end to you is not necessarily high end to stores like Nordstroms and Neiman Marcus.

[zalo]

FC is upper moderate at best. I lived in Dallas TX  & San Diego CA for years. Believe me I know what high-end, upper moderate & no moderate looks like. We will be well within the next Ice Age before the Triad would get a Neiman's. And a Nordstrom for that matter.

[RichardC]

Excuse me....but I must be missing something.  I visit the directory for "Friendly Center" and I could count on one hand what might be considered "high end."  It must not take much to impress up there in Greensboro.  Not that I shop at any of them, but here in Charlotte at Southpark I would put Tiffany's, Neiman's, Louis Vuitton, Hermes, or St. John in the top tier.  Belk....(really, Belk?), Macy's, Sears, Barnes & Noble, Banana Republic.....pretty standard fair, don't you think? 

 

I could see Winston coming closer to getting another top tier department store first in the Triad.  Greensboro doesn't even have a Pottery Barn does it?......I would put it at mediocre at best.  Winston was the first to get even Abercrombie & Fitch years ago, and an H&M two years ago.

Edited June 4, 2014 by RichardC

[RALNATIVE]

Winston even has a Trader Joe's!

 

Having a Brooks Brothers doesn't make a place "high end" either...

[cityboi]

I do consider some stores at the shops at friendly high end . maybe not tier 1 high end . trader joes is like krispy kreme . ever city went crazy when one opened up in their community. but I don't see Winston Salem getting a store like Nordstrom before Greensboro

Edited June 6, 2014 by cityboi

[toast002]

Richard C your post about Pottery Barn is a mute point.  I could very easily make the case that Winston-Salem doesn't even have an Ulta store but even the city of Burlington has had this store for years(Greensboro has an Ulta store as well).   I could list many more examples if you like but I will leave it at that for now.   

Edited June 7, 2014 by toast002

[zalo]

Well, boi, you stated you've only lived in a small city like GSO so I can understand where you're coming from when you think that F.C. is "high end" But I have to question the assessing abilities of anyone attempting to describe what high end retail is when you stated in an earlier post that you had never heard of Coach Leathers (a tenant of Hanes Mall). Seriously? So forgive me if I cast askance at your forecasting abilities to predict what store is coming to what Triad metropolis first.

Actually, probably a better descriptor would be "upscale" when attempting to describe offerings of the local retail scene. I and several others on this site are of the opinion that upscale retailers is scattered across both cities and that when you attempt to proclaim Friendly Ctr. and Greensboro as the sole center of upscale retail in this area, others gentle protestations to the contrary should be meet with an open mind and not so much defensiveness. You bemuse me with your Trader Joe's reference above. The GSO TJ thread is filled with commentary from you excitedly proclaiming they're coming, they're coming!!! It's all there for anyone to read unless you pull your usual stunt and go back and do extensive forensic editing completely distorting your original thoughts.

And Toast to give you a heads up, if you're needing a Ulta Cosmetics fix while traveling in the western Triad, you can go by their store on Hanes Mall Blvd. And why was RichardC's Pottery Barn reference mute? Just curious.

[cityboi]

Richard C your post about Pottery Barn is a mute point.  I could very easily make the case that Winston-Salem doesn't even have an Ulta store but even the city of Burlington has had this store for years(Greensboro has an Ulta store as well).   I could list many more examples if you like but I will leave it at that for now.   

 

 

add Apple Store to that list

[zalo]

add Apple Store to that list

Add Brookstone to Winston's list.

I could see Winston coming closer to getting another top tier department store first in the Triad. Greensboro doesn't even have a Pottery Barn does it?......I would put it at mediocre at best. Winston was the first to get even Abercrombie & Fitch years ago, and an H&M two years ago.

And Winston was first to get a Costco, Jason's Deli, Forever 21

(see, you're not the only one who can be petty.)

Edited June 7, 2014 by zalo

[cityboi]

Add Brookstone to Winston's list. (see, you're not the only one who can be petty.)

 didnt Greensboro use to have a Brookstone? also Greensboro has REI

[zalo]

didnt Greensboro use to have a Brookstone? also Greensboro has REI

Don't know, Don't care.

[RichardC]

I'm not interested in sparring with anyone who thinks they know high end, but has never been out of their realm, and has never even heard of Coach.  The Friendly Shopping experience may be exclusive for the folks in Greensboro, but this is a big country, and there is much more out there.  Make up shops and outlets for Apple phones are pretty commonplace, and Burlington is known for outlet malls isn't it?

 

I don't care what Greensboro has that Winston-Salem does not, and vise versa.  Just don't count on Nordstrom, IKEA, Neiman's or Saks anytime soon if your city's largest mall is losing commonplace anchors.

Edited June 8, 2014 by RichardC

[NCMike1981]

I guess the real question to ask is, once Belk leaves and more than likely causes a mass exodus at Four Seasons will Friendly Center be able to expand/absorb many of those locations leaving the mall? Or are many chains located at Four Seasons already located at Friendly Center? (I'm in Cary now so I rarely get out to the Triad anymore) Is there room (adjacent vacant land perhaps) for the Dillard's and Penney's to eventually relocate from Four Seasons to Friendly Center? It's not too far fetched to envision Friendly Center being "the mall" in Greensboro in a few years at the rate Four Seasons is going...That is unless JCP and Dillard's end up relocating to some new as of yet unplanned lifestyle center that creates competition or something...

[toast002]

I don't think there are any duplicate stores at CBL- Friendly Center and GGP-Four Seasons once the Belk leaves.  The thing is I don't think the majority of Four Seasons tenants would "fit in" at Friendly Center so not sure if CBL would pick them up or not.  Sears as a whole is struggling and recently closed its flagship store in Chicago so I don't see the Sears brand being around much longer.  So I could see the Sears store closing at Friendly and being replaced by another department store such as Dillard's or converted to smaller shops and restaurants.  Also the Palladium where the new Belk just opened has available land that could be developed into a lifestyle center and could also capture some of Four Seasons tenants.