Orlando Fashion Square [Renovation in Progress]

[jgardnerucf]

Skateboarding the Burdine's wall was badassery at it's finest!

[spenser1058]

4 minutes ago, jgardnerucf said:

Skateboarding the Burdine's wall was badassery at it's finest!

Woohoo!

[codypet]

@spenser1058.  It was........murder

 

I'm gonna guess Mr. Lampert with the private equity firm in the Boardroom.

[spenser1058]

4 hours ago, codypet said:

@spenser1058.  It was........murder

 

I'm gonna guess Mr. Lampert with the private equity firm in the Boardroom.

For Sears, yes. They invested in Prodigy with IBM but it wasn’t enough - closing catalog just as Amazon came along was stupid . Mail order should have been the basis for online.

They also needed to get out of the mall to compete with Home Depot and Walmart/Target.

They also got distracted by Sears Financial Services when they needed to concentrate on retail. 

Eddie just made everything worse since he never understood the value of the Sears name and as is typical with PEFs, just sucked the profits out of the remaining assets.

 For OFS, closing the Navy Base, more competition and a mini-recession they never came back from. For @jgardnerucf , Mayor Glenda’s skate park...

Edited June 3, 2020 by spenser1058

[orlandoguy]

That’s two (department stores) down at OFS. Who’s next?

“JCPenney at Orlando Fashion Square mall slated to close”

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-bz-jcpenney-orlando-fashion-square-closes-20200605-esirzryhpfdopnzz6dnkmo7rvq-story.html

[spenser1058]

6 hours ago, orlandoguy said:

That’s two (department stores) down at OFS. Who’s next?

“JCPenney at Orlando Fashion Square mall slated to close”

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-bz-jcpenney-orlando-fashion-square-closes-20200605-esirzryhpfdopnzz6dnkmo7rvq-story.html

Other Central Florida closings include Lake Wales, Sebring and @dcluley98 ‘s onetime stomping grounds in Bradenton. One of the most significant closings is Tampa’s West Shore Plaza. The Penney’s there was an original anchor going back to the 1960’s in what was once the city’s premier mall.

[codypet]

9 hours ago, orlandoguy said:

That’s two (department stores) down at OFS. Who’s next?

“JCPenney at Orlando Fashion Square mall slated to close”

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-bz-jcpenney-orlando-fashion-square-closes-20200605-esirzryhpfdopnzz6dnkmo7rvq-story.html

Has the theater reopened?  I would suspect that would be next.  Then Macy's and then the Giant Papaya that's there.  Followed by Auntie Anne's and McBurger.

 

That said when we had baby codypet's birth photos done at that JCPenney, I wandered around the store a bit and it was very reminiscent of Sears currently in the Florida Mall or any other Sears that's about to close.  displays of like 5 times taking up a ton of space, whole corridors with no people or merchandise.

Edited June 5, 2020 by codypet

[spenser1058]

42 minutes ago, codypet said:

Has the theater reopened?  I would suspect that would be next.  Then Macy's and then the Giant Papaya that's there.  Followed by Auntie Anne's and McBurger.

 

That said when we had baby codypet's birth photos done at that JCPenney, I wandered around the store a bit and it was very reminiscent of Sears currently in the Florida Mall or any other Sears that's about to close.  displays of like 5 times taking up a ton of space, whole corridors with no people or merchandise.

Given that AMC, the biggest in the business, is looking at bankruptcy, I suspect the OFS theater is on thin ice.

The Macy’s has a very favorable lease going until 2023, so we may have a while yet for it.

Is the Dillard’s still open? I believe they’re down to one floor and it’s a clearance center,  not a regular store, so wouldn’t be shocked for it to go.

That was a very odd layout for the JCPenney from the get-go. I liked it for the easy access to the garage but not much else.

Oddly, the West Oaks store had a much nicer layout and the displays and furnishings were much nicer, at least when it opened.

I started back shopping at Penney when they got American Living (Ralph Lauren went slumming but the quality was really high - I still have some of the towels, shirts and shorts 12 years later). Once Ron Johnson ditched AL, I was out of there.

Now that Target has moved a notch upscale and has Levi’s, it’s my go-to store. For other clothes, I’m back at Brooks Brothers (which is looking for a buyer) and I just wait for the annual sale at Nordstrom to get my New Balance.

Edited June 5, 2020 by spenser1058

[orlandoguy]

I started back shopping at Penney when they got American Living (Ralph Lauren went slumming but the quality was really high - I still have some of the towels, shirts and shorts 12 years later). Once Ron Johnson ditched AL, I was out of there.

I’m probably one of the very few people on the planet who can say it, but ironically Ron Johnson’s changes to JCP were the thing that got me to step into one of their stores for the first time since I was a kid in the early 90s - specifically the improvements to the home & furniture assortment.

I know the change in vision was jarring to the traditional JCP shopper. However, I think RJ had a long term plan that could have improved JCP’s fortunes had he been given the time & resources to execute it fully (headwinds for the department store category in general not withstanding).

[spenser1058]

27 minutes ago, orlandoguy said:

I’m probably one of the very few people on the planet who can say it, but ironically Ron Johnson’s changes to JCP were the thing that got me to step into one of their stores for the first time since I was a kid in the early 90s - specifically the improvements to the home & furniture assortment.

I know the change in vision was jarring to the traditional JCP shopper. However, I think RJ had a long term plan that could have improved JCP’s fortunes had he been given the time & resources to execute it fully (headwinds for the department store category in general not withstanding).

Ron Johnson had the right idea but the hubris was appalling. He never tried to bring the culture onboard and then move it in the right direction. When he started Apple Store from scratch, that wasn’t a problem (the only buy-in he needed was from Steve Jobs).

With a well-regarded 100-year old company, that dog wouldn’t hunt. He didn’t even bother to move to Plano. He also failed to roll out the changes in phases to prove they would work.

All in all, an epic management fail. As FDR noted, it’s tragic to be a leader and look over your shoulder only to find no one’s following.

A good comparison of how he could have done it is to look at Brian Cornell, the CEO of Target. He’s beloved by his team members because he has included them every step of the way. When the iconic business book of this period in retailing is written, he’ll be on the cover.

(One little irony - Ron Johnson was a Target alum.)

Edited June 5, 2020 by spenser1058

[JFW657]

When I was in college, I worked for all three of "The Big 3" retailers at varying times, for about 12 to 15/16 months each.

Montgomery Ward then JCPenney and then Sears.

Back then, each one seemed to excel in one area of "hard lines" merchandise.

MW was best at lawn & garden equipment. Mowers, riding mowers, etc.

JCP was best at electronics like stereos & TV's.

Sears was, of course best at paint & hardware, especially hand tools.

[spenser1058]

4 minutes ago, JFW657 said:

When I was in college, I worked for all three of "The Big 3" retailers at varying times, for about 12 to 15/16 months each.

Montgomery Ward then JCPenney and then Sears.

Back then, each one seemed to excel in one area of "hard lines" merchandise.

MW was best at lawn & garden equipment. Mowers, riding mowers, etc.

JCP was best at electronics like stereos & TV's.

Sears was, of course best at paint & hardware, especially hand tools.

The West Colonial Monkey Ward did have an amazing garden center (including all kinds of mowers).

Then, in 1982, Penney abandoned hard lines almost as quickly as they got in (the big guy, James Cash himself, had no use for them, so they had to wait ‘til he was out- the 1960 downtown Penney’s had no space for hard goods; at Christmas, they sold toys on the loading dock - by 1964, the WP Mall store had all lines; it was the first in the South with that format). After ‘82, they only sold hard goods in the catalog

[JFW657]

18 minutes ago, spenser1058 said:

The West Colonial Monkey Ward did have an amazing garden center (including all kinds of mowers).

Then, in 1982, Penney abandoned hard lines almost as quickly as they got in (the big guy, James Cash himself, had no use for them, so they had to wait ‘til he was out- the 1960 downtown Penney’s had no space for hard goods; at Christmas, they sold toys on the loading dock - by 1964, the WP Mall store had all lines; it was the first in the South with that format). After ‘82, they only sold hard goods in the catalog

I worked in the garden center at MW in Cocoa.

We had a nursery and all. 

On Saturdays when they'd run an ad in the Today (now Florida Today) Newspaper for fertilizer, grass seed, mulch and/or pine bark, we'd open an hour earlier than the rest of the store. There were four guys in the dept and we'd all be outside all day loading those heavy bags in customers' cars.

Being young and fit, we enjoyed it. 

My mom worked there at the same time I did, so it's kinda nice thinking back, that I got to work with my mom for awhile.

Worked with my dad too, at the Piper Aircraft plant down in Vero Beach, a couple of years earlier.

[spenser1058]

22 minutes ago, JFW657 said:

I worked in the garden center at MW in Cocoa.

We had a nursery and all. 

On Saturdays when they'd run an ad in the Today (now Florida Today) Newspaper for fertilizer, grass seed, mulch and/or pine bark, we'd open an hour earlier than the rest of the store. There were four guys in the dept and we'd all be outside all day loading those heavy bags in customers' cars.

Being young and fit, we enjoyed it. 

My mom worked there at the same time I did, so it's kinda nice thinking back, that I got to work with my mom for awhile.

Worked with my dad too, at the Piper Aircraft plant down in Vero Beach, a couple of years earlier.

*sings: “GE - we bring good things to life” - except Monkey Ward, we killed them*
 

It’s also odd to ponder Mobil owned MW at one point - maybe that helped with the auto  center (when they still had one).

TODAY “Florida’s Space Ave Newspaper”

I remember when Gannett decided Brevard residents would pay for both local news and national news (with the new USA Today) and was shocked they’d pay twice for what they had been getting in one paper. The Sentinel was happy - they increased their Brevard subscriptions.

Meanwhile, there was a time you were looking “smarter than ever” at JCPenney:

https://youtu.be/T_N9qiDTr0c

And, speaking of hard goods:

https://youtu.be/VX6SPkN-GFQ

It seems odd to think of buying a battery at JCPenney.. although what used to be the Penney auto center at WP Mall is still there, though you wouldn’t know it.

Edited June 5, 2020 by spenser1058

[spenser1058]

This Orlando Sentinel article looks at the state of local malls. Chuck Whittall predicts “open-air experiential” Center to replace OFS will open in 2022.

Meanwhile, it notes Macy’s, the 1-story Dillard’s Clearance Center and the theater are all still in place.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/coronavirus/jobs-economy/os-bz-coronavirus-orlando-malls-20200608-3rgg7tmheffx3avjzhfqodypmi-story.html

[popsiclebrandon]

Nothing better than having to constantly go back outside to visit other stores in the heat, humidity, and storms of Florida.

[spenser1058]

20 minutes ago, popsiclebrandon said:

Nothing better than having to constantly go back outside to visit other stores in the heat, humidity, and storms of Florida.

Developers like it because it reduces energy costs. Shoppers like it because, over the years, malls became totally banal as they were reduced to the least common denominator. Also, parking is often easier in lifestyle centers to get to a specific retailer.

[JFW657]

3 hours ago, popsiclebrandon said:

Nothing better than having to constantly go back outside to visit other stores in the heat, humidity, and storms of Florida.

If they could build a high, stylish looking shade canopy over the walkways between the stores it would go a long way towards making the experience more bearable.

Colonial Plaza is horrible in the summer.

I don't even go there during this time of year.

[spenser1058]

Dead Mall Walking:

From Orlando Streets

Edited August 11, 2020 by spenser1058

[codypet]

15 minute drive from downtown?  How are people driving so slow?

Also that karate picture is my favorite.

Also gotta love McBurger!

Dang! I didn't realize the closed off the portion of the mall that took you to where Sears used to be.  That still makes me angry all these years later.

Edited August 12, 2020 by codypet

[spenser1058]

13 minutes ago, codypet said:

15 minute drive from downtown?  How are people driving so slow?

Also that karate picture is my favorite.

Also gotta love McBurger!

I know what it’s like to drive that slow now that my State Farm money-saving gadget records my every move. No more zoom-zoom for me *sigh*. On the other hand, so far the thing tells me my next premium will be 25% lower if I don’t get mad and rip it off my windshield (it also seems to like I only drove the car once last week)...

Edited August 12, 2020 by spenser1058

[JFW657]

7 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

Dead Mall Walking:

From Orlando Streets

Sad.

FS used to be a nice place to go kill a couple of hours.

Get out of the heat and into the a/c on a hot day, sit down and have a nice lunch and a cold drink.

Stroll around and look at a bunch of crap you had no intention of buying.

I was actually surprised to see as many stores open as there were.

Especially in the middle of our current biohazard lifestyle. 

[codypet]

11 hours ago, JFW657 said:

I was actually surprised to see as many stores open as there were.

Especially in the middle of our current biohazard lifestyle. 

I was surprised how many major chains were still in there.  Papaya, Rack Room Shoes, Champs, Journey's, Hot Topic, Spencers.

Until recently Bath and Body Works, Footlocker were operating there.

Unfortunately the woes of the national companies hurt FS through no fault of their own (Radio Shack, Payless, Sears)

[spenser1058]

Here’s what OFS needs for a comeback: drive-in drag shows!

If it works for Paramus Mall, why not us? 
 

https://floridapolitics.com/archives/360602-now-playing-at-the-mall-parking-lot-movies-drag-shows

From Florida Politics

[TRENCH]

7 days of sale left at the JCPenney. Most of the store is empty