Two bits of information about Best Buy and Crossroads Mall.

[Larry OKC]

kevinpate: don't recall seeing that but ain't saying you are wrong either. Often the things that get stuck up there, do so for a reason (at least in my case, your mileage may vary). May be off on the particulars, but I didn't imagine it. In any case, may have been one of those announced plans that make it into print and then something happened and that deal fell though too so the 'sale" never got recorded, transfer never made. We have seen similar things happen before.

on edit: if you were dreaming it, you were doing it back in Feb of last year too when you posted this in another thread recently revived:

Appears the chap who purchased the Macy wing of the mall complex got the first half nailed. What he does with it will determine whether he also meets the second half of the above.

on edit edit:
Good news, your sanity is intact (well, at least as far as this is concerned)!
Read more: http://newsok.com/oklahoma-city-man-...#ixzz1WLnV12D0
Oklahoma City man purchases Macy’s property (Oklahoman, 1/19/2010)

Oklahoma City developer Richard Tanenbaum has bought the former Macy’s Department Store at Crossroads Mall. ... He said he bought it to hold for an investment but that it eventually could be converted to office space, a call center or other nonretail use.

Not sure why it isn't reflected in the Assessor records (if I was reading them correctly). So maybe it fell through at the last minute and the deal was never finalized?

This all got me thinking and I vaguely recall reading something that happened after the Arkansas investors bought the mall and think it was after the Feds took it over saying that they had bought the mall for dirt cheap and were going to flip it, asking for at least double what they paid. But can't locate it now and may have been out parcels instead of the mall itself...

[flintysooner]

Oklahoma City developer Richard Tanenbaum has bought the former Macy’s Department Store at Crossroads Mall.

Tanenbaum’s Crossroads 150/LLC paid the chain $1.5 million for the 151,000-square-foot parcel on 14 acres in a transaction not related to the disposition of the main mall property, which remains for sale for $24 million by Maiden Lane LLC , an entity of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York .

Read more: http://newsok.com/oklahoma-city-man-...#ixzz1WLoiF5Rf

[Soonerman]

Hmm Last time I was in that area I noticed the old Macy's store had a for sale sign on it and this was in July.

[Rover]

Best Buy's move to smaller location was bound to happen sooner or later regardless of Crossroads success or failure. There is no need for electronics stores to be the giant stores they used be. The majority of electronics have shrunk in size and companies have changed packaging materials to where they can ship more merchandise per truckload. Not to mention many items have become obsolete since the 90's. I predict the next thing to leave electronics stores will be recorded media. The days of buying movies and music on individual pieces of media are about to come to an end. That in itself is a large amount of floor space that will no longer be needed. In the next few years people will use the internet, vending machines or kiosks inside stores. People like the idea of buying only the tracks they like not the half-baked filler that filled LP's, Cassettes, CD's for years.

Since online retail is succeeding by leaps and bounds these days, I predict Brick and Mortar stores will have to offer specialty services like delivery, install and home shipping for out of stock items.

Which makes me wonder if places like Crossroads will even have a presence 5,10,15,20 years from now. Malls and shopping centers will need to evolve into social gathering spots in order to survive. Let's face it the days of killing a day to shop for something are just about over. You can find out all you need to know by the swipe of a finger on your phone or the click of a mouse or enter key.

This concept of online eliminating live retail already failed during the last dot com. Internet companies have continuously overestimated their impact on killing traditional shopping. That isn't to say that retailing isn't evolving, but look for more and more interrelationship between the live experience and the online one. People will always like to touch, try on, taste and see merchandise to help form opinions on a buy. Commodity items with standard measurements may be bought online, but the live experience will always be important for many many things. WebEx will never replace face to face business meetings. .com will never kill live retail.

As for Crossroads, it is no longer an appealing place to be and looks tired and dated. Too many other choices of places to shop. As a destination it creates no excitement.

[CuatrodeMayo]

People will always like to touch, try on, taste and see merchandise

That's the point; you can't do that with media so the "retail experience" really doesn't exist in that sense.

[SuperK]

Hello!

I would like to come forward and clear up some things regarding Crossroads Mall!!!

First of all, the lower level of the former JC Penny building has been leased to a company that will have an awesome haunted house open from October 1-31!!!

Second, the mall has not changed ownership in 3 years. No one has bought the mall and flipped it or anything like that. Don't you guys think that something as large as Crossroads Mall selling would make at least the business section of the newspaper??? When Crossroads Mall sells you will know it...I PROMISE!!!

[Steve]

Hello!

Second, the mall has not changed ownership in 3 years. No one has bought the mall and flipped it or anything like that. Don't you guys think that something as large as Crossroads Mall selling would make at least the business section of the newspaper??? When Crossroads Mall sells you will know it...I PROMISE!!!

What's sad is that this question must be asked... *YES, IT WOULD MAKE THE BUSINESS SECTION AND FRONT PAGE*

[megax11]

Hello!

I would like to come forward and clear up some things regarding Crossroads Mall!!!

First of all, the lower level of the former JC Penny building has been leased to a company that will have an awesome haunted house open from October 1-31!!!

Second, the mall has not changed ownership in 3 years. No one has bought the mall and flipped it or anything like that. Don't you guys think that something as large as Crossroads Mall selling would make at least the business section of the newspaper??? When Crossroads Mall sells you will know it...I PROMISE!!!

Cool to know. Thanks for the info.

I wasn't saying someone already bought and flipped it, but that someone had bought it and intended to flip and keep it a mall, which I am now not saying is happening.

Cool to know about the haunted house. I will be there. I hope it is a long one.

As for the Macy's sell, that sucks if true, because I don't want to see any part of that mall become non-retail use.

Southside OKC shouldn't be home to an endless amount of business schools, carlots, government offices, and a call center.

I hope the Macy's thing is a lie, or I hope he saves it as an investment for future sellthrough, should the mall rise from the ashes.

EDIT: Nevermind. I see that the article about Macy's was old. Thanks for clearing that up, Larry. My statements about southside still stand.

[Thunder]

Who want to take me to the haunted house on the 17th for my B-day? How about a massive OKCTalk group field trip with me? After all, everyone on here is the only family I have left. I rarely see dad and I don't have contact with his family side. Ex-mom and I rarely social with her family side other than Thanksgiving and Christmas, so we basically had just each other. Since I disowned her... Anyone want to make me feel alive? lol

[Larry OKC]

I suppose going to the Land of the Zombies (and the Haunted House) would make you feel alive...LOL

[Thunder]

I suppose going to the Land of the Zombies (and the Haunted House) would make you feel alive...LOL

I guess so. I can't remember the last time I have been to a haunted house.

[cas]

There are employees in the mall that are telling this same story. I went to the Finish Line this past weekend to get my son some shoes. I asked the employee what was going to happen there at the mall. She said they just sold the mall to a new owner who was going to bring a bunch of stores back. She also said Dillards was coming back. She stated they just signed a new lease for another year. I have no idea where her information is coming from, but that is what she is telling customers. I have found no facts to back up her claim. I grew up as a kid going to that mall and it's sad to see where it is today.

[oneforone]

I just don't see them being very successful at bringing stores back to Crossroads. Most retailers will likely choose Moore, Norman Midwest City, West OKC near the new outlet mall or I-240 before moving into Crossroads. No retailer is going to want to move to a location that is hidden from interstate traffic. Trying to bring Crossroads back to life at this point would be throwing good money away after bad. The only reason why the remaining few retailers are there is because they are still making enough money to pay the bills and make a reasonable profit or the location is a franchise.

I think the best they could do with Crossroads at this point is a mixed use industrial and business park. The days of being a retail destination are pretty much over for Crossroads.

[Soonerman]

There are employees in the mall that are telling this same story. I went to the Finish Line this past weekend to get my son some shoes. I asked the employee what was going to happen there at the mall. She said they just sold the mall to a new owner who was going to bring a bunch of stores back. She also said Dillards was coming back. She stated they just signed a new lease for another year. I have no idea where her information is coming from, but that is what she is telling customers. I have found no facts to back up her claim. I grew up as a kid going to that mall and it's sad to see where it is today.

My friend who works for Dillards said They are talking about going back to Crossroads Mall. However it will be a Clearance Center store if they open back up there.

[Thunder]

The retail days at CRM is far from over. Smart retailers will move into that mall. Well, they just need to be smart about moving into a mall.

(pssst) PSM and QSM are away from the major interstates.

[BrettM2]

The retail days at CRM is far from over. Smart retailers will move into that mall. Well, they just need to be smart about moving into a mall.

(pssst) PSM and QSM are away from the major interstates.

PSM is directly off I-44, just a mile or two from I-235. QSM is right off the Turnpike, and about halfway between Broadway Extension and Hefner Parkway. Neither is off the beaten path.

[Thunder]

PSM is directly off I-44, just a mile or two from I-235. QSM is right off the Turnpike, and about halfway between Broadway Extension and Hefner Parkway. Neither is off the beaten path.

CRM is right next to I35 and I240. :-)

[BrettM2]

CRM is right next to I35 and I240. :-)

With absolutely horrible on and off ramps to get to it. I used to go there all the time when I was in high school and remember well how difficult it could be.

[Thunder]

It is real easy for me.

[Larry OKC]

Guys, the original post was about visibility more than access (though if ya don't know what you are doing can be a discouragement), the ongoing construction hasn't helped either. One of the things that made it successful for decades was it was located at the Crossroads (thus the name). It was new and one of the largest malls at the time. High visibilty before all of the out parcels were built, hiding it from view. PSM and QSM are both still highly visible. mainly because the turnpike & interstates that go by them are elevated. I-35 and I-240 in that area are at grade. Unless you are Wal-mart, can't have anything hiding it from view, out of sight out of mind. Maybe Wal-mart needs to put in a major Supercenter there but they already have relatively new ones within close distance. Not that Wal-mart is adverse to relocating their stores, they do it often. If you build a Wal-mart, they will come. Been proven all over the city time and again.

[Steve]

"two dudes ..."
I am now cracking up.... yes, yes, sure enough.... Megax, be sure to read The Oklahoman in the morning. The "conspiracy" is over...

[megax11]

"two dudes ..."
I am now cracking up.... yes, yes, sure enough....

Two "dudes" was my call. I could have said two guys, or outstanding gentlemen, but where's the fun in that?

[Steve]

megax, I'm laughing because in your own way, you got it right. The story should be posting at NewsOk shortly... but you deserve an early notice of it: Crossroads has indeed been sold ... to "two dudes," as you say - Michael Dillard and Roddy Bates. I'll let Richard Mize unravel the rest of the story....

[Thunder]

megax, I'm laughing because in your own way, you got it right. The story should be posting at NewsOk shortly... but you deserve an early notice of it: Crossroads has indeed been sold ... to "two dudes," as you say - Michael Dillard and Roddy Bates. I'll let Richard Mize unravel the rest of the story....

LMFAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Steve, remind me to give you a frickin' hug whenever we meet face-to-face. LMFAO!!!!!!!!!!!!

How is everyone here feeling now? LMFAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

^5 Mega guy, you did it and I believed in you when everyone else dissed ya to the dump.

[ljbab728]

http://newsok.com/oklahoma-citys-rap...ad_story_title