Recently, I drove by South County Mall and noticed that the stores and old McDonald's at the corner of Lindbergh and Lemay Ferry were completely demolished. It looks to me like either a new building or restaurant will be moving in. Does anyone know what that's going to be?

I read somewhere they're going to build a CVS pharmacy there.

This mall is in need of some more male oriented stores. It would be nice if an Eddie Bauer would move in. Anyone know how to get that to happen?



Plus, has anyone noticed that since the remodel was done many years back, there are still many stores in the new Sears wing that still haven't been occupied.

^ I agree that South County Center could use a better mix of stores for men. There are plenty of places to buy an Albert Pujols jersey, but not as many options for clothes that I can wear somewhere besides a Cardinals game, the corner bar, or the car wash.



Fortunately South County Center is one of the few remaining malls in the area with four mainline department stores. And although I'm glad to see Macy's and Dillard's (finally) start to renovate their stores, I've always hoped they'd expand their stores in the process.



The South County Dillard's is really a hole IMHO. It's smaller, darker, and even more depressing than the Crestwood Plaza location that closed last year. Of course, given the condition of that mall, I wasn't surprised to see that Dillard's close, and I figure it's a matter of time before the Macy's there folds as well. (And that, IMHO, is the main reason South County Center needs to step up its game. Given the level of traffic at South County Center, I don't think shoppers should have to go to West County or the Galleria to have a wider variety of merchandise.)



I guess CVS Pharmacy at the Lindbergh/Lemay Ferry intersection will be a good thing, but I'm surprised they didn't pick a spot closer to more residential areas like Walgreens usually does. I was glad to see McAllister's Deli move in across the street, though, as I am a big fan of their food and their sweet tea!

^ FYI, dweebe: Dillard's expanded their Fairview Heights/St. Clair Square store last year. It's not as large as the Chesterfield or Galleria locations, but it's hands down the nicest Dillard's in the area by far. All of the others seem dated at best, cluttered and deteriorating at their worst.



If I know I want something at Dillard's, I go to Fairview Heights first now. They also have one of the better Macy's locations as well.

Does anyone remember the designs when it was announced that this mall was getting a makeover? They had detailed that Macy's, JCPenney (especially), and even Dillards were almost going to be demolished and totally redone. Why did that never happen?

^ My memory on this matter is a bit fuzzy, but as someone that lived in the area around that time, I do recall plans to rebuild most if not all of South County Center including the three anchors at the time (Famous-Barr, Dillard's, and JC Penney) and add Sears.



The plans called for a two level mall to be built between the anchors, and stated that the one story layout between Famous-Barr and JCPenney connected to the two story wing anchored by Dillard's (originally Stix Baer & Fuller when the addition and SB&F store were built in the late 1970s) was functionally obsolete.



If my memory serves me right, there was opposition to TIF in that part of South County for redevelopment of the mall, and I think the price tag at the time was over $40 million. I'm not sure why those plans didn't go forward, especially when so many shopping centers in incorporated communities within St. Louis County like Chesterfield Commons, Gravois Bluffs, Saint Louis Galleria, West County Center, and St. Louis Mills were either built or rebuilt with significant public assistance.



As a result, Westfield attempted to make the most of an imperfect layout by extending the two level portion (roughly parallel to the main one story corridor) which is now anchored by Sears. This explains the awkward corridor linking the addition to Macy's, as one must take an escalator, elevator, or steps to get from one of the two mall levels to the Macy's south entrance.



The net result is still a net improvement- South County Center is much more useful than it was before the transformation IMHO. Although, like you, I'm surprised they've never been able to fill the two levels of the Sears wing with retailers. And I don't believe the mall's full potential will ever be realized without expansion of the anchor stores (save for Sears, which was built with three levels and IMHO represents an ideal size for the other three anchors).



While I'm not a fan of public subsidies per se, it would've been nice to see a greater investment in the mall, as it's much more convenient for me than driving to St. Louis Galleria, West County Center, or St. Clair Square, all of which have anchor stores with a superior merchandise mix.



Years ago, I lived in between South County Center and Crestwood Plaza, and did most of my mall shopping at the latter because it had more stores, larger anchors, and a far better selection. Although South County Center has improved, there's still room for improvement. And sadly, Crestwood Plaza just really isn't an option anymore. Hopefully its new owners can redevelop it, but they've got their work cut out for them.

ThreeOneFour wrote:^ My memory on this matter is a bit fuzzy, but as someone that lived in the area around that time, I do recall plans to rebuild most if not all of South County Center including the three anchors at the time (Famous-Barr, Dillard's, and JC Penney) and add Sears.

Is that so?



Well I wish they would have went through with it anyway. It's nice that they have the 4 anchors, however do you know anyone who registers for wedding gifts at the South County Macy's, Dillard's, etc? They are still a little too small and the selection isn't quite there. Almost everyone I know getting married registered at the West County location. I'm assuming by now that there is no possible chance or even a consideration to go back to the original plan and expand away.



And I still want an Eddie Bauer in this mall!

Survivor147 wrote:It's nice that they have the 4 anchors, however do you know anyone who registers for wedding gifts at the South County Macy's, Dillard's, etc? They are still a little too small and the selection isn't quite there. Almost everyone I know getting married registered at the West County location.

I don't remember how extensive the plans were, i.e., I cannot remember whether all three anchor stores at the time planned to rebuild or expand their retail space. I certainly agree, though, that all three should consider doing so even though the more elaborate plans for South County Center never materialized. Although the mall arrangement isn't ideal, it works well enough. The anchor stores are definitely too small, though.

Great ideas. Send all here:



http://www.shopsouthcountycenter.com/sh ... sf/contact

I went to South County Center last weekend, and I'm pleased to report that the Dillard's is in the midst of extensive renovation (probably the most that's been done to the store since it opened as Stix Baer & Fuller in the late 1970s).



The upper level (mostly women's and children's merchandise) is nearly complete and looks MUCH better. Hopefully the men's section on the main level will look just as nice once renovations are complete.

Was here this weekend. Dillard's was improved slightly, although it's still small and the signage on it leading into the store still looks a bit drabby.



Couldn't find any good male oriented stored unless I was in the department stores. Saw plenty of available space still without a tenant in the mall part. If I didn't see empty spots, then I saw plenty of former stores that had moved out and some fly-by-night store remaining in the "shell" of the former store.

I'm happy to report that Dillard's South County has now been completely renovated. While the selection still cannot compare to the stores in St. Clair Square, Saint Louis Galleria, or even Chesterfield, everything looks and is arranged MUCH better now. Dillard's did eliminate the furniture department, so it created more space for women's merchandise upstairs and allowed them to reconfigure the first floor to some degree.



I'm also glad because I'm beginning to sour on Macy's somewhat. I prefer to shop their downtown store before I ever set foot in a mall, and they're decontenting the men's selection while they expand women's merchandise, so there's less for me there than ever before. And Macy's customer service has become really spotty, something that was never really an issue for me back in the days of Famous-Barr. Oh well, I guess I'll go to Dillard's more often...

I was driving down Lemay Ferry the other day. I noticed something else going in between the CVS and the Macaroni Grill. It looks to be a fast food joint. Anyone know what it will be?

found this info: el pollo loco developing at this address--eta=spring. since macaroni grill is listed at 4125 lemay, i'll bet this is what you saw. lots of folks excited about this chain that previously announced local development, later backed off, only to apparently resurface again soon...

You're right!



How exciting....anyone ever have this before? I've never, but willing to attempt new dining establishments.



http://www.elpolloloco.com/whatsnew/newopenings.html

I think it's interesting that El Pollo Loco chose St. Louis for their first location, and specifically, South County.



I can't believe I'm saying this as I try to avoid chains mostly, but there are some decent ones around South County Center- McAllister's Deli, Penn Station Subs, Noodles & Company, Buffalo Wild Wings, etc. I don't know much about EPL but I'll give it a try!

As new restaurants pop up on the outside, more stores pull out on the inside.



The Gap and Gap Kids have exited for good. Were there problems with Gap or their financial situation? If this mall can't support a Gap, then it sure as hell won't be able to pull in a Banana Republic (owned by the Gap). This seems to me the same problem I mentioned before. Unless I'm at a dept store, I won't be able to buy any nice clothes that aren't ghetto or are a jersey at this mall.

Survivor147 wrote:As new restaurants pop up on the outside, more stores pull out on the inside.



The Gap and Gap Kids have exited for good. Were there problems with Gap or their financial situation? If this mall can't support a Gap, then it sure as hell won't be able to pull in a Banana Republic (owned by the Gap). This seems to me the same problem I mentioned before. Unless I'm at a dept store, I won't be able to buy any nice clothes that aren't ghetto or are a jersey at this mall.

I don't know about The Gap, but it seems like they've been scaling back locations for years now. I don't shop there as much as I used to, but I'm going to miss Gap Kids as we used to find cool stuff for our son there. I agree with you though, as there isn't much quality shopping at South County Center beyond the department stores, and since the Macy's and Dillard's are smaller than their counterparts elsewhere in the region, I often find the selection lacking (esp. at Macy's). South County deserves better, and I'm sure it could support more (i.e., bigger department stores and a better array of specialty shops). Any improvements probably aren't going to happen in this economy, though.

I think you have to think in terms of location for as far as the future of area malls go. South County has a good location and great freeway access. I would tend to believe that South County has a brighter future versus the more difficult positions that Northwest Plaza, Crestwood Plaza and even Jamestown Mall find themselve in (away from freeways and surrounded by competition in older suburbs).

Dredger wrote:I think you have to think in terms of location for as far as the future of area malls go. South County has a good location and great freeway access. I would tend to believe that South County has a brighter future versus the more difficult positions that Northwest Plaza, Crestwood Plaza and even Jamestown Mall find themselve in (away from freeways and surrounded by competition in older suburbs).

I think you're absolutely right. Honestly, South County Center and some of the other healthy malls in our area will probably see some more stores leave as the recession continues, but I think it is particularly well-positioned for the future. As southwestern Illinois and the Missouri counties to the south (Jefferson, Saint Francois, Sainte Genevieve, etc.) continue to grow, this mall will continue to be a draw for those shoppers as well as those in the immediate area. Long-term I think we'll see at least a couple of the department stores expand, and eventually we may see a North-South Metrolink line and station nearby as well (fingers crossed).