Downtown macys closing (Houston, Beaumont, The Woodlands: place to live, restaurant, mall)

[wardwhirlboromarlpool1955]

Is there already a Barnes & Noble anywhere in this part of Houston? I know there used to be one across from the Galleria (and across the parking lot from an FAO Schwarz which is now a Grand Lux Cafe) but it closed when one opened in River Oaks. So I wouldn't exactly say the old one "moved". Wouldn't a Barnes & Noble be a GREAT fit for the Foley's/Macy's space?

[14Bricks]

Originally Posted by wardwhirlboromarlpool1955

Is there already a Barnes & Noble anywhere in this part of Houston? I know there used to be one across from the Galleria (and across the parking lot from an FAO Schwarz which is now a Grand Lux Cafe) but it closed when one opened in River Oaks. So I wouldn't exactly say the old one "moved". Wouldn't a Barnes & Noble be a GREAT fit for the Foley's/Macy's space?

No, they already tried Books-A-Millon downtown. It didn't workout. I do miss the Waldens books in the Park shops.


Books-A-Million closes in downtown Pavilions - Houston Chronicle

[wardwhirlboromarlpool1955]

Right, but Barnes & Noble is supposed to be more upscale than Books A Million. In Philadelphia, a very nice Macy's and a very nice Barnes & Noble are close together and both do very well. Why wouldn't that work here? And Philadelphia has much more poverty than NYC where Barnes & Noble is based.

[diablo234]

Originally Posted by wardwhirlboromarlpool1955

Right, but Barnes & Noble is supposed to be more upscale than Books A Million. In Philadelphia, a very nice Macy's and a very nice Barnes & Noble are close together and both do very well. Why wouldn't that work here? And Philadelphia has much more poverty than NYC where Barnes & Noble is based.

Philadelphia is also a more pedestrian orientated city with high tourist traffic, a high middle/upper income residential population located close to/in downtown, and not to mention several large employers such as Comcast, Cigna, and Lincoln National Corporation. Also Downtown Philadelphia itself is still a huge shopping destination even though you have large malls such as King of Prussia in the suburbs, while in Houston most people prefer to go to malls such as the Galleria or the Woodlands which hurts retailers operating in Downtown such as Macy's.

Anyways aside from a large business presence in downtown Houston, you cannot compare the two cities as they are different on so many levels.

[foo cities]

Originally Posted by jek74

OK, let me try this a different way. Perhaps, just a thought here, that retail is struggling precisely because of that Macys? Perhaps the world has changed, Houston has changed, the downtown area has changed, and we are living in a world where the face of retail has also changed and we need to move into the 21st century. The concept of a large mega department store, which works fine in affluent suburbs, seems to be out of place in cities now. People today don't just want to shop, they want to be entertained, they want their retail area to reflect their culture, their interests. The reason retail is struggling downtown, in my opinion, is because the city of Houston has gone through dramatic changes the last 10 years. As many have noted, downtown is no longer downtown, Houston has 5 downtowns now. The population has moved west. Shouldn't we change with the times instead of catering to the Houston of the 1970's?

How about something cool like what San Diego did. This is Horton Plaza, a cool, outdoor, chic, shopping area that is new, vibrant, exciting, a place you would actually want to hang out. Not a Macy's. Something hip for the city.

Take note Philadelphia!

[foo cities]

Hate to say I told you so that Dt. Dallas is ahead of your downtown since it's growing and still has an upscale department store there. With that said, it's so sad that Houston downtown is pretty much nothing except that its skyline is even more impressive than Philadelphia, Denver and Minneapolis. Houstonians, if you want a vibrant downtown experience, go to: Seattle, San Diego, Boston, Portland, Los Angeles, San Antonio, Denver, Chicago, New Orleans, Baltimore, SF and others. NY is the king of cities!

[jfre81]

Originally Posted by foo cities

Houstonians, if you want a vibrant downtown experience, go to: Seattle, San Diego, Boston, Portland, Los Angeles, San Antonio, Denver, Chicago, New Orleans, Baltimore, SF and others. NY is the king of cities!

Or, you know, you could go create one in your own town.

Too many people sit around waiting for someone else to make something happen.

[glorplaxy]

Originally Posted by jfre81

Or, you know, you could go create one in your own town.

Too many people sit around waiting for someone else to make something happen.

Sitting around, wishing you could be more like Sex and the City isnt going to make martini bars and fashion boutiques sprout up.

I mean, let's face it, no one goes to downtown to shop unless it's for a bail bond or a lawyer. This isn't NYC and we should accept that. Sure, there is a Forever 21 but who the hell would go into downtown for that? I can only see kids who transfer metro buses nearby going there or some visitors who are staying in downtown going there. I mean, I live in the Heights about 5 minutes from downtown on the highway and I would never go there to shop...I would go to Montrose or the Galleria.

BUT, I have to admit that I LOVE Phoenicia and think it works great because people want food, and good food at that, no matter where they are. But a grocery store/bar/restaurant is different than a Saks downtown.

Sure, our downtown is beautiful because it is a place of stone walkways, huge buildings, and wonderful views. Our downtown is even larger and creates a more dazzling skyline than most cities in the country, but it did not become that way by catering to retail or entertainment needs. We should accept that downtown is certainly not the center of action in Houston. Downtown serves an important purpose and it does it well. Go walk around and shop in the Galleria area or Montrose if you want that Carrie Bradshaw experience in a Houston-ified way.

[stoneclaw]

Yeah i hate to sound cynical, but I'm losing hope for downtown.

[texas7]

Originally Posted by Le_Porcupine

Whereas, when I was in NYC, I regularly would stop at Bloomingdale's/Saks/ etc. on the way home or during lunch when I needed to pick up a gift or something.

There is no hustle and bustle to the streets and downtown seems dark and quiet regardless of the time or day. I went to the CVS on Main St a few weeks back for a box of tissues during lunch and felt like I was in a really bad part of town - whereas, in NYC, you have at the very least, a mix of lower and middle class folks and there's always lots of people around.

Sorry you don't feel safe I walk 2-3 miles downtown every day on my lunch hour and the Macy's area is in my route. However, I don't typically walk on the streets that bound Macys because of the riff raff that hangs out there - most due to the rail stop being right there. I usually go one or two streets over and have a perfectly safe walk and never feel uncomfortable. Despite avoiding the area during my walk; I go there quite often at lunch to shop and have never felt uncomfortable. I have gone to the CVS and the only thing I can say about it is that the line is always incredibly long every time I go in there. A lot of Houstonians are in the tunnels - they take it to avoid the heat and to avoid the cold or the rain. I take the street as often as I can because it is just more interesting. I only tunnel it when it is raining or just too cold/windy for me.