Northlake Mall

[Temeteron]

1 hour ago, KJHburg said:

same way I felt when I went to Phipps and Lenox Square malls in Atlanta last year.  They actually have metal detectors that they  use.  

And it’s only in the front entrance SMH

[KJHburg]

31 minutes ago, Temeteron said:

And it’s only in the front entrance SMH

well that is the entrance I used I guess at both malls as I remember going in from the Peachtree St side 

[Temeteron]

https://www.facebook.com/100059479812265/posts/pfbid02Mot7n1KousWq9Jmkdh44YB8hoKLhVWXfTzVmh8sPdgy6fsnrS1LbsBbxu12sysu3l/?mibextid=cr9u03

https://cnn.it/3LoBpSX?fbclid=IwAR2HYKrge8DPHoydNbG-U-S521vJd9mLhmycIcd-1jDuuiuZYwX20KzfRCA_aem_AUS5hJGagmGYvdUe37d-uzO4t8q37cMJx9zbeocoJgxqKl21qv8XLr4Z-8J2aFysvjo&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

 

Wow! Seems like this is becoming a norm lately 

Edited September 15, 2023 by Temeteron

[KJHburg]

I went to Northlake Mall for the first time maybe in 2 years even though I am only 20 minutes away.   My thoughts it was fairly busy around 5 today and people of all kinds and ages seem to have purchases in their hand.  Firebirds seemed to be busy and attracting people.  Saw a CMPD squad car parked at the main entrance and saw an uniformed officer in the mall itself too as well as a security guard.  Notice the Smokey dog they have I did not see it today though.  They mask their vacancies somewhat well and there are many more locally owned tenants there.  Starbucks replaced by locally owned coffee shop (but that is okay)    Rent that vacate space to start ups and pop ups and continue to pursue national tenants as well. Dillards Macys and Belks seem to still have the draw.   Mean Mug coffee shop had an upstairs location near Macys and seems to be taking over the Starbucks spot on the ground floor center court.  

My thoughts:  donate space for  police substation just like Concord Mills did for Concord many years ago.

Try to interest Atrium or Novant into taking over the Dicks sporting good spot with medical offices to bring more daytime traffic into the mall.  

Keep security high and visible.  Plus I notice big monitors showing they are watching everyone come in and out of the mall. 

Get stable ownership of this mall and develop the vacant land out front with lots of residential apartments to create a neighborhood even another hotel maybe some ground floor retail.

Open more spaces to the outside mall with outside entrances for my restaurants and retailers.  

We can not as a city let this mall go the way of Eastland.  It has taken 15 plus years to get anything going again on that site.  The structure of this mall physical is in great shape.  The location at 2 interstates is unheard of in this area and quite frankly at any mall in the state.   This needs to be a viable mixed use retail site and we can not let it deteriorate like Eastland did.  Or the city will pay more in loss tax revenue, declining property values etc.  

Photos from today.  

Edited October 15, 2023 by KJHburg

[PuppiesandKittens]

Is it too late to save Northlake?

It seems to have two issues:

1. Loss of higher-end stores, leading people who are looking for them to go to Birkdale or SouthPark instead.

2. Filling empty spaces with low-end "mom and pop" stores, which brings in a customer base that is inconsistent with higher-end stores.

If the only issue was 1, it could be revived as a higher-end mall, but with 1 and 2, it seems to be going the way of Eastland.

Haywood Mall in Greenville, SC is having some of the same issues.  I just hope it doesn't go the way of Northlake.  What's saddening is that Northlake isn't even 20 years old.

[KJHburg]

Went to Northlake Mall today to use a gift card for Firebirds someone gave me.   Walked around the mall and security is very visible.  I counted 17 or so vacant storefronts but the inside of this mall it being newer looks lot better than Carolina Place.    Here are my ideas for this mall and the 3 other 1 million square foot malls in this region which I have visited all of them in the last month.  Here is my thoughts on all 4 malls Northlake, Carolina Place, Concord Mills and Southpark.  

Northlake Mall:  First the vacant 2 level Dicks store.  I would make a deal with TJ Maxx Corp. to put 2 of their stores in there a TJ Maxx and Homegoods and since there are no locations with miles they would do great.   Then where 5th anchor spot was going to go (back side between Dillards and AMC theaters I would sell to an apartment developer and build a 4-5 story apartment building as the area is booming with apartment development.  On the front side where a main street outdoor strip of shops was planned I would do retail with 3-4 levels of apartments above aka a Birkdale style development all outside.    All of this would have fill vacancies in the mall.  They have some bigger blocks and I would talk to Primark which just went into Concord Mills about a store here too.    Great location at 2 interstates no other mall except maybe Concord Mills has this advantage.  

Carolina Place just went here last week check that thread but again get development approvals from Pineville to add hundreds and hundreds of apartments and entire a section of the mall to be more medical related and move retail tenants to group in the remaining vacancies.  This mall should have much better stores given its location close to high income areas.   This is Pineville's biggest taxpayer and they need to encourage more development there. 

Concord Mills One of 2 Simon malls in the market and one of 2 doing great.  Keep attracting new stores to the mall increase restaurant and entertainment options.

Southpark The best mall in the Carolinas bar none keep attracting new to market tenants and encourage Macys to convert that store or move the hell out.  I would love to see that Macys replaced with a Von Maur the Iowa based Nordstrom like department store that has done well in Atlanta.  Also the Gap and Old Navy locations are way too big for such an upscale mall raise the rent or shrink their space.  

My power rankings  Southpark  AAA+   Concord Mills AAA   Carolina Place B-  and dropping Northlake B- stabilizing but has better opportunities in my opinion.  

All photos from in and around Northlake 

Northlake and Southpark of course in Charlotte city limits  Carolina Place in Pineville and Concord Mills in Concord.  

 

 

 

 

Edited February 13 by KJHburg

[Temeteron]

9 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

Went to Northlake Mall today to use a gift card for Firebirds someone gave me.   Walked around the mall and security is very visible.  I counted 17 or so vacant storefronts but the inside of this mall it being newer looks lot better than Carolina Place.    Here are my ideas for this mall and the 3 other 1 million square foot malls in this region which I have visited all of them in the last month.  Here is my thoughts on all 4 malls Northlake, Carolina Place, Concord Mills and Southpark.  

Northlake Mall:  First the vacant 2 level Dicks store.  I would make a deal with TJ Maxx Corp. to put 2 of their stores in there a TJ Maxx and Homegoods and since there are locations with miles they would do great.   Then where 5th anchor spot was going to go (back side between Dillards and AMC theaters I would sell to an apartment developer and build a 4-5 story apartment building as the area is booming with apartment development.  On the front side where a main street outdoor strip of shops was planned I would do retail with 3-4 levels of apartments above aka a Birkdale style development all outside.    All of this would have fill vacancies in the mall.  They have some bigger blocks and I would talk to Primark which just went into Concord Mills about a store here too.    Great location at 2 interstates no other mall except maybe Concord Mills has this advantage.  

Carolina Place just went here last week check that thread but again get development approvals from Pineville to add hundreds and hundreds of apartments and entire a section of the mall to be more medical related and move retail tenants to group in the remaining vacancies.  This mall should have much better stores given its location close to high income areas.   This is Pineville's biggest taxpayer and they need to encourage more development there. 

Concord Mills One of 2 Simon malls in the market and one of 2 doing great.  Keep attracting new stores to the mall increase restaurant and entertainment options.

Southpark The best mall in the Carolinas bar none keep attracting new to market tenants and encourage Macys to convert that store or move the hell out.  I would love to see that Macys replaced with a Von Maur the Iowa based Nordstrom like department store that has done well in Atlanta.  Also the Gap and Old Navy locations are way too big for such an upscale mall raise the rent or shrink their space.  

My power rankings  Southpark  AAA+   Concord Mills AAA   Carolina Place B-  and dropping Northlake B- stabilizing but has better opportunities in my opinion.  

All photos from in and around Northlake 

Northlake and Southpark of course in Charlotte city limits  Carolina Place in Pineville and Concord Mills in Concord.  

 

 

 

 

I still don’t understand that whole fenced grassy area in front of Northlake.  I remember they did add more parking a few years back immediately in front of the valet but there is def more room still 

[KJHburg]

13 minutes ago, Temeteron said:

I still don’t understand that whole fenced grassy area in front of Northlake.  I remember they did add more parking a few years back immediately in front of the valet but there is def more room still 

that was planned pre covid to be a row of outside shops and restaurants.  I am saying residential needs to be added to that plan but the current owner probably wont do it but not sure why they dont sell the land to someone who would.  

Check out what is happening in Plano Texas with the Shops at Willow Bend they are knocking half that mall down!  This is what Carolina Place needs to do and maybe even Northlake but the way the anchors are laid out probably not feasible.  

Shops at Willow Bend set for major redevelopment | Community Impact

[kayman]

On 2/13/2024 at 4:12 PM, KJHburg said:

that was planned pre covid to be a row of outside shops and restaurants.  I am saying residential needs to be added to that plan but the current owner probably wont do it but not sure why they dont sell the land to someone who would.  

Check out what is happening in Plano Texas with the Shops at Willow Bend they are knocking half that mall down!  This is what Carolina Place needs to do and maybe even Northlake but the way the anchors are laid out probably not feasible.  

Shops at Willow Bend set for major redevelopment | Community Impact

Doubtful. 

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/article286604635.html

It looks like the operators of Northlake are embracing the rapidly growing black entrepreneurial demographic of Metro Charlotte. They are quickly becoming a hub for black owned small businesses and business startups especially black women owned businesses. 

Looks like they are making lemonade with their retail lemons. I'm sure the locally black owned publications like QCity Metro, Charlotte Post, & Pride Magazine, local black bloggers, and social media influencers will further encourage capitalizing on this trend for Northlake. 

Bulldozing a large retail center with a growing number of locally owned black-owned businesses and gaining traction on that front in a city like Charlotte is VERY BAD PR and for business.  The younger generation of consumers like Millennials,  Gen Z, or Gen Alpha are a lot more racially diverse than older ones so that is for food for thought. Northlake is likely here to stay as a place for a way more diverse set of clientele. 

Edited March 25 by kayman