Quail Springs Mall

[Mr. Blue Sky]

In no way has the Penn Square AMC lobby been neglected or is unchanged since they opened 30 years ago. Anybody who has been since 2012 knows there is a huge difference since AMC took over from Dickinson and totally renovated the place. Layout is much the same, but that's where the comparison ends.

[poe]

I can't believe Gap hasn't closed the Quail store yet.

[onthestrip]

I can't believe Gap hasn't closed the Quail store yet.

And I can’t believe they haven’t reopened the Penn store yet.

[barrettd]

In no way has the Penn Square AMC lobby been neglected or is unchanged since they opened 30 years ago. Anybody who has been since 2012 knows there is a huge difference since AMC took over from Dickinson and totally renovated the place. Layout is much the same, but that's where the comparison ends.

I'm sure you guys are right. I've only been there a very few times in the last 20 years, but I'm probably getting that feeling from the layout. It feels cramped to me, whereas QSM is wide open and has multiple concession stands. As I said, I like what they've done to the screening rooms.

Also, I have a strong dislike for Penn Square, in general, so that does tend to bleed over into my feelings about the tenants sometimes. I'm really looking forward to having more options, and especially checking out Alamo if/when it arrives.

[Rover]

I'm sure you guys are right. I've only been there a very few times in the last 20 years, but I'm probably getting that feeling from the layout. It feels cramped to me, whereas QSM is wide open and has multiple concession stands. As I said, I like what they've done to the screening rooms.

Also, I have a strong dislike for Penn Square, in general, so that does tend to bleed over into my feelings about the tenants sometimes. I'm really looking forward to having more options, and especially checking out Alamo if/when it arrives.

What is it about Penn Sq you dislike so much? It has good stores and is a pleasant environment. It has less kids just roaming around. Traffic around it isn’t as bad. Certainly a far more pleasant environment than QS.

[SoonerDave]

If this is true, then QSM has likely crossed the point of no return. Hopefully H&M is able to move to Penn. That's where they really belong and it would be a shame for this market to lose them. It's also a shame regarding Von Maur. They likely would have been successful if they would have gone somewhere other than QSM and there is a chance their failure could impact OKC's future ability to attract upscale retail. Upscale retailers are already unusually cautious about OKC compared to other markets this size. The AMC is very dated by movie theater standards (it feels like stepping back to the 90s to go see a movie there) and as soon as there are better/more modern options in north OKC they will likely see a decline. Once that happens, the mall is done.

Von Maur is hardly the be-all benchmark for high-end retail. They were thrown a boatload of incentives to build into QSM knowing its built-in liabilities and - surprise - it isn't as successful as they hoped. It's a very narrow example. I don't think VM is a very good fit in OK anyway...if VM couldn't see that...they are as much to blame as anyone. We went there once when it opened, and we've never been back.

[SoonerDave]

What is it about Penn Sq you dislike so much? It has good stores and is a pleasant environment. It has less kids just roaming around. Traffic around it isn’t as bad. Certainly a far more pleasant environment than QS.

Ugh...I like PSM, but I'd take QSM traffic flow over PSM any day. I'm amazed there aren't more accidents amid all the designed-in congestion and merging around PSM.

[TheTravellers]

Ugh...I like PSM, but I'd take QSM traffic flow over PSM any day. I'm amazed there aren't more accidents amid all the designed-in congestion and merging around PSM.

Totally agree, we even completely avoid not just PSM, but the area around it between mid-Nov and mid-Jan.

[stile99]

Glad to see people responding to the traffic around Penn Square thing. I am more than well aware that there is a very VERY crappy intersection or two near Quail Springs (the worst one super easily avoided). But to even remotely imply Penn Square is smooth sailing? They would have to move it off NW Expressway for that to happen. Quail has a couple idiotic intersections. Penn has NW Expressway. Nuff said, mike drop.

[jn1780]

When it comes to aesthetics, I don't really see a difference between QSM and PSM. Their both pretty generic in design. PSM management just did a better job of attracting and retaining tenants.

[barrettd]

What is it about Penn Sq you dislike so much? It has good stores and is a pleasant environment. It has less kids just roaming around. Traffic around it isn’t as bad. Certainly a far more pleasant environment than QS.

The parking lot is a nightmare. The mall itself is a lot busier than QSM, and I am not great at dealing with crowds. Since I've moved to The Village, and the Belle Isle shopping area has grown up, I'm not crazy about the traffic in that area, either.

I'm not saying any of this is rational for a normal person, it might only apply to me. I don't have a whole lot of use for malls in any case, so they could both shut down for all I care, except for the economic impact and appearance to future retailers.

[Rover]

I agree about malls. However, I enjoy walking PS on stormy days, or days of bitter cold or scorching heat. I’m getting too old and lazy to walk in really adverse conditions. Malls are still safe havens .... oh, and I get free food samples walking through the food court (not so at QS ��)
The parking problem is overblown at PS. Except for the Christmas season it isn’t bad. People just drive around for 30 min to find a spot near an entrance. I love how people talk about walking but won’t walk 100 yards to get from car to door. Lol.

[David]

Even at the height of Christmas shopping I have always been able to find a spot in the parking garage at Penn. The main annoyance there tends to just be congestion in getting in and out of the overall lot.

[Rover]

Reminds me of a Yogi ism: "It's so busy nobody goes there anymore"

[Plutonic Panda]

I lol so hard at the bad traffic and parking problems at PS. Give me a break!

[Rover]

I live nearby PS and pass it regularly. Except for Christmas time parking is never full. Parking at the front door may be, but there is ample parking in both the surface and structured. Even during Christmas there is usually parking open in the northwest area. It is just that people don't want to walk so they park on the grass, curbs, etc. to save walking 100 more steps. The only time getting in or out is a problem is right at closing time during busy seasons when everyone is trying to leave at once, and on Christmas Eve, and black Friday. Otherwise traffic feeds out to Penn and NW Hwy very quickly. People here get bent out of shape if they have to wait 1 or 2 minutes to get to an expwy where they can do 65 mph. LOL

[d-usa]

Both malls usually have decend parking, even during peak season, if you just drive to the “back” of them.

[barrettd]

I think it's great none of you have parking issues at PS. Doesn't change the fact that I loathe their parking lot, and the garage is even worse. I hate the parking experience at PS, and have for years. The spaces in the lot are tight, the driving lane between the parking lanes is tight, the traffic around PS tends to be higher, which leads to issues getting in/out, etc. Some of that stuff may not bother other people, but it's enough to keep me away from that mall. Same reason I refuse to go to Burlington or any stores on that side of French Market Mall. The parking lot there is also terrible.

We all have different ideas of what constitutes a good experience.

[mugofbeer]

When I am in town I find PS to be OK. Aswas said, just go to the back. I will agree with the post above that French Market Mall and Sprouts across the street are the worst due to tiny parking places and drives. FWIW, that Sprouts store is far busier than my local Denver stores each time I visit.

[barrettd]

When I am in town I find PS to be OK. Aswas said, just go to the back. I will agree with the post above that French Market Mall and Sprouts across the street are the worst due to tiny parking places and drives. FWIW, that Sprouts store is far busier than my local Denver stores each time I visit.

There's a newer Sprouts out north on MacArthur with a normal parking lot. Much nicer, and the store is great, too.

[SoonerDave]

I think it's great none of you have parking issues at PS. Doesn't change the fact that I loathe their parking lot, and the garage is even worse. I hate the parking experience at PS, and have for years. The spaces in the lot are tight, the driving lane between the parking lanes is tight, the traffic around PS tends to be higher, which leads to issues getting in/out, etc. Some of that stuff may not bother other people, but it's enough to keep me away from that mall. Same reason I refuse to go to Burlington or any stores on that side of French Market Mall. The parking lot there is also terrible.

We all have different ideas of what constitutes a good experience.

Preach on, brother. Right there with ya.

[Colbafone]

I work directly across the street from Penn Square Mall. I see it for several hours a day. 99% of the time and year, the parking lot is maybe 40% full. I drive on Penn and Expressway several times a day. If you have problems with the PSM parking lot and entrance ways, that's on you. Maybe just head to a CVS for your shopping needs? Probably a bit easier in and out for some.

[stile99]

if you have problems with the qsm parking lot and entrance ways, that's on you. Maybe just head to a cvs for your shopping needs? Probably a bit easier in and out for some.

ftfy.

[bchris02]

There's always ample parking on the north side and in the garage. I know a lot of people are nervous about parking in the garage but it's excellent if you need to get in and out of Penn Square Mall quickly.

[Mastermind]

I don't know about parking (just that the layout of the lot near the 'main' entrance at QSM is annoying, so it's just better to park at Von Maur's second floor), but my issue with QSM has always been the overall layout of the mall itself. Penn is of course owned by Simon, and they know how to make malls. I've never heard of the company that built QSM, but I mainly go there to see movies at AMC, and cannot understand why there isn't a direct entrance to the theater. Why do I have to walk through stores that I don't care about and a mediocre food court just to get to the ticket booth? They seriously need to rebuild from the ground up. Make a better food court and a direct entrance to AMC, get rid of everything else.