February 14, 2006
Old photos of Old Orchard Shopping Center
Want to see how Old Orchard looked in the 1950s (pre-Westfield)? Thanks to a blog called Malls of America (catchy title), you can see retro photographs of various shopping centers from around the country.
The author has published two entries on Old Orchard. The first features a historical shot of Marshall Field's (soon to be Macy's -- blah). The second image depicts what I believe is now the intersection of The Park and The Garden looking north. The historical shot features a lot more trees!
Posted by Tannerman at 04:01 PM
October 13, 2005
Relocation: More on Disney Store
As mentioned back in July, Disney Store is moving from Pear Lane over to the old space from The Bombay Company in The Park. Construction walls are now up, and frankly, are decorated quite poorly.
I think the downgrade in quality can probably be associated with the new ownership of Disney Store, which happens to be the folks over at The Children's Place. (As of August 27, 2005, they owned and operated 771 The Children's Place stores and 309 Disney Stores in North America.) Yup, it's another thing we can thank Michael Ei$ner for! Also, for the record, the official name is "Disney Store", not "The Disney Store". That change was made a few years ago when the franchise tried to become more "hip". Whatever.
Posted by Tannerman at 08:51 AM
Coming Soon: Oil & Vinegar
Looks like we are getting an Oil & Vinegar store at Old Orchard soon, located in the previous Crabtree & Evelyn space over in the Fountain Court (Crabtree moved to a new location in The Park). What is Oil & Vinegar? According to their website, they are "tasteful gift shops where you will find all sorts of splendid culinary gifts from all four corners of the world. Different types of olive oils and vinegar, together with a whole host of articles associated with gourmet eating and attractive tables." Yeah, sounds just like the perfect, over-priced, yuppie store that would do well at Old Orchard! Expected opening: November 16.
Posted by Tannerman at 08:39 AM
July 21, 2005
Relocation: Disney Store
Not too long after The Bombay Company moved out of their location on The Park, a sign went up in the window stating that the Disney Store would be relocating from Pear Lane to the old Bombay spot. Interesting, indeed! No timeframe was given.
As a follower of the business side of Disney, I'm guessing that this is a move to put the Disney Store into a spot with less square footage, thus saving on rent. Not too long ago, Disney sold their struggling retail chain to The Children's Place to run under a licensing agreement. Perhaps this is a reflection of the new strategy. The Disney Store is a shallow reflection of what it once was, so I'm not hopeful either way. Stupid Michael Ei$ner!
Posted by Tannerman at 02:13 PM
Closed: The Bombay Company
Over in The Park, we've got another vacancy. The Bombay Company closed a few months back. It seems like it was struggling quite a bit there. Over time you saw rebranding from "The Bombay Company" to simply just "Bombay".
To keep things on track, they seemed to be moving beyond just furniture to move into stuff like candles, fragrances, etc. In other words, going after the same market you'd find at say Pottery Barn. Apparently in Old Orchard's case, that wasn't working for this location.
Temporary displays have moved into the windows of the Bombay location, promoting something called Eclectic Junction and Pull-A-Switch. Actually, we've seen these two window displays elsewhere at the mall, used to fill-in for vacant stores.
Seems like they sell interesting jewelry and really odd wall switch plates for your home. Hey, whatever works! Just an FYI, malls will often lease out vacant window space to existing tenants or outside folks looking for promotion... plus, it keeps the mall from looking barren and often provides additional revenue.
Posted by Tannerman at 12:44 PM
June 29, 2005
Coming Soon: Misako
Misako is a Spanish retailer that specializes in "affordable chic" cloth handbags selling for around $32 each, regardless of size or style. According to the International Council of Shopping Centers, "Misako's selection of handbags, which make up 85 percent of the merchandise, will change rapidly as new collections rotate into the shops, generating repeat visits."
You'll be able to check this place out for yourself once it opens in The Park section of Old Orchard. This seems like the second "value" addition in recent months to Old Orchard's retail mix (the other being costume jewelry store Landau). I wonder if this is a strategic move by Westfield or just a situation where they are just glad to have a paying tenant! Oddly, Misako doesn't have a website.
Posted by Tannerman at 05:06 PM
From one snooty jewerly store to another
Over in The Park section of Old Orchard, we've recently seen the exit of jewelers Christian Bernard, which had a prominent corner location on the edge of The Park and Hawthorne Way. I remember when my wife and I were shopping for wedding rings, we stopped into this store and did not have a good experience at all. So I don't shed any tears.
However, it appears that we're getting another jeweler in the same space. This time around it's Helzberg Diamonds (formerly known by the more tacky "Jewerly3" name). Oh joy. We also stopped at one of these stores in search of wedding rings. They tried to amaze us with this one diamond by taking us into the "steaming room" to see how reflective it was once it was steam cleaned. And they gave us free coffee. But beyond that, it was a joke. We ended up buying our rings at a local jeweler and have been very happy ever since.
Anyway, like Rogers & Hollands when it was under construction, Helzberg Diamonds has artwork on their construction barricades that tries to tie together the concept of "jewelry" and "carpentry". Yeah, I don't get it either, but it's a cute attempt nevertheless.
Posted by Tannerman at 04:56 PM
Crabtree & Evelyn is moving
It looks like Crabtree & Evelyn may be positioning for a higher traffic spot in Old Orchard, as they've announced that their moving from Fountain Court to The Park. This is near a primary entrance to the mall as well as the theaters, so I would imagine that you'll see more folks around this area when compared to their previous location. In the meantime, their old location has closed and they have a temporary spot in Vacancy Alley, my nickname for The Promenade. No official word has been given regarding when their new space will open.
Posted by Tannerman at 04:31 PM
May 06, 2005
Now Open: Rogers & Hollands
As previously mentioned, a new Rogers & Hollands was being built in a corner location in The Park section of Old Orchard. That location is now open. Nothing too spectacular to report. It's your typical jewelry store.
Posted by Tannerman at 04:28 PM
April 25, 2005
Movin' on up with Rogers & Hollands
For some reason, jewelry stores like to be situated at corner locations in malls. There is probably some nifty piece of research out there promoting how they do well in these types of areas, because you see it everywhere. Old Orchard has its share of jewelry stores. I know this because Amy and I actually visited most of them when we were shopping for wedding rings a few years back.
A Midwest-based retailer of jewelry that you often find in shopping centers is Rogers & Hollands. Up until recently, they had a non-corner space located on the east side of The Garden section of Old Orchard. I actually bought a wedding band for myself there before we got married. However, I found something better elsewhere and later returned the first ring.
In any case, Rogers & Hollands is moving to a new location that is actually not too far from their previous location. And surprise, surprise, it's a corner that faces The Park section, right across from a fountain. The space was previously occupied by H2O Plus, which is also moving to a new location in the Pear Lane section of the mall. No word on when the new location is opening for Rogers & Hollands, but I must say that their temporary construction walls look really cheesy.
Posted by Tannerman at 11:46 AM
Unearth a Fossil in Summer 2005
One of the many store additions coming to Old Orchard Center is Fossil, a retailer that specializes in an extensive line of fashion watches sold under their own brands along with some licensed properties, including Emporio Armani and DKNY. The store also sells other odds and ends in the fashion realm such as leather goods, belts, handbags, and sunglasses.
The new store is located in The Park section of the mall in a relatively small space. The corporate office is based in Richardson, TX. Over the past 3 years, watch purchases have accounted for approximately 68-70% of their net sales. At Old Orchard, there is already a Sunglass Hut/Watch Station, so I don't really know how Fossil is going to fit into the mix. It does seem, however, that their product is slightly more upscale.
Posted by Tannerman at 08:54 AM