Crossroads Mall

[mrokc777]

I just cant picture a grocery store in a mall but i hope it works.

[bluedogok]

I'm pretty disappointed with what I see as the lackadaisical effort put into redoing the exterior of Crossroads Mall. Here's the website for La Gran Plaza in Ft. Worth for comparison. There are photo galleries you can browse to get a feel for what I'm talking about. It appears to have had a lot more effort put into the exterior. Crossroads is getting some colored poles and painted entrances, but really nothing compared to what they're did for their other project.

I think La Gran Plaza was vacant and deteriorated before they renovated it. I think they had to do a lot to the exterior just to finish the project.

I just cant picture a grocery store in a mall but i hope it works.

There used to be one in Shepherd Mall. Also, the Hispanic mall concept is a different retailing environment than the traditional indoor mall. It is really more of a marketplace with much more variety than a traditional mall.

[Dubya61]

Many of the malls I've seen in Europe have a grocery store involved -- often as an anchor of sorts. The trick often is shopping carts, two (or more) levels, and escalators.

[ljbab728]

An update on what's happening here. The video still shows few patrons but hopefully this will be successful eventually.

South Oklahoma City's Plaza Mayor tries to lure families with fiesta atmosphere | News OK

[Jesseda]

has anything new happened here, I thought they said 20 or so new stores?? also when is the old dillards area planned to open up? I haven't been to the place since early june and nothing looks like it has changed really in 10 plus years I was hoping that there would been a little bit of change back in june but nope.. I want to take my kids there again but I am waiting for there big change they keep talking about and new stores and restaurants

[bchris02]

has anything new happened here, I thought they said 20 or so new stores?? also when is the old dillards area planned to open up? I haven't been to the place since early june and nothing looks like it has changed really in 10 plus years I was hoping that there would been a little bit of change back in june but nope.. I want to take my kids there again but I am waiting for there big change they keep talking about and new stores and restaurants

I am hoping for the best on this, but these kinds of projects can also end up to be failures.

A developer tried a similar concept in Charlotte with the failed Eastland Mall, actually modeled after the same Ft. Worth development Crossroads is being modeled after, and it was a complete failure. I am hoping this takes off and is successful, but I am not sure I would bank on it until it is more mature.

[Patrick]

10 years from now the bulldozers will be coming in to demolish Crossroads and push it into the landfill.

[Mel]

10 years from now the bulldozers will be coming in to demolish Crossroads and push it into the landfill.

I hope not. I would really like this place to do well and give our growing Hispanic population a central meetin' and greetin' place. Also they won't have to press 2 for spainish.

[kevinpate]

People have suggested that for many years. maybe so. maybe no.

[Plutonic Panda]

The really should redo the parking lot in cement. Level and/or create different levels. Add a few stand alone stores and restaurants. Add a bunch of landscaping and perhaps an little park or something. Maybe put in a little carnival with a few low profile rides and have a tram that connects to mall and runs through the parking lot, stores, carnival, and build a Medieval Times where the Toys R Us is and connect all that with a tram.

[kevinpate]

well, they were talking about having a rodeo out there at some point in the future.

[Patrick]

The really should redo the parking lot in cement. Level and/or create different levels. Add a few stand alone stores and restaurants. Add a bunch of landscaping and perhaps an little park or something. Maybe put in a little carnival with a few low profile rides and have a tram that connects to mall and runs through the parking lot, stores, carnival, and build a Medieval Times where the Toys R Us is and connect all that with a tram.

A gun store may be the best bet for Crossroads.

[ljbab728]

For those who had predicted the demise of Crossroads, the reinvention seems to be going fairly well.

http://www.oklahoman.com/article/3895237?embargo=1

Plaza Mayor at the Crossroads has signed 42 new leases since April and the owners think the mall can be fully resurrected in 18 months — faster than the three years first envisioned.

[mgsports]

What's the name of Grocery Market and other places coming?

[Martin]

For those who had predicted the demise of Crossroads, the reinvention seems to be going fairly well.

huh... i guess most all of those tenants haven't moved in yet. went about a month ago to check on the progress and didn't get the impression that much had been made. -M

[Garin]

Reminds of the old Paris flea market....... Huge blackeye for south Okc

[ljbab728]

huh... i guess most all of those tenants haven't moved in yet. went about a month ago to check on the progress and didn't get the impression that much had been made. -M

The article did not say that 42 new stores had opened up. It said they had signed 42 new leases since April.

[MWCGuy]

I am wondering how many of those leases are existing tenants. It has only been maybe a year or so since Raptor took over the mall from the fed. Technically existing tenants could be counted as new leases. Not to mention how many of these places are quality stores or are they swap meat and flea market vendors.

I looked at the mall directory on plazamayorok.com and it appears the national chain stores are slowly dropping off. The only national brand stores left are Foot Action, Victoria Secret and Bath & Bodyworks (Both likely selling old stock and closeout items from other stores), Journeys, Eargazm, Champs and Zales.

I think they may still be able to make a go of it with small businesses but, it's going to take a truckload of advertising and promotional events to get sufficient foot traffic out there. I am wondering if it have a major effect on real estate on 29th Street and Capitol Hill. I could see small businesses moving out there from those areas if the price is right and the place is kept up and security issues are properly addressed.

[Martin]

The article did not say that 42 new stores had opened up. It said they had signed 42 new leases since April.

i understand that but was just noting that nearly 6 months later few, if any, of those new leases have actually started occupying retail space in the mall. -M

[bluedogok]

I am wondering how many of those leases are existing tenants. It has only been maybe a year or so since Raptor took over the mall from the fed. Technically existing tenants could be counted as new leases. Not to mention how many of these places are quality stores or are they swap meat and flea market vendors.

I looked at the mall directory on plazamayorok.com and it appears the national chain stores are slowly dropping off. The only national brand stores left are Foot Action, Victoria Secret and Bath & Bodyworks (Both likely selling old stock and closeout items from other stores), Journeys, Eargazm, Champs and Zales.

I think they may still be able to make a go of it with small businesses but, it's going to take a truckload of advertising and promotional events to get sufficient foot traffic out there. I am wondering if it have a major effect on real estate on 29th Street and Capitol Hill. I could see small businesses moving out there from those areas if the price is right and the place is kept up and security issues are properly addressed.

Expect many of the national chains to close once their leases expire, the Fort Worth mall like this have very few national retailers, it will never have a "high end" look to it, that just isn't the demographic they are seeking. They have a formula and it has worked elsewhere, the one in Fort Worth was closed before this group took it over. The marketing of this type of mall is different than a traditional mall, it will be targeted and there will be a lot of word of mouth between the Hispanic community which will drive traffic to the mall. That seems to be how most of the Hispanic targeted retailers thrive on, they rely on the community to promote them. If they have a good product mix of what the community wants, they will thrive.

[MWCGuy]

Bath and Body Works may hang on. They and GNC were the last stores to leave Heritage Park. The only reason they left was because Heritage Park Mall was not providing any security and they weren't even turning on the interior lights at night. The manager my wife talked to before they closed stated they really wanted to stay in Midwest City however, they did not want their employees safety at risk. All the employees were given jobs at other stores around the metro. The manager talked as if they were trying to get a spot in Town Center.

[Jesseda]

So I was thinking of going to plaza/crossroads last Friday evening. I get to the parking lot which was rather creepy with only one light pole on ea corner of the mall turned on. The outside of the mall looked like it was closed the only life outside was a handful wannabe thuggish teenagers. We decided not to park and go inisde since the outside parking lot was a dark ghost town and we didn't feel safe leaving our car in that parking lot, we will try sometime in the future during day. I thought maybe just maybe they would do something with this mall but it seriously has gotten worse which I didn't think was possible. Has anyone been into that place recently to see if anything changed like the remodeled dillards building area that was suppose to open at end of summer. I know the owners came off saying big things are taking form but I don't see it (well maybe I could have if the parking lot wasn't so dark and creepy).

[SomeGuy]

How is plaza major/crossroads doing? Have they done any work like repainting, adding new tenants or is the same?

[MWCGuy]

I wouldn't be surprised if Crossroads has some mechanical and infrastructure issues that have not been revealed to the public. The Plaza Mayor people may have thought they could manage around them. I just can't help but wonder why Simon or General Properties didn't jump on it when it went on the auction block for a mere $9 Million. The only solution I can come up with is mechanical and infrastructure issues that are going to cost millions to fix especially since Maerich let fall apart.

When ODOT gets the rebuild of 240/35 complete that area will thrive again. It's a shame the mall will likely miss out. By the time the rebuild is done that mall will like see the wrecking ball. I think if Maerich had not pitched a fit about Pole Road. The interchange would have been rebuilt by now and the mall would likely be thriving again. In my opinion I think it got pushed back because they had to redo the whole thing to keep Pole Road open.

[SoonerDave]

I wouldn't be surprised if Crossroads has some mechanical and infrastructure issues that have not been revealed to the public..

Very salient point. I don't know how many people here remember the big center fountain just amid the switchback ramps between the floors at center court, but it was buried years ago. I asked someone why, and they said that the understructure of the fountain had rotted beneath the foundation and was essentially gushing water out beneath the floor and eroding the foundation. Fixing it would have required busting out the floor and pouring/building a brand new fountain, which would have surely cost a small fortune, so they just buried it.

That's just one example of an issue I *did* know about, so I suspect its entirely likely there are myriad others we don't know about. For those who never worked there, there's a fairly complex "maze" of back-tunnels, shipping entrances, storage areas that interconnect essentially every storefront in the mall, and there's no telling what kinds of physical plant issues may be present there, eg electrical, plumbing, heck, maybe even termites for all I know

Back when Crossroads was still commercially viable, I always thought they were kinda neglecting it structurally, with barely more than a few coats of paint or entirely cosmetic fixups over a span of years, and I think we're finding out now that the place just how serious that neglect was. That's an absolute shame. The neglect may not have hurt Crossroads in the following years in terms of the broader economic picture ongoing during that time, but it surely didn't help.