Penn Square Mall

[Ginkasa]

Yeah, GameStop bought ThinkGeek in 2015.

[barrettd]

That’s kind of a bummer. I went to their website and I was redirected to GameStop. Are they part of GameStop? I walked through there last week but was in a rush and didn’t check it out in depth. I had planned to go back.

You aren't missing much. ThinkGeek as a store wasn't nearly as interesting as their website. If I remember correctly, the store was mostly full of Funko Pop toys.

[jeffkchuckk]

Sadly, Pottery Barn won't be renewing their lease.

[progressiveboy]

I am beginning to wonder if OKC is able to support more upscale retail. With the closing of Banana Republic, Swarvovski, Williams Sonoma and now PB does not bode well for OKC. All of these stores are still open in Tulsa. Also Jos A Wilson closed in PS but is still open in Tulsa. Also Tulsa has Restoration Hardware and Saks which OKC does not have as well. You would think with the big population growth in OKC this would not be the case? I do not know? I predict OKC will never get a Nordstrom either. Just not enough disposable income in OKC.

[Plutonic Panda]

Are you being serious you think the closing of a pottery barn represents the decline of high wealth in Oklahoma City that is fu€king hilarious

[Plutonic Panda]

PS, Dillards in OKC PS is one of the nicest department stores I’ve ever been in rivaling those in Fashion Island and that’s my personal opinion.

[progressiveboy]

Are you being serious you think the closing of a pottery barn represents the decline of high wealth in Oklahoma City that is fu€king hilarious

Yes I do! OKC does not have overall high disposable incomes. They cannot even afford to fix their streets. So sad for my hometown.

[chssooner]

Yes I do! OKC does not have overall high disposable incomes. They cannot even afford to fix their streets. So sad for my hometown.

Horse crap.

[Plutonic Panda]

Yes I do! OKC does not have overall high disposable incomes. They cannot even afford to fix their streets. So sad for my hometown.

I disagree. Tulsa is one of the cities holding the state back not pushing it forward like OKC is. Wealth is of no factor there. OKC has tons of disposable income and PB doesn’t have much to offer I just walked through it and it’s a glorified Pier 1 store nothing more.

[Pete]

Pottery Barn has been looking at other sites in OKC.

They have been closing some of their stores and finding better locations in the same city.

[Mballard85]

Pottery Barn has been looking at other sites in OKC.

They have been closing some of their stores and finding better locations in the same city.

Cant be true Pete, this is a sign of the complete collapse of OKC into a poverty stricken wasteland.

Don't tell him why Williams Sonoma left PSM, I'll just say it wasn't customer related. Nevermind Jos A Bank has a store in Edmond, no need for two suit stores of the same quality in the same mall.

[chssooner]

I am beginning to wonder if OKC is able to support more upscale retail. With the closing of Banana Republic, Swarvovski, Williams Sonoma and now PB does not bode well for OKC. All of these stores are still open in Tulsa. Also Jos A Wilson closed in PS but is still open in Tulsa. Also Tulsa has Restoration Hardware and Saks which OKC does not have as well. You would think with the big population growth in OKC this would not be the case? I do not know? I predict OKC will never get a Nordstrom either. Just not enough disposable income in OKC.

The Saks there is of lower (maybe equal??) quality to the Dillards in PS. Like, you don't realize it, but name alone doesn't matter. Mr. Ooley's in OKC has been selling Armani suits for decades (Tulsa has no Armani or Brioni dealers). Classen Curve has a bunch of OKC-only Oklahoma stores (Bonobos, Evereve, Lovesac, Mizzen & Main, home of the $135 dress shirt that is immensely popular here in OKC, Soft Surroundings, Sur La Table, Tecovas, etc). But keep spewing this negative narrative you have.

The fact you think a Pottery Barn or Banana Republic is upscale says a lot.

[Plutonic Panda]

I believe I’ve said it here before and I’ll say it again the Dillards at Penn Square, Mall is comparable to the nicest Neiman Marcus I’ve been to in Southern California. I really am blown away by how nice that Dillards store is the only thing that doesn’t compare to in regards to other upscale department stores and cosmopolitan cities like Los Angeles is the suit section. The only other nicer stores I’ve been to either Bloomingdale’s or Bergdorf goodman. There was another really high-end department store in Beverly Hills but I forgot the name of it and it closed down not sure why.

And frankly assuming tulsa Has high end retail is comedy but not funnier than thinking pottery barn is a high end store. It’s overpriced crap.

And let me tell you I just went up to Tulsa drove around to check out the city I have one beautiful spot around southern hills and might be the most beautiful part of the state but the city is a whole sucks and I heard about Saks being a nice store there and it was in horrible condition. Thinking that Tulsa is an upscale city is hilarious. I don’t mean to make this an OKC vs Tulsa thing again but I’m really amused at the poster who posted about PB. It’s one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen on this forum.

[poe]

I could see Pottery Barn go to a freestanding store somewhere in the city, maybe like the one in Wichita. And I think some of the other retailers that have left OKC may eventually come back, but not in a mall. I like Banana Republic, but don’t miss it. You can find their clothes at Burlington and other similar retailers now, not to mention the factory store. I think the bigger concern is the void left in Penn Square by all the closings. I would hope mall management would be proactive, but it doesn’t seem to be the case.

[Laramie]

I could see Pottery Barn go to a freestanding store somewhere in the city, maybe like the one in Wichita. And I think some of the other retailers that have left OKC may eventually come back, but not in a mall. I like Banana Republic, but don’t miss it. You can find their clothes at Burlington and other similar retailers now, not to mention the factory store. I think the bigger concern is the void left in Penn Square by all the closings. I would hope mall management would be proactive, but it doesn’t seem to be the case.

The old closed Office DePot near Walmart at S. W. 3rd & Reno will be opening as a Burlington.

[WheelerD Guy]

I could see Pottery Barn go to a freestanding store somewhere in the city, maybe like the one in Wichita. And I think some of the other retailers that have left OKC may eventually come back, but not in a mall. I like Banana Republic, but don’t miss it. You can find their clothes at Burlington and other similar retailers now, not to mention the factory store. I think the bigger concern is the void left in Penn Square by all the closings. I would hope mall management would be proactive, but it doesn’t seem to be the case.

+1. That’s definitely the way things are headed. The big lifestyle centers (Chisholm Creek, The Oak, Route 66 Landing) are the future in that regard.

[Pete]

The one Pottery Barn in Tulsa is in Utica Square, not a mall.

I could see them moving to Chisholm Creek or even The Oak.

[chssooner]

The one Pottery Barn in Tulsa is in Utica Square, not a mall.

I could see them moving to Chisholm Creek or even The Oak.

Do we know how active Simon is in filling PSM up? Or are they wanting to take a very slow, wait and see approach? Just wanting to see if you had heard anything on that front.

[traxx]

I am beginning to wonder if OKC is able to support more upscale retail. With the closing of Banana Republic, Swarvovski, Williams Sonoma and now PB does not bode well for OKC. All of these stores are still open in Tulsa. Also Jos A Wilson closed in PS but is still open in Tulsa. Also Tulsa has Restoration Hardware and Saks which OKC does not have as well. You would think with the big population growth in OKC this would not be the case? I do not know? I predict OKC will never get a Nordstrom either. Just not enough disposable income in OKC.

I'm assuming you mean Jos A Bank not Wilson. That was a terribly run company before covid. The pandemic just exacerbated it. There's still a Bank store in Edmond. They're owned by the same company that owns Men's Wearhouse. They couldn't afford to keep two stores that are a couple of hundred yards apart open so they chose to close one and they chose Bank.

As far as the streets, I don't know what to tell ya. But it has nothing to do with Pottery Barn closing its PSM store. That's a tax issue and a government issue. We constantly have road construction going on everywhere in this state but the roads never get any better. It's an anomaly.

[Bunty]

I am beginning to wonder if OKC is able to support more upscale retail. With the closing of Banana Republic, Swarvovski, Williams Sonoma and now PB does not bode well for OKC. All of these stores are still open in Tulsa. Also Jos A Wilson closed in PS but is still open in Tulsa. Also Tulsa has Restoration Hardware and Saks which OKC does not have as well. You would think with the big population growth in OKC this would not be the case? I do not know? I predict OKC will never get a Nordstrom either. Just not enough disposable income in OKC.

Some of those stores may be having such severe financial trouble company wide, they may not be around anywhere in a few years. Covid and online stores, like Amazon, surely aren't finished trying to kill off brick and mortar stores.

[Rover]

Some of those stores may be having such severe financial trouble company wide, they may not be around anywhere in a few years. Covid and online stores, like Amazon, surely aren't finished trying to kill off brick and mortar stores.

They aren't necessarily trying to kill off brick and mortar... the customers are doing that. If everyone prefers brick and mortar then they should buy there. People complain but still buy from Amazon and all the other onlines. And that started way before Covid. Brick and mortar needs to show value in customer service, niched products, speed of services, etc. to compete, not just complain that people aren't coming to them. How many local b&ms started doing/pushing home deliveries of products from their stores like restaurants had to do. They need to start thinking of how they might have some advantages and not try to compete where they don't (low pricing). If they offer something of value, people will support it. If they just want to sell the same stuff but at higher prices and less convenience... well, good luck with that. Where is the new wave of creativity in retail b&m marketing?

[soonerguru]

I am beginning to wonder if OKC is able to support more upscale retail. With the closing of Banana Republic, Swarvovski, Williams Sonoma and now PB does not bode well for OKC. All of these stores are still open in Tulsa. Also Jos A Wilson closed in PS but is still open in Tulsa. Also Tulsa has Restoration Hardware and Saks which OKC does not have as well. You would think with the big population growth in OKC this would not be the case? I do not know? I predict OKC will never get a Nordstrom either. Just not enough disposable income in OKC.

This is ridiculous. The last census indicated that OKC's median income is 55k. Tulsa's 47k. The death of malls has been a thing since before Covid. Also, the death of retail is a thing. OKC is not immune to this. Tulsa has people who literally subsidize that Sak's to keep it open.

The primary difference here is that Tulsa's wealthier enclaves are concentrated together, unlike OKC's. However, OKC has about 300,000 more people in its metro area. Another difference is that Tulsa's nicer shopping outlets are in Utica Square, the type of place that is faring better during Covid.

I'm not a huge fan of Classen Curve but it has unmistakably upscale retailers. By contrast, how is Woodland Hills Mall doing in Tulsa? Is it a mecca for high-end stores?

TBH I haven't stepped one foot inside Penn Square since the pandemic began, although I have been to Classen Curve and other retail locations several times. The Pottery Barn there was nice but had a relatively small footprint and it just makes more sense to order stuff like that online now, where there are more than two or three options for coffee tables and stoneware. The Williams Sonoma store at Penn Square was an annual holiday visit for me at most. Now, Sur La Table, at Classen Curve, is a nicer and more upscale store and doing just fine.

It's obvious you haven't lived here in a long time.

[Bowser214]

Just talked to my friend that’s a Designer at Pottery Barn Knox St Dallas he said PB PSM is still open.

[Martin]

Just talked to my friend that’s a Designer at Pottery Barn Knox St Dallas he said PB PSM is still open.

the claim wasn't that they're closed but that they've opted to not renew their lease.

[Pete]

Yeah, I suspect they will be at the mall for a while because they probably don't want to completely leave the OKC market and it will take time for them to find a place and then build a new store.