Pineland Station: Hilton Head Island, SC

Pineland Station, while not an actual mall, certainly has some bona fide mall qualities.  It is a shady, cozy center tucked alongside the same road that The Mall at Shelter Cove is on (US 278 Business) closer to the bridge back to the mainland.  It is also very much of a boutique place with lots of local shops and a few restaurants that likely lost a few chain stores when Mall at Shelter Cove opened.  This open-air center is quite neat as well, coming back to an area featuring a small pond, a mill wheel and a bridge over the pond.  Every walkway is covered as well, meaning the lack of climate control does not necessarily mean that you will get soaked in the typical summer downpours.

Pineland Station looks to be the oldest mall-type development on the island.  Its design suggests it was built in the 70's with its mansard roofs covering all the walkways.  Gracing the outlot is a Starbucks, suggesting this place is largely about leisure other than actual shopping.  While very few chain establishments are found in the place, the main anchor in the center is a Stein Mart.  A Tuesday Morning is also found adjacent to the pond toward the back.  The center also boasts a couple restaurants and many local shops.  While today it is largely overlooked by chain stores, will it pick up the slack and possibly expand if Shelter Cove Mall fails? Time will only tell.  In alll, tourist-oriented development often results in some unique shopping centers, and this one is one of the more picturesque I have run across.  I am glad to show you this, since I almost passed it up.

The front of the center.  The open covered area is one of two front entrance areas.  Stein Mart is the building on the far right.  The first photo is looking along the second veranda-covered mall portion, which actually does not connect to the front.

It even has its own mall map!

Now, the map in conjunction with the main entryway.  This is still open-air.

The one thing open-air malls of any sort have over enclosed malls is the ability to provide patrons with very lush, perfect landscaping.  The fountain looks just right there as well.

Coming past the covered area, the mall area opens up into this huge courtyard surrounded by shops fronted with a covered walkway.

...and in the middle is this neat little pond with a mill wheel.  Tuesday Morning is the store on the right.  It is a little odd to see shopping carts in a place like that.  Lets hope they keep the alligator population down in that pond, though.

Continuing onward along the "mall".

Not one, but two fountains!

They also provide a bridge over the pond as long as you plan to use feet to cross it.

Can you pick out what is wrong with this picture?  If you can, your eyes aren't deceiving you.  I did not even notice it when I took it.

One final look at the courtyard.

Back in the corridor pictured in the first photo, this odd little flower bed sits to the side of the covered veranda.

The covered walkway to the right of the main entry veranda ends quite differently with this flat, transluscent cover.  The diagonal wood on the sides of the businesses speak volumes of the age of this place.  What's not to like, though?

The Mall at Shelter Cove: Hilton Head Island, SC

South Carolina fascinates me with its attempts at upscale malls.  One of the reasons for that is that for some reason, it never quite works out.  It seems the demographics must be there, or they would not build an upscale mall.  So why does it not work?  In all, three upscale malls were formed in the state: Greenville Mall, Richland Mall and Mall at Shelter Cove.  While the first two have fallen on hard times, the Mall at Shelter Cove lingers on, adjusting somewhat over the past 20 years to a not as realistic image of large crowds of Lexus and Acura owners, but definitely showing signs of struggling.  The mall itself is located actually on Hilton Head Island itself, and it is named for a cove along the marshy waterway located on the land-facing side of the island.  It is also located on US 278 Business, which functioned as mainline US 278 before the toll Carolina Bays Parkway replaced it recently.  US 278 itself terminates not far from the mall, and likely only Edgewater Mall in Mississippi is closer to the ocean.

The Mall at Shelter Cove is located in a very popular tourist area that has grown substantially over the years.  It is actually now part of the Savannah metropolitan area, oddly grouped into Georgia despite being near the heart of South Carolina Lowcountry.  Indeed, Georgians make up a substantial part of the tourism of the island, and resort development abounds on the island.  However, this development has proven a bit more midmarket than originally assumed.  Cars in the parking lot of the mall did not suggest the crowds I am accustomed to seeing at the upscale malls in Atlanta.  In fact, I am not sure if a mall is even really appropriate on the island today as tourism wanes in the off-season and the crowd is noticeably more elderly than what is needed for a viable upscale mall.

Center court strongly focuses on the spatial and elaborate vaulted ceiling treatments that provide a grand presence for an otherwise small mall.  A similar style is noted at Oglethorpe Mall in Savannah and Shannon Mall near Atlanta.  It is still uplifting nonetheless, and it captures light in such a way to minimize excess shadow.

When The Mall at Shelter Cove opened on April 18, 1988, its original anchors were Belk and Jordan Marsh.  It is not known if this was a Belk partnership store originally, and if so I cannot find any evidence.  Jordan Marsh had its only South Carolina location at the mall.  The mall itself is rather small, but somewhat elegantly designed.  The mall is surrounded by trees and lush landscaping, and it is far more shady than the usual mall in the middle of a blazing hot reservoir-sized parking lot. In fact, the main mall entrance has a thick arbor canopy covering the walkway, which is a pretty unique touch that screens the mall quite well.  The mall's developers tried very hard to create an air of elegance and beauty at the center, and the design is very eye-catching.  It is in fact one of the prettiest malls I have seen for its small size.  I also vaguely remember this mall, since I was there with family in summer 1988 eating at the Fuddrucker's next to the mall while it was still brand new.  The last is one of those weird memories you wonder why and how you still remember.

The two main concourses are quite narrow, but not suffocating and office-like like many of the 1970's malls.  This is because the vaulted ceiling treatments complete with significant natural lighting continues throughout the mall.  It gives the mall somewhat of an outdoor feel while remaining climate controlled.  The last photo is looking east while the first two are west, and it includes the soon to be closing Waldenbooks.

If I had not shown you the previous pics, this mall would not seem as interesting.  Its layout is otherwise a very basic late 70's/early 80's mall, and it is nearly identical in footprint to West Georgia Commons Mall in LaGrange, GA.

Over time, the mall saw a few changes.  Jordan Marsh disappeared in 1990, and the space was taken over by JCPenney in 1991.  JCPenney apparently was marginally successful at the mall, closing in a restructuring in 2000.  That same year, the mall was dramatically upscaled when Saks Fifth Avenue took over the space vacated by JCPenney.  Saks Fifth Avenue continued to operate at the mall until 2004, when the store was then downgraded to an Off 5th outlet as the mall was beginning to have trouble and losing stores.  Somewhere in that time, Belk also added a second location to the mall off the back of center court, which surprisingly never was considered by Parisian.  The mall also changed hands in 2004 coming under management of Petrie Ross Ventures, who lobbied the city council to allow a 12 screen theater to be added to the mall in 2008, citing it was essential to revive the ailing mall.

Anchors from east to west are shown here including the Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th Outlet (formerly JCPenney and Jordan Marsh), Belk Men's off center court and Belk Women's.  The Belk Men's is fronted by a very small food court area offering no national chains.

This one of the two rear entrance corridors seemed a little odd in the planning.  Perhaps they were both added after Belk tacked on their second store, because they just seem like an elegant hallway with no stores.

The new owners, too, were really emphasizing the importance of the theater insisting, "If the theater does not get approved, this mall will be on deadmalls.com" [1]  The plan was to try to get Saks to vacate their Off 5th store and replace it with a movie theater, whick Saks refused to do.  The city also tabled the decision, so the future looks very frightening now for the mall.  The mall has lost Ann Taylor, Crabtree & Evelyn, Bombay Co., White House Black Market and Hallmark over the past year, and the owner then stated after the loss of the theater option that the mall will inevitably decline [2].  The Waldenbooks at the mall also made the nationwide closing list, taking yet another key tenant.  All of this is unfortunately a very sad course of events for the over 20 year old center that has aged extremely well otherwise.  The city should have tried far harder than they did to save this mall with the economy in the shape it is in, and the fact that Belk just finished expanding their store proves that with the right mix the mall is still viable.  However, the lack of planning for the national retail hurricane may leave Belk the last store still standing when its blows over.

The first photo was of the front entrance court, and this is the front entrance itself.  On the left is Jos. A Bank and on the right, Talbots.  Why does Jos. A Bank abbreviate anyway when they never say that in the ads?

Just outside the front entrance is this distinct arbor and sitting area.

Looking back at the almost concealed main entrance.  The arbor worked quite well if that was their intention to hide how to get inside.

The same main entrance a bit further back in the parking lot.

Inside, the mall tenant roster reads more like a modern-day lifestyle center, though that seems to be increasingly less so.  Jos. A Bank, Banana Republic, Talbots, Williams-Sonoma and Chico's are all found within the mall.  A few more regular stores are there as well, including Waldenbooks (closing by 2010) and Victoria's Secret.  Unfortunately, these will all be gone within the next couple years if nothing is done.  What is worse is that the economy is not just affecting retail, but also wreaking total havoc on the tourist market that the mall depends on.  Despite A-list tenants, the mall has quite a few vacancies throughout, and trendy stores catering to a typical teenage crowd seem to be very limited (I noted a PacSun).  Also, and most importantly, Saks Fifth Avenue obviously was a reach for the market.  Since then, the downgrading of the store has shattered the mall's upscale image, and this is made more difficult since Saks Fifth Avenue refuses to vacate their outlet store since they are in a long-term lease.  Of course, when that lease ends will anything fill that void?  Both Belk stores, however, are doing phenomenal.  It is a strange situation overall, and the fact an island has its own mall is quite unique at that.

Saks "Off 5th" Avenue, formerly JCPenney and Jordan Marsh.  Note the labelscar in the second photo.

Belk Men's and Belk Women's, respectively.

This rear mall entrance really does not seem dated at all.  For a struggling mall, it has aged very well.

As to the mall itself, it is one of the easiest to miss malls ever.  If you were not specifically looking for it, you might mistake it for a strip mall or office building of some sort.  It also does not have any concentration of retail around it since the major retail is not concentrated anywhere due to strict city covenants.  All commercial development on the island must adhere to specific codes on overall design, and a very strict sign ordinance makes an obvious mall or business sign not possible.  Overall, trying to find a chain store in general is quite an eye strain when attempting to read small, wood engraved signs in front of buildings that do not match their normal suburban equivalents.  With that, this mall blends into the scenery almost too well.  It seems that at that, it also is quite a sleepy mall compared to major city malls such as Oglethorpe in Savannah, the Charleston malls or the over-the-top Coastal Grand Mall in Myrtle Beach.  Considering everything, I would reasonably call the mall quaint to describe this tiny boutique mall in one of the most popular, but less hyped coastal resort towns on the Atlantic seaboard.  I just hope in the future this mall is still around.

From here, the mall looks like a junior "Mall at Columbia" in Maryland.

And, of course, the sign.  This looks straight 90's to me.

[1] Faber, Jim.  "Will a movie theater be coming to a mall near you?"  Island Packet.  February 9, 2008. 
http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/story/230444.html
[2] Faber, Jim.  "Questions still linger about doomed mall theater"  Island Packet.  April 3, 2008. 
http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/story/269794.html