OKC Retail Update

[metro]

Odd considering we have a Brooks Brothers in OKC and getting the Nordstrom Rack, you'd think they'd mention that, but it is the Tulsa World after all.

Renaissance convention center? Last I checked it's still Cox Business Services.

[Oil Capital]

Odd considering we have a Brooks Brothers in OKC and getting the Nordstrom Rack, you'd think they'd mention that, but it is the Tulsa World after all.

Renaissance convention center? Last I checked it's still Cox Business Services.

Also odd that there was another report just last month that said Costco is actively looking for sites in Oklahoma City

[flintysooner]

Katherine Boccaccio, senior editor of Chain Store Age magazine, presented the survey results at the ICSC Idea Exchange held in Oklahoma City on Tuesday. It was the first ICSC Idea Exchange just for the Oklahoma chapter.

Pretty nice that the Tulsa World covered the meeting. One of the panel members was a Tulsa Council member, too, and gave a very interesting discussion of his downtown grocery concept in Tulsa.

It surprised me that no one on OKCTalk had mentioned the exchange given the interest in development by the members of the forum.

The Tulsa Council Member's name is Blake Ewing. He has Joe Momma's Pizza and the grocery concept was called Archer Market.

[onthestrip]

I attended. And the program said Renaissance convention center but it was in the Cox Con Center. She did mention Brooks Bros, she said that they arent actively looking here but if they did they would do an urban store and not in a mall. AA obviously came to my mind.

As far as Costco, Im not sure if I totally beieved her either because I have been hearing about them looking to locate in OKC, something along Memorial may happen soon.

And Black Ewing (Back Alley BBQ, the max, Joe Mamas...) is quite the entrepreneur. I think he said between him and Elliot Nelson (Mcnellies guy) they have like 14 restaurant concepts, and the ones Ive been to are all good and fun places.

Basically from my point of view, there are many retailers that are looking to come here if we only had more quality developments. Thats whats really holding them back. If Belle Isle wasnt done so cheap and if the Classen Curve area was designed by someone that knew retail, we would have some available spaces for these coveted retailers.

[Chadanth]

The Brooks Brothers we have is an outlet, obviously, and the quality and price point is quite different from the full-line store. I'm not terrribly convinced there's a market to support a full-like BB here. Yet.

[betts]

The Brooks Brothers we have is an outlet, obviously, and the quality and price point is quite different from the full-line store. I'm not terrribly convinced there's a market to support a full-like BB here. Yet.

There are some great men's stores that I think have far better and more interesting merchandise than Brooks Brothers. Mr. Ooley's and SJ Haggard are two that come to mind. I don't really think it's that big of a deal.

[Chadanth]

There are some great men's stores that I think have far better and more interesting merchandise than Brooks Brothers. Mr. Ooley's and SJ Haggard are two that come to mind. I don't really think it's that big of a deal.

I concur, though the quality at BB is great. Steven Giles at Classen Curve is another good store as well. I guess that my point was, given the existing options, a full-line Brooks Brothers probably wouldn't do well, and is unnecessary. The outlet serves its purpose, though.

[Pete]

OKC has always had a good number of quality men's stores.

I'm not a huge Brooks Brothers fan anyway. Pretty boring stuff for the most part.

[metro]

OKC has always had a good number of quality men's stores.

I'm not a huge Brooks Brothers fan anyway. Pretty boring stuff for the most part.

This

[progressiveboy]

There are some great men's stores that I think have far better and more interesting merchandise than Brooks Brothers. Mr. Ooley's and SJ Haggard are two that come to mind. I don't really think it's that big of a deal.

Another one that comes to mind is "Spencer Stone" in NH Plaza? ( I believe).

[sooner88]

I agree that Haggards, Spencer Stone, etc. are better options than Brooks Brothers, but they are also much more expensive. Brooks Brothers has a better quality than some, but you can spend much less than some of these local stores and would appeal to a larger crowd. Nothing against the local stores, I buy my suits, ties from Haggards.

[Jon27]

+1 for Haggar at the Outlet Mall. Great prices and quality. If you sign up for their email club, you get an additional 10-20% off all the time.

[JayhawkTransplant]

Pshhhhhhh...blah blah blah about mens' stores.

YAYYYYY for Charming Charlie!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Mr. Cotter]

Pshhhhhhh...blah blah blah about mens' stores.

YAYYYYY for Charming Charlie!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's what I took away from the article. I can't believe we don't have one already, and think it would do really, really well here. While it would be nice to have something else in AA, I bet they'll look at Penn Square, and in any new Edmond development (Fox Lake, Spring Creek expansion, etc.).

Also, a Von Maur would be a fantastic anchor for a growing district in down town. Maybe they could take the Rock Island Plow Building?

[bchris02]

A lot of retail marketing "experts" simply look at Wikipedia to get population density numbers. In that light, OKC's huge city limits make the city look unattractive to retailers that would otherwise consider it. It would benefit OKC in several ways to de-annex some of its rural land.

[metro]

Maybe Von Maur could take Sears space?

[bchris02]

Maybe Von Maur could take Sears space?

I think I read Quail Springs Mall already has plans for that location after Sears departs. It could be Von Maur. Other great realistic options would be Belk or H&M.

[Soonerman]

Maybe Von Maur could take Sears space?

That's what I was thinking.

[ljbab728]

An update on this from the Oklahoman.

http://newsok.com/survey-reveals-whi...rticle/3706992

[zookeeper]

I like articles like this from Jennifer Palmer at The Oklahoman, people like to know this information. There's been very little of this kind of coverage in past years.

Highlights, in my opinion would be

• If Brooks Brothers decides to take a close look at Oklahoma, it would look at downtown Oklahoma City with a flagship store “to make a big splash.”
• Von Maur, an Iowa-based department store similar to Nordstrom, is expanding and President Jim von Maur has even visited Oklahoma to evaluate potential sites. The retailer found opportunities in Oklahoma City and Edmond and hopes to open by 2014.
• Beverages & more!, or “BevMo!,” an alcoholic beverages chain, said it can't do business here because of the state's liquor laws.
• Same story, as above, with Costco, which has 600 locations around the globe but none in Oklahoma. Company Chairman Jeff Brotman emailed Boccaccio a “frowny face” when asked to comment on Oklahoma.
• The Container Store has been scouting sites here but apparently has yet to find the perfect location.

Great information. The Oklahoman is just getting better and better and doing it with a smaller but more aggressive staff. Wait, I never thought I'd say that.

[zookeeper]

This was the best retail update for Oklahoma City in a long time. Where's the discussion?

[Pete]

As much as everyone wants Costco, sounds like that's not happening any time soon.

Von Maur would be a nice addition but I believe they are much more like Dillards and Macys than Nordstrom.

[stlokc]

Agree Pete. We have both stores in St. Louis. Von Maur is not Nordstrom. That's not to say they wouldn't be a good fit for Quail Springs. But if space ever came available at Penn Square, I would be disappointed in a Von Maur at that location.

[betts]

I don't know. I've seen a Von Maur that was slightly nicer than our current Dillards. But, it's all about market. In Scottsdale, the Dillards isn't that far off Neiman Marcus. They've got grades of stores. A Von Maur that is a higher grade than the Dillards at Penn Square might have nicer merchandise.

The only national retailer I now care about is Restoration Hardware. I'd love to have one of those. IKEA might be nice, but I've only got one piece in my house from IKEA and don't feel a real urge for more. Otherwise, I'm pretty indifferent as far as national chains go. I can get most of what I want in local stores.

[Mr. Cotter]

The only Von Maur I have shopped at is between a Dillard's and a Nordstrom, but closer to a Nordstrom. They were an anchor tennant at one of those "live, shop, work" developments. That is why I would love to see them come in and beef up AA or Bricktown.