Generally serving a smaller population, the mall was likewise a very small center for years. However, that changed dramatically when the mall was substantially expanded into a regional mall 30 years after it first opened. Nevertheless, the construction of a large shopping mall further west of Atlanta and continued shifting of the population (and retail) east of Birmingham has eroded its market over time. It would be interesting if we could look in an alternate universe to see how the mall would have done had that expansion happened much earlier. The closure of Fort McClellan in 1999 also was not helpful to the mall, though the Anniston Army Depot continues to bring military money into the mall. What was worse was construction of a new (and incomplete) US 431 by-pass lured significant new retail further east, meaning that the older Quintard Avenue retail strip is now forced to compete with a plethora of shiny new retail that all popped up on a by-pass still several years from completion. This small exodus of several stores has leaders in both Oxford and Anniston worried, but the economy itself, not just the by-pass should take some blame. Stores such as Circuit City and Foodmax had nothing to do with immediate competition. Circuit City did not leave because of the by-pass, and Foodmax's parent company Bruno's is on the brink of extinction.
A look along the original mall. Center court is just ahead and Sears is right behind me. The first photo is a small court on the Dillard's/theater wing.
Martin's Family Clothing has a mall entrance in both the old mall main concourse and along a side entryway near Sears. It is a local Alabama chain headquartered in Anniston, next town up.
Now looking from center court to JCPenney. JCPenney is the mall's only original large department store anchor, opening with the mall in 1970.
A closer look at the JCPenney mall entrance, which obviously is not original. I am betting the classic "Penney's" logo lasted here longer than most.
Looking back along the old mall from JCPenney. Doomed Goody's is to the left, which is top priority for replacement. I'm rooting for a nice bookstore.
This problem is not lost on the mall owners nor the city that Quinitard needs another boost, and they have indeed noted the effects not only outside, but also inside the mall. Its last expansion was nearly ten years ago, but its first major competition set in only two years ago. This is the fundamental weakness of small city malls: often the tenants choose a nearby strip mall or newer, larger shopping mall over the mall itself, but the owners of Quintard have not been afraid to continually reinvent the mall to keep it competitive. Other malls such as Cookeville Mall in Cookeville, TN did not do likewise, and failed completely. These instances are very serious. Lack of action in the event of a sudden vacancy problem in the mall or hinterland surrounding the mall can empty a mall almost overnight. However, previous malls on my blog also found themselves at a disadvantage such as Oglethorpe and Asheville Malls. However, both were very proactive, and all prevailed against big threats to become completely dominate and much beloved in their markets. I am pleased that Quintard and the city sees this themselves, because just recently plans were announced to expand and revitalize the mall yet again [2].
What was once the east entrance to the mall since 2000 now goes into what has become the heart of the mall. The entrance into the newer wing of the mall begins with a ramp.
Close-up of the ramp into the newer mall, which comes into a strangely placed court area that functions on one side as a very small food court.
More detail of the main court coming from the wing off the original east mall entrance. This distinct little court is cozy.
Quintard Mall has been around quite awhile. It is one of the oldest malls in the state still operational, opening for business in 1970. It is also unique in that the mall is apparently still operated locally in lieu of being part of a major mall conglomerate such as Simon or GGP. The mall is today owned by the James Grimmer family. He also helped in construction of Eastwood Mall, Alabama's first mall and the South's first enclosed mall [1]. Quite a few malls of this vintage did not make it this far, so Quintard has done very well remaining viable for nearly 40 years. Its anchors today include Sears, JCPenney and Dillard's in addition to a 12 screen theater and junior anchor Martin's Family Clothing. Goody's also operated as a junior anchor, but closed with the chain early this year. A Garfield's Restaurant and Pub was in the mall as well, also apparently closing with the chain. Bankruptcies are leaving voids in many malls that are proving difficult to fill with fewer and fewer chain stores available to choose from enhanced by a malnourished economy, and this proves even tougher in second-tier markets. I do want to note, however, that the vacancies in the mall mostly had to do with corporate liquidation.
A look along the 2000 wing, which increased the size of the mall by 2/3. It is anchored by Dillard's and AmStar 12 Cinemas.
Southeast entrance wing near Dillard's. The military tends to dominate this wing, which is not surprising considering the strong military history of the area.
The new main entrance wing with Gap on the left.
Now-closed Garfield's Restaurant. The only other location I have seen was at Biltmore Square Mall. I know very little about this chain.
Historically, Quintard was much smaller. It was originally a straight up-and-down mall directly aligned north-to-south connecting Britt's Department Store and JCPenney. At less than 300,000 square feet, it also had less than 30 inline stores. The original mall reminded me significantly of just-mentioned Cookeville Mall, which is part of why I brought it up. However, different from Cookeville Mall, both anchors were constructed as two level stores, but only Britt's operated its second level originally. Britts today is Sears. Sears left downtown Anniston in 1983, moving into the former Britt's location after it closed [1]. Both Britt's/Sears and JCPenney are two levels, but neither Sears nor JCPenney operated the second level for many years. Sears reopened the second level in 1997, and they also expanded the store as well [1]. It appears, however, that JCPenney either removed or never even constructed an escalator well while today Sears operates a two level store. Both Martin's and Goody's also located in this original part of the mall as well.
Quintard Mall definitely has an interesting (and jagged) layout. The original mall is quite obvious from this map. Notice how incredibly small it was.
The first 30 years of the mall's existance were also pretty static. The mall gained a small renovation in 1985, but this was the only undertaking for yet another 15 years. This was when owners replaced the original polished concrete floors with terrazzo floors [1]. In 1991, the owners began work on an attempt to turn Quintard into a major regional mall in lieu of a small local mall. This was a long and harrowing process, as owners had to go through many hurdles to obtain permits to build over a creek flowing along the then-eastern side of the mall. That was the same situation that delayed completion of Arbor Place Mall in Douglasville, GA as well. The original expansion was to have Gayfer's department store anchoring the new eastern end of the mall. However, Gayfer's was bought out in 1998 by Dillard's. Regardless, Dillard's did not fail on their obligation to join the mall. Dillard's at this location is quite unusual, and it is even more unusual to have a small city mall that is not anchored by Belk in the South. Work on the addition was completed in August 2000, completing the long anticipated addition [1]. This addition was very well received, and when completed the mall was more than doubled in size to just shy of 800,000 square feet. AmStar Cinemas, the 12 screen theater, also was included in the new addition. The 2000 wing is also elevated above the original mall, possibly due to concerns of flooding and difficulties surrounding capping Snow Creek. This addition to the mall was extremely important. The original mall was so vastly undersized that it would have definitely failed had that addition not been built when it was.
Dillard's mall entrance features a very strange angle. It is also one of the smallest I've seen with only one level of shopping. Dillard's has a more unusual assortment of locations in the state since they came here largely through buying out Gayfer's and Castner-Knott's parent company. This store was slated to be Gayfer's.
Quintard Mall in terms of store offerings, though, seems to be a mixed bag. The newer part of the mall definitely fits every definition of a successful, conventional mall. However, the older part of the mall truly seems to be having some vacancy issues. The poor store setup in the older mall I think is partly responsible for this. Martin's and Goody's were not exactly the best traffic generators, and Goody's bankruptcy has had a drastic effect on malls in this South overall. It was a weak junior anchor at best, but its closure has dumped several malls into the murky "dying mall" category when they otherwise just had a few vacancies. Almost every second-tier mall had one, too, which was what was an even bigger issue. Since these took up significant mall space, these mall owners are all still left at a quandary on what to do with this space, but apparently a plan is in place through a public-private partnership in conjunction with the City of Oxford exploring ideas on what to do with the mall [2].
Sears mall entrance. It is nice to see it does not have the ugly tiles that most I've seen do have. This store distinctly did not open as Sears, but instead as J.J. Newberry's ill-fated attempt at a department store, Britt's. I think it looks classy, but would look even better if Sears returned to their 1950's script logo.
Inside Sears, I took this picture of the narrow gauge escalators. These definitely do not look like 1997 escalators, suggesting they were original to Britts and hidden from view for years before the second level was reopened.
Next to Sears entrance is the northwest entrance corridor. This is very original including the long brick wall (indeed wasted space) and second entrance to junior anchor Martin's in the background.
Nevertheless, Anniston is a decent sized city, and the mall is in a good location, so I think a few ideas could alleviate this. I hope that Goody's can quickly be filled. One quick, but not the best, solution to Goody's in my opinion is to encourage junior anchor Martin's to expand their store that is partly across Quintard Ave. into the former Goody's. Martin's is strange in how they have part of their store in the mall and part in a strip mall across from it. A second (and better) idea is to lure Borders or Barnes & Noble into the mall in the former Goody's location. All Barnes & Noble locations are over 50 miles from the mall, and Jacksonville State students might appreciate having one of these at the mall. Borders is even less available with the nearest location at the mall in Douglasville. This is the perfect location for either of these two. The former Garfield's, also, might be a good fit for one of these book stores, assuming Martin's takes up the former Goody's. However, Martin's may not be the best choice to drive traffic into the old part of the mall, and I have another idea for the Garfield's area.
An older-style mall entrance is found at the northwest entrance adjacent to Sears. Note the plaque in the first photo, which lists the owners and date of original mall construction. I think those are a really nice touch. I wish all malls did that.
An updated entrance flanks the east entrance to the mall. The owners made sure that the addition to the mall matched the original mall in brick and design.
Martin's is marked outside the mall as a junior anchor. That "M" looks sinister to me.
A more drastic consideration for Quintard is to move JCPenney to the wing next to Dillard's as a new mall anchor and add a second level to the original mall, chain bookstore included. JCPenney would be built into that mall wing, absorbing that ailing entrance wing as part of the store with the rest of the store extending into the parking lot...essentially a built-in anchor. The existing JCPenney would become either Belk or Macy's, provided a commitment was obtained from either. One of those two anchors is necessary to make the mall super-regional, and Belk or Macy's would be willing to use the second level that is needed to draw more interest. This second level is important, because it would make it possible to construct an effective second level into the mall between Sears and existing JCPenney. In addition, the new Border's/Barnes & Noble should be constructed with two levels as a junior anchor, tying the upper and lower level together. On top of this, I would consider bucking the trend of plain, pasty malls and would do a showy renovation with lots of color and cutting edge architectural touches to make the center stand out. In addition, a large fountain should be constructed in the main court of the old mall or the smaller court at the start of the new wing (if it is not already there...it was hard to tell with the Christmas display). While none of these suggestions are likely, this is what I think would make me want to spend my money at Quintard in lieu of making the trip to Birmingham or Douglasville.
Sears (former Britts), JCPenney and Dillard's. Dillard's has the usual stucco arch, but it looks quite different with only one level. JCPenney definitely looks two levels to me, but I could still be wrong. Because only one level is used, it looks much bigger from the outside than inside.
With all of this considering, Quintard is a very interesting mall and with a few changes it would become a lot more interesting and a real destination. It is currently not my favorite in design, but its history is long and fascinating. I also love the spunkiness of its forward planning and small scale ownership. All of this I had no idea about when I visited. While it may not be Riverchase or Arbor Place, I hope that the people in the city will continue to patronize this classic retail center, because it is a decent mall compared to the typical small city malls I know of that offer a boring design flanked by a few low end stores and anchor choices uninteresting to the under 30 crowd. I also hope that the mall will solicit from the public what stores they would like to see in the mall like the survey that was offered at Mount Berry Square in Rome, GA. Anniston is an interesting town in the most scenic part of Alabama. I think the mall alone should not have to market the place. I believe the city itself should strive to make itself more of a destination for both jobs and retail. It has always been one of my favorite parts of the state, so likewise I hope for continued success of their one and only mall.
[1] Dube, Kathryn. "Ten Years and $40 Million Later, Alabama mall gets expansion". Shopping Centers Today. May 2001. "http://www.icsc.org/srch/sct/sct0501/page141.php
[2] Whisenhunt, Dan. "Quintard Mall: Exciting news is coming soon". Anniston Star. 17 June 2009.
http://www.annistonstar.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Quintard+Mall-+Exciting+news+is+coming+soon%20&id=2737350-Quintard+Mall-+Exciting+news+is+coming+soon&instance=home_news
Back when I was a student at Jacksonville State University, I'd drive down to Anniston frequently and would go in this mall, so during 1985-1987, I was in there at least once every month or two. It was just Sears and JCPenney then. Back in the mid to late 1970s, I never got to go in the mall, but we'd drive by it when we went through Anniston to Birmingham and I remember seeing "Britt's" on the side of the store.
ReplyDeleteThere are two main 80s memories I have of this mall.
One is when the song "You Give Love A Bad Name" was new and getting played on the radio, I was in Newsom's, which was near Sears on the left coming out of Sears, and they were playing that song from the Slippery When Wet album on vinyl and I asked who the song was by.
The second, and more impressive one, was that as televisions were getting bigger in the late 80s, I saw the first 35 inch CRT television (which seemed HUGE to me then) I'd ever seen in the Sears store, and an army guy in camoflage from Fort McClellan came in and was trying to buy it (for some purpose at work) while I was examining it.
Up until 1999, I'd frequently drive to Anniston after visiting my parents, and would go in that mall, which changed very little through during that time before it was expanded.
After 2000, my visits to that mall are far less frequent, but I did like the expansion and thought it helped. However, I've always felt that there is noticeable difference in the "old mall" and the new, and that needs to be remedied somehow. One minute I feel I'm in a post-2000 center and suddenly I'm back in the 1970s and 1980s when I go to the old part.
I'm surprised by the second level information about JCPenney and Britts and Sears. I was always under the impression that both stores were originally one level and Sears expanded to 2 levels in the mid to late 80s (but I could be wrong, and it seemed that's what I remember the Wikipedia page saying, but it's gone). I'll be extremely interested to hear from anyone in the know about JCPenney and the Britts/Sears concerning this.
JC Penney's is indeed a two-level store. The sales floor is contained entirely on the first floor. The second level is used for offices and storage. That particular store was renovated for the 2000 grand re-opening of the mall.
ReplyDeleteSears renovated in 1997 and re-opened a majority of the upper level. a decent amount of floor space on the second level is still used as storage and office space. The store contains the original elevator and escalators from Britt's. Incidentally, the interior entrance to Sears has remained largely unchanged since the eighties. They basically repainted it.
The suspicious "M" in the exterior Martin's sign is the result of a low-budget repair. Instead of replacing the entire sign, the chain only put up enough cash to replace the "M," which had burned out. As a result, it is much brighter than the other letters in the sign.
There were fountains in the original mall, but they were removed during renovations for the 2000 grand re-opening.
The original section of the mall doesn't generate much foot traffic anymore. The "good" stores all opened in the new section, and the old section became a hub for strings of locally-owned stores that never lasted long.
In a recent article in our newspaper, it was hinted that Goody's may be re-opening - as Goody's. Apparently the name was purchased and the new owners are interested in re-establishing the chain.
The Martin's is now liquidating inventory because they have lost their lease. Books-A-Million, which is currently located across the street and next door to the other Martin's, is slated to occupy the space once Martin's closes.
Additionally, more theaters are going to be added to Amstar, expanding it to a 16-screen cinema.
Though it may not seem like it, the mall actually generates a LOT of traffic. That's probably because it is the only mall within a 30 mile (give or take) radius. The renovation, while successful, did a number on the community. Amstar effectively shut out every other theater in the area. One was able to hold on for a few years as a dollar theater before it finally shuddered. The only alternative to Amstar now is a small drive-in on the far outskirts, about a mile from my home.
The vacancies are mostly a result of corporations going bankrupt. There are a few, however, that came about because the tenants moved to the newer (and much more successful) Oxford Exchange, on the east end of the city. The most notable of these is Couch's Jewelers. It moved temporarily across the street from the mall, before taking its current location at Oxford Exchange. The former mall location became Friedman's Jewelers, until that corporation failed.
I have a lot of fond memories of Quintard Mall. I have lived in the area my entire life, and I was raised in that mall. Most of the stores from my youth are gone now, with exception of Sears and JC Penney's. I bought my first cassette at Newsom's record store. There were two men’s stores - JJ's Annex, which catered to young men; and The Red Hanger, which sold men's suits. There were also several women's stores including Brooks, which catered to juniors; and Three Sisters and Three Sisters Plus, which served young and mature women.
ReplyDeleteThere was also an interesting toy store that sold old-fashioned toys. It was called Planes and Things, and was located just inside the former main entrance. It is now part of Rue 21.
Across from Planes and Things, was a Pizza Boy pizzeria. Beside Planes and Things was a small candy store called Sweet and Salty. It eventually moved into the new food court, but was unable to compete with Great American Cookies.
I also remember a vision center chain being located in the mall, though the name escapes my mind at the moment.
There was a local gift shop - Snow's. They sold figurines and other collectible items. The Bookland was relocated across the street and was re-branded as a Books-A-Million. The former Bookland location became Waldenbooks, but was closed to make room for Goody's.
For many years, the mall also housed a cafeteria. I remember it first as a Morrison's. It then transformed into a Picadilly, and finally to The Porter House Cafe. It is still in business, but has since moved - first to a strip mall across from the mall, and finally to it's current stand-alone location further east on Highway 78.
TCBY also had a yogurt shop in the mall for several years. I spent much of my youth there, in the arcade - Pocket Change.
Currently, there are talks to fill the majority of the vacant slots at Quintard Mall, to include a renovation, within the next year or two. I understand that the city is currently trying to attract more chains to the mall. Hopefully it will all pan out.
Though the mall has lost some customers to the Oxford Exchange, it is still nearly impossible to navigate the thick foot traffic through the mall on weekends. it still does a thriving business, and hopefully it will continue to grow.
Very interesting history! I always am curious about the cafeterias, since nearly every mall had one. As to Goody's, I have not seen any Goody's resurface, but have seen a few prime locations converted to Bealls Outlet. I figured the mall couldn't be too much of a failure considering it was relatively busy on a normally "slow" day I visited, but i wondered if competition was crushing it due to all the closings. Perhaps that is all deliberate just to shore up the mall for new stores...that happens frequently. All but the most successful malls are having an uphill battle right now. I'm glad to hear Books-A-Million is moving back into the mall, though I would rather you get something like Borders there (Waldenbooks is the same). Eventually these chains are going to downsize so much it will open the door for new local chains to start taking off. Perhaps the Belk addition is a bad idea considering that Dillard's is floundering a bit...Belk could squeeze right in if Dillard's is to close there.
ReplyDeleteI can tell that this mall is really a baby for both the city and the owners. I do sincerely hope they put in some fountains and make it a little more inviting, though. It is really plain right now overall.
Whoever made their online directory fails forever. There's a numbered map with the stores, and a dropdown list of the stores, but THEY DON'T TELL YOU WHICH NUMBER IS WHICH STORE (e.g. "American Eagle - #129, Victoria's Secret - #134").
ReplyDeleteAlso, I wonder if they originally had another anchor planned for the theater slot?
True. I live an hour from the mall. I just went to the online directory to see if a certain store was still in the Quintard mall and all I see is numbers.
DeleteA few updates on the Quintard Mall: I am part of the team that is opening a restaurant in the former Garfield's space, set for late April 2010 (just opened a Facebook page for it but we don't yet have a website - look for "Matterhorn Grill"). Goody's is re-opening on March 24 and Books-A-Million is moving from across Quintard into the mall as well. There are also plans to have 4 new screens built in the movie theater by the end of 2010.
ReplyDeleteIt's exciting, and I do hope it turns the mall into an appealing draw for Northeast Alabama and Western Georgia!
That's all great to hear! I can see that the local ownership has really made a difference with this mall, because it seems to be unique and well managed. I think Books-A-Million and Martin's changing places was a stroke of genius.
ReplyDeleteits been a long time but i can still remember,,,red hanger,,three sisters,,morrisons cafeteria,,pizza boy,,,newsoms music center,,,the singer sewing mackine store,,super x drugs,, emnores,, orange julious,,,and when the space where martins is today was a grocery store,,,but i cant remember the name...
ReplyDeleteThe name of the grocery store was Krogers
DeleteI was in this mall today and noticed that Goody's is open! Also, the "Sound Shop" store down near Dillards is empty. It was in business last time I was there.
ReplyDeleteGrimmer really knew what they were doing...they managed to get the now Stage-owned Goody's back, kicked out Martin's and lured in Books-A-Million and apparently are working on the old Garfield's, too. Sound Shop was GOOB when I was there...apparently it was an issue with the whole chain and not just that mall. I have to hand it to them keeping a 40 year old mall chugging along like that. I'm sure, too, that Dillard's was a pleasant surprise for the people there vs. dumpier Gayfer's they would have gotten otherwise.
ReplyDeleteI DIDN'T KNOW UNTIL NOW THAT THIS MALL OPENED IN 1970. I THOUGHT IT OPENED IN 79'. ANYHOW, I FREQUENTED IT IN THE LATE 70'S AND EARLY 80'S AND THOUGHT IT EXCITING(UNTIL I SAW CENTURY PLAZA IN 81'). I REMEMBER SEEING THE NEW PART UNDER CONSTRUCTION AND COULDN'T WAIT TILL IT WAS FINISHED. I WAS VERY IMPRESSED. LOVE THE THEATRE. SAD TO SEE "GARFIELDS" GO AND I MISS "PIZZA BOY" AS WELL.
ReplyDeleteI work in the mall and saw that restaurant the recently opened in garfields old place is now closed. Seems like we can't get a restaurant in there that people will support. I thought Barnes and Noble was coming in but so far nothing. Does anyone know if they are still planning on moving there
ReplyDeleteThe Matterhorn Grill (in the former Garfield's location) has changed ownership and will soon reopen with a new staff and a new menu that is supposed to stay truer to the name of the place. Books-A-Million is still rumored to occupy the former Martin's, but my guess is that they must have run into some setbacks. Goody's did indeed reopen as Goody's and seems to be doing well enough. Now if we could just work on some of those other vacancies...
ReplyDeleteWhat Quintard Mall is lacking is stores/attractions for teens. They do use the theaters, but otherwise, they spend most of their time walking the halls of the mall just hanging out. Stores geared towards this age group would most certainly have a positive impact on the overall success of the mall.
ReplyDelete...and it looks like Matterhorn Grill has closed once again.
ReplyDeleteSome updates:
ReplyDeleteBooks-A-Million has not moved into the mall. The Martins location has been split in two, with laser tag on one side and a play place for kids on the other.
Rue 21 has moved into the newer section of the mall, leaveing its old location vacant.
Kirkland's has relocated to the nearby Oxford Exchange, leaving its location vacant as well.
Toys-R-Us (seasonal), Sunglas Hut, Dollar Tree, Manhattan, and a few local retailers have all shut down completely.
PacSun closed and became an art gallery. The art gallery closed and now houses Foot Locker.
The Shoe Dept. expanded into the abandoned Reed's Jewelers location.
A womens boutique called "Girlfriends" has filled the old Couch's/Friedman's location.
The Garfield's/Matterhorn Grill spot has successfully reopened as Red Pepper Grill - serving mexican-inspired fare. They expanded the restaurant into the outdoors with a fenced patio dining area. There is also a new locally-owned eatery (the name escapes me now) in the food court that seems to be doing reasonably well, along with a local bakery operating a cupcake kiosk.
We still have a problem with vacant storfronts that really need to be filled. Additionally, the mall has become over-run with teenagers (who use the mall as a hangout spot and never have any intentions on buying anything), which has driven a lot of adult customers away. The teenagers have been responsible for numerous fights that have led to age restrictions, curfews, and increased security within the mall.
There is also a kiosk run by individuals who aggressively solicit their products, to the annoyance of shoppers.
That said, there is still a steady stream of adult shoppers throughout the mall, which is always a good sign.
Six months later...
ReplyDeleteWe've received official word that The Gap is closing its Quintard Mall location, effective Jan. 26, 2013. In an eleventh hour effort to save the store, The Gap tried to simply downsize to half of their current space. There was apparently some resistance from the mall's owners to decrease The Gap's rent, leading to the city's mayor making a plea to the owners. By the time the reduced rent for less space plan was approved by the owners, Gap corporate had already signed off on the closure.
Claire's will also be closing their Quintard Mall location.
Toys-R-Us reopened in the old Rue 21 location, and is expeceted to be a permanent store.
Red Pepper Grill has closed, but it's expected to reopen under new management.
It was rumored that Aeropostale would close, but the story now is that it will move to another location in the mall.
Another rumor currently circulating is that Dillard's will close its Quintard Mall location, with the space being transitioned into a Belk.
I've also recently noticed that the majority of the stores still open in the mall have moved downmarket. Dillard's doesn't carry as many name brands as they used to. The mens sections of stores like Gap, American Eagle, Rue 21, and Aeropostale have been significantly downsized, with limited varieties to choose from. JC Penney has gone completely minimalist (bare walls, limited inventory, and a lot of open floor space). Sears has not been taken care of at all, and is beginning to look somewhat run-down and trashy.
There are too many vacant storefronts in this mall now, and it's getting worse. I keep hearing the same story over and over again: "the rent is too high." This is a "family-owned" mall that has been passed down through generations. I think it may be time for the current generation to sell the mall to someone who can fully revitalize it and bring it back to its former glory.
Another update. The mall is now in foreclosure, but still fully operational. There are still many vacant storefronts. We've been assured the mall will remain open and that ownership will transfer. Hopefully that's a good thing.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.annistonstar.com/news/article_fa505bbc-4a49-11e4-b08f-0f193daebed8.html