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Just wondering, has Lawrence every recovered from the Lawrence massacre?

Dillard?s to close Ward Parkway Center store

Clearance items at the Ward Parkway store, 8800 Ward Parkway, are now up to 70 percent off original prices.

Dillard?s owns the building and has a lease for the ground. Ward Parkway Center expects to regain possession of the 201,574-square-foot, multistoried space in early January. Terms of that deal have not been disclosed.

I spent about $100 there last weekend and came away with a ridiculous amount of clothes.  The current set up as an outlet store seemed like an odd fit for the space.  They have line upon line of racks of clothes, sorted by type (casual shirts, knit shirts, shorts, etc), size and color.  There are no partions set up to divide it into departments or anything.  I don't think this is new to the closeout sale.  It has a true "bargain basement" feel to it.  I'm not surprised this concept didn't work in that location. 

I hope the can fill the space with a quality new tenant but I don't have high hopes given the current retail climate.  It's a huge space.

will be interesting to see what the center does with the space...if they even try to fill it.  the garage around it is crumbling and has been closed for quite some time.

not like there are a lot of new department stores popping up on the national landscape these days. 

This was the first Stix, Baer, and Fuller in KC.  They even had a restaurant on 3.

Biz journal article talking about how developers are fleeing from exurban retail development and are investing in renovating inner suburban retail centers in stable neighborhoods where there is no dependence on new housing and "growth".
http://kansascity.bizjournals.com/kansa ... 00^2475441

It mentions that RED is now in charge of Ward Parkway Center   They are looking for more tenants, specifically electronics, restaurants, and teen apparel.

dangerboy wrote:
It mentions that RED is now in charge of Ward Parkway Center   They are looking for more tenants, specifically electronics, restaurants, and teen apparel.

God forbid a company that's had success in every project they've opened take the lead with Ward Parkway. WP has to be one of the biggest wastes of space considering it used to function as a regional mall and serve strong demos in PV, Leawood, Mission Hills, Waldo, etc. before the management threw up all over themselves.

It sounds like they'll try to get Best Buy-- probably after Dillard's/SBF is demoed. Going after teen apparel is boneheaded. Bored teenagers are not the demographic they want hanging around there.

droopy wrote: I spent about $100 there last weekend and came away with a ridiculous amount of clothes.  The current set up as an outlet store seemed like an odd fit for the space.  They have line upon line of racks of clothes, sorted by type (casual shirts, knit shirts, shorts, etc), size and color.  There are no partions set up to divide it into departments or anything.  I don't think this is new to the closeout sale.  It has a true "bargain basement" feel to it.  I'm not surprised this concept didn't work in that location. 

Ten years ago, Dillards had an outlet store at the Great Mall. I don't remember when it closed, but I agree about the great deals and bargain basement feel. It reminds me of Filene's Basement or Nordstrom Rack, but with lower prices.

Trader Joes in the Dillards building?  Ok, I'm really stretching here, but wow - that would be a dream come true since it's right on my way to/from work and not too far from my house. 

Stopped by Dillard's outlet last night to see if I could find some bargains before they closed...it's already shut down.

That mall should be a gold mine.  I don't get why tenants are not in line to be there.

GRID wrote: That mall should be a gold mine.  I don't get why tenants are not in line to be there.

Was there last week.  Yeah, there are some openings but what shopping center doesn't.  The old Friday's and McAlister's spaces are open and a few others but given the economy I would say not too bad.  Plenty of cars in the lots.

GRID wrote: That mall should be a gold mine.  I don't get why tenants are not in line to be there.

racism. Its perceived as a "black mall".

Really? It's my mall and I'm white. There always seems to be a mix of people of various races there when I shop.

mudjack wrote: Really? It's my mall and I'm white. There always seems to be a mix of people of various races there when I shop.

Right. Its more perception than reality.

No argument with that.

Even if it were a black mall, I'm pretty sure that market isn't saturated. Why not cater to black people? I'm too white to know what that means, but someone could do the research.

mudjack wrote: Really? It's my mall and I'm white. There always seems to be a mix of people of various races there when I shop.

This surprises me, too.  It was my neighborhood mall before we moved, and it still basically is even though I don't live in south Waldo anymore, because I work nearby and usually stop there on my way home from work when I need to go to a mall. Never noticed it as any particular ethnic stronghold one way or another, nor have I noticed this at any of the businesses I've frequented along the State Line/Ward Parkway corridor. 

I've been shocked at the number of people who somehow think it's a "black mall"  I'm white and its been my mall since moving to Brookside, despite the seriously limited clothing selection in the Dillards there; its like they purposely catered only to aging conservative Leawood residents and not enough to the younger Waldo/Brookside crowd.  Always wondered why they didn't have the selection there that they have in other stores, probably didn't help them much.

Based on what I hear from people, it seems lot of native KCers seem to think if they see greater than 2% black patrons that the place is doomed to go the way of Bannister Mall.  Sad.  (Of course they are too polite to say it directly in this part of the country...they ask "do you feel safe there".  Huh?  As safe as I feel anywhere else, lol!  Really.)