Re: Oak Park Mall
Posted: Sat Jul 18, 2020 11:28 pm
But it is looking for locations.
They're also closing at malls far more successful like the St. Louis Galleria, Chandler Fashion Center, and Flatirons Crossing.
I understand that. But it doesn't discount the fact that it's another major (area-exclusive) retailer that's pulling out.empires228 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 12, 2021 9:28 pmThey're also closing at malls far more successful like the St. Louis Galleria, Chandler Fashion Center, and Flatirons Crossing.
I sincerely doubt that Oak Park will go under. The era of many malls has come and gone, but the metro area absolutely has a market for at least one mall for the foreseeable future. I’d bet money on the fact that oak park will be around for a significant amount of timejbean3535 wrote: ↑Sun Mar 14, 2021 12:12 amI understand that. But it doesn't discount the fact that it's another major (area-exclusive) retailer that's pulling out.empires228 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 12, 2021 9:28 pmThey're also closing at malls far more successful like the St. Louis Galleria, Chandler Fashion Center, and Flatirons Crossing.
Town Center has been the land of the new exclusive stores for a decade now. A friend who works leasing for the Plaza told be all about how the sweet deal they had to give Tiffany's to get them from pulling out, and they're super worried about a few others heading to 119th if Nordstrom doesn't get their behind in gear on that new store. There is also somewhat of a worry about what they're going to do with the Victoria's Secret, Barnes & Noble, and Banana Republic Spaces since those companies are all on their death beds. VS and B&N would be huge blows to Oak Park and Zona Rosa as well.jbean3535 wrote: ↑Sun Mar 14, 2021 12:12 amI understand that. But it doesn't discount the fact that it's another major (area-exclusive) retailer that's pulling out.empires228 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 12, 2021 9:28 pmThey're also closing at malls far more successful like the St. Louis Galleria, Chandler Fashion Center, and Flatirons Crossing.
Looks like some things have not changed in KC. If you come to KC and generally only work around or interact with other people from JoCo, you will be trapped in a JoCo bubble. KU Med would be an example of that. It's very bizarre, but it's always been that way. JoCo people to this day still think that county is something special and that KC is Johnson County. JoCo is by far one of the most overrated places in the country, but luckily the only people that know it even exists are those that live there. You can't even watch at tourism or travel vlogger video about KC on youtube without JoCo people commenting about much better JoCo is and that JoCo is why KC exists. Cracks me up.herrfrank wrote: ↑Mon Mar 15, 2021 11:50 am FWIW a recent East Coast arrival into KC who hits all the "desirable" retail signifiers (high income, young, professional, starting a family) was SHOCKED when I took her to Halls recently. She had been told by the other young MDs that she HAD to drive to Oak Park Mall for all shopping, in particular Nordstroms. She lives near 63d and State Line, she works at KU Med, and she had grumbled to me how far it was to do her shopping.
Didn't know much about the Plaza (possibly because of COVID)
Didn't know about Crown Center
She had figured out that the "Brookside" Whole Foods was far closer than the outlet in The Fountains in OP, but she seemed generally unaware of the Brookside-Plaza-Downtown axis that many natives utilize almost exclusively.
The KC "school situation" is confusing at best (understandable)
We also visited the Nelson-Atkins, which she had heard about but had not seen.
The city needs to do a better job of advertising its offerings to the constant flux of high-income arrivals. It was I that steered her to Mission Hills as a homeowner, otherwise she might have landed in south Leawood. KC has a viable and pleasant, even luxurious, high-end experience to offer, but it is almost esoteric, only known to a small group.
I mean you get "sort of" the same vibe from NoVA toward the MD suburbs, but not quite. And NoVA seems to have a little more pride and knowledge about DC proper than JoCo does about KCMO proper. Oddly, geographically, it's very similar though where the nice VA suburbs are right next to the best parts of DC while the nice MD suburbs are much further away and on the on the other side of the less desirable parts of DC (ie Montgomery county). Just like JoCo is to KCMO vs the Jackson County and Northland suburbs.
You really have to get out into far western JOCO, Olathe, and far south JOCO to find the snobbishness that people associate with the county. As for the coworkers who are longtime residents who I mentioned above, they rarely go into Missouri anymore because there's nothing to entice them to. They took their now grown kids to the zoo hundreds of times, they've been to the Nelson hundreds of times, their favorite stores and dining options down at the Plaza died off years ago, the newer companies that they like that offer more sustainable food and clothing options are in Leawood, and when they do cross it's because the good Trader Joe's is at Ward Parkway. One was lamenting the loss of Adler's at Metcalf South the other day and it has been gone for over 30 years at this point, another Swanson's and Halls on The Plaza. Even the one who lives in MO close to the core admits that because their location doesn't provide much to entice them to explore the area they're in as everything in their area seems to be oriented towards tourists and people 20+ years younger then them with there being almost no services, shops, or dining options oriented towards everyday residents.horizons82 wrote: ↑Mon Mar 15, 2021 5:45 pm Just giving you a hard time.
While the people you’re talking about definitely exist still in JoCo, I’ve noticed there’s a lot less of it than there used to be when visiting family & friends there. Still way too much, but not like it was in the 90s or early 00s. Especially east of 35 & north of 435, those areas have started to feel more excited by being connected to the urban core instead of being resentful of it, at least post-streetcar.