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Suburban Malls and Associated Retail News

Posted: January 3rd, 2013, 1:14 pm
by twincitizen
Every regional mall and surrounding retail "hangers-on" probably doesn't merit its own thread, so I thought it might be nice to have a place to share news, discussion, etc concerning the "Dales" and similar shopping centers.

A few already have specific topics due to significant change/development going on in the area:

Mall of America

Southdale Mall Area

Rosedale Mall and HarMar Superstar

For the rest (Ridgedale, Burnsville Center, Eden Prairie Center, Maplewood Mall, Northtown, Arbor Lakes, and the ghost of Brookdale past) we can probably combine into a single thread for most purposes. If there's a major renovation like at Southdale or development like Radisson Blu at MOA, a separate thread may be warranted.

Here's one to get us started:
Ridgedale Macy's to consolidate its two stores, possibly opening the door to Nordstrom

Re: Suburban Malls and Associated Retail News

Posted: January 3rd, 2013, 1:48 pm
by min-chi-cbus
Veering off of the anticipated subject already......but has Brookdale begun its transformation yet to its new "higher and better use" -- a string of big box stores anchored by lowly Wal-Mart?

Re: Suburban Malls and Associated Retail News

Posted: January 3rd, 2013, 2:04 pm
by twincitizen
The Wal-Mart has been open for a while. Not sure if it has spurred any other retail/restaurant development. http://goo.gl/maps/mswy1
My greatest concern about the redevelopment plan is that Wal-Mart will eventually put the Sears out of business. Sears owns their land, and opted to stay in place while the rest of Brookdale was torn down.

I hereby request that Nick go to Brookdale on his next picture run :lol:

Re: Suburban Malls and Associated Retail News

Posted: January 4th, 2013, 9:16 am
by min-chi-cbus
Haha, I would also like to see that! Maybe in a thread of project updates from the city to the suburbs! I may be being pessimistic but I REALLY hate the new Brookdale plan!

Re: Suburban Malls and Associated Retail News

Posted: January 4th, 2013, 9:35 am
by Nick
I hereby request that Nick go to Brookdale on his next picture run :lol:
I mean I love any reason the take the 5!

Re: Suburban Malls and Associated Retail News

Posted: January 4th, 2013, 12:03 pm
by twincitizen
Well that didn't take long: Nordstrom will open in Ridgedale

I guess Macy's couldn't afford to pay double rent to keep the competition away any longer. Fingers crossed for Nordstrom to take over the Needless Markup space downtown, but this definitely makes it less likely. At some point Van Maur should increase their footprint in the Twin Cities, right? Currently they have a single store in Eden Prairie Center.

Re: Suburban Malls and Associated Retail News

Posted: January 4th, 2013, 4:17 pm
by John21
The Wal-Mart has been open for a while. Not sure if it has spurred any other retail/restaurant development. http://goo.gl/maps/mswy1
My greatest concern about the redevelopment plan is that Wal-Mart will eventually put the Sears out of business. Sears owns their land, and opted to stay in place while the rest of Brookdale was torn down.

I hereby request that Nick go to Brookdale on his next picture run :lol:
There's 3 retail out buildings going up right now. I know a LA Fitness is planned as well.

Re: Suburban Malls and Associated Retail News

Posted: January 4th, 2013, 11:43 pm
by twincitizen
I may be being pessimistic but I REALLY hate the new Brookdale plan!
I don't love it either. I could probably write 1000 words about what they should've done instead, but it's just not worth it. I'll summarize: it's a 20th Century solution to a 21st Century problem in an area that should be becoming more city-like, not less. It completely fails to recognize the health of the local economy, the health of surrounding strip malls, the proximity to a major transit hub, etc. It's like the Brookdale revitalization plan was created in a vacuum by people that looked at [insert suburb here]'s retail area and said "yup, let's do that".

Re: Suburban Malls and Associated Retail News

Posted: January 4th, 2013, 11:59 pm
by Le Sueur
I dislike Wal-Mart as much as the next guy, but the site was in bad shape. I would rather have a cleaned up site and an open store, than an empty mall and parking lot for 20 years. Aside from being car centric what's wrong with the project? I'm open to thoughts on the matter.

Oh and I think Nick should take the bus out to take a picture too :)

Re: Suburban Malls and Associated Retail News

Posted: January 5th, 2013, 12:17 am
by twincitizen
Even though I completely boycott Wal-Mart and shame people who shop there (100% serious), that actually didn't even register as part of my complaint. I actually think that Wal-Mart is not a bad choice here.

It's the layout, it's the fact that even one person at Brooklyn Center (or Sears) believes that a Super Wal-Mart won't put Sears out of business, that they can attract several new restaurant/retail tenants despite all sorts of vacant spaces in the surrounding strip mall(s). You are right that having a vacant site for a long time would've made a bad situation worse, but I feel like they jumped the gun. To continue with overused colloquialisms, they put a band-aid on a bullet wound. The Brookdale site (and surrounding area) didn't need a makeover, it needed total reconstructive surgery. But I guess you gotta play the hand you're dealt. Ok, I'll stop now :D

Re: Suburban Malls and Associated Retail News

Posted: January 5th, 2013, 2:25 pm
by Nick
Oh and I think Nick should take the bus out to take a picture too :)
On my way! Waiting at Nicollet and 7th now :)

EDIT: "MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY IS COMING. DREAM TO GET OUT OF SIN." ~ Shouting man with sign

Re: Suburban Malls and Associated Retail News

Posted: January 5th, 2013, 4:39 pm
by FISHMANPET
Why are there two Macy's at Ridgedale? Was it two different stores that Macy's bought, or something else?

Re: Suburban Malls and Associated Retail News

Posted: January 5th, 2013, 6:08 pm
by Nick
Ask and you shall receive:

Re: Suburban Malls and Associated Retail News

Posted: January 5th, 2013, 6:28 pm
by twincitizen
That site plan is disgusting for a 1st ring suburb. I thought I heard part of it was going to be a "lifestyle center" arrangement a la Shoppes at Arbor Lakes or Woodbury Lakes... They're also supposed to daylight *part of Shingle Creek that was put in an underground pipe when Brookdale was built.

Surprised the carts didn't make it all the way to BCTC. They must have those wheel locks!

Re: Suburban Malls and Associated Retail News

Posted: January 6th, 2013, 1:29 am
by Le Sueur
A little disappointed there's not a bigger parking lot... But thanks for all the pics today Nick!

Re: Suburban Malls and Associated Retail News

Posted: January 6th, 2013, 9:49 am
by min-chi-cbus
Yeah, really, it's like....think about the drivers, man!

Re: Suburban Malls and Associated Retail News

Posted: January 6th, 2013, 1:02 pm
by Wedgeguy
Why are there two Macy's at Ridgedale? Was it two different stores that Macy's bought, or something else?
Once upon a time in a kingdom far far away there was a great chain of department stores called Daytons and Donaldsons. As it would turn out there was a recession where Donaldsons ceased to exist and were turned into Daytons midprices stores called Mervyns. During the course of the years Daytons which at that time owned Mervyns and Target decided to buy Marshalfields and get rid of the Daytons name. The first of the end of a great department store that was famous for customer service. During this time a gaint called Mall of America was build with a great customer service store called Nordstroms. This scared the #### out of the management at Marshalfields that had done bad things to cut cost and in doing so they lost customer. When they decided to pull the plug on Mervyns they had an extra anchor space availble that another department store could move in. Scared that they would lose more customers to Nordstroms they decide to take they store and take over both the spaqces as they owned them both to keep a real competitor out of the Mall. But alas, They finally found that this strategy was flawed as they were not retaining the western consumers as they were going to a new Top customer service store in Eden Prairie called Von Maur. They finally had to bite the financial bullet and consolidate their two Ridgedalwe stores and will now have to learn how to provide real customer service without pinching pennies. I hope that little tale provided you with your answer.

Re: Suburban Malls and Associated Retail News

Posted: January 6th, 2013, 1:22 pm
by Nordeastmpls
Not true. The 2nd location at Ridgedale was originally Donaldsons. Donaldsons was bought out and became Carson Pirie Scott.. When they left, Dayton's took over the space and turned it into their Men's and Home store. It was never a Mervyns.

Re: Suburban Malls and Associated Retail News

Posted: January 7th, 2013, 10:03 am
by Wedgeguy
Not true. The 2nd location at Ridgedale was originally Donaldsons. Donaldsons was bought out and became Carson Pirie Scott.. When they left, Dayton's took over the space and turned it into their Men's and Home store. It was never a Mervyns.
I'll take your word there. I know that the Donaldson in Southdale eventually became a Mervyns and along with a few of there other store. Not much of a Ridgedale shopper so I'M going by what happened to some of the others Old Donaldsons stores in the metro.

Re: Suburban Malls and Associated Retail News

Posted: January 7th, 2013, 10:07 am
by mnmike
Pretty much all the old Mervyn's locations went through that cycle. Donaldson's, Carson's, then Mervyns. The one at southdale was also a Carson's before mervyns. Also, one more thing with your timeline...Dayton's owned Marshall Fields and Hudson's for quite some time before they consolidated to all MF. It wasn't just buy and change them all to MF...it was years later that happened.

Also, for fun...anyone else remember when Dayton's owned B. Dalton as well?