Well if you read this blog you have been able to follow the story of the ailling Echelon Mall. The mall that was one where I hung out at the most during my teenager years. Well if you have been there recently you may have noticed that it is litterally at this point only 50% full of stores at this point. Before the new news lets recap the story.
Sears left after two years oddly enough aftered they build an addition on to the mall for them. The building was owned by Sears and was recently purchased back by the mall. Not long after J C Pennys bounced out leaving only two anchor stores. In the past few years the stores in the mall have been bailing left and right. It was going down in flames and showing signs of age.
PREIT bought the mall over a year and half ago, and after years of scratching their heads and watching their investment sink even more it seems the ball has started rolling. After enough rumors to fill a book that included everything from IKEA to Dave and Busters opening up shop there and even more about the entire mall closing they made huge move a month ago. Just weeks after announcing the puzzling decision to tear down the now vacant J C Penny's store the made it public that a new Wal-Mart store will stand alone in the place of the former Penny's store.
This move got mixed reviews from my readers and people that I know who work and shop at the mall. On one hand the Wal-Mart will bring people in. On the other hand stores Boscov's might get more competition than increased traffic. Plus people though wonder if the mall can last to 2006 when the Wal-Mart finally opens. Not to mention that it is not going to be connected to the mall.
Well the are now rather loftly plans to overhaul the mall including updating the interior. If you recall Sears and Penny's actually shared a parking lot. So since the Wal-Mart will stand on the grave of Penny's the Sears building is going to somehow be converted into another enterance into the mall. The plans are some what vague but it will make it more appealing to just drive or walk across connecting parking lot and enter the mall there. It's not clear if there will be a new anchor store there, or if shops will take over the new wing at this point. Something tells me another big announcement might be not too far off.
PREIT has plans to add "dinning options" soon and recently claimed that the Mall still owns a liquor liscenes (before my time there was a steakhouse and bar there Im told) which would help draw people in and give them something to do after dinner. If its' done right this really could work, and I can invision a well down landscape bettween Wal-Mart and the new enterance or anchor store.
The Food Court shouldn't be too affected since the employees of the mall have to eat some where cheap, and just look at Deptford to see how they can co-exist. It would be cool to have a Bennigans or something that isn't really in this area.
So, keep your eye on the mall, and it should be interesting to watch the next few years. I slammed PREIT for not doing anything after a year, but now it seems like they are fully commited to the project. Hopefully, in a few years you can walk through the pimped out mall and say remember when this was a dive? Yeah and that Tucker guy blogged about it all the time?
What do you think? Will the Wal-Mart bring the wrong crowd? Is is all smokescreen only to have the mall leveled next year?
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7 comments:
There's no stopping the decline. The biggest problem facing the mall is its location. It's not near any good major road! Haddonfield-Berlin road is a nightmare. Burnt Mill road is hardly major. Springdale road is pretty major, but it's still an appreciable distance from the mall. Same problem with 295. PATCO people have a good distance to cover to get there from Ashland station. And is there still a shuttle bus to bridge the gap?
I don't see a way to overcome that fundamental problem. Wal-Mart will be a band-aid at best, forestalling the mall's destruction for a few more years. Building a nice new theater might help, but that still doesn't address the location problem.
Sorry to say, but I think Echelon's demise is inevitable, sooner rather than later. I have a ton of great memories of the place as a teenager, too (though they're before your time, as I do recall the Echelon Tavern and its location on the lower level across from Strawbridge & Clothier). It was the only decent mall for my buddies and me to go before we could drive. We saw tons of movies there, played tons of video games at the old arcades (remember Funway Freeway?), and wasted more time than I care to remember.
With so many other malls easily accessible from major thorofares, I can't see Echelon lasting very long in its current state. Maybe razing it and making it an oversized strip mall like Eastgate Plaza would be a better move. I dunno. Whatever happens, I'll miss it when it's gone, even though I rarely go there anymore.
Echelon Mall could survive if the right people were there making change. This mall had it all at one time. Unfortunately a few people who are marketing this mall have made bad decisions and PREIT has allowed this to happen. If they would have listened then they could have saved this mall from losing more and more businesses. By the time Walmart gets here, that is all that will be left of this mall. I can not believe PREIT allowed the secretary from the previous owners (The Rouse Company) to become the Marketing Manager of this mall. This is a joke and I am embarrassed for them. They are the laughing stock of South Jersey. It is like shopping at the Morgue. The promotions this mall has had is like a nightmare on elm street and the character coming up with these ideas are the monsters. Get help and hire people with real ideas and substance. It is no wonder this mall is on it's last leg.
I agree!!
This mall is a morgue. I could do a better job running it.
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Just questioning if eBay permits you to sell [url=http://www.ticketchoice.com.au]concert tickets[/url] online? Do you know if there are any restrictions based on what country you are in?
My parents have just called me and asked if i could "get rid" of their two tickets to some concert as they wont have the ability to make it due to another family event.
Besides asking close friends etc, i thought ebay would be a good place to sell them.
But whats ebay's policy on selling tickets? Ive heard alot about it within the news but ive forgotten what happened.
and if it matters, the concert is inside of this coming month
Thanks ahead of time for the advice.
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