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 Shoppers walk to and from West Park Mall in Cape Girardeau. Despite some recent departures, mall management and national sales figures indicate that shopping centers are not on the decline. (Fred Lynch) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo] |
So what is to become of the mall?
Mall management and a local economist remain optimistic about the mall's future. Management gives few clues as to how much activity, or how serious the negotiations have been to find tenants for that end of the mall. In the past, a cluster of empty stores in one section of the mall eventually gave way to renovated spaces and successful franchises such as Old Navy and Barnes & Noble.
A new pet business on the southeast side of the mall, as well as national trends, suggest overall mall traffic is anything but dead.
Vicki Lantz, owner of Parakeet Jungle that leases space across from the former Pasta House location, said the restaurant's closure has not hurt business as much as she thought it might.
"We were busy when we moved in during late November and, while it slowed down some in January, things are picking up again," Lantz said. "I've relied on word-of-mouth some but have relied largely on the mall traffic. That's what has kept me going, and I'll be around here as long as I'm making money."
Reggie Reed, manager of Kirlin's Hallmark, said that while the store could have relocated to an outdoor shopping center, it's also chosen to stay at the mall because of the foot traffic.
"Strip centers and other locations may work for some, but for us we wouldn't get that same pull as we would if we weren't in the mall," Reed said. "We have a loyal customer base that has grown through the years, and we owe a lot of that to our being here."
While most individual stores in the mall won't divulge individual sales performances, the International Council of Shopping Centers reported an increase in sales at mall-based apparel stores. The 6.4 percent increase in January was the best performance since March 2007, which saw a 7 percent gain. Macy's reported a 3.4 percent increase and American Eagle saw a 10 percent rise in sales. However, J.C. Penney reported a 4.6 percent decline in sales.
Erin Hershkowitz, spokeswoman for the International Council of Shopping Centers, said she expects shopping malls to thrive in the future, especially in colder climates. She said malls are finding new ways to remain competitive, especially when they face increasing competition from outdoor shopping centers.
Locally, mall management has gotten creative with the vacant spaces.
In 2009 the mall temporarily leased out the 80,000-square-foot Steve & Barry's space for Little Lamb's Children's Sale and the Cape Girardeau Comic-Con.
As for new stores moving into the mall, Susan Godorov, a corporate mall spokeswoman, did not have any new activity to report.
"Like all mall owners and operators, we are carefully considering tenants and uses that would be a good fit for the mall as well as serve the local community," Godorov said. She said management continues to work with potential local, regional and national tenants to fill the anchor property, as well as looking at nontraditional uses such as events.
She also reported that 88 percent of its 512,042-square-feet of available space was occupied.
Local economist Dr. Bruce Domazlicky, director of the Small Business and Research Center at Southeast Missouri State University, thinks malls will always fill a niche.
"I think people will always be drawn to the convenience and comfort that malls offer," he said.
"Of course, malls will always face serious competition from strip shopping centers [and] discount stores such as Walmart and Target, but in the long run I believe they will fill an important niche in American retailing."
Open on March 5, 1981, West Park Mall still has a few of its original tenants including J.C. Penney, Kirlin's Hallmark, Radio Shack and General Nutrition Center. But like other shopping centers across the U.S., West Park Mall has seen tenants come and go through the years.
The Mall continues to implement new ideas such as test marketing new floor graphics placed outside Macy's department store and a contest for budding entrepreneurs that included six months of space rent-free. Godorov said West Park Mall was chosen because of its "diverse demographics."
The mall will host a new business seminar at 6 p.m. Feb. 17 where attendees will learn the costs and benefits of leasing a kiosk or space inside the mall. Seminar speakers will also discuss information about starting a new business. Reservations for the complimentary seminar can be made by calling 339-1333.
"For many people, their dream is to run their own business, be their own boss, and offer a new product or service to the community," wrote West Park Mall general manager John Dickey in a prepared statement.
"However, in this tough economy, many believe that starting their own business is too risky and requires too much capital. They can start at West Park Mall."
388-3628
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Dicks Sporting Goods in the old Venture spot? Gee, I think this is the third time I've given you a heads up...
I heard Gospeland went in next door to Penny's.
I'm glad for that!
Well it is now the Sporting Edge but the soccer part, the former Kicks, is moving out of the mall. It will be located in the West Park Village by Blockbuster.
If there was a food court; the mall may get more visits from surrounding businesses at lunch time. I miss McAlister's kiosk for tea!!!!
Empty spaces are reopened by local vendors who don't bother to put up proper signage or change store interiors. I don't think twice about skipping right by these shops. These types of shops don't appeal to me because I make assumptions, wrong or right, about the merchandise and whether or not the vendor will be around to back up the product. One thing I don't enjoy seeing are drill holes from previous stores' signs still showing and painted plywood signs attempting to cover at least part of the previous store's sign. It's hard to take the mall serious as a shopper when you see this all over. I can't imagine potential vendors taking it serious either. I won't even mention the sewer smell near the old restrooms. JCPenney exterior is pitiful, in need of some serious paint near the trim on the roof as well as on the fading facade. I love shopping, but I take my wallet to St. Louis to find more variety, as do my friends. We enjoy Dicks Sporting Goods, Coach, Gap, A & F, Abercrombie Kids, Perfumania, etc.
bargal, for the most part, our mall houses what our residents can afford, and the appearance and condition is a reflection of an attempt to keep the cost of business low. It is sad but reality.
The Little Lambs Children's Sale will be back in the Steve and Barry's space this spring. The sale will be open to the public from March 16-20.
I have not been in the area the last 5 years but here are some mall stores/restaurant suggestions that may help the economy that the mall/city should consider. These stores are doing quite well in other mid-level cities. Thus keeping the folks/income in the area versus heading to St. Louis, Paducah, Carbondale, etc:
Cabelas (Outdoors Store)
Bass Pro Shops (Outdoors Store)
Dick's Sporting Goods
Nike Outlet
P.F. Changs (Upscale Asian Cuisine)
Abercrombie & Fitch (Clothing)
Coach Outlet (Purses/Handbags)
Nine West (Women's Shoes)
California Pizza Kitchen (Upscale Pizza/Bar)
The Children's Place (Kids Clothing)
Dillard's (Dept Store)
Express (Clothing)
Fossil Outlet (Watches)
Jos. A. Bank (Men's Clothing)
Macaroni Grill (Italian Restaurant)
Men's Wearhouse (Men's Clothing)
Pottery Barn (Home Furnishings)
Ikea (Dept Store/Home Furnishings)
Great suggestions Prof!! I hope the "higher ups" at West Park Mall see your post! I too take my wallet up to St. Louis to get the variety of stores that they offer. Our mall caters to kids with a lot of "hip" stores like AE, Aero, Wet Seal, etc. The St. Louis malls offer that too, but add a variety of other stores as well so that there is something for everyone. I can't believe that over the years our mall has not expanded or adapted to fit the needs of this community, as people from all over southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois travel to Cape to shop...perhaps a small investment in growth would provide a large future return!
what about a Disney Store or bring back the music stores
Not many national retailers are expanding in these economic conditions. If they were to expand, they will target larger markets first for the best ROI. Another challenge is market growth. The trade area, while large, has not grown significantly in decades. That said, the mall will be fine once this economy rebounds.
The Disney chain of stores did so well, they went bankrupt - http://www.forbes.com/feeds/afx/2008/03/.... And who buys music at the store today? Not many people. That's why FYE is also bankrupt. I won't go through the prof's list (i.e. Abercrombie & Fitch already has a presence at the mall - they own Hollister), but with some of their financials and demographic needs, it would be tough to get them even with outstanding economic conditions.
Chick-fil-a.........
I'm thinking a Marshall's or TJ Maxx would do well in the old Steve & Barry's spot. And, oh, how I miss Chik-Fil-A and Garfield's!
A Cabela's or Bass Pro Shop would do really well in the mall and bring people in, but the smaller outdoor shops in the area would not fare so well.
I would love to see a Marshall's, TJ Maxx or Steinmart!
The lack of food is definitely a problem that needs to be addressed.
Lack of food - c'mon...you mean you don't eat a "A Different Twist"? The mall used to be soooooo cool back in the 80's. My parents would drop me off and I would eat at McDonalds, go to the movies, and play video games until the mall closed. It's was the most awesome place. Sbarros had awesome pizza. What happened to the good old days????
I heard that IKEA was moving into the old Venture location, and Ruth's Chris Steak House was going to occupy the old Past House location...
Anyone know where I could find a list of every store/business/restaurant that has every occupied a spot at West Park Mall? I remember a lot of old places that were there when I was a child and I would like to see a list just to spark a few old memories. Any help would be greatly appreciated
my_thoughts...Cape has residents (many doctors and their spouses, other well paid health care professionals, business owners, professionals, etc.) who can afford more than what the mall has to offer. Look at the number of people sending their children to private schools in this area. There is money in Cape. Very much so in comparison to our neighboring towns.
Also, if the current management of the mall is trying to attract the lower income shopper, why not have restaurants? Everyone eats out these days. Food selection at the mall is worse than some snack machines. (Ok, I may be exaggerating!)
Those people who can't afford to go to St. Louis to shop may very well be what the current mall management is seeking to attract since most shoppers (middle to upper) class is going to STL.
Which came first, the shoppers who spend more money leaving to shop elsewhere or the mall going to waste in appearance and its number of retailers?
The mall's infrastructure doesn't attract new retailers or customers. Maybe that is the goal and desire of current ownership, as you stated. Strip malls in Cape have the appearance and the retailers that other cities have within malls. Why did those strip mall retailers not choose to locate in the mall? Better terms of rent, nicer storefronts, maintenance, elec/water/etc?
Cosmo,...I remember those days...movies, variety of restaurants, arcade games. Kids spent money,as well as the parents who dropped them off for the evening. My mom would do some heavy-duty spending while I ran around on Friday nights at the mall trying to hide from her! :-)
Yes, thanks for reminding me Kate2000....Marshall's and TJ Maxx would do very good in Cape. Great suggestions.
They have vacant spaces because they charge WAY too much rent.
I wonder how some of these stores even stay open at all, I never see anyone in them..
I wish the Missourian would show the demographics of this trade area sometime so people would begin to understand a bit more of what is possible and what is a pipe dream. It could actually be an interesting story with the census coming up and all.
Semoguy,
Here are stores I can remember that have come and gone over the years:
Nine West, Gap, Maurices, Disc Jockey, and another record store that I can't remember, Venture, Famous Barr, Tobacco Lane, Paul Harris, York Steak House, Garfield's, an ice cream parlor that I can't remember, Tilt, Pinds Jewelers (then Herbst Jewelers?), Dolce's Shoes, Eddie Bauer, The Limited, Merle Norman, Waldenbooks, Casual Corner, the two-storied Burger Chef, Pier 1, Motherhood Maternity (maybe I'm wrong, but I think we had this store), Naturalizer Shoes (I think), Sbaros, Chik-Fil-A, Wehrenberg 4 Cine, Famous Barr's home furnishing store, Kaybee Toy Store, Gulliver's Travel or some travel agency.
Keep dreaming about all those stores that you listed coming to West Park Mall -- the only way the mall would ever get them is to offer free rent, and don't hold your breath for that to happen as long as the occupancy rate is 88 percent.
The mall here still offers the basics in day-to-day shopping, but if I want to spend serious money, I go to St. Louis for the day. If I want something simple or basic, I go to West Park Mall. And unless they do some major reinvestment in the facility, it will remain a simple, basic-level mall.
Semoguy, to add to bargal's list....
Swenson's, Peanut Shack, The Great Hot Dog Experience, A&W (wasn't that there at one time?), Mothercare, Robin Shoes, Camelot, Goldmine (is it still there), PassPets, Tshirt Plus, Sohn's Menswear, Gifthorse, Cinnabun (or some stinky cinnamon place), Plaza Gifts and Office Supplies, Cookies N Creme, several hair salons (can't remember their names), Chrisman's Art Gallery, Shopko, etc...
People still shop at malls?
How about keeping your chain stores and chain restaurants out of the city and letting some of the locals have a go.
Spend your money shopping and dining at your friends' and neighbors' establishments. Raze the mall, tell the giant corporate conglomerates "NO, we do not want your homogenized wasteland that looks like every other interstate pitstop" and try revitalizing a sorely depressing and sorely lacking downtown that could be attracting out-of-town dollars with unique dining & shopping experiences?
P.F. Chang's is not Asian food. It's Chinese takeout that they charge double for because it looks fancy-pants inside. The Olive Garden is not a culinary tour through Tuscany. And God forbid your kids wear a shirt that doesn't proclaim where it was purchased.
And finally: If you think IKEA is going to set up shop in cow-town Cape anytime soon...you've lost your damn mind.
Remember when Y105 (KYRX) was still in the mall? Was kind of neat to be able to walk by and see the underpaid radio monkey doing his thing. A pet store would be awesome, not to down the parakeet shop. That's a really unique thing and I hope it keeps people heading to that end of the mall; there isn't much down there now.
On a note on the parakeet shop, I was watching some teenagers who were standing at the glass and then when the lady had her back turned, would spook the birds so they would fly en-masse into her like a Hitchcock movie. Kids... don't be dicks.
What is the going rent? Is it based on square footage? How is that determined? Curious.
I used to work in a store at the mall back in 1996-97. The rent for the store where I worked was $5000.00 a month, and if you opened late the store was fined for not opening on time. I knew a girl that worked in another store on the other side of the mall from us, and the store where she worked was fined $1500.00 for opening late. The owners of the store where I worked went bankrupt, and lost two stores in St. Louis, and one in Belleville over the store at the mall.
I used to work in a store in the mall back in the 80's and a huge rocket ship blew the roof off center court and landed right in the middle of danged fountain. It was tough to count, amidst the chaos, but I would guesstimate somewhere between 10-12,000 little aliens jumped out with laser beams on their helmets and started screaming "Nobody move!" They raised everybody's rent to enormous amounts and fined everyone $2,000,000 for no reason! Turns out all they wanted were banana flavored jelly-belly's from Mr. Bulky.
Then, right before they left, they said "IKEA, Ruth's Chris, Trader Joe's, Bass Pro, and all the other stores you people talk about are never going to come to the mall."
What ink_pen, you mean Nordstrom, Dillards, PF Changs, IKEA and Bass Pro aren't coming to Cape???? I'm SOOOO shocked. Get a grip people, we live in Cape, be more realistic and stop thinking just because there is a "pocket" of wealth, that our demographics are attractive to your listed stores/restaurants - do you know what the average household income is for this area? Check it out. NOW AS FOR THOSE BANANA JELLY BELLY EATIN' ALIENS...they scare me. Thank goodness I wasn't throwing pennies in the fountain that day. I miss the fountain, bring it back! Bring it back! With goldfish and stingrays.
Kirkland's, County Seat, Glik's, Vanity, Merry-Go-Round, Gadzook's, some sort of Denim Warehouse place that was around the location of Hot Topic...was there a Calico or Connie shoes with different colored carpet squares? There were some men's stores as well, right? There were also two children's stores---was Hansel and Gretel there at one time? There was also, more recently, a country home decor store that was between Garfield's and Penneys.
I'm really stretching my memory here as some of these places existed when I was six and younger. I used to think the Cape mall was so glamorous when I was a little girl!! Ha...sadly, I skip Cape most of the time and go to St. Louis. The only non-department, clothing store that caters to my age-range is NY & Co. Just because I'm in my twenties, doesn't mean I'm in my early twenties...I need more than just club-wear!
I think we should put in an Urgent Care facility so that you can drop a loved one of at the Doctor's office and then go around the Mall while they wait to be seen. Nothing like mixing health care and shopping together. I mean it's all about money right?
Oh and I think we should have another Mexican themed restaurant too... I mean there's already Taco Bell, Qdoba, El Acapulco and El Durango within that area... lets make it 5.
The last time I was down there, I had figured they would turn the mall into a factory outlet mall...About the only thing this mall did in the 1980s was 1) run the owners of the stores on Broadway and Main out of town; and 2) nearly put the Town Plaza out of business. If you look at demographics, malls in St. Louis each serve several hundred thousand people in their service area. In Cape, there's maybe 30,000 people, and many of those people are 1) poor college students; or 2) retired. Maybe, and it's just my opinion, just maybe the average viable shopper hops on one of those $50 flights to St. louis to shop. I'm just sayin...
I have a great solution, lets just keep up the trend of Cape Girardeau and put in a bank or another gas station with a drive thru at the mall.