Should we wish for a shopping mall close the TV?
 

In Cincinnati many of our nice Malls have become "trouble spots" where teens who do NOT go to school hang out. Some cases of armed robbery in parking lots are reported. Malls are not as safe and fun in some towns as they used to be.

What is your feeling about this? How are Malls in your old home town? Am I a Dora Doom...or is this somewhat of a concern if a Mall does come close to Brownwood?

Just read this today on current news on the Computer and got me to thinking.

NOT that we could do anything about it.


The future of the American mall- MSN Money

I say the large malls are close enough. Ocala, Orlando, Tampa. Good excuse for a day trip. Malls draw crowds and traffic both of which are not always good. The small mall that was planned near Brownwood if it comes about will be large enough for my likings. When the large malls hit Long Island , Roosevelt Field, Huntington, Smithhaven, Valley Stream the little Mom and Pop stores in the towns lost out.Many of those small towns are still trying to recover 20 plus years later. I don't want to see that happen here in TV.
So my answer would be leave things as is they're plenty close now and there's always the internet for home delivery.

In the Detroit area almost every mall is a mere shadow of what it used to be. There are a few malls that are thriving but they are in upscale areas with expensive stores. In my opinion, the advantage of having a mall was because of the cold weather and this isn't a problem here. I would love to see a Macys and a Home Goods, there is already a Sears and Pennys nearby (although they are very small). If you look at the stores at an average mall you will find things like FOREVER 21 (don't I wish), LIMITED, GAME STOP, COREYS (jewelry and accessories for teens) and stores that specialize in prom dresses. These are the stores that bring in the young kids, these are also the stores that the majority of residents here wouldn't use. I do find one thing sad however, people are sometimes unnecessarily intimidated by groups of young people. There can be an automatic assumption that these kids are up to 'no good' when in reality they are just enjoying hanging out with their friends. This assumption can then be translated as arrogance or anger on our part. Sometime if you find yourself feeling this way try smiling and saying hi. Most often you will be pleasantly surprised by the reaction of these 'tough' teenagers.

Speaking of Home Goods I got another response from them and COSTCO yesterday. Both responses said thanks for your questions regarding us adding a store in your area BUT at this time we have no such plans for adding in your areas. Thanks !

In my home area up north the mals that were in poorer neighborhoods did indeed attract a lot of teens. They did have a lot of problems at those malls, not only from the teens, but from other unsavory elements. The malls that were in the nicer more upscale areas had no such problems.

Why do we need a mall here in The Villages? We have pretty much everything we need here. There are so many strip malls and shopping areas here that it gives the same effect as having a mall. The Villages is kind of like one gigantic mall.

I would prefer to travel to Ocala or Orlando to mall shop. Too many malls end up with only the anchor stores once the smaller stores go out of business

I agree and if we need any more smaller/strip malls there is Buffalo Ridge. I have no way of knowing what the Developer plans for Buffalo Ridge. It is large enough for a mall similar to Paddock Mall in Ocala but it is broken up into smaller plots. I expect it will fill out with more retail outlets. It would be nice if one of them were Cosco but it seems they are not on our radar yet.

BTW, only today and tomorrow left to complete the survey. Last chance to get in a plug for your favorite retailer. I believe the survey results are a powerful tool for the Developer to use in attracting retailers.

I :pray: that we don't have a mall in TV. I like the atmosphere of having smaller shops far better and prefer to give the local shop owners my money. When I need a fix I go to the Orlando outlets and shop along with thousands of other people. That satisfies my need to shop for a long, long time. The exception would be Homegoods, Trader Joes and Costco but that's it.:spoken:

I'd like a mall, doesn't have to be huge. I don't think we have to worry too much about the mom & pop stores because we don't have any.

I've never been to Costco and if they opened wouldn't bother going. The place sounds like Walmart in huge quantities with shopping carts filled with ill-behaved children chirping like dolphins.

I'd love an outlet mall, Eddie Bauer, the Gap and of course MACY'S.

i'll second that preference! please include coach, michael kors, ll bean, yankee candle, dress barn, kitchen collection, harry & david and the christmas tree shops! :)

Happy to say my mall days have been over for quite a few years and not because of age (63), but because I have no desire to go to them. Too much comotion, congestion and nonsense. Find myself shopping less and less these days unless I can find an awesome nursery, gift shop, or golf store. I like these changes - my husband loves them!

I agree. I also do most of my shopping for mall type items online and either have them delivered to my home or the home of the person I'm buying the item for as a gift.

I think malls are needed in the icy northern areas because of bad weather and having to park in the large open lots (better to park once and do the walking to various stores inside, under roof). But around here I think it works to have one or two big anchor stores for some smaller shopping plazas like we have on the perimeters of TV. Again we need HomeGoods, Costco, Trader Joes.

It doesn't need to be an enclosed mall, just some stores that I like to shop at.

It would be nice to have a Costco nearby. As for major department stores i don't mind driving some. I do not much care for having undesirables of any ilk hanging around the neighborhood so am willing to forego a convenient shopping mall of the type that would attract them.

Where I now reside the city has almost completed building a new municipal center not far from my home. I do not look forward to the added traffic. Also, many homeless hang out near and in the existing public library adjacent to the almost completed municipal center. The city is installing cameras which run 24/7 to monitor the parking lots and other areas where they could spend the night. Ugh!

Most of those places are in the St Augustine Outlet Malls - only a hundred miles away.

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I'm not driving 100 miles for a pair of shoes-LOL

I just did my first road trip to Altamonte Springs yesterday. Shopped till I dropped. They have a Christmas Tree Shop that had me thinking I was back in New England. If you've never been to one, you are in for a treat. Then we did two Marshalls, one Home Goods and finished up at Costco. Now that I've broken through the gravity bubble of TV, I know I can enjoy shopping away from here where the stores are stocked to the gills.
As for Malls - I've never been a big fan of them, so I'd be much happier to see a Home Goods and Costco than a mall...

Your thinking of Sam's Club which is part of Walmart. Costco is a whole different animal for the most part.

G-Person...
I really don't think you're going to see any sort of large-style mall coming to TV and/or Brownwood. They would have to attract far too many people to keep all the stores happy. I just don't see it. So I don't think that's a worry.

However..with that said..you might see something akin to what's up at the corner of 441 & Rolling Acres where a Macy's or some such anchor will come in to a medium size strip-block.

As far as your concerns about a nearby mall being a home for 21st century juvenile delinquents..I know that when we were living in Baltimore, the Towson Town Center had a strict 18 & under curfew, and I know of other malls that have done the same thing to keep the trouble under control. But if they came around Brownwood..where would the kids come from? Probably some from Wildwood and some from L-Burg, but I don't think it would be something that was unmanageable.

Just one trip a month and do all your shopping at once. Plus there are 2 Kilwin's stores about three blocks apart.

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Malls....a thing of the past?
 

I think the malls, the ones where all of,the stores are under one roof, are sadly an attraction for kids to hang out and sometimes get into trouble. They aren't profitable any longer and some struggle just to stay open. I lived in a small town and Friday and Saturday nights the kids all hung out there and were loud and sometimes obnoxious, making it uncomfortable for the shoppers to be there. Sadly, I don't see many new malls popping up,any time soon. I think the strip malls are the in thing now and they aren't a hang out place for kids. I like strip malls, especially here in FL.

Never liked malls. My experience in mall shopping is to park near a Sears entrance, go into the tool section, buy what I want and leave. I just never understood the fascination people had with these places.

wish
 

Wish, wish all you want. I love it when people compare living here as to where they moved from. Some of you moved from large areas where the shopping was establish for years. This is a very large housing area do you really think malls and other stores are going to spring up over night. Within a small driving distance you have all the shopping
Needed. As we grow older our shopping need decline as for the young people arriving in the area I think a day out shopping will be great. I remember when buffalo ridge
Was first cleared the talk was a shopping mall would be there very large with Macy, penneys, and much more hasn't happen yet. Mr Morse has build a large housing
Project and a few thing to lure buyers I think with the amount of homes now and more to come everyone will be traveling to do your shopping.

No, I don't think we need a traditional mall. Shopping is great. Stores we are familiar with are great. But not an enclosed traditional mall. Outdoor shopping centers seem to do well.

Wife and I went to a mall in Conn yesterday where the kids were having a field day in the food court. Yelling, throwing food at each other, etc. You can see the faces on the persons. They were not enjoying themselves. No security personnel to control this.
We decided to eat elsewhere and left.
Never going to that mall again.
I don't think a mall is a good idea in TV.

Seminole Town Center is at I-4 and 46.It is about a one hour drive. It has Macys,Dillards,Penneys and Sears.Plenty of outparcels around it on Rinehart rd heading toward Lake Mary,full of places to shop.

Trader Joes and Home Goods get my vote and then a super Target here or there for good quality groceries and every other item one could ever want. I never do mass quantity shopping at Cosco or Sam's club, so see no need for that. Throw in a minute clinic and some good coffee and we've got it made!

I found going to Oaks Mall in Gainesville is about the same about of time as Florida Mall in Orlando. Oaks has Macys, Belks, Penny's, Sears and Dillards, it's only lacking a really good food court like the Florida Mall. However, except for December, going there on a weekday there is almost nobody there. To reach Oaks Mall just head north on I-75 and get off at the third Gainesville exit, Newbury Rd. Since I often have to go to the VA Hospital, I just tie the mall in with my VA trips.

Florida Mall on the otherhand, is almost always packed anyday or month of the year and I feel almost like a foreigner since a large portion of the shoppers and employees speak in Spanish. It's usually a strange mix of Orlando tourist, retired seniors and Spanish Americans. Oaks Mall in Gainesville is almost all locals in comparison, very few tourist. If you're a Gator fan you'll feel even more at home in Gainesville.

Seminole Mall in Sanford is good size, in fact it is two story and on a weekday there is almost no one there. The only problem is traveling through Leesburg, Tavares, Mt. Dora and then the 2 lane route 46 twenty miles through the middle of nowhere before you reach Sanford. If you're coming or going on the Autotrain, the mall is about 5 miles before the train station.

Another option is Mall of Millenia near Universal Studios in Orlando. However, there you will find mostly high priced stores that are geared toward the young professionals and not retirees. Also, if you get lost leaving that mall, it's not too far from some very bad areas east of the mall.

If you're down in Tampa, especially the Seminole Hard Rock Casino, take I-75 four miles south of I-4 to the next exit and go east toward Brandon. The Brandon Mall looks to be no more than a couple of years old, and unlike most newer malls, it's still a one story mall but has many stores. I found Tampa to be a much more hospitable town than Orlando. It's probably at least a 90 minute drive, especially since I-75 has a lot of construction north and east of Tampa.

Not a mall, but close by is Clermont. Almost everything there is new within the last 3 to 5 years. They have a Penny's in a shopping center, a Belks, a Target with a very large grocery section, and two Walmarts. In front of Penny's is a World of Beer, a Buffalo Wild Wings and a Red Lobster. Also six miles before Clermont on US 27 is the Lakeridge Winery, you can take a tour just like Miles and Jack in 'Sideways'. It is rather small, but they have wine tasting of their 10 or 12 wines and you get a discount in the store. If you like the wine, they sell it in TV at Publix and Sweetbay.


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Gracie, the malls in Orlando are great, and they're good enuf for me. That said, I wish we could get stores and restaurants other than the same old same old in Brownwood and the surrounding area. For whatever reason, this area can't seem to attract a Costco, Home Goods, Christmas Tree Store, Trader Joes, etc. IMHO, we don't need another Sam's Club, Walmart, Home Depot, etc. I'm guessing that within the next few years Main Street (301) in Wildwood will change dramatically as TV build-out is completed with more independents. I really hope that happens...

Enclosed Mall not likely
 

I've looked into my crystal ball and do not see an enclosed mall in or close to TV. Frankly, enclosed regional type malls have lost their favor all across the country. There are several reasons. First and foremost is the fact that our children and grand children are shopping more frequently on the Internet. This trend is growing especially with the "30 something's" and teenagers. Maybe a strip mall with a free standing Macy's or Dillard's are possible but not a Regional type enclosed mall IMHO.

Also got response from Macy's & they are not coming to The Villages:cus:

That does it, I'm out of here.

We walked through our local Costco for the first time a few weeks ago, and honestly came away unimpressed. Yes, it may be a little nicer, more upscale than Sam's, but certainly not a huge difference. And we sure didn't see any jaw-dropping low prices that would justify the cost of a membership, either. I suppose if you have a large family & need certain staples in large quantities it might be worth it, but after hearing folks crow & brag about Costco for several years I was expecting much more.

I'm curious to know where folks see the huge difference between Sam's & Costco.

It was the late 70's and the village (maybe city) of North Randall, Ohio had the Randall Park Mall open up. It was a double deck mall and at the time was the largest mall in the United States. Everyone went there to experience it. It really was awesome. Then the problem with kids appeared and finally the urban influence took over. It closed in 2008. A place where 5000 people used to work is empty. The same happened to Euclid Square Mall in Euclid, Ohio. Same double deck concept opened in '77 and closed in 2006. Basically for the same reasons as above. Used to love both of these places to see the Christmas displays until you didn't feel safe anymore. Now the closet Mall is South Park about 45 minutes away and I'm glad of it. Sometimes malls may seem convenient but, they are not worth the trouble they invite and I hope one is not built in the villages. I just have to find out how to get to the other malls others have mentioned on this thread.
:spoken:

No. Malls are like indoor carnivals. I feel claustrophobic.

An airconditioned mall would be welcomed in the summer months
 

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No malls.

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i will be happy for some variety in shopping that is planned for the power center being built adjacently to brownwood. another wal-mart, or maybe target, an office supply store (staples), and a decent home improvement store (home depot) would be greatly appreciated. travelling to 441 in summerfield/lady lake from hemingway is so aggravating. this area does not have the desired demographic that would interest any mall developer.