Mall Madness: We’re All Toys R Us Kids! Edition
This week in mall news!
Youth Talent Show Lights Up Stage at Town Center Mall (WSAZ)
In a short-but-sweet spotlight on the youth talent show at Charleston, West Virginia’s Town Center Mall, WSAZ reported that the winner was Sophie Alexander. In what was an unfortunate dearth of reporting, we are left wondering what Sophie Alexander’s talent was and the sort of competition she was up against. All we know? “There were police motorcycles and a special car on hand for kids to check out too.”
Toys R Us Stores Close Permanently Today
Toys R Us eulogies have been dominating my retail lovers Facebook groups for months now! This is a heartbreak we’re ALL having a hard time dealing with. I’ve been wondering why we’re all so sad about this, and besides being a generation obsessed with nostalgia, I think it’s because toy stores are a dying breed. There is some truly sweet (and bittersweet) news coming out on the last day, today, June 29, that Toys R Us stores will be open.
There’s the news out of Raleigh, North Carolina, that an anonymous donor has bought $1 million worth of toys on the final day of business. There’s the photo of Geoffrey the Giraffe with a small roller suitcase, standing among empty shelves. There’s the speculation about what will happen to the over 700 Toys R Us storefronts that will be left empty. And finally, there’s the message Toys R Us itself left for all of us: “Don’t ever grow up. Play on!”
Can the Northgate Mall Make a Comeback?
Save this mall!! KLFY out of Lafayette, Louisiana, is wondering if Northgate Mall, a “hotspot” for shoppers that opened in 1969, can make a comeback. “There are currently a number of vacant spots and a number of national franchises have left,” they report. “But there is a push from some to rejuvenate the once prosperous retail hub.” One tenant moved into the mall to appeal to senior citizens. “I moved in because elderly could not come to my store but everybody can come into the mall,” they said. Here, here!
It’s Time to Imagine the Mall of the Future!
The answer, maybe, to all these articles wondering what can save malls is being explored by Foursquare, WWD writes, in their report, “Surviving the Retail Apocalypse: Foursquare’s How-to Guide for Designing the Mall of the Future.” Things to avoid, according to this report? Hobby, game, toy (aww), and music stores. The recipe for success? “At mid-range malls, bars — especially sports bars, movie theaters and arcades — most notably Dave & Busters — correlate with more visitors.”
October 22, 2019
In "Features"
