Rating Retail in Southeastern Cities : Part 2

     Way back in the day (or 2 and a half months) I made a post on the ratings of retail in cities of the Southeast. Today this is my most popular post, and I would obviously make a sequel, and possibly make four parts to each region. So we create part 2 of the Southeast. This post covers the smaller cities of the area and their retail situation. And if you missed the methodology of my ratings, here you go:

- Number of dying/live shopping centers

- Hometown stores

- Future of retail

MEMPHIS, TN : B

Memphis is generally an underperformer in mostly everything. This carries over to the retail and business sector. Interesting, one mall has been demolished, Hickory Ridge is a little farther up the spectrum, then Southland, Oak Court, and finally Wolfchase. While odd, it's not preferred given that Hickory Ridge is soon to be demolished, leaving the fairly-large city with three malls plus Saddle Creek. One will be pretty much afterthought, so technically two malls. This sadly may not resolve itself, given that Memphis has pretty much underperformed on the growth part too. But, Fred's and AutoZone are based in Memphis and you can ship that with FedEx.

MONTGOMERY, AL : C

Montgomery has both vintage, but depressing retail. Montgomery Mall is the definition of dead. Normandale has no love or fun, and any redevelopment would be tough, given the neighborhood and decay. Eastdale is pretty average and small. And what rules king? Two lifestyle centers, by the names High Point Town Center, and the Shoppes at Eastchase. To add insult to injury, there isn't very much growth or any stores that a Montgomerian can proudly shop at. As in, hometown stores.

MACON, GA : C+

Macon is filled with mainly retail tragedy. Westgate was never exciting, and Burlington's, the dead mall auto fill-in anchor, has since. Macon Mall was once something of size and upscale, but was partially demolished a few years back and has had its power receded recently. Most retail excitement comes from the truly unexciting "power center" or a lifestyle coming by the name of the Shop-pes of River Crossing. This took the hype of Macon Mall, and is why the enclosed center is only a shell of itself. As for the rest, Macon also doesn't have a whole lot of growth or stores to be proud of.

GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG, SC : B

Like the tune of this list, GSP does well but doesn't. Haywood acts as the best mall in the state, and WestGate isn't far behind. But not all is well in the Three Cities. Greenville Mall, McAlister Square, and Hillcrest were badly conceived, and have since passed. Hillcrest has been and is still successful as a strip center, and McAlister Square is now an educational complex. Greenville Mall was demolished and replaced with - you guessed it - a power center. As for hometown headquarters, Denny's, sorta retail, is based in the area. As for the future, two malls is probably all the area needs, and expect them to prosper.

NASHVILLE, TN : B+

Nashville is a city of retail extremes. While Green Hills, Opry Mills, and CoolSprings Galleria are nice and all, you can't shake off Bellevue Center, Harding, Hickory Hollow, and 100 Oaks (in a way). Filling in the gaps are Rivergate and Stones River, which are pretty much mid-market "meh" malls. What really pulls down Nashville is that aside from restaurants, not much business-wise locates there. Hobby Lobby is the only notable. Nashville, like pretty much every other Southeastern city, has steady growth, and the retail will improve from it. Not bad, not great, but not much to be ashamed over.

Rich's in Knoxville : The Rich's Series #1

     While it will be a while before much is covered in Tennessee, I want to cover a weird part of retail history that isn't very well known. This is the story of Rich's Knoxville, the odd store that probably shouldn't have happened.

Wikimedia photo of the store while in operation.

     The men behind Rich's saw the extreme success of the Atlanta store, and thought they could recreate it in another market. The city named was Knoxville, and that's where the store would be put. To go ahead, Rich's purchased SH George and Sons department store for $2 million in stock.

The 50-year old company wasn't a large behemoth, and it seemed this would be perfect for the new foray. The deal closed on Feb 12, 1954, though the change wasn't immediate. It wasn't until the last day of 1954 that the name became George's-Rich's (sounds oddly familiar) Before that, Rich's announced plans of the closing of the downtown Knoxville George's store, to construct a newer, larger one on the corner of Henley and Locust.

     The building "Store of Tomorrow" was designed by Atlanta's Stevens and Wilkinson and won an AIoA Award of Merit for design. The two structures cost a total of $3.5 million and had 500,000 square feet of room. The other building was a parking structure with capacity large enough for 1,500 cars daily. The main store had a mid-century modern design that included a green-glazed front, with glass on the sides going all top to bottom. Inside the store was the Laurel Room restaurant, a luncheonette, beauty salon, a travel bureau, and more. The store opened in late August 1955, with a literal bomb, courtesy of Oak Ridge.

     Even with the grand opening and excitement, Rich's Knoxville lasted only five years. Towards the end, what partially could have contributed to the store's demise was a sit-in. Students from the HBCU Knoxville College demanded service at the Laurel Room and luncheonette, and the response wasn't great, as one may expect. This changed the picture of the store, and people avoided. And just like that, the store closed at age 5. The store was sold to Miller's, and is now a conference center for the University of Tennessee. 

Before - Pinterest

And after. Not much has changed. Born and Raised in the South

Coborn's : Minnesota's Rural Supermarket

     A common thought in many people while driving through rural areas, is "Where do they get their food." Believe it or not, but there are stores fully dedicated to answering that question. In the rural areas of Minnesota, Coborn's dominates this scene. Coborn's has thirty stores, with two in SD.  Most stores cover departments that may not be available elsewhere in the area. This includes gas, a photo department, dry cleaners, pharmacy, a floral department, and a liquor store. The grocery store itself also helps the town for basic needs.

Logo from SCTimes

     Coborn's philosophy has done quite well, bringing in $1.4 billion of annual revenue. From what else I can find, they are the head of store conglomerate, their website saying that the company has 120 retail outlets in six states. Having been to most of those six states, I know that there are no actual Coburn's stores there. I can't seem to find any of these other stores anywhere though.

     I can imagine Coborn's will continue to do well, as being the only grocery in a town is pretty good protection to competition. They are seemingly following Belk's philosophy at store placement,  which has done well for both companies. Anyways, I'll get back to the list of malls soon.

     I have a photo gallery of the Glencoe, MN Coborn's on Photogenic Retail, another blog of mine. This can be found under the "Other SFG Blogs" list on the right side. Or at 

www.photoretail.blogspot.com

An Unfiltered Opinion on Macy's Backstage

     It's not a secret that malls, department stores, and some inline tenants are struggling. Some of those have discovered solutions to keeping up with the present, and have saved themselves from bankruptcies, closing, and management changes. For example, Nordstrom has been doing extremely well recently, as Nordstrom Rack and their online store has been successful. Cincinnati, Ohio-based retailer Macy's has also seen the changing landscape of retail hurt their stores.
     Businesses owned by TJX (TJ Maxx, Marshalls, HomeGoods, Sierra Trading Post, HomeSense) have been raking in profits the past few years, selling brand names for less, and hurting the original-price retailers. And today we will look at my opinion on Macy's Backstage, a twist on Macy's to try to create a TJX-type store with discounted goods.
     The Backstage location we will look at today is at Stonecrest Mall (expect a post there sometime too) in Lithonia, GA. Here we are as we walk in:

     I think the area itself looked nice. It looked nothing like the rest of the store, instead being much more colorful. The organization of the area was pretty iffy. While the layout was done well, the shelves were messy sometimes. I heard of problems similar to this; commenters on Tonetoatl said some locations were organized like a Goodwill. An example of this was that in the handbags area, there was a cluttered shelf of assorted handbags. This isn't very shopping-friendly.

A view of walking into the Backstage area.

     It looked as if decent work was put into the area and it wasn't just a fenced off area. If you are wondering, the "Center Stage" area contains more seasonal type goods. The checkout area is similar to that of TJX locations, in that it contains seasonal goods and different foods.

A view left from the entrance.

Right from entrance.

And here's the entrance from the other side.

Checkout, accessories, and luggage areas.

     The success of the new prototype will probably depend on the area. There are six TJX or Bealls Outlet operations closer to me than a Macy's Backstage. I am much more likely to take a five or ten minute drive to my nearest Marshalls for clothes instead of Macy's Backstage at Gwinnett Place Mall (not like I would go to GPM for shopping anyway). But in Lithonia, the nearest TJX is in Conyers, 20 minutes away. The Stonecrest Backstage may get more business because of this. 

     I totally think that if Macy's really tries hard on Backstage and can improve their online store, they will be with us a little longer. Online shopping is the new thing, and if a business can succeed there, they will succeed normally. 

What is your opinion on Backstage? How is the operation near you? Would you regularly shop at a Backstage location?

Shillito's of Cincinnati : Weekend Shopping E1S1

     This post may be the first of a series about little-known department stores and their deep histories. First up will be the department store of Shillito's (pronounced shil-uh-toes). Shillito's is an example of a classic 20th century department store, being more local and eventually being purchased by a larger company. That larger company (spoiler alert) Macy's, would be the buyer and turn it into their company. But, the history is much more than that.
     The John Shillito Company had pretty humble roots. "The Pioneer Merchant" came to Cincinnati in 1817 from his hometown in Pennsylvania. Though very young, being nine years at the time, he would quickly join the team at local shop Blatchley and Simpson. In 1830, he would leave his job at Blatchley's and meet with another merchant in James McLaughlin. The John Shillito - James McLaughlin partnership would only survive a year though. Despite the departure, a new Shillito, Burnett, and Pullen match was found. Land was secured for the company on the other side of Main Street, but was superseded when Shillito bought out his partners in 1837. Instead, he moved to a large store on Fourth Street.
     Only 20 years after the Fourth Street move, the company would move yet again, this time across the street into a new 5-story building. But Shillito's was still in need of more space, and in 1878 they would move again into their historic 6-story, 800,000 square feet hub designed by James McLaughlin's son. A famous landmark of the new building was its stunning octagonal light with its gothic details.
     Shortly after the opening of the new store, John Shillito would die at age 71. The business was taken over by Shillito's sons. Stewart Shillito took complete control in 1899, and discontinued the wholesale operation in 1913.
     The 1920's were no friends to the company. A fabrics price crash had the store filled with overpriced goods. The store fell in the Cincinnati department store hierarchy from first to fourth. It wasn't a concrete fact that Shillito's would see its centennial birthday.
     The Lazarus family operated a family-named department store in Columbus, OH. Many Cincinnatians believed Shillito's was a building of overpriced goods. However, that was soon to change. Lazarus took over Shillito's in 1928, introducing them to Cincinnati - based Federated Department Stores. The leader of Shillito's at the time quickly retired following the purchase. The new store opened up shop on November 11, 1928. Loaded with new merchandise and a new tea room, the new Shillito's was an instant hit.
     Interestingly, the store did great through the Depression Era. Shillito's yet again found themselves tight for space. The store would expand in 1937. Part of the expansion became a parking garage, an innovation at the time.
     Business would keep booming, and a new building was purchased kitty-corner across Elm Street. The former garage became more retail space. The old garage was expanded in 1956, and the top floor would hold offices for Shillito's parent company, Federated Department Stores. 
     For competition, other Cincy stores expanded into the suburbs as Shillito's stayed at one store. But Shillito's eventually jumped on board at the Tri-County Mall in 1960. Shillito's would continue anchor malls, including some in Kentucky.
     With the 80's came the dark ages of anchor consolidation. In 1982, Shillito's purchased Dayton - based rival Rike's, forming Shillito - Rike's. Only four years later, savior Lazarus purchased Shillito's dropping the latter's nameplate. It was instead called Lazarus - Macy's until 2005, when Macy's took over the nameplate. 

SHILLITO'S LIVES ON

     Despite the sad death and decline of Cincinnati's hometown store, you can see the remnants if you know where to look. The former downtown store has become loft apartments called "The Lofts at Shillito Place." The octagonal light still remains at the building. Behind Fayette Mall in Lexington, KY, where a former Shillito's location existed, is Shillito Park Road. John Shillito and his family were known as model Cincinnati citizens, and they showed so by embracing the African - American community by offering credit and jobs. 

FORMER BRANCH STORES

- Florence Mall, Florence, Kentucky, 1977

- Jefferson Mall, Louisville, Kentucky, 1979

- Tri-County Mall, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1960

- Fayette Mall, Lexington, Kentucky, 1971

- Oxmoor Mall, Louisville, Kentucky, 1970

- Beechmont Mall, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1969

- Kenwood Mall, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1966

- Western Woods, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1963

Early logo. The Department Store Museum

60's era logo. The Department Store Museum

Final and personal favorite logo. Sleek. The Department Store Museum

     

Rating Retail in Southeastern Cities : Part 1

     To keep up my promise of delivering subjects in different ways, today we will rate southeastern US cities in retail.

Methodology of grading:

- Number of dying/live shopping centers

- Hometown stores

- Future of retail

ATLANTA, GEORGIA : B+

     Atlanta is given a B+ rating. Atlanta has plenty of top-tier malls in Lenox Square, Perimeter Mall, Mall of Georgia, and a few others but has been historically overmalled. This means the best of the bunch have a large difference between the worst. As for hometown stores, The Home Depot and Haverty's Furniture are the frontrunners, but the losses of Rich's and Davison's tick the grading downward. The future is unclear with the city's large growth occurring, but the best malls will most likely continue to thrive.

MIAMI, FLORIDA : A

     Miami is given an A rating. Most malls in Miami are in their prime and Miami has the third largest mall in America (Aventura Mall). What holds Miami from an A+ is the lack of hometown stores. It's probable that as the city continues to grow, the malls will continue to prosper.

COLUMBIA, SC : C-

     Columbia's harsh rating is because of it's lack in all 3 criteria. Columbiana Centre is the only long-term mall in the area, with everything else dying. Tapp's lasted waaaayy back, but is gone now. Columbia is supposed to see huge growth in the next decade, but will the malls come back? Highly unlikely.

CHARLOTTE, NC : B+

      Charlotte and Atlanta have very similar retail situations. Charlotte has solid malls in SouthPark and Northlake but has lived though Charlottetowne and Eastgate. Charlotte is the location for Belk and Cato Fashions. Like Atlanta, Charlotte has seen constant growth but it's unknown how that will affect the retail.

BIRMINGHAM, AL : D+

     Birmingham is no stranger to tough times with retail. Riverchase and Brookwood Village are the only survivors out of the other demolished malls and declining ones. Pizitz and Parisian once called Birmingham home, but have been purchased. Birmingham is mainly struggling as a city, so it won't be a surprise if what it keeps leaves.

Note: While TN, KY, parts of FL, MS, and LA are in the southeast, they will featured in a later post.