I hate to laugh at this, but it's so true that it's funny. More room for IKEA I guess though.
Direct quote from article wrote:A Whitehall employee helping clear out the inventory explained simply: "This is not a nice jewelry mall. This is a fake bling-bling mall."
I wish Westfield would've just kept the name Northwest Plaza instead of calling it Westfield Northwest, same goes with the other malls they own around here. I had a friend come in from out of town and she looked at a map and looked for local malls and wondered what was Westfield Chesterfield and Westfield West County. She didnt know they were malls until I told her.
I remember 16 years ago, NWP was the place to go, and now its so ghetto its not even funny.
I am hoping IKEA chooses to go to Sunset Hills or St. Louis Mills, and not Northwest Plaza....even though they need to revamp themselves.
I guess Westfield is doing the same thing all over the country. I mean adding the Westfield name to their malls. Must be a branding thing.
Anyway, I hope that Westfield is investing in Northwest Plaza. We need to be concerned about the vulnerable older suburbs. Lack of investment kills those old retail areas, which drags the residential areas down even more. If they keep Northwest fresh, the neighborhood has a better chance.
^^Right on, Expat. I've never been a great fan of this shopping mall, but if North County loses its retail/residential base, all the areas near the airport will just turn into one massive, sterile office/industrial park. That's essentially what's happened to Kinloch, right?
It's interesting to think of the parallels between NW Plaza and St. Louis Centre. NW Plaza had a huge revamp in the late '80s -- I remember when the owner at that time (I believe it was a company called Paramount) spent tens of millions! Now less than 20 years later, it's all coming unglued...
Well the area still seems to be a sucessful retail district. The Home Depot and Big Lots across the street do well as do many of the shops along St. Charles Rock Rd. Now, I know a big part of the business for these stores is people making stops coming to and from work. The key is making the mall into something different. As it was currently structured, it was designed to compete with the likes of Jamestown and the Gallariea. But that is a nitch it cannot win. I like the talk to moving toward a more big box format (ie. IKEA) as I think Northwest Plaza as a dense mix of modern department stores and big box's could help set itself apart. I mean what other mall could offer that? Sure it would be nice to throw in an urban componenet, but to be fair, I don't know if it is important in this area. The key is to keep the mall from failing, because if it does, it will only drag down the surrounding area (some of which are borderline as it is).
You know, I hope this area remains strong. I have never visited NWP because my parents said it was too dangerous, and honestly, I do not know if it really is, or, if they are just paranoid.
I work very close to NWP, and, eventhough I dislike malls, it is said to see it decline.
What is the Kinloch story? My GF's parents always talk about that area as being soo dangerous.
I'm so glad to see this discussion about inner ring suburbs, especially on the north side. These areas have been ignored for so long. One thing drives me crazy....how can people make sweeping assumptions about an entire corner of the city when they've never even been there?
I live in Ferguson, right next to Kinloch (which is all but empty, by the way), and I think it's just about the most charming, convenient, bargain-priced, amenity-rich and safest place I've ever lived in St. Louis. I, for one, hope that Ikea chooses Northwest Plaza over other locations, because then people from other parts of the city and county would HAVE to come to North County. And who knows, they just might find that it's not 100% ghetto after all.
hispanics and muslims are moving into St. Ann and that is great for diversity. They have opened up shops from teindas to the International Bakery (written in Arabic for some Muslims) on Adie Road.
I wonder if Westfield has approached St. Ann government about the use of TIF to revitalize the mall. Most people laughed, or were simply outraged, when West County Center was deemed "blighted" and TIF was used by Des Peres so Westfield could demolish the small center and replace it with the two-level, four anchor mall that opened in 2002.
I'm not 100% sure, but I think some public funding was used for renovations at South County and Chesterfield, and Westfield is also looking into reconfiguring Crestwood Plaza. Famous-Barr (soon-to-be Macy's) had planned to leave Crestwood for MainStreet at Sunset in adjacent Sunset Hills (that plan seems to have stalled, maybe permanently), and Dillard's has expressed an interest in leaving the mall as well.
The irony is that Northwest (built in 1965) and Crestwood (1957) plazas were, at one time, open-air shopping centers. Outward-facing stores linked the department store anchors until the malls were enclosed (Crestwood in the early 1980s, NWP in the late 1980s). Strangely enough, turning the specialty shops outward toward the seas of asphalt might be part of the rebirth of both of these malls, depending on what plans go forward...
I lived in Maryland Heights from April 1998 until April 2000. I used Northwest Plaza once or twice a month since it was convenient to my home and work (Earth City) at the time. Even then it was clear the mall was in decline. Several specialty shops left, some of which remained vacant while others were replaced with local retailers catering primarily to the area's changing demographics. JC Penney closed its store in 2000, and was replaced by Steve and Barry's, the massive purveyor of $5-$10 college logo T-shirts. With recognizable names like Zales and Lane Bryant on the way out, I wonder how long it'll take before the remaining anchors (Dillard's, Sears, FB-Macy's) either close or relocate elsewhere in North County?
FWIW, I must say I patronized the mall fairly often then, and I never once felt unsafe. I do believe so much of it is perception, or in this case, misconceptions about the mall. If anything makes it feel unsafe, or Crestwood for that matter, it's the sense of abandonment, and nothing else IMHO.
I hope IKEA could be lured to Northwest Plaza, because I think that's the best chance that the mall has to become a destination for the entire region, not just those living in an immediate radius. I'd think a location near the airport, midway between the city and the ever-growing Saint Charles County suburbs, and convenient to all of St. Louis County given its proximity to I-270, would be ideal.
(I know some here would like to see IKEA locate in the city. Trouble is, most of there stores are suburban big boxes, not urban stores, and I think the city has few parcels that would be ideal for a store of this size and scope. Just my $.02- I know some may passionately disagree.)
IKEA may encourage the three department store anchors to stay put, and more importantly, I think it would lure new tenants into the mall as well. It's a good site for other big boxes and category killers, but I hope Westfield gets creative with the planning process. The out-parcels and parking lots are quite vast surrounding the mall. I think an opportunity to bring mixed-use development, even housing, into the site should be considered as well. I'd work with anchors and stores that want to stay, I'd look for a way to incorporate the office tower into the overall design, but I think a clean slate approach should be used overall!
Sorry this is so long! I want this area to succeed!
"SHOP TALK: Northwest Plaza is apparently about to be sold.
The owner, Australia-based Westfield Group, would not confirm details on Monday. However, shop owners at the troubled shopping mall in St. Ann have been asked to sign documents stating that the property has been sold to Somera Capital Management, a Santa Barbara, Calif.-based investor. Somera recently bought several shopping malls in declining areas, and said it plans to turn them around.
A call to Somera Monday was referred to Westfield spokeswoman Katy Dickey. She said, "we are constantly re-evaluating our portfolio," but added that Westfield "declines to comment on market rumor." "
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Good news or bad news? A while ago there were rumors of a possible IKEA location at NW Plaza; that would be a great turnaround but IMHO that's pretty unlikely.......
^ This seems like a bad thing. Westfield has been agressive in upgrading most of its other holdings in the STL market: West County, Chesterfield, and I think South County and maybe even Crestwood. Clearly the don't think they can make something out of an upgrade at NW otherwise, I don't see why they would move it. Thats too bad and a real blow to that area and the St. Charles Rock Road businesses, as the mall is a major anchor for that area. But you never know, with a sizable retail cluster in the area and the airport and maybe some new jobs coming around the airport, maybe someone else thinks a rebound is possible.
Not to oversimplify - but one big reason for the decline of Northwest seemed to happen after the Mills Opened - Several Stores Closed their Rock Rd. and/or NW Plaza stores and moved out to the Mills. I mean you have three malls catering to the same group (Mills, NW and Jamestown) all fairly close together. When the mills opened - sucked what little steam there was in the area and moved it a couple miles north. Can you blame Zales from not wanting three stores within a few miles of each other? Even in West County -- Chesterfield and West County are far enough apart to get different people loyal to their respective malls. I think some sort or derivation of what the Mills did might be a good start ? go away from the department stores and bring a Target or some other story in, get people in the mall for more than clothes.
The sale sounds like a bad omen to me. That mall has been struggling for years, and this might be what pushes it over the edge. I really hate to see that happen.
IKEA would be a big help, and it's not a bad idea considering that there would be plenty of space for a big box store like that. I think the only thing that could save NWP at this point would be to put a store like IKEA there -- it would be the only location in the city, therefore if you want to check out IKEA, you have to go there. It would lure people to the area, and then they would learn that the area's not as bad as it's reputation.
Yeah the area isn't bad really, just looks a little worse for wear in some spots because it isn't as shiny and new as the stuff out along, say Manchester and Clarkson, which will look just as bad in not too long.
I am not sure what would work there. The proximity to the airport is good, but given its location and transit access, I am not sure that something like the mixed use project along brentwood would be a good fit. Maybe just convert it over to an office project or warehousing if nothing else flys. Its clear that the spot will have to be rebuilt for whatever its next incarnation is.
Frankly, I can't say I'm that surprised or disappointed.
(Don't get me wrong- I am disappointed with Northwest Plaza's decline- I just figured this day was coming anyway.)
Westfield has dragged its feet on redevelopment of struggling Northwest and Crestwood plazas, while it wasted no time with major overhauls of Chesterfield Mall, South County Center, and West County Center. (And IIRC, those three malls received at least TIF $$$$$.)
I know nothing about the buyer's track record, although I must say I'm scared when I think about the prospect of another owner like Haywood Whichard or Barry Cohen, the two dolts that sat on St. Louis Centre as it became increasingly pathetic over the last five years.
I fear that Northwest Plaza may meet the same fate, but that probably would've happened anyway with Westfield. Leaders in St. Ann and Crestwood seem ready to talk with anyone that's willing to invest in their struggling malls, so I really question Westfield's commitment in the first place.
Like aimster, I think attracting IKEA is really the best hope for reviving Northwest Plaza without a massive reconfiguration of the space, and it's the best chance to ensure that the remaining anchors (Famous-Barr/Macy's, Dillard's, and Sears) stay put for the long haul...
If Sunset Manor's redevelopment by Novus had gone forward, I wouldn't have been surprised if the announcement was Crestwood instead of Northwest Plaza. But ultimately, I think Crestwood is just a couple years, if that, behind Northwest in being sold by Westfield. Crestwood officials should be talking now to St. Ann contemporaries and inquiring of Westfield's long-range plans.
Novus foe in Sunset Hills may be in a selling mood
By Martin Van Der Werf
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
04/27/20060
The story of the failed shopping center in Sunset Hills doesn't want to end. Add this postscript:
Westfield Group, which largely bankrolled the opposition in the name of protecting nearby Crestwood Plaza, may have reached a deal to sell Crestwood.
I reported on Tuesday that shopowners at Northwest Plaza had been asked to sign documents stating that the center was about to be sold to Somera Capital Management, a California-based real estate private equity fund. It turns out the same documents were going out to shopowners at Crestwood Plaza. The documents said the deal is to close on May 12.
Wednesday, officials at Somera and Westfield said the documents, known as estoppel agreements, were sent out erroneously. But they did not say the deal was off.
The fallout from the failed shopping center has been immense. A number of homeowners agreed to sell their homes, but the buyer, Novus Development Co., couldn't come up with financing. The mayor of Sunset Hills and all five incumbent aldermen were defeated earlier this month in their bids for re-election.
Was Westfield trying to protect the value of an asset it had no intention of keeping? The company's local attorney, Gerald Carmody, said Wednesday that he had no comment.
Jonathan Browne, president of Novus, said Westfield had been trying to sell Crestwood Plaza for two years and only wanted to defeat him so that it could get a higher price for the mall.
"Somehow the story has always been about my failure," a bitter Browne said Wednesday. "The real story is how everyone got shafted by a great big company." He said Sunset Hills residents who opposed the development were used as "pawns" by Westfield to protect a multimillion dollar deal it had in place.
Westfield, based in Australia, also owns Chesterfield Mall, Mid Rivers Mall, and South County and West County malls. According to sources, it is not looking to sell those shopping centers.
^Yikes, but really no surprise. And it sounds like Westfield really was trying to protect the value of their approaching sale, not the longevity of their mall.
I really hope that Northwest can be turned around. Up to the late 90's it was still a good place to shop. The base is there to bring it back. People in the surrounding communities (Overland, St. Ann, Bridgeton) refuse to shop there, they'll drive right buy it on their way to the Mills. It needs to be redeveloped around its anchor stores, which the Mills doesn't have. If the mall can lure back those shoppers it will be in good shape.
Unfortanately, I think Northwest's decline has stigmatized the community. Its already been said that it is not a bad area. I'm buying a house in St. Ann and my realtor was shocked with the area. She normally works in St. Charles and West County. She's been in St. Louis for about 5 years and was always told to stay away from this part of the county. Seeing the neighborhoods and what you can get for your money has completely changed her opinion.
Yes, there are not the same affluent people that originally composed Bridgeton or the blue collar St. Ann but they are not bad either. I will admit that immediately south of the mall is a small group of blocks with drugs but that is dealt with and not ignored. Many hispanics have moved into St. Ann and are doing a great job alongside older residents at maintaining their neighborhoods and city. The community has absorbed some section 8 during the late 90s to recently as more affluent suburbs should help burden. It is not a bad area because of a dead mall; as mentioned the mall is ignored and that is in-part due to fear of lower income people. This fear like many is exaggerated and perception is a dangerous tool.
Yes, there are not the same affluent people that originally composed Bridgeton or the blue collar St. Ann but they are not bad either. I will admit that immediately south of the mall is a small group of blocks with drugs but that is dealt with and not ignored. Many hispanics have moved into St. Ann and are doing a great job alongside older residents at maintaining their neighborhoods and city. The community has absorbed some section 8 during the late 90s to recently as more affluent suburbs should help burden. It is not a bad area because of a dead mall; as mentioned the mall is ignored and that is in-part due to fear of lower income people. This fear like many is exaggerated and perception is a dangerous tool.
Maturing suburbs is an apt label
Unfortunately, I run into that attitude pretty often. When I tell people I live by Northwest they have a look like they're wondering why I'd choose to live there. Believe me, it is an attitude I try to dispell as much as I can.
You're correct about hispanics moving into the area. They've given a lot neighborhoods a shot in the arm. My parent's neighbors are from Guatemala and have done a great job rehabbing their home.
Yeah, I've seen a few raised eyebrows when I mention that I grew up in Overland. I've never understood it... the neighborhood I grew up in was quiet and well maintained. We didn't have any trouble with the neighbors or with crime. But for some reason people have a really negative perception of Overland and the surrounding communities -- St. Ann and Bridgeton to name a few.
Back in the day, we cruised around NWP. It was really goofy, but it was a Friday/Saturday night tradition -- drive around the plaza, honk at people you know. If the cops chase you off, you meet at McD's on Lindbergh. I think that McD's is closed now.
Sorry for the nostalgia... I was on a little tangent there. I'd just really hate to see NWP decline any further than it already has.
