Gordon's Jeweler's has now announced they are leaving QSM.

I really think the only hope for the mall at this point is a complete renovation and rebranding, something that isn't like to happen. As is, I give it until 2020 before people are talking about demolition and redevelopment.

Reading some tweets between our mayor and Lackmeyer this morning tells us that Von Maur hasnt exactly set it on fire. They havent even done enough in sales to receive their incentive, according to Mayor Holt.

I really think the only hope for the mall at this point is a complete renovation and rebranding, something that isn't like to happen. As is, I give it until 2020 before people are talking about demolition and redevelopment.

There's only so much you can do with a two level indoor mall. I don't think two levels really work well. The mall needs to feel like a mini town square.

If QSM is going to survive in this era of "internet shopping" it is basically going to have to reinvent or repurpose the mall. It should attract destination retailers or attractions that are not affected by the "Internet". Such examples would be "Sea Life Aquarium" or "Crayola Experience" which both are highly interactive. Since Von Maur is not doing well, I wonder if Nordstrom would be supported in OKC? Perhaps an ice skating ring similar to the Dallas Galleria. It remains to be seen, however, the marketing mix at QSM is quite dismal and not inviting. It needs an overhaul for it's long term survival.

@progressiveboy As much as I would love to see a Nordstrom in OKC, it probably won't happen anytime soon, because the company isn't doing too well. OKC would be a big risk.

But I would love to see an ice rink at QSM! They need to drop the whole '80s-'90s mall concept and make the space more inviting. Revamp the food court, do pop-up stores, make AMC much more accessible, etc.

@progressiveboy - How do you know Von Maur isn't doing well ?

I'll chime in from an outsiders perspective. Von Maur is nice and well kept. Unfortunately, much like when Sears when it occupied that space, "there is always a parking space at Von Maur", we can usually park right next to the door at Von Maur Quail Springs on the east side. The store is typically a ghost town when going through it. Nice Items, nice displays, just sparse in shoppers. We have browsed through many of their items, most are not in our price range for what we expect to spend on clothing or accessories. We live just north of Quail Springs, so I imagine we fit into the core demographic/income of who Quail Springs tries to target. As others have said, Von Maur probably would have been a better fit at Penn Square, but at the time with Sears closing at Quail, and OKC booming in the early 2010's thanks to OKC Thunder and the energy sector, Von Maur saw an opportunity.

What is strange to me, the Von Maur in Wichita at Towne East Square is usually busy and has been there for almost 20 years now, despite Wichita being a much smaller market, and probably similar income brackets. On a related note, Woodland Hills Malls anchors in Tulsa seem to have much more foot traffic than Quail Springs or even Penn Square, despite similar demographics too.

OKC Malls seem to flip with Tulsa Malls. Where Woodland Hills and Quail Springs have similar footprints and 1980's mall layout, located next to highway access and have a suburban feel, Penn Square and Promenade were both converted shopping centers that turned into oddly configured malls with their current footprint and surrounded by established neighborhoods.

Yet, Quail is similar to Promenade with store selection and anchors closing (Macy's, Sears, Mervyn's) while Penn Square and Woodland Hills are the middle-upper style malls with tenant selection.

I'll chime in from an outsiders perspective. Von Maur is nice and well kept. Unfortunately, much like when Sears when it occupied that space, "there is always a parking space at Von Maur", we can usually park right next to the door at Von Maur Quail Springs on the east side. The store is typically a ghost town when going through it. Nice Items, nice displays, just sparse in shoppers. We have browsed through many of their items, most are not in our price range for what we expect to spend on clothing or accessories. We live just north of Quail Springs, so I imagine we fit into the core demographic/income of who Quail Springs tries to target. As others have said, Von Maur probably would have been a better fit at Penn Square, but at the time with Sears closing at Quail, and OKC booming in the early 2010's thanks to OKC Thunder and the energy sector, Von Maur saw an opportunity.

What is strange to me, the Von Maur in Wichita at Towne East Square is usually busy and has been there for almost 20 years now, despite Wichita being a much smaller market, and probably similar income brackets. On a related note, Woodland Hills Malls anchors in Tulsa seem to have much more foot traffic than Quail Springs or even Penn Square, despite similar demographics too.

OKC Malls seem to flip with Tulsa Malls. Where Woodland Hills and Quail Springs have similar footprints and 1980's mall layout, located next to highway access and have a suburban feel, Penn Square and Promenade were both converted shopping centers that turned into oddly configured malls with their current footprint and surrounded by established neighborhoods.

Yet, Quail is similar to Promenade with store selection and anchors closing (Macy's, Sears, Mervyn's) while Penn Square and Woodland Hills are the middle-upper style malls with tenant selection.

I disagree about Penn Square. It is ALWAYS busy when I go. The Macys is not, yes. It sucks. But the men's Dillards may be one of the most upscale in the chain (they sell Creed fragrances, for crying out loud). No other Dillards does, I believe. The Men's Dillards at Penn is awesome! Stinks that the Macys can't keep up. The only problem with Penn is that it has no room to grow, really. Quail I will agree with you on. It is falling very quickly, and it is sad to watch happen.

I disagree about Penn Square. It is ALWAYS busy when I go. The Macys is not, yes. It sucks. But the men's Dillards may be one of the most upscale in the chain (they sell Creed fragrances, for crying out loud). No other Dillards does, I believe. The Men's Dillards at Penn is awesome! Stinks that the Macys can't keep up. The only problem with Penn is that it has no room to grow, really. Quail I will agree with you on. It is falling very quickly, and it is sad to watch happen.

I agree with you 100% about Penn Square and Dillard's. I often tell people that the Dillard's menswear department is probably the best all around men's store in town.

GGP is the biggest stumbling block to QSM.

I remember when the Tulsa Promenade was mostly vacant, Woodland Hills had become the big mall and Eastland Mall was shutting down.

GGP is the biggest stumbling block to QSM.

I remember when the Tulsa Promenade was mostly vacant, Woodland Hills had become the big mall and Eastland Mall was shutting down.

I agree 100%. GGP is still managing the mall like it's 1999.

Noticed today that the Mongolian BBQ place is closed.

Noticed today that the Mongolian BBQ place is closed.

That sucks! I loved going there. Is it closed for good??

HuHot is indeed closed. Started off good, but has been going downhill since then. The reviews have been terrible. One of the last reviews, was about the owner getting mad about someone asking to put more chicken out when they were about to close early on New Years eve. The customer had just arrived. That's running a restaurant 101 if the doors are open and a customer comes in, you serve that customer until they leave. Given that they just closed this month, its clear the owner didn't have his heart in it anymore. I'm not sure which came first, the lack of customers or the deteriorating service.

I'll chime in from an outsiders perspective. Von Maur is nice and well kept. Unfortunately, much like when Sears when it occupied that space, "there is always a parking space at Von Maur", we can usually park right next to the door at Von Maur Quail Springs on the east side. The store is typically a ghost town when going through it. Nice Items, nice displays, just sparse in shoppers. We have browsed through many of their items, most are not in our price range for what we expect to spend on clothing or accessories. We live just north of Quail Springs, so I imagine we fit into the core demographic/income of who Quail Springs tries to target. As others have said, Von Maur probably would have been a better fit at Penn Square, but at the time with Sears closing at Quail, and OKC booming in the early 2010's thanks to OKC Thunder and the energy sector, Von Maur saw an opportunity.

What is strange to me, the Von Maur in Wichita at Towne East Square is usually busy and has been there for almost 20 years now, despite Wichita being a much smaller market, and probably similar income brackets. On a related note, Woodland Hills Malls anchors in Tulsa seem to have much more foot traffic than Quail Springs or even Penn Square, despite similar demographics too.

OKC Malls seem to flip with Tulsa Malls. Where Woodland Hills and Quail Springs have similar footprints and 1980's mall layout, located next to highway access and have a suburban feel, Penn Square and Promenade were both converted shopping centers that turned into oddly configured malls with their current footprint and surrounded by established neighborhoods.

Yet, Quail is similar to Promenade with store selection and anchors closing (Macy's, Sears, Mervyn's) while Penn Square and Woodland Hills are the middle-upper style malls with tenant selection.

I’m sure you are aware that Simon owns Woodland Hills as well. I think we all wish they’d buy quail and promenade - they seem to have the magic touch.

When Tulsa Promenade was enclosed (a la Penn Square) in 1986, the mall across the street (Southroads) was on its last legs. Over the years, that space has been converted into a series of big box strip centers. IMO, that is why Promenade went downhill. As has been mentioned, people like parking near the door. That and the abysmal parking situation that wasn't really improved by adding the south parking garage.

Regis Hair Salon closed recently and Charlotte Russe and PayLess will be closing as well as part of full company shutdowns.

Have a feeling Gap will probably close soon since they announced more stores will close along with the Old Navy spin-off.

Have a feeling Gap will probably close soon since they announced more stores will close along with the Old Navy spin-off.

That was mostly a real estate decision. Old Navy owns many standalone stores, rents some. The Gap has very few owned standalone stores and is almost all-rent. It all depends on how flexible Brookfield (formerly GGP) will be with their leasing. The Gap says rentals (especially malls who expect bigger retailers to carry the dead weight) are pricing retailers out of business. Payless, for example, who started out with only standalone stores many years ago and then went mostly all-mall. Little did they know they were signing their entire company away. Family Dollar is the opposite. They wised up and began building their own stores some time back, fleeing strip centers. There are still many, but many of those will soon be closing. This rent/own is a huge deal right now. McDonald's predicted this many years ago when they refused to open any full-service McDonald's without owning the property. Needless to say, McDonald's is worth so much today because of not only their sales, but that prescient decision 50+ years ago which ultimately gave them a real estate empire.

Have a feeling Gap will probably close soon since they announced more stores will close along with the Old Navy spin-off.

can a Gap store really ever be gone, if it closes and just leaves a Gap in the mall???

can a Gap store really ever be gone, if it closes and just leaves a Gap in the mall???

Ha! Touché.

I haven't seen this discussed anywhere, and I'm not real familiar with them, but I saw today that Round One (round1usa.com) is opening up a location in QSM (or at least, they have a coming soon location on their website for QSM). Bowling, arcade, and such. Anyone know any more about this, like what space they're moving into?

Maybe taking over the arcade area in the food court?

Maybe taking over the arcade area in the food court?

Which, that itself would be a nice improvement. But their website lists food, bowling, karaoke, billiards, parties, and alcohol sales. So if they are going downstairs I'd assume it would be a stripped down version.

I'm willing to bet its not inside actual mall, but maybe old hobby lobby or toys r us space. Maybe even old hemispheres space.

All of their locations are inside of malls. I am sure Pete knows more.

Will be very interesting to see how they compete against Main Event.

All of their locations are inside of malls. I am sure Pete knows more.

Will be very interesting to see how they compete against Main Event.

I see that now. Not sure where the heck they would build it. 50000 square feet minimum space needed

Lots of empty spaces there I think. Maybe combine the old Mongolian BBQ place with some other space there?

It would have to be a corner like where Mongolian BBBQ.

It would have to be a corner like where Mongolian BBBQ.

I looked at the mall map, there is only one or two smaller businesses in that corner on both ther upper and lower level.

Yeah, all the store fronts on the upper and lower level around that old Mongolian place are empty except for a beauty bar and an eyebrow place. If they have two story places I could see them going there, with maybe an option to add on and build out into the open maybe.

Yeah, all the store fronts on the upper and lower level around that old Mongolian place are empty except for a beauty bar and an eyebrow place. If they have two story places I could see them going there, with maybe an option to add on and build out into the open maybe.

They could have a lot of space if Von Maur is moving out next year. Which could possibly happen, since it's had problems meeting sales thresholds in the past. They made some kind of sales tax deal with the mall owner's and haven't really succeeded in keeping their end of that deal.

All of their locations are inside of malls. I am sure Pete knows more.

Will be very interesting to see how they compete against Main Event.

They could easily compete with Main Event and possibly force Main Event to push for being more competitive. Round 1 drives in a lot of business because of the what it's known for. There just isn't anything like it in Oklahoma. It's a Japanese owned entertainment venue business bringing in a lot of imported games from Japan and exclusives you won't see anywhere else in the country. Plus their selection in things to do is much wider than what Main Event has to offer.

They could have a lot of space if Von Maur is moving out next year. Which could possibly happen, since it's had problems meeting sales thresholds in the past. They made some kind of sales tax deal with the mall owner's and haven't really succeeded in keeping their end of that deal.

A downsizing of Dillards to one level is another possibility. Didnt they already turn one level into a backstage clearence section or something like that?

They could easily compete with Main Event and possibly force Main Event to push for being more competitive. Round 1 drives in a lot of business because of the what it's known for. There just isn't anything like it in Oklahoma. It's a Japanese owned entertainment venue business bringing in a lot of imported games from Japan and exclusives you won't see anywhere else in the country. Plus their selection in things to do is much wider than what Main Event has to offer.

I didn't know the details, but I found about this location coming in from friends involved in the gaming community in Oklahoma, and they are absolutely going crazy about one opening here, so I figured there was something different about them.

Created a separate thread for Round1:

https://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=45020

A downsizing of Dillards to one level is another possibility. Didnt they already turn one level into a backstage clearence section or something like that?Granted, I haven't been in that Dillard's in a few months, but I seriously doubt this. This is a busy Dillard's, well-stocked, that has even increased the number of higher-end brands in the last few years. It needs a refresh to look better, but the store itself is actually a good store. And I've always found it busy. I would be shocked if Dillard's downgraded it. Even the Dillard's in Lawton and Shawnee are full line Dillard's.

I didn't know the details, but I found about this location coming in from friends involved in the gaming community in Oklahoma, and they are absolutely going crazy about one opening here, so I figured there was something different about them.

I shared this in a few big groups on FB the moment it was announced and I guess it spread like a wildfire.

Noticed AMC Quail applied for mixed beverage licensing. I kinda thought they already had one but I guess not.

Noticed AMC Quail applied for mixed beverage licensing. I kinda thought they already had one but I guess not.

Yeah, did the same for the Penn Square location.

Doesn't Quail AMC have recliners now??

Doesn't Quail AMC have recliners now??


If you get dolby, yes.

I heard from a friend that the mall owners currently aren't renewing any leases and that the plan is to eventually demolish everything but the theater and Lifetime Fitness and redevelop the property. Anybody know if there's any truth to this?

I heard from a friend that the mall owners currently aren't renewing any leases and that the plan is to eventually demolish everything but the theater and Lifetime Fitness and redevelop the property. Anybody know if there's any truth to this?

Rubbish.

They aren't renewing some leases in order to clear space for Round 1 and another 2-level retailer at the east end of the mall, likely Forever 21.

I heard from a friend that the mall owners currently aren't renewing any leases and that the plan is to eventually demolish everything but the theater and Lifetime Fitness and redevelop the property. Anybody know if there's any truth to this?

if that were actually a serious plan, the mall owners wouldn't wait several years for leases to expire. they'd just buy them out and have the mall set for demolition within the next few months.

Seems our market could handle another Apple Store. Hope to see one here or phase 2 retail at CC. Would also be a decent fit for the expansion at Spring Creek if that ever happens.

Seems our market could handle another Apple Store. Hope to see one here or phase 2 retail at CC. Would also be a decent fit for the expansion at Spring Creek if that ever happens.

Speaking of Spring Creek, why don't the streets there connect to the Quail Springs outer road? Also, who owns the outer road, the mall or the city?

Speaking of Spring Creek, why don't the streets there connect to the Quail Springs outer road? Also, who owns the outer road, the mall or the city?

Spring Creek is in Edmond, over by UCO. It isn't anywhere near Quail.

https://kfor.com/2019/10/29/sharks-and-shopping-interactive-aquarium-set-to-open-at-oklahoma-city-mall-next-year/

https://kfor.com/2019/10/29/sharks-and-shopping-interactive-aquarium-set-to-open-at-oklahoma-city-mall-next-year/

Interesting. Wonder how much space this is taking up.

https://kfor.com/2019/10/29/sharks-and-shopping-interactive-aquarium-set-to-open-at-oklahoma-city-mall-next-year/

Anyone know where it's footprint will be

On Facebook they told me it will be in the old shoe depot space, occupying 22,000 SQ. I'm not familiar enough with the mall to know where that is.

On Facebook they told me it will be in the old shoe depot space, occupying 22,000 SQ. I'm not familiar enough with the mall to know where that is.

That is where Round 1 is going. Weird.

That is where Round 1 is going. Weird.

Pete Can you find out more about what is going on is Round One still being built at Quail Springs Mall?

"old shoe depot space" May not be referring to Shoe Department Encore. The mall is about to start construction on the new entrance.

This will be the new location for Shoe Dept. Encore which is moving to make way for Round 1.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/shoeencore.jpg

So was the aquarium place fake news?

So was the aquarium place fake news?

I was told Blue Zoo will be next to Von Maur. Guessing I’d say it’ll be upstairs across from Hair Academy where that cowboy-ish store used to be.

There’s this but don’t expect any real details from this stellar reporting:

https://www.news9.com/story/41311400/construction-on-okcs-new-aquarium-blue-zoo-set-to-begin-next-week