KCRag Forum

If everyone is going out of business then how long will those deals last?

And not everyone shops in JOCO or pays high prices for clothing.

Sussudio wrote: If everyone is going out of business then how long will those deals last?

And not everyone shops in JOCO or pays high prices for clothing.

New places go in there all the time but only last a couple months.

KansasCityCraka wrote: New places go in there all the time but only last a couple months.

For you old school Easj Jack-ers, this mall reminds of a slightly cleaned-up but much bigger version of Wild Woody's Bargain Barn.  Some bargains, some not-so-great-deals, some junk, "interesting" clientele, and a steadily changing set of retailers.

I guessed if it closed, there would be no where for the Olathe/Gardner skater/punk/emo/goth set to hang out

Fear and Loathing in the Great Mall. That place is a trip....

This mall could have been what the Legends is.  I can't think of a property more mismanaged than the great mall.  What a total waste.  Maybe the new owners will rip out the puke wizard of oz themed carpet and other weird crap and build the entertainment portion of the mall like the Mills mall in St Louis so the mall is an actual “destination”.

“Great Mall of the Great Plains”.  “buses of people from all over the Midwest will flow into this mall, “KC’s Mall of America”.

What a total and complete joke.

I swear to god, I think these out of town companies that build and run developments like this are using people that ran a sonic or something before getting into commercial development.

Anybody on this forum could have done more with that mall and that location than they did.

GRID wrote: This mall could have been what the Legends is.  I can't think of a property more mismanaged than the great mall.  What a total waste.  Maybe the new owners will rip out the puke wizard of oz themed carpet and other weird crap and build the entertainment portion of the mall like the Mills mall in St Louis so the mall is an actual “destination”.

“Great Mall of the Great Plains”.  “buses of people from all over the Midwest will flow into this mall, “KC’s Mall of America”.

What a total and complete joke.

I swear to god, I think these out of town companies that build and run developments like this are using people that ran a sonic or something before getting into commercial development.

Anybody on this forum could have done more with that mall and that location than they did.

and you really believe that the legends at strip mall west will not suffer a very similar fate in due time??

KC0KEK wrote: A bra superstore?

It's regrettable that this thread came to my attention 4 years late, because this just may be the idea that will save the mall.

A superbra superstore.  Oh yes indeed.

kcdcchef wrote: and you really believe that the legends at strip mall west will not suffer a very similar fate in due time??

Oh, yea, with that location?  Shit, I gave it ten years 3 years ago.  Counting down....

The Legends will crash harder than bannister and great mall did.  Not enough people, horrible demographics, horrible visibility, extremely low traffic volumes, especially from out of town pass throughs, and extreme competition coming online in much more populated areas of town.

It will be a has been by 2012.  The strip malls with survive though.  Walmart, Target etc.  But look for Dave & Busters and Trex and places like that to be gone within 7 years.

I'm not saying I want that to happen, that's just my prediction.

And no amount of casinos and waterparks will change it.  Western WyCo needs about 200,000-300,000 more "middle class" residents to support that mall when the rest of the city quits going there.

GRID wrote: Oh, yea, with that location?  Shit, I gave it ten years 3 years ago.  Counting down....

The Legends will crash harder than bannister and great mall did.  Not enough people, horrible demographics, horrible visibility, extremely low traffic volumes especially from out of town pass through and extreme competition coming online in much more populated areas of town.

It will be a has been by 2012.  The strip malls with survive though.  Walmart, Target etc.  But look for Dave & Busters and Trex and places like that to be gone within 7 years.

I'm not saying I want that to happen, that's just my prediction.

that is the thing that kills me about the wyco cheerleaders on this site. the way that dumbass place was designed makes no sense. designed no better, actually worse, then places that had better traffic flow ( blue ridge, bannister )

10 years tops. it will still be there. just with places like target, kmart, antique sampler places, etc.

kcdcchef wrote: and you really believe that the legends at strip mall west will not suffer a very similar fate in due time??

I think the two malls are two completely different animals.  I may be somewhat foggy on the Olathe mall but when it was first proposed it was to be a full fledge mall like BM, BRM, IC, MN, and so on.  When they couldn't get the front line retailers to sign up the concept was converted to outlet mall, which was the "hot" new thing at the time.  Of course we know how outlets malls survive around here.  The one by the river in Lawrence is now offices I believe.  The other further north in Lawrence is probably closed or has changed its tenant mix.  The one east on I-70 seems to be surviving but locally it does not advertise like it did when it first opened so it probably depends on the locals and people who pass by on the highway.  So for the Olathe Mall to survive for as long as it has it has done OK.  Notice, I said OK and not great or any other great complimentary word.

It would appear that outlet malls have a greater chance to survive when a large number of tourists are around.  The ones by the Lake of the Ozarks appear to do pretty good.  Two of the three in Branson also appear to do quite well, the third one is more isolated and further away from the main activity so its performance is probably more like the Olathe Mall.

Funny thing about retail though.  One never really knows whether a location will do rather well, or just enough to survive, or will bomb.  VW has much going for it and at the same time some things going against it.  And the same could be said for P&L.  Can the stores generate the sales to pay the rent?  Are the store owners strong enough nationally so that even if the local store does well it isn't enough to pick up the slack in the other stores of the chain?

If KC downtown has a lock on being successful why were not developers beating down the doors trying to get in?  Why aren't retailers beating down the doors now trying to get a store in? 

When the mall opened in 1997 I was not impressed by it at all.  It was so far out, there was not enough rooftops to the south, southwest, and west to support a 1 million s.f. enclosed center.
It seemed like a large tin building with a few fancy graphics and facades.
Not to mention the era of the outlet mall in other parts of the country were beginning to fade.
Coming from DFW it appeared to be a cheap imitation of Grapevine Mills (or one of the other "Mills" stores)
It really did not have much a theme or plan.  It was crowded for about six months then things slacked off from there.

I hope the new owners rebuilds it into something more marketable.  Olathe could use another major center with retailers like Macy's, Penney's, Dillards, etc. like the new center in OPK and Lees Summit.  It does not need this 90s eyesore.

KansasCityCraka wrote: New places go in there all the time but only last a couple months.

What kind of places are these? Are these the kind of stores that were at Bannister Mall before it closed?

As far as the Legends goes, I've gone out there several times because a favorite store of mine is located there. However, it's usually not worth the trip for me. There's nothing special there that I can't find closer to home. Perhaps it serves WYCO just fine, but not KCMO.

There is no comparison between The Great Mall and The Legends. I think a closer  comparison can be found in the Great Mall and The Power and Light Downtown Strip Mall.

GRID wrote: Oh, yea, with that location?  Shit, I gave it ten years 3 years ago.  Counting down....

The Legends will crash harder than bannister and great mall did.  Not enough people, horrible demographics, horrible visibility, extremely low traffic volumes, especially from out of town pass throughs, and extreme competition coming online in much more populated areas of town.

It will be a has been by 2012.  The strip malls with survive though.  Walmart, Target etc.  But look for Dave & Busters and Trex and places like that to be gone within 7 years.

I'm not saying I want that to happen, that's just my prediction.

And no amount of casinos and waterparks will change it.   Western WyCo needs about 200,000-300,000 more "middle class" residents to support that mall when the rest of the city quits going there.

Completely disagree.  With Schitterbaun, the destination casino and the speedway, I see this area booming even more over the next 5-7 years.

KC_JAYHAWK wrote: Completely disagree.  With Schitterbaun, the destination casino and the speedway, I see this area booming even more over the next 5-7 years.

oh GRID and I both agree, it will be booming in 7 years, with rednecks and hillbillies shopping at target, kmart, walmart, antique sampler shoppes, and aldi.

kcdcchef wrote: oh GRID and I both agree, it will be booming in 7 years, with rednecks and hillbillies shopping at target, kmart, walmart, antique sampler shoppes, and aldi.

Keep the hillbillies out of KS.....they can stay in Missoura.

justin8216 wrote: There is no comparison between The Great Mall and The Legends. I think a closer  comparison can be found in the Great Mall and The Power and Light Downtown Strip Mall.

You just might be right there Justin.
A quick google of nearby amenities & attractions supports your fair and accurate logic.

Kansas Tourism website - their best photo


Wiki Nearest Places
Kansas Speedway 17.84 miles


DC3 at The Airline History Museum 21 miles


Arrowhead Stadium 22 miles


Holiday Inn Olathe-Great Plains Mall "Area"


Sleep Inn Olathe - within walking distance


State of Kansas Tourism information (page blank - not kidding!) lol not unlike the whole state
http://www.greatmallgreatplains.com/inf ... mation.cfm

The Power and Light Downtown "Strip Mall"

Attractions/Amenities (walking distance)
Sprint Center
College BB Hall of Fame
Kansas City Repertory Theater
Live Music Amphitheater
Folly Theater
Music Hall
Bartle Hall
100+ restaurants/nightclubs
Crossroads Art District
Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
....on and on and on

I too was absolutely unimpressed by the Great Mall of the Plains when it opened and at every subsequent visit.  I was, however, pretty impressesed by the Legends for what it is.  I believe it will be around and will do well as long as the frequent and unlimited auto commute remains the unchallenged paradigm in Kansas City.  Although there is obviously a lack of middle/upper class support in the surrounding residential areas, Juco is not that far away.  The presence of NFM, Cabella's, Schlitterbahn will do nothing but ensure people travel good distance to get here.  The only thing that is going to slow down the Legends in the forseeable future would be the duplication of the same attractions in Joco.  Unlikely.  They have established enough economy of scale out there to make it a long term destination.  

I don't think you guys realize how much of a population base it takes to support a development like the Legends long term.

The speedway does nothing for retail out there, very little anyway.  Schlitt and the casinos will each have massive retail components of their own.

How on earth do you think a mostly rural area of the city is going to support 2, 3 or even 4 million sq ft of retail when newer developments open in the Northland, Lenexa, OP, Independence etc where there are far more people, a shit ton more highway traffic etc?

It's an honest question.  WyCo needs to really start pushing rooftops now to protect that investment, just like downtown needs to do everything in their power to bring in new residents, businesses and conventions.  Downtown is in the same boat, they don’t have the critical mass of employees, residents and tourists yet either to support 1-2 million sq ft of retail and restaurants in the Loop to Crown Center corridor.  The PAC, Sprint and Barlte will go a long way, but will not be enough to sustain the foot traffic downtown needs to thrive.