Crossroads Mall

[rugbybrado]

-The point is that B&N would be a more than welcome presence in our neck of the woods, in far SW OKC.

-soonerdave

As a resident in the Westmoore area i would like to see a BN as well. I made my comment earlier because I remebered a thread where some Edmond resident talking about how SWOKC isnt very nice because -

"They dont even have a BN over there."

Thats what spurred my previous comment.

[SoonerDave]

But the quick jaunt on I-35 to BN in Norman meets my needs.

Understand, but for my $0.02, I don't think I should have to take a cross-county jaunt on an interstate highway to get to a nice bookstore...not like I live in Granite or some small town in southwest OK...that's all.

-sd

[flintysooner]

I hope they survive but all the big stores including Barnes and Noble are struggling for a variety of reasons not least of which is the lack of sales of books. I believe they have not made money on books in a while.

Plus just from my own personal experience they never have a particular title I am hunting so I'm better off to order it online. I do enjoy visiting the store from time to time but I don't buy much even then.

I do very much like Full Circle and some of the smaller, specialty stores seem better positioned to me to compete.

[bdub02]

My biggest concern now is that Macy's will soon pull out. The few times I've been there recently it has resembled a tomb, a stark contrast to the bustling stores at Penn Square and Quail Springs. If they should call it quits, that, along with the departure of Penny's, would seal the fate of Crossroads.

Is there talk of Macy's leaving? To be honest, it suprises me they remained after the convert from Foley's, because Crossroads isn't the type of mall that usually would sport a Macy's. I want to say though that if the mall is to be revived, it needs to happen before Macy's leaves. It is an upscale store that a revived Crossroads would definately need.

On a similar note, its been a long time since I have been down there, anybody know how well Dillard's is performing? If Crossroads loses JC Penney and Macy's, my guess is it would start a domino effect and Dillard's would be gone soon after. I always liked the Crossroads Dillard's and would hate to see it go.

[soonerliberal]

On a similar note, its been a long time since I have been down there, anybody know how well Dillard's is performing? If Crossroads loses JC Penney and Macy's, my guess is it would start a domino effect and Dillard's would be gone soon after. I always liked the Crossroads Dillard's and would hate to see it go.

The Dillard's seems to becoming more of a Dillard's outlet store. There is constant clearance and there were ads in the paper a couple months ago about all the clearance merchandise from the city being sold there during a big sale. Of course you can get all your necessary "urban wear" from Dillard's in Crossroads as well.

[SoonerDave]

Macy's is no longer the very high-end, exclusive store it came to be known as a few decades ago. It migrated into a more "above average" offering over time as Federated Stores took it over. It's probably on a par with Dillard's, so its presence in Crossroads isn't quite that surprising.

-soonerdave

[SWOKC 4 me]

Macy's is no longer the very high-end, exclusive store it came to be known as a few decades ago. It migrated into a more "above average" offering over time as Federated Stores took it over. It's probably on a par with Dillard's, so its presence in Crossroads isn't quite that surprising.

-soonerdave

I remember going into Macy's about 10 years ago in Dallas and I was quite impressed. I really liked the store and it seemed very uncluttered. The sales people were helpful and seemed like they really wanted to be there and really wanted to help me yet they were not too pushy.

When I went into Macy's in Crossroads as well as Penn Sq. after the conversion here I was not at all impressed. Seemed just like Foley's, Dillards or any other department store.

Back to the origional topic... People of late always mention the shooting at Crossroads and that they do not feel safe there. That has never been an issue with me. Though Crossroads stores for the most part are unimpressive I do still go there on occasion to run to Dillards, Macy's, or some of the athletic shoe stores and I have never been afraid to go or take my family no matter the time of day or night. On that note I do remember a time when Penn Sq had its share of violence going on in and around it as well.

I get really tired of people talking about how unsafe they feel. I just don't see it and I think Crossroads gets an undeserved bad rap in that department.

And besides if Crossroads were to be shut down where would I go on the south side for a Chick-fil-a?!?! uuuuggghhh!!

[bdub02]

And besides if Crossroads were to be shut down where would I go on the south side for a Chick-fil-a?!?! uuuuggghhh!!

Chick Fil-A is leaving the mall and building a stand-alone restaraunt in Moore.

[SuperScooper]

I am waiting for two things to happen in that area.

1.Macy's will close before the end of the year if not immediately after the 2007 holiday season.

2. Toys R' Us moving west to 240 Penn Park or Southern Hills.

[BG918]

I am waiting for two things to happen in that area.

1.Macy's will close before the end of the year if not immediately after the 2007 holiday season.

2. Toys R' Us moving west to 240 Penn Park or Southern Hills.

What happens to Crossroads then? Bulldoze it? Turn it into something else? I see lots of posts about what could (and will) happen to Crossroads, but no solutions...

[flintysooner]

If Crossroads continues to decline that is more than one million square feet of retail that has to go somewhere. And many people believe that parts of southwest Oklahoma City and Moore are already significantly under-served.

[SuperScooper]

At this point it is anybody's guess, anything can happen to it. It may become a buisness center or a community services complex.

I think it is safe to say Crossroads is dying a slow painful death. Maerich waited way too long to turn it around. There are just too many new shopping centers in the area to make it a sucess again.

[Lauri101]

Frankly, I would take a Barnes and Noble, Borders, or Books-a-Million.. just a bookstore that is not Walden's.

I'll drink to that!

Although we could dream for a Full Circle II...

[okclee]

Crossroads Mall future could be an indoor amusement park / water park with an indoor golf course / driving range.

[rugbybrado]

Chick Fil-A is leaving the mall and building a stand-alone restaraunt in Moore.

sweet!

when and where?

[rugbybrado]

.

When I went into Macy's in Crossroads as well as Penn Sq. after the conversion here I was not at all impressed. Seemed just like Foley's, Dillards or any other department store.

I had moved here about 6 months before and i didnt go into it until one day when i just needed a few things and i was surprised at how non bad the place really was. It just seemed like your ordinary mall.

People make it out like there are murderers/ gang bangers there and it just wasnt the case - i saw more middle class white people than anything else.

Granted the outside looked dated but the inside seemed pretty normal to me. People just get a image stuck in their heads and refuse to change it, i do think its time for a new south side mall.

[SoonerDave]

I get really tired of people talking about how unsafe they feel. I just don't see it and I think Crossroads gets an undeserved bad rap in that department.

I had moved here about 6 months before and i didnt go into it until one day when i just needed a few things and i was surprised at how non bad the place really was. It just seemed like your ordinary mall.

For all the problems Crossroads has, the "perception of safety" is clearly and without hesitation THE single most overblown and exaggerated problem of them all. As I recall, the famed shooting that Crossroads has had to live down wasn't by a gangbanger, but by an off-duty police officer/security guard type IIRC. As a reflection of perceptions, precious, perfect, northside, sacrosanct Penn Square had a real fatal gangbanger shooting several years ago.

My family goes to Crossroads for a little bit of everything and not once have we felt unsafe. My mom used to go up and walk every morning, and just paid attention to where she was and who was around; and when she walked, she started to recognize familiar faces and walked with or close to them. No problems.

Perception is everything, and lots of people want to tell you that Crossroads is a deathtrap gangbanger zone, and it just is NOT true. Sadly, some people see a young black or hispanic teenager and automatically assume gangbanging, and that's what Crossroads can't do anything about.

In a broader context, EVERY mall has problems with loitering teenagers engaged in everything from just being annoying, bored teenagers to petty theft/shoplifting. Crossroads has it, Penn Square has it, Quail Springs has it, but Crossroads is the only one you really hear getting negative pub about it.

I'm not going to sit here and tell you Crossroads isn't without problems, but this one is frustratingly exaggerated. And I've lived here most of my life and shopped at Crossroads frequently since the day it opened over three decades ago.

-soonerdave

p.s. Unrelated, I also heard that in addition to Moore, Chik-fil-A was looking to build an additional standalone site somewhere in SW OKC as well.....could mean the I-240 Penn Plaza area (first one that comes to mind).

[flintysooner]

The mall age seems to be pretty much over for now. There are several reasons but a lot of it is energy cost. It is terribly expensive to heat, cool, and light a mall. And the common area maintenance is very expensive. In this day of intense competition between retailers it is difficult for one to absorb the necessary rents. And it is expensive for people to drive to a mall.

People often find the mall inconvenient and prefer somewhere that is faster in and out.

I think, too, that there is a scale issue. I think one reason we see the growth of the life style center concept is that the scale of the architecture is more human than the mega mall. And the life style center is more natural. (Natural in a contrived way of course)

It should also be noted that the various government entities have not helped Crossroads with roads and access. Although if it weren't for I-35 I doubt there would even have been a Crossroads. So it is a two-edged sword. But it is really a confusing mess of roads there.

[SoonerDave]

When Crossroads was first built back in 1974, it was on what then seemed to be the outskirts of town, and I-240 was a four-lane highway back then. The city has grown south and southwest, but the region deteriorates right around Shields as you go farther east.

The massive I-35 reconstruction project didn't do Crossroads (or many other merchants in that area) any favors. That said, the retail "corridor" (which is an overstatement) along I-35 in that region north of Crossroads has always been iffy. There used to be a Medco catalog showroom, and that failed; a hobby store; it failed; a Levitz furniture warehouse; it failed, but I think the whole chain went bankrupt. For whatever reason, that eastern fringe from Shields to I-35 has evolved into a bit of a "no man's land" for retailing.

Yes, malls like Crossroads just aren't being built any more, and things like that go in cycles. Malls were hot in the 70's, now they're not, and I suspect in another fifteen years or so, something like a mall will come back into vogue. Malls used to be considered convenient because they had everything from soup to nuts under one roof, but now they're a hassle because of parking and driving distance.

One thing I remember about Crossroads is that it had different kinds of vendors; anyone remember Video Concepts on the first floor? Or the bakery just outside of Penny's (had a British theme if I remember)? There was the local Emmer Brothers clothing shop that occupied two levels of the mall on the west wing...the point is that there just isn't that kind of "diversity" there anymore...

SIGH..

-soonerdave

[bdub02]

The mall age seems to be pretty much over for now. There are several reasons but a lot of it is energy cost. It is terribly expensive to heat, cool, and light a mall. And the common area maintenance is very expensive. In this day of intense competition between retailers it is difficult for one to absorb the necessary rents. And it is expensive for people to drive to a mall.

People often find the mall inconvenient and prefer somewhere that is faster in and out.

I think, too, that there is a scale issue. I think one reason we see the growth of the life style center concept is that the scale of the architecture is more human than the mega mall. And the life style center is more natural. (Natural in a contrived way of course)

Am I the only one who would prefer a mall environment to a lifestyle center? I am personally sad to see the decline of the shopping mall in general in favor of these lifestyle centers. Lifestyle centers are a good idea in places with better climate, such as California or Arizona. In this part of the country where it rains often and the winters are cold, I personally think the traditional shopping mall wins hands down.

[flintysooner]

I agree these things are cyclical. But the cost is a significant factor. And that's on many fronts including land, construction of common area, utilities, and maintenance to name a few. In the early 70's we still had pretty cheap land, construction, and energy. And the mall was an attraction in itself so retailers could afford to pay for the increased costs because of higher sales per square foot.

Pretty tough now.

[jbrown84]

Crossroads has it, Penn Square has it, Quail Springs has it, but Crossroads is the only one you really hear getting negative pub about it.

I think the reason those two malls have overcome any of that kind of perception is by keeping the malls updated with extensive remodeling in the last 10 years. Can't say that for Crossroads and I think the aesthetics only affirm it's "ghetto" status, well-founded or not.

[SoonerDave]

I doubt seriously that News9 or any other local "faux news" station checks the remodeling register before deciding whether to report on a shooting somewhere. "Sorry, Kelly, that store was freshly painted just last week - can't report on anything like theft there!"

I think its a bit of a leap to say that if something isn't aesthetically pleasing it is a "ghetto," and I certainly think its way out of bounds to call Crossroads a "ghetto."

Perception, unfortunately, perpetuates perception, and right now (along with comments like "ghetto") go a great deal to reinforcing that negative perception. I don't understand why there is this almost mean-spirited sense of "knock it down" about Crossroads. It is *not* as bad as some people make it out to be; existing retail can and is surviving in the area, and the famed shooting was two or three *years* ago.

I have to hope the new owners hold some share of optimism about it, or surely they wouldn't have thrown their $$ into it.


-soonerdave

[soonerliberal]

I honestly do not think the "shooting" and gangbangers are what keeps Crossroads' reputation down. It is moreso the condition of the mall over anything else. Cracked brown concrete flooring rather than tile. Prison style railing rather than nice glass. "Urban themed" stores, and more local shopping than chain shopping. Those are the things that give Crossroads a bad rep, not just supposed crime.

[jbrown84]

I doubt seriously that News9 or any other local "faux news" station checks the remodeling register before deciding whether to report on a shooting somewhere. "Sorry, Kelly, that store was freshly painted just last week - can't report on anything like theft there!"

I was talking about public perception, not what the news reports.

I think its a bit of a leap to say that if something isn't aesthetically pleasing it is a "ghetto," and I certainly think its way out of bounds to call Crossroads a "ghetto."

I put that word in quotes because I was quoting others. People are calling it that because of the way the mall looks, and because of the stores that are there. Stores that aren't in other malls in OKC--like Frederick's of Hollywood, for example. Also, because the management doesn't require regular store remodeling, some stores are so old they still have discontinued logos for the store name. I was just there an hour ago, so I'm not making this up.