Big Boxes Of Independence & More

[monsoon]

There have been several retailers in the city who have been bad about leaving empty buildings behind for even bigger ones down the street. Foodlion, Bilo, Target, Harris Teeter, Eckerds, Kmart, Circuit City and Lowes Home Improvement have been particularly bad about it. All, I think, have left behind more empty buildings than Walmart.

Freedom Drive in another area that has suffered from closed big boxes. Lowes even abandoned two stores on this road.

[Miesian Corners]

^ True, but Wal-Mart (on a global scale) has done this to cities and towns all over the place. My hometown doesn't have a Lowe's, but it does have two abandoned Wal-Mart stores. It's a town of 6,000.

[monsoon]

Actually I don't really blame the stores. I blame the local governments for approving the zoning that allows this to occur.

I do feel that Walmart is going to eventually put some of the other grocery stores out of business. Their prices, for example, are consistantly 30% less expensive than Harris Teeter in Charlotte which is a huge draw for all but a minority of people. Harris Teeter seems to be responding by building a store in every corner and going after the convenient but very high priced market, but I predict outside the affluent CLT area, this strategy is going to kill them.

Foodlion & Bilo have got to hurting as well.

[dubone]

typically, empty big boxes are a result of blocking competitors from site, either by a contract, a deed restriction, or by continuing to pay rent but not operate.

Walmart is famous for it, but is that true of some of the other empty big boxes, especially on Independence? Is there a way to pass a ban on that practice at the local or state level? I think that is a difficult thing to regulate unless it is done upfront in rezoning, as was done with lowe's south end... but most of the bigboxes on independence were zoned before people could predict that behavior.

also, walmart has low prices because it is efficient, for sure, (and that is a respectable thing), but they also have low prices because they pay wages that put most of their employees on food stamps and other welfare programs.

[DigitalSky]

The Haverty's bldg is a haunted house right now.. pretty cool stuff

[DigitalSky]

2 New articles today about changes coming to Amity Gardens / about the new Wal-Mart Supercenter, which will be considerably smaller, around 157,000 s/f than a usual 200,000 s/f supercenter.

East Charlotte gets Boost from Wal-Mart proposal

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/business/13462438.htm

Nearby Retailers embrace plans for shopping center

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/business/13462439.htm

[DigitalSky]

Also, I think another area that could benifit from a Wal-Mart supercenter is the Northpark mall area

[krazeeboi]

I think the Wal-Mart proposed for Independence will resemble the one on the west side of town (on Wilkinson, I think it is)--the multi-facade-storefronts look.

[DigitalSky]

Yeah. My biggest concern is that another big box will be left empty... look at the former South Blvd Wal-Mart, still empty. Who will buy the Eastway Wal-Mart once it's vacated

Maybe Magic Mart will? http://www.magicmartstores.com/ ... they bought the former Wal-Mart in Salisbury

[StevenRocks]

My friend's wife used to model for Magic Mart back when they lived in Buchanan County, Va. Didn't know they were still around

[monsoon]

....Who will buy the Eastway Wal-Mart once it's vacated

That particular shopping center was saved by Walmart going there in the first place. It was an old 60s strip mall that had seen better times when Walmart showed up sparking a revival of the area. My mind is going however as I don't remember what used to be in that strip mall prior to Walmart except for a huge fish camp.

[dubone]

Yeah. My biggest concern is that another big box will be left empty... look at the former South Blvd Wal-Mart, still empty. Who will buy the Eastway Wal-Mart once it's vacated

Maybe Magic Mart will? http://www.magicmartstores.com/ ... they bought the former Wal-Mart in Salisbury

Actually, the South Blvd Walmart is not empty. It was full of bikes and toys for the Salvation Army until a few weeks ago. The Victory Christian Church purchased the shopping center, and has used it for charity initiatives. They use some of the old outparcel storefronts for things like a day care center.

It is a similar situation, I think, as the Merchandise Mart. Spaces that are no long viable for retail end up being great places for churches. There is plenty of parking, 20-30 foot ceilings, large enough for a gymnasium or large meeting halls, and plenty of square footage for sunday school classrooms. As is the case for the old Walmart by Arrowood, it can be used as general warehouse space for charitable initiatives.

Although churches in old big box centers don't do much for the appearance of the neighborhood, they probably do a lot more for the social health of the community than Walmart did when it was open.

[DigitalSky]

Actually, the South Blvd Walmart is not empty. It was full of bikes and toys for the Salvation Army until a few weeks ago. The Victory Christian Church purchased the shopping center, and has used it for charity initiatives. They use some of the old outparcel storefronts for things like a day care center.

It is a similar situation, I think, as the Merchandise Mart. Spaces that are no long viable for retail end up being great places for churches. There is plenty of parking, 20-30 foot ceilings, large enough for a gymnasium or large meeting halls, and plenty of square footage for sunday school classrooms. As is the case for the old Walmart by Arrowood, it can be used as general warehouse space for charitable initiatives.

Although churches in old big box centers don't do much for the appearance of the neighborhood, they probably do a lot more for the social health of the community than Walmart did when it was open.

Ooh ok, obviously I wasn't aware it was purchased. Thanks for the information dubone!

[dubone]

Ooh ok, obviously I wasn't aware it was purchased. Thanks for the information dubone!

It still looks vacant from the outside, but I volunteered there for the Salvation Army last month, and the place was packed out with gifts for poor kids .

[DigitalSky]

It still looks vacant from the outside, but I volunteered there for the Salvation Army last month, and the place was packed out with gifts for poor kids .

kudos to you

[appatone]

It looks like Independence will have another empty big box soon. Toys R Us is closing their Indepedence location.

[DigitalSky]

I KNEW it!!! That's so sad though. I totally grew up going to that Toys R Us :'(

Originally posted in the Bridges @ Mint Hill Thread:

A few rumors I've heard...

Best Buy and Toys R Us are both scouting new locations due to much increased crime at their Independence Boulevard locations, and this new center sounds appealing.

Even more sad that it'll just be another empty box on Indy Blvd. The Circuit City, Rhodes, Service Merchandise, in that immediate area too are still vancat unfortunately! !!!

[monsoon]

I was wondering when that Toys R Us would close. Just about everything else over there has. It's been there for a long time. Ever since the former Wickes Lumber & Home Improvement warehouse was converted to Circuit City (also gone) and Toys R Us. I believe that was the city's first Circuit City and possibly the first Toy's R Us, but I am not as sure about that since the one on South Blvd has been there a long time too.

[DigitalSky]

I think it was the first and I believe South Blvd's was second. (which is now a Ross dress for less store).

My prediction: Best Buy will be the next store to move south down the Independence Blvd corridor.

[appatone]

Yeah, I remeber going to that Toys R Us as a kid too. That place seemed almost magical to me as a kid. Of course speaking of Wal-Mart, the more of those we build the more empty Toys R Us stores we'll have to deal with.

[StevenRocks]

Toys R Us hasn't really been trying to be a compelling place to shop for a while. Wal-Mart shoulders some of the blame for its demise, but they haven't been trying very hard to win people over for the last decade.

[dubone]

I think it was the first and I believe South Blvd's was second. (which is now a Ross dress for less store).

My prediction: Best Buy will be the next store to move south down the Independence Blvd corridor.

You are almost certainly correct. They seem to be dealing with some thievery. I asked about whether they had some specific product, and they said "well, we don't know we'll get the next shipment in, as they don't tell employees, due to issues with stealing".

With a Best Buy likely going to the Midtown project intown, they'll likely close this store, and go with the midtown location and a new location in the southeastern 485 area.

[Sabaidee]

Well the shopping center where Best Buy is located at off of Independence will be partly demolished anyways and the reconstruction of Independence down the road will kill off some of those stores. NCDOT along with CATS plans to relign Harris Blvd to connect to Village Lake Drive and make it an interchange with Independence. A park and ride lot will also go around the interchange where the shopping center is.

[DigitalSky]

You are almost certainly correct. They seem to be dealing with some thievery. I asked about whether they had some specific product, and they said "well, we don't know we'll get the next shipment in, as they don't tell employees, due to issues with stealing".

With a Best Buy likely going to the Midtown project intown, they'll likely close this store, and go with the midtown location and a new location in the southeastern 485 area.

Yeah. Honestly, I think the former Rhodes Furniture store next to Target on Matthews Township Parkway (not the old Rhodes across the Toys R Us) is where Best Buy will most likely head, because Circuit City is on the other side of Independence down there and all the other big boxes are congregated there too.

Well the shopping center where Best Buy is located at off of Independence will be partly demolished anyways and the reconstruction of Independence down the road will kill off some of those stores. NCDOT along with CATS plans to relign Harris Blvd to connect to Village Lake Drive and make it an interchange with Independence. A park and ride lot will also go around the interchange where the shopping center is.

That's true. Is the Bi-Lo going to be demo'ed too?

Edit:

I've made an interactive map

http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=...0Target%20Store

[dubone]

http://www.charmeck.org/Departments/Planni...ns/2006-050.htm

The siteplan is now online for the rezoning of Amity Gardens for Walmart.

I like that they have what amounts to a service road. I wish there were more trees in the parking lot, but I think that about every large parking lot. This is a HUGE improvement over the current shopping center, even if it is Walmart.

Like the one on Wilkinson, I will go once to see it, but that's it .