Does anyone else think rolling oaks mall is on the path to becoming a "dead mall"? (Van: bankrupt, tenants)

[PDG91]

So I recently went to rolling oaks mall to find out that recently a good amount of stores have left/went out of business/ or are currently going out of business. The same goes for eateries as well. The stores/ eateries that have just left for no reason are: Kay Jewelers, Game Stop, T-Mobile, Halmark, vila pizza, and marble slab. The only store that has gone out of business and closed shop recently was Charlotte Russe and Things Remembered (which was once a retail store but then become just a little kiosk). One store that is currently going out of business and in the middle of liquidation is Payless. Other stores like James Avery, Radio Shack (bankrupt), Aeropostale (closed a handful of stores), Sprint, an IBC Bank, and security service (relocated) have left the mall in the past few years. There are a good amount of empty stores, and the new stores that do fill up any vacancies are just small businesses and small churches which I respect but don't really grab the attention of shoppers like a Vans or Champs store which this mall doesn't have. They did however build a pretty massive H&M store which took up the space of the old luby's and some other small stores a year ago which I think gave the mall some life support. With the unknown fate of Sears ( which is one of the 4 anchor stores) and also JC Penney, how long do y'all think Rolling Oaks Mall will last? To me, it looks like it's going down the same path as Windsor Park Mall and will probably be gone withing 10 years unless they bring some exciting well known tenants to the mall.

[malcorub16]

Yes, if it is strictly retail-centric versus entertainment-centric, it will be dead soon.

Does the mall have a movie theater or non food court restaurant that serves full menu/alcohol. Is there anything to do in the mall other than shop?

[sapphire]

I give it 2 years, max. It's never been what they wanted or expected it to be. Now with "lifestyle centers " being the preferred shopping destination, I think it's pretty obvious that Rolling Oaks is barely breathing. Sad, but like we old people who need to hurry up and die off, so do our old ideas and haunts.

[Bo]

The corporations behind mall anchor tenants are dying off around the country. If there aren't new anchor stores to replace them when the anchors die, the small stores can't survive either.

If you think Rolling Oaks is in a bad way, you should see the mostly-dead mall in the city where I am now. It has 2 empty anchor spaces and a lot of empty spaces for small stores. At least the food court at Rolling Oaks is still thriving.

[rynetwo]

It will not be going anywhere anytime soon.

The store lineup has not changed much in the past 5 years. They do need more restaurants though. Heck Chick-Fil-A added a drive through to the mall somehow.

[Hedgehog_Mom]

Rolling Oaks has seemed like it was dying before, with a lot of empty spaces, and then it managed to come back. I don't go there often but it's never seemed busy, like Ingram Park mall does.

I think shopping malls were popular when people were less likely to have central air conditioning. They could spend a day there, shopping, then having lunch, then catching a movie. Now nobody really has to go to the mall to cool off, and it's more of a hassle having to carry all your stuff back across the mall to your car than it is to go to a store where you can park right in front.

[sapphire]

Originally Posted by rynetwo

It will not be going anywhere anytime soon.

The store lineup has not changed much in the past 5 years. They do need more restaurants though. Heck Chick-Fil-A added a drive through to the mall somehow.

You just drive to the curb and they have 2 kids out there sitting under an umbrella. It's not that serious. LOL Burger Fi went in to the food court but honestly, that mall is weak and seems half abandoned already.

[resonator]

I've visited Rolling Oaks a couple of times a year for the past 5 years. Week day afternoons. It's fun to go to the big stores and see no one else shopping. Private shopping experiences are nice. The big dropoff has been in the past 3 years.

[Deep Forest]

Originally Posted by rynetwo

It will not be going anywhere anytime soon.

The store lineup has not changed much in the past 5 years. They do need more restaurants though. Heck Chick-Fil-A added a drive through to the mall somehow.

That brings flashbacks of the mall chase scene in "The Blues Brothers"

[Azure110]

Rolling Oaks seems to be following the path of the former Crossroads (now Wonderland).