bchris02

I agree. Little Rock is overdue for a competitor to Dillard's. If not Macy's, maybe Von Maur or a second Belk location. Personally I think Von Maur would be better suited for Promenade at Chenal but it could happen at McCain Mall. Von Maur recently opened at Quail Springs Mall in OKC. Quail Springs Mall is much like McCain mall. It's the city's "second" mall and its not yet dying or struggling but there are definite warning signs. Von Maur coming in should ensure the Mall's survival.

There were a lot of concerns when the Promenade was first built that it would fail due to being so far out on the suburban fringes of the metro area. In hindsight, does that fear look to be realized? Developments like this have been successful in other cities such as Charlotte, but as neighborhood shopping centers rather than a destination. If it wasn't for the few exclusive tenants the Promenade at Chenal has, my guess is it would be in trouble. Not sure how much new residential construction is happening in that area, but for it to be a neighborhood shopping center it will need more population density surrounding it. If it's to be a destination, it needs an anchor.

I would say the issue has mostly corrected itself over the past few years. Little Rock no longer has the dearth of trendy shopping compared to its peers that it once did. The only thing really lacking is a Macy's or Von Maur. I still think the retail scene is in overall worse shape than it would have been had Summit Mall been built but it isn't really that bad. To put it in perspective, OKC doesn't have much that Little Rock doesn't despite being twice the size. There are a few big names like The Container Store, that are in Little Rock but aren't in OKC. Put a department store anchor in the Promenade and Little Rock is no longer behind its peers in any way on the retail front.

The Promenade currently has enough unique, destination stores to keep it relevant i.e. Apple, J. Crew, the metro's only IMAX theater. What it really needs though is a department store anchor such as the Dillard's that was originally planned but cancelled due to the 2008 recession, or something new to the market like Macy's or Von Maur.

Glad to see this project finally coming online. It seems like shopping in Little Rock has drastically improved over the last few years with Park Avenue, Promenade at Chenal finally coming into its own, and now this.

Agreed. Most people where I am from confuse Charlotte with Charleston, SC for some reason. I got bombarded with texts and calls during Hurricane Irene asking if I was okay when in fact we didn't even get a drop of rainfall in Charlotte. Charlotte, while truly is a great place to live and work, is but a pass-through city for most people so it really isn't on their radar. Cities like Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Miami, etc are all destination cities.

Most people outside the Southeast don't know what state Charlotte is in. People back home all the time ask me how I am doing in "South Carolina".

Did Roxy C. Moorecox really say Charlotte was a big pineapple? I didn't attend pride but I heard that was said.

Thats good to hear. Apple is a HUGE step in the right direction for this mall. Now, if they can just lure H&M into the old Border's space it can definitely become Charlotte's "2nd" mall.

It looks like Borders may not survive the year. Another retailer devoured by Amazon that will cost 18,000 jobs nationwide and people are cheering it on as progress.

I disagree. I know several people in their mid-20s who still wear these brands casually. Of course not to the club, but to the gym and/or just out and about there is nothing wrong with these brands.

Agreed. When I lived in Little Rock, I wasn't impressed with Dillard's at all and never shopped there. The Park Plaza store is so disorganized, run down, packed full of junk, and some of the staff is extremely unfriendly to top it off. The McCain store the last time I was in there looked more like a JC Penney. Here in Charlotte, Dillard's is like an entirely different store. It's actually nicer than Macy's if you can believe it. Its no wonder people in Little Rock don't really care for Dillard's. They have their HQ in Little Rock but other than that they have basically given their home market the middle finger. Dillard's also doesn't give back to the local community the way Alltel/Windstream and Axciom do.

This and the Promenade at Chenal came online right at the time the economy collapsed in 2008. This problem really isn't unique to Little Rock. Shopping centers that were not leased by December 2007 are still struggling to this day. There is a huge one down the street from where I live in Charlotte, completely empty. It is directly across the street from a thriving power center anchored by a Best Buy, Costco, World Market, Old Navy, and Lowe's, so it has nothing to do with being a declining area. Its the fact the center came online in 2008 when business all but stopped expanding. Little Rock is lucky to see the Promenade at Chenal slowly coming back to life. That is almost certainly because Little Rock is a vastly under-served retail market as opposed to cities like Charlotte which have TOO MUCH retail for the population to support. I fear most retail developments from that time period will eventually have to be redeveloped into either offices or residential (or mixed use). It will be interesting to see what happens when/IF the economy ever recovers. As for Shackleford Crossings, what stores would work there? I have always thought Goody's, Sally's Beauty Supply, Supercuts, Dollar Tree, maybe a Christian bookstore, Gamestop, etc would be the type of stuff that would work there.

I don't think the old Cohn location at McCain Mall was big enough for a Macy's. I don't know how many people in Little Rock realize this, but the Dillard's stores in Little Rock are not near as nice and well kept as stores in other markets where Dillard's has competition with Macy's, Nordstrom, etc. When I worked for Dillard's I was surprised the Park Plaza location was called their "flagship" location, as it is nowhere near the nicest Dillard's in the chain. Some competition coming in would be great for the Little Rock retail market. Not only would there be more choices but Dillard's would be forced to show some pride in their home market.

Are teens/college students still wearing A&F? 10 years ago in many schools it was so popular you were outcasted if you didnt wear it.