Comments on: Welcome, Wall Street Journal Readers

By: Mark Y

Mark Y — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 02:33:40 +0000

Does anyone have any old pictures or info about Trumball Shopping Plaza from the 1970s, it was the favorite mall of my childhood, in Trumball, CT … it had themed areas, like a Disney World of shopping. Also I was just in Pittsburgh and visited the Century III mall and it was so fascinating and massive, it must have been something in the 1980s but really looks like it is sliding fast. It was so massive that I wonder if it was built on some reclaimed industrial site or something. I live in Philadelphia near The Gallery and was researching info on that site and didn’t see mentioned anywhere one reason that it has become such a mess slowly over the last two decades that retailers dont want to locate there since it is the shoplifiting capital of the world!

By: mallguy

mallguy — Wed, 27 May 2009 19:11:23 +0000

@SEAN, (and Jonah)

I’ll just do the whole list even though you guys got a few

1. Paramus Park
2. Garden State Plaza
3. Bergen Town Center
4. Shops @ Riverside
(all the Bergen Co malls are preparing for the opening of Xanadu…when/if it does…it was just delayed again)
5. Rockaway Townsquare
6. Livingston Mall
7. Menlo Park
8. Freehold Raceway Mall
9. Monmouth Mall (new B&N is coming up quickly. Now it needs to be renovated)
10.Ocean County Mall
11. Cherry Hill Mall
12. Voorhees Town Center
13. Hamilton Mall
14. Woodbridge Center (Dick’s (then Galyan’s) came up 5 years ago and was a new building)
15. The Walk

Willowbrook got Bloomies as a result of Sterns closing (and better stores as a result of Bloomingdales), removed the fountain under the escalators and got rid of the floor lamps.

Malls soon to renovate/expand:
1. Marketfair
2. Quaker Bridge Mall
3. Deptford (maybe???)
4. Moorestown (maybe???)

Plus Pier Shops @ Caesar’s is new, as is the Jersey Shore Premium Outlets off GSP Exit 100, which despite a lack of dining options, is proving to be successful (and could take away from Monmouth Mall). Overall, properties in NJ are doing a good job.

By: SEAN

SEAN — Wed, 27 May 2009 13:22:06 +0000

WSJ! Way to go!

By: SEAN

SEAN — Wed, 27 May 2009 13:16:57 +0000

@Jonah Norason,

1. GSP
2. Willowbrook
3. Menlo Park
4. Paramus Park
5. Bridgewater Commons
6. Rockaway Town Square
7. Livingston
Sorry I cant remember the others, it’s driving me crazy.

By: PB

PB — Wed, 27 May 2009 08:32:24 +0000

Why don’t we start developing malls like what they were originally intended to be, and I’m talking from Gruen’s original point of view? Gruen himself once said that the malls that he originally intended on creating has become soulless bastards of development. There may be a dwindling amount of retailers but when you look at most malls, they are pretty much all the same stores. When the first malls were developed, they contained tenants that would be overlooked upon in today’s world. Supermarkets, post offices, ice rinks… we’ve eliminated all of those to make these cathedrals of commerce identical to each other. It’s like stripping a brand new car of its exclusive interior features and making them the same as every other car make and model.

By: Jonah Norason

Jonah Norason — Wed, 27 May 2009 02:00:56 +0000

@mallguy, Could you list those 14? OK, there’s Bergen Town Center (formerly Bergen Mall), Freehold Raceway Mall, Cherry Hill Mall, and…?

By: SEAN

SEAN — Tue, 26 May 2009 23:28:50 +0000

@SEAN, As a footnote; took two trips to Forest Hills Queens this month & discovered an area called Forest Hills Gardens. A 142-acher onclave just south of Queens Boulevard & Contenental Avenue. Although QB is a 12-lane roadway that is extremely difficult to cross, you can go under it via the subway.

A block away is austin street where along with QB & 71st Avenue have most of the local shopping.

The Gardens begin at Station Square just beyond the LIRR stop. Here you will find a mix of townhouses, single family homes & several apartment buildings all but one of wich are Co-Opertives.

Hint on how to mix retail & residential correctly.

By: J-Man

J-Man — Mon, 25 May 2009 00:33:44 +0000

@Russ,
“The only free country in the world”? Really?

By: SEAN

SEAN — Sun, 24 May 2009 21:25:24 +0000

@mallguy,
I don’t buy the race arguement either. It came down to create a false way of thinking. Cars= freadom-therefor sprawl was allowed to thrive & we are seeing some of the effects of it now. Poor health in the younger generations who cant even walk to the grocery store because of to many 6-lane roadways that cant be crossed safely. Where are you going to put all of these cars that need to travel to do the most basic things in life.

By: mallguy

mallguy — Sun, 24 May 2009 01:10:01 +0000

Caldor: I do agree that the “sameness” that is in many of the malls has led to their downfall. But I would also add to that and say that it has to do with the mall manager’s inability to update the mall with the times (e.g. Woodbridge Center, Monmouth Mall). Here in NJ, we have a glut of malls (hey many say we perfected them here in the Northeast) and the reason they have stayed successful is because they have been constantly updated, expanded and kept current. In the past 5 years, at least 14 malls in NJ have been either expanded, renovated or remerchandised. Those 14 will be successful as a result, are better off after the changes and will better be able to weather new competition down the road (e.g. Meadowlands Xanadu)

Sean: Inaccessibility was talked about in the 1950s/60s when malls were starting to be built and killed downtowns. New highways and Interstates were built and the malls would be located along these roads. Towns like in NJ like Paramus, East Brunswick, Montville, Parsippany, Edison and Cherry Hill did (and do) not have downtowns so the local mall acted as the downtown. The place where they were located brought about the lack of access issues. In her book A Consumers’ Republic author Lizabeth Cohen attempts to tie this in with defacto segregation that occurred in the Northeast at this time, as well as the racist tendencies of many of that time. While I don’t necessarily buy into that theory, Cohen attempts to make the argument. Those without a car were shut out until buses ran to these malls.

Today, we’re seeing the return of downtowns (at least here in NJ) as an answer to malls, as well as to keep buisness and money in their towns. Malls need to follow the steps of Garden State Plaza, Menlo Park, Tysons Corner, King of Prussia and Burlington Mall, then they will survive.