Old Orchard Observer

A place for cocoa nuts: Mars opens chocolate cafe
Friday, July 15, 2005
By Amy Chozick, The Wall Street Journal

At Ethel's Chocolate Lounge... couples and families relax on plush pastel-colored furniture, eating champagne chocolates and sipping mocha drinks. Behind a glass pane, espresso, pina colada and honey-flavored truffles sell for about $42 a pound. A sign reads "Chocolate is the New Black."

More precisely, Mars Inc., the closely held candy giant behind Ethel's (named after the late matriarch of Mars), is betting that chocolate is the new coffee. Decorated with pink-and-brown striped wallpaper and whimsical lighting, the new chain is Mars's attempt to make lingering over a plate of premium chocolates in a cafe space as mainstream as drinking a morning latte at Starbucks. For a company best known for making mass-market products like Twix and Snickers bars, this means transforming a lowly commodity into a high-price luxury.

Coming Soon: Ethel's Chocolate Lounge

...The $14.5 billion U.S. chocolate industry could use a shot of espresso. Dominated by decades-old products like Hershey bars and M&M's, the industry has posted annual sales increases of less than 3 percent from 2002 to 2004, reports the National Confectioners Association, an industry trade group. Meanwhile, sales at upscale coffee and cocoa stores (a category that includes Godiva as well as sit-down spots like Starbucks) rose 20.6 percent in the same period.

...The chocolate lounge dates back to 17th-century London, about a century after cocoa was brought to Europe from Latin America. Designed or the elite, European chocolate houses offered comfortable seating where the upper crust could socialize while drinking hot chocolate. Today, chocolate is still consumed in Europe more regularly than it is in the U.S., where consumers and manufactures have a more populist approach to it.

Posted by Tannerman at 12:04 PM | Categories: Closed | Coming Soon | News | Old Orchard | Pear Lane

July 17, 2005

Field's Watch: Roger Ebert isn't a fan of a name change

Marshall Field's a city icon -- leave it alone
July 17, 2005
BY ROGER EBERT

The historic and honorable Chicago name ''Marshall Field's'' is headed for the Dumpster. How do I know this? Sandra Guy, a business reporter for the Sun-Times, reports that the name ''hung in the balance'' as Federated Department Stores approved a $17 billion takeover of the May Co., which owns Field's. And the balance is tipping, she added ominously.

This is an abomination on a par with renaming the Chicago Cubs the Chicago Mets. To pave the way, Federated is ''surveying customers'' and has hired an ''independent company'' to conduct interviews at malls, online, on the phone and by mail.

I can save Federated the trouble by informing them:

1. No one in Chicago wants Marshall Field's to be named Macy's. Absolutely no one.

2. The ''survey'' and the ''independent company'' will uncover a surprising groundswell of support for the name change.

This is because such surveys always produce the results desired by the people paying for the survey, a truth well known in business.

Everything depends on how the question is worded. For example, if I were to ask a Chicagoan, ''Do you think the name of Marshall Field's should be changed to Macy's?'' the result would be 100 percent negative. If I were to ask, ''Does a company have the right to choose its own name for a store?'' the result might be 100 positive.

So let me just assure Terry J. Lundgren, the three-headed chairman, president and chief executive officer of Federated, that I have been discussing this subject for several months at dinner parties, in line at the movies, on airplanes, while walking in the park and while engaging in brief but rewarding conversations with countless citizens of our city, and every single person has responded with outrage.

Lundgren believes he must ''brand'' his stores as Macy's or Bloomingdale's as a ''declaration'' to his shareholders that his company is built around the two national chains. How would his shareholders react if the Chicago flagship of his company found itself hated, shunned and reviled?

Marshall Field's is a name as closely associated with Chicago as Macy's is with New York -- an excellent reason for not making the change. Chicago is a world-class city, more beautiful, better mannered and cleaner than New York. We do not pile up our garbage on the sidewalks, and we do not trash our heritage. We even value a living and breathing Marshall Field among our population.

When Donald Trump came to town to tear down the venerable Chicago Sun-Times building and erect another of his phallic grotesqueries, I was sentimental but serene, because the Sun-Times building was homely and outworn, and because Mayor Richard M. Daley made Trump revise his plans until they were finally up to Chicago's architectural standards.

But as the holder of a Marshall Field's charge card and a citizen who takes out-of-town visitors into the building just to gaze upon it, if I should ever see the name ''Macy's'' under the clock at the corner of State and Randolph, I would never darken its doors again. I would be joined, I can promise Mr. Lundgren, by thousands if not millions of other Chicagoans.

Posted by Tannerman at 06:45 PM | Categories: Anchors | News

July 15, 2005

A Magical Night

Like everyone else in the world, Old Orchard is capitalizing on the Harry Potter craze with the release of Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince. Barnes & Noble will be running a promotion from 9 p.m. to midnight today, featuring activities for those waiting around to pick up the 6th installment in the Harry Potter series at midnight.

Westfield is also offering face painting and stuff in the Food Court and the serpent play area. In addition, the first 250 cusomters to hit the Customer Service booth (oh, I'm sorry, it's a "Concierge Center") will get a free goodie bag containing a crazy treasure map so you can hunt around the center. Not a bad idea for a promo, I must say. That runs from 5:00 - 9:00 p.m. tonight.

Posted by Tannerman at 05:10 PM | Categories: News | Old Orchard | The Orchard Food Court | The Vineyard

2005 North Shore Art Festival

The North Shore Art Festival will be held this weekend at the Old Orchard shopping center in north suburban Skokie.
If you don't feel like doing the regular "shop at the mall" thing this weekend, you still might want to hop up to Old Orchard for the 15 annual North Shore Art Festival.

It tales place Saturday, July 16, though Sunday, July 17, and according to the Chicago Sun-Times, "will showcase more than $15 million in work by nearly 150 of the nation's finest artists in a variety of mediums, including life-size sculptures, photography, original hand-crafted jewelry, functional and decorative pottery, ceramics and paintings."

So there you go. Knock yourself out!

Image Source: ArtFestival.com

Posted by Tannerman at 04:10 PM | Categories: News | Old Orchard

July 14, 2005

Field's Watch: "Two outstanding national retail brands: Macy's and Bloomingdale's"

Clock is ticking for Field's name
July 14, 2005
BY SANDRA GUY Business Reporter

CINCINNATI -- Survival of the Marshall Field & Co. name hung in the balance here Wednesday as Federated Department Stores shareholders approved the $17 billion takeover of Field parent May Co.

And the balance was tipping toward erasing the 124-year-old company's name from Chicago's retail landscape.

Survival of the Lord & Taylor name looks even less likely.

Terry J. Lundgren, Federated's chairman, president and chief executive, told reporters following the shareholders' meeting, "Certainly Marshall Field's is a very well-known, strong name. But the real answer is not with us in this room. It's really with what customers actually will do with that name and how important it is."

Perhaps most telling was Lundgren's declaration to the shareholders: "First and most important, we have a clear vision for being this premier retailing company built primarily around two outstanding national retail brands: Macy's and Bloomingdale's."

Shoppers will know whether Field's will become Macy's by fall or perhaps earlier, but no name changes will occur before 2006.

Federated is already surveying customers in Chicago, Minneapolis and Detroit about the importance of the Field's and Lord & Taylor names. An independent party was hired to conduct interviews at malls, online, on the telephone and by mail, Lundgren said. Similar surveys of shoppers at once-venerated stores such as Rich's in Atlanta, Burdine's in Florida and Bon Marche in Seattle failed to stay Federated's hand from renaming them Macy's.

"The biggest resistance to changing the names came from our own employees," Lundgren said. "To get to the truth, you've got to go deeper, be more challenging and point out what's different inside the store. So far in our markets, our customers said it doesn't make that big a difference."

On the bright side, no Field's stores are expected to be sold because of overlap between Federated and other May nameplates, including Lord & Taylor, Filene's and L.S. Ayres.

But even if the Field's name survives, the chain faces extensive changes.

Federated will introduce its merchandise in Field's stores by fall 2006, including private labels such as INC, Charter Club and Tasso Elba.

Unique merchandise is crucial to Lundgren's mandate to increase sales. However he declined to endorse the continued presence of Field's State Street boutiques, operated by outside companies including Thomas Pink, Alexandre Savile Row and Baccarat crystal.

On the other hand, Lundgren signaled that State Street could remain as is but that its new parent would use more real estate inside the store for merchandise.

"There's a lot of room in the State Street store for upscale assortments," he said.

Posted by Tannerman at 12:31 PM | Categories: Anchors | News

July 12, 2005

Outside the Orchard - 07.12.05

The Old Orchard Observer presents once again... Outside the Orchard, a brief look at what the online world is saying about Skokie's mall.

Flickr user lay-c dot com posts this photo and this photo, highlighting the fountain located in the Fountain Court section of Old Orchard.

On the Dianatics blog, an interesting analysis is made regarding "Mall Mice", using Old Orchard as an example: [Saturday, June 11]:

My guess is we're switch hitters in our membership at the mall. We've been the field trip leaders who planned to go there for something new for the wedding, shirts for work or Aunt Zelda's birthday present next month. Most likely we've also been the tag-alongs — by volunteerism or having been cajoled into the trip, perhaps with the mythical promise that it'll be fun.

Observed on a recent Saturday at Old Orchard was a classic study in a mall goer and go-along.

He: Are you looking for nice shoes or casual shoes? These are good. He holds up a pair red flats.
She: I'm just looking for shoes.

He: Moving to a chair where he can see her through the racks of shoes... What size do you wear?
She: 7 to 7 1/2.

He: Noticing she's in the size 6 to 6 1/2 section... You're looking at the wrong shoes. These are the wrong shoes.
She: More annoyed... They're all mixed up. You just have to look.

Carolyn Moncel chimes in all the way from Paris, France, where she is adjusting to living. She writes in in Tales from the Seine [Monday, June 27]:

Now, here's what I don't get and no one yet has been able to give me a straight answer. Why are there only store sales roughly four times per year? ...In the US, if a store decides to put their inventory on sale, they just do it. They don't need what appears to be the government's approval to do it.

Chuck Berry sings "I'm so glad I'm living in the USA," and when it comes to shopping, it has become my anthem. That's because it's true when he says "Anything you want we got it right here in the US of A." When I get back home for vacation, I'm going shopping at Old Orchard, River Oaks, Orland Square, the Mag Mile or someplace. What's more, I just might kiss the ground in the process!

Over on The Savvy Traveler, it seems like biking has become hazardous for the author [Friday, July 1]:

...yesterday I went on this long bike ride to Glenview to get immunizations shots for typhoid and craziness, but i ended up on this highway, where there was no bike path. ...alas! about 3/4 of the way back my bike got stuck on a tree branch (a la nature reserve) and it broke, just like that. haha. now this seems funny but at the time i was wicked pissah. so i walked a bit, and got a cab ride from old orchard. ah well, i think i'm gonna have to go to the evanston hospital for the immunizations and malaria medication.

Reading Putting Power In Their Hands, it's argued that Dad's aren't too bright when it comes to shopping at Crate & Barrel [Wednesday, July 6]:

...we took our shopping skills to the suburbs as we tore through Old Orchard Mall. Mom and I got all sneaky on Brian and bought him new glassware that was on sale at Crate and Barrel before he had a chance. It was Mom's idea I swear. We tried to get Dad in on the plot to occupy Brian while we stood in line but Dad's not always bright in that area. He just kind of looked at us and smiled as Brian walked right up behind him. We made the two of them leave together and after our purchase, found them sitting and chatting in front of a flowerbed.

The folks over at life (over IP) are one of the few to write the full official name of Old Orchard in a blog post [Wednesday, July 6]:

I also decided to walk back from work tonight, a nice 20-minute walk. Every little bit helps. The Westfield Shoppingtown Old Orchard is right near the hotel, so I stopped in at the Apple Store, and grabbed a bite at the Cheesecake Factory. It's amazing that a open-air mall like this could exist in a cold-weather area like Chicago.

In this blog (Caution: NSFW) blog, author poiesia shares "100 factoids about me," including [Monday, June 27]:

74. I no longer like Old Orchard.

Evan writes in draykopf about being Jewish and shopping in the 'burbs [Thursday, July 7]:

Today I was shopping at Lowes in Lincolnwood. For those of you unfamiliar with this Chicago suburb, it is roughly in between two HUGE Jewish neighborhoods. At the blinds section, I found myself standing in line behind a nice woman and her two children - both wearing shorts and ratty t-shirts with dirty kippot and tzit tzit dangling. 20 minutes later, as I walk out of the paint aisle, I nearly run into a man pushing a cart and talking on his cell phone (don't you need an ear piece for this?) - he is wearing black pants, a white dress shirt a long beard and a kippah.

After that, I end up at Old Orchard in Skokie where after lunch at a place called "The Bagel" I found myself sitting in a sunny spot while waiting for my wife, and reading the July edition of the World Jewish Digest, which, by the way, has a couple of great articles about Jewish blogging.

Finally, Crain's Chicago Business featured an article about the Midwest losing jobs in the month of June, specifically [Wednesday, July 6]:

Illinois ranked second in the number of jobs lost in the Midwest in June, while employment cuts on the national level reached a 17-month high at a time of year when downsizing activity is typically slow, according to a report released today.

...In the retail sector, home decorating store The Great Indoors made significant cuts as did local branches of department store operator Saks Inc.... Both announced store closures in suburban Chicago, with the home decorator closing its Deerfield branch and Saks saying it would shut its high-end Saks Fifth Avenue store and its connected discount outlet at Skokie's Old Orchard mall.

Posted by Tannerman at 01:18 PM | Categories: Anchors | Fountain Court | Old Orchard | Other Malls | Outside the Orchard | Westfield

July 11, 2005

Field's Watch: More speculation on name change

Mary Jo Feldstein of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes on the May-Federated merger and more speculation on the future of the Marshall Field's name:

Most conversions to Macy's stores are likely to occur next year, Cohen wrote. Federated has not said which chains will move under the Macy's name, but most industry experts believe it will be the majority. Possible exceptions are Marshall Field's and Lord & Taylor.

"I think Marshall Field's and, to some extent, Lord & Taylor will stay," said William Cody, managing director of the Jay H. Baker Retailing Initiative at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

Marshall Field's is the oldest department store chain in the nation, and its name still carries cachet, particularly in its key markets, such as Chicago, he said.

Cody sees Lord & Taylor as the May chain with the most flexibility. Depending on location or size, Lord & Taylor stores could be sold off to other chains, such as Nordstrom, or converted into Macy's or Bloomingdale's, he said.

Full story after the bump...

Continue reading "Field's Watch: More speculation on name change"

Posted by Tannerman at 09:01 AM | Categories: Anchors

July 08, 2005

History: Venture Stores

We've previously discussed both the future of the Marshall Field's name in Chicago, as well as its presence at Old Orchard. When the merger of The May Company with Federated Department Stores is finalized, many feel that Marshall Field's will be renamed as Macy's. What's ironic in all this is that the very company that sold out to Federated, The May Company, actually may have put the nail in Marshall Field's coffin way back in 1970. Well, at least indirectly via a division called Venture Stores.

You see, back in the 1960's, the big department stores were looking at launching divisions that targeted the discount store market. They figured why not try to target all these different demographics and reap the profits of everyone. Thus, in 1962, Dayton (which today after many acquisitions and name changes is known as the Target Corporation) launched Target. In response, and to hop on this trend, the May Company launched Venture in 1970 as a "family value retailer." Stores were primarily located in the Midwest.

Growing up in Chicago, of course I remember Venture. Their buildings were shaped much like a Kmart, with a distinctive black/white stripped design over the entryway. There was actually a Venture within walking distance of my boyhood home, so I spent a lot of time there before learning how to drive and shop elsewhere.

As the retail story continues, The May Company purchased Associated Dry Good (ADG), owner of Caldor. Both Venture and Caldor operated as discount chains that featured style, which made sense given their department store heritage. Eventually, The May Company spun off Venture and Caldor in 1990. Unfortunately, having to compete with Wal-mart, Kmart, and Target, both chain's sales decreased quickly.

By 1996, Venture tried to relaunch itself as a value-oriented store, in addition to creating a Venture Dollar chain. However, that didn't help. The next year, Venture sold off many of its stores to Kmart (including the one I grew up with). Finally, in 1998, Venture filed for bankruptcy. Kmart purchased more stores from Venture and that was pretty much the end of the chain.

The ironic part of all this is that The May Company currently owns Marshall Field's. Field's was once part of Target, which was a big competitor to Venture, created by May. Thus, May's failed attempt to make Venture work allowed Target to grow and eventually mishandle the Marshall Field's brand, dumping it on May. In turn, now May is merging with Federated in what may be the final death blow to Field's.

The retail world sure is crazy sometimes!

Posted by Tannerman at 02:16 PM | Categories: Anchors | History | Old Orchard

July 01, 2005

Celebration at The Cheesecake Factory

Over on Flickr, user elliterate has uploaded a set of photos that appear to be a pre-graduation lunch of some sort, taken June 17. The setting for the photos? The Cheesecake Factory, located on the 2nd floor at the north end of Old Orchard, in The Promenade. The official description reads, "Pre-emptive celebration at The Cheesecake Factory with Brandon and his family." Check out this nice shot of the Westfield sign through the glass.

Posted by Tannerman at 03:31 PM | Categories: Old Orchard | The Promenade

June 29, 2005

Now Open: Sephora

Hey, just in case you have a need to go out and buy a bunch of cosmetics, the Sephora store located in the Fountain Court area of Old Orchard is now open. I must say, I'm impressed by the amount of glass used in the storefront and how nice the lighting is. You never would have guessed it would look this way when the construction walls were up. It seems very welcoming and warm. Almost like it could be a central focus in Fountain Court. So far, so good.

Posted by Tannerman at 06:24 PM | Categories: Fountain Court

Now Open: Tiger Lily Boutique

It's not often that you can report on a store actually OPENING in The Promenade section of Old Orchard. That area is full of vacant stores for some reason. It's often used by management to hold seasonal locations or temporary stores when the there is a remodel. Recently we noticed the Tiger Lily Boutique which opened across from the children's play area (near Bloomingdale's).

It appears it's a clothing chain that is based out of Madison, WI, as evidenced by various bags they had displayed in the windows with other location addresses. They haven't done much to renovate the store, so I have to wonder if this is also a short-term lease. The space in question has been vacant for well over a year. The clothing looks like it would be targeted more at junior high, high school, and maybe college age. I'm not fashion expert, so don't quote me on that. The fact that there were actually people INSIDE the store shopping was a good sign.

Posted by Tannerman at 06:17 PM | Categories: Now Open | Old Orchard | The Promenade

Now Open (again): Sunglass Hut

Remember back in May when we asked the question, "Why are there 2 Sunglass Huts?" At the time, there was a stand-alone location on the north side of Pear Lane and a Sunglass Hut/Watch Station combination store on the south side of Pear Lane. We witnessed the stand-alone location being demolished.

Well, it looks like that location was actually undergoing a renovation rather than a removal. The next day a white construction wall was put up. A few days later, there was a sign noting that the store was "Closed for Remodel". Then, shortly after that, the store was reopened as Sunglass Hut once again. And frankly, the front of the store looks very similar to the old store. Maybe the interior is different; I can't really tell. At the time of demolition, it looked like they were ripping everything apart, so I'm impressed with how quickly the store reopened.

Posted by Tannerman at 06:05 PM | Categories: Now Open | Old Orchard | Pear Lane

Renovation: Papyrus

The Papyrus store located on Pear Lane is walled off for renovation these days. In the meantime, they've got a temporary location over in Vacancy Alley (The Promenade). Papyrus is the retail division of Schurman Fine Papers, "one of the finest organizations in the social expression industry." I didn't realize that there was a "social expression industry." Apparently that's more fancy that "paper and greeting card crap industry."

Posted by Tannerman at 05:52 PM | Categories: Old Orchard | Pear Lane | Relocation | The Promenade

Sara Lee closes all 11 Inner Self stores

I bet you didn't know that Sara Lee owned a retail store concept designed to take on Victoria's Secret. It's true, and was called Inner Self, "a special intimate apparel/loungewear retail environment and experience that pampers, relaxes and soothes." Not that it matters, as Sara Lee has closed all 11 of these concept stores. They want to focus on the other brands they own (such as Playtex, Wonderbra, Hanes, and Champion -- nobody doesn't like Sara Lee!)

Frankly, they had to be a little crazy to think they could battle Victoria's Secret in this space. Sure, they tried to modify their target audience, going after a niche in the women 25-55 category, average dress size of 12. At the time, Sara Lee attempted to "provide an alternative to the often-unattainable, sexy ideal promoted by Victoria's Secret, and declining service at department stores."

Nevertheless, the chain is dead, and now there is a vacancy in the Fountain Court section of Old Orchard. We never saw people actually in that store, which only seemed to be around for a little longer than a year. In fact, when it first opened, it had to close for a few days due to a water leak. Telling signs of what was to come.

Posted by Tannerman at 05:43 PM | Categories: Closed | Fountain Court | News | Old Orchard

Coming Soon: Sisley

According to their website (which is rather risqué), "Sisley features men and women's collections whose basic objective is to be always on the same wavelength as those who follow fashion and keep themselves abreast of the trendiest tendencies. The collections, in fact, include sporty and casual wear, formal and elegant dresses - therefore an all-round offering for every moment of the day and for various needs."

Um, OK. They are owned by the Benetton Group (you know, the United Colors of Benetton folks) and are "the Group's most trend-setting brand, at the forefront of fashion." As Old Orchard already has a United Colors of Benetton store (located on Pear Lane), Sisley makes sense as a new addition. Look for it soon down in The Garden.

Posted by Tannerman at 05:22 PM | Categories: Coming Soon | Old Orchard | Pear Lane | The Garden

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 | Categories: Coming Soon | Old Orchard | The Park

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 | Categories: Coming Soon | Hawthorne Way | Old Orchard | The Park

Coming Soon: Foot Locker

With the exit of Record Town/Sunday Matinee in The Vineyard, their space was divided into two smaller stores. The Old Orchard Observer has already covered the first tenant in the western half of the space (PacSun's new location).

We're proud to announce that the eastern half of the space will be occupied by Foot Locker. This is an interesting move, as the mall just saw the exit of Lady Foot Locker and soon will see the entrance of NikeWoman. There is already a Finish Line store located on the other side of the mall. The new Foot Locker will be situated near Theaters 7-12, Maggiano's Little Italy, and Barnes & Noble. Interesting neighbors, to say the least. Perhaps they are hoping for the youth traffic spurred by the movie theater.

Posted by Tannerman at 04:42 PM | Categories: Coming Soon | Old Orchard | The Vineyard

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 | Categories: Fountain Court | Old Orchard | Relocation | The Park

Now Open: Lacoste

The Croc has ripped through those temporary barricades and opened! It's situated in a pretty cozy location in The Garden (next to the new Rogers & Hollands, maybe even in their old location), one of my more favorite "off the main path" parts of Old Orchard. Hopefully this tucked-away location will provide them enough food traffic to succeed.

Posted by Tannerman at 04:13 PM | Categories: Now Open | Old Orchard | The Garden

Now Open: Landau

It's time for an update on the fake jewelry folks at Landau. Their new store is now open on the corner of Pear Lane and Fountain Court, located right next to Clarks, a shoe retailer. The store seems, well, out of place if you ask me. I also think they aren't taking advantage of their window space very well. Perhaps that will change as they get operations going. We'll see. With Clarks and Landau open, there is only one more store on this corner that needs to shed the construction walls: H2O Plus.

Posted by Tannerman at 04:07 PM | Categories: Fountain Court | Now Open | Old Orchard | Pear Lane

Now Open: Liberty Travel

The construction walls are gone! Liberty Travel recently opened up their new story, located on Hawthorne Way. Frankly, it's a bland looking store that doesn't seem to have much design or class at all. It sort of looks like a Kinko's or UPS Store, as a matter of fact. Probably the only redeeming quality of the location is that there was a Disneyland 50th Anniversary poster in the window when we walked by. It's situated right next to Potbelly's and the movie theatre... I wouldn't think a very prime location for a travel agency. Go figure.

Posted by Tannerman at 03:59 PM | Categories: Hawthorne Way | Now Open | Old Orchard

Forth & Towne coming to Old Orchard

Back in May, we at the Observer discussed the possibility of Old Orchard being a test site for one of Gap's new store concepts, Forth & Towne. Well guess what? We were right!

A few months ago, Z Gallerie vacated their two-story store located in The Promenade, right next to the soon-to-be-closed Saks Fifth Avenue. Shortly thereafter, construction walls went up, but no mention was made regarding a replacement. We speculated regarding what would replace this store and whether or not it would take up all the square footage on both floors or if it would be subdivided.

Not too long after, a listing on HotJobs.com [thanks Chicagoist!] revealed that the four locations slated for Illinois were Old Orchard, Woodfield (Schaumburg, IL), Fox Valley (Aurora, IL -- and another Westfield zombie), and Algonquin Commons (Algonquin, IL).

We then saw officially labeling on the walls at Old Orchard, formally announcing that Forth & Towne would be arriving in the fall. What's interesting is that Gap still hasn't launched a website destination for this new concept (however they have reserved "forthandtowne.com", so I guess that will be coming soon).

What remains to be seen is whether Forth & Towne will occupy both floors of the old Z Gallerie space. It does appear that they are doing demolition/construction work to both parts at the same time, so my gut is yes. Keep it tuned right here on the Old Orchard Observer for future developments!

Posted by Tannerman at 03:49 PM | Categories: Coming Soon | Old Orchard | Other Malls | The Promenade

Outside the Orchard - 06.29.05

That's right, there's been more activity in the blogging world regarding Old Orchard. Like our first Outside the Orchard installment, we'll keep you up-to-date on the buzz...

LiveJournal user sialagogue writes in I love it, but I hate the taste [Saturday, June 25]:

Doug went to Old Orchard with some people...

I hope Doug had a good time!

Meanwhile, on Dear Knucklehead, Mike provides his thoughts regarding those who hang out at Old Orchard, based on his observations at the Howard L station [Monday, June 27]:

As Howard is the terminal point of one train line and the starting point for two others, the collection of people here is somewhat more diverse than you'll find elsewhere. Guys from the South side who work in the Skokie industrial corridor, college students on their way to Northwestern, thugs with nothing else to do spending some time at the Old Orchard mall, upperclass folks on their way to a Cubs game or downtown for their twice-a-year el ride. And I'm always surprised at the number of people who are on their way to the Skokie courthouse.

Being commuters of various sorts who have their own destinations and goals in mind, there isn't much mixing, but I notice that people there tend to gravitate to and stand by their peers. With the exception of college students who are constantly hitting on each other, there's no real interaction between many of these groups.

Leah in Chicago is just happy that Nordstorm provides lots of shoe sizes [Sunday, June 5]:

Then it was time for shoes. Oy. Shoes are a weakness, which is hard when you wear an 11. But we hit DSW and searched for a brown shoe in an 11. If I didn't find it, I wasn't going to allow myself the purple Franco Sarto mules. The brown shoe didn't materialize, but a sexy (and I mean sexy) Kenneth Cole black pump did. Yum.

From there is was to Old Orchard -- to Nordstrom's, because they carry size 11s. Alas, brown is not in for the summer and there were no brown pumps in size 11 in the house. On a whim, we popped into Aldo's and I asked the sales girl (with a TON of attitude on my part), "do you even carry an eleven?" "In some shoes." "In this one?" Attitude, attitude, attitude. All from me, not from the salesgirl. I am so used to not being served that I assume they can't/won't help me.

To my surprise she came back with a box and handed it over. "Um, what about these shoes?" She had those too! I walked out with one great pair of tan pumps and headed towards Steve Madden. Just to make sure I was happy with what I had.

It's one thing to travel to the mall to get shoes. It's completely another to travel to Old Orchard only to find a restaurant not open, such as what angelkutty wrote about on Echo Park [Monday, June 13]:

...finally we decide to go to Champs in Old Orchard to watch Game 2 of the NBA finals. we go to Old Orchard and the Champs is under construction, so we just decide to go to Buffalo Wild Wings in Skokie.

Now, I have no record of Champps (note that's spelled with two P's officially) being rennovated or anything like this, so this was just an odd remark. That said, I've been to both Champps and the Buffalo Wild Wings mentioned... the wings were the better choice anyway!

Finally, recent Northwestern University (Evanston, IL, very close to Old Orchard) grad Ashley is spending a year in Japan as an English teacher, posting her adventures via The World of Ashley. Apparently, the Old Orchard "style" is evident on the other side of the world [Monday, June 27]:

...yesterday I went with a group of people to an American style outlet mall - that looked exactly like Old Orchard! trippy.

Posted by Tannerman at 09:35 AM | Categories: Outside the Orchard | Westfield

June 27, 2005

Outside the Orchard - 06.27.05

Every now and then, I like to see what other blogs are writing about in reference to Old Orchard. Outside the Orchard is a recurring feature that takes a look at this online conversation! We keep tabs on Old Orchard conversation... because no one else is crazy enough to!

Like myself, Doodlehead doesn't like Old Orchard's Westfieldized name [Sunday, May 8]:

This morning I stopped by the Apple Store at Westfield Shoppingtown's Old Orchard (I say the full name since it displeases me so)...

Chicago Sun-Times columnist Neil Steinberg offered his take on the news that Old Orchard was looking at expanding [Wednesday, June 8]:

For your shopping convenience

Old Orchard is expanding? It's not big enough? As anyone who has ever gone to the massive outdoor mall in Skokie -- or tried to -- knows the place is enormous already, sprawling and jammed with customers. You'd think they were giving stuff away, as opposed to charging for it.

Hence, I suppose, the expansion. Some days the parking lot is completely filled.

To be fair, Old Orchard does have the benefit of being outdoors -- you don't get that suffocating, get-me-outta-here feeling that can come over you after too long in an enclosed mall, a condition I call "mall burn." Still, you can't look at the packs of disaffected teens drifting through it on a Friday night, for want of anything better to do, and not wonder what our country has come to.

This, of course, generated feedback in the blogosphere, such as this post over at Mental Multivitamin [Wednesday, June 8]:

Ayup.

Reminds me of a mall story and a recommendation.

The Old Orchard expansion story has prompted many folks to more seriously compare Woodfield (the largest mall in Chicagoland) with our Skokie outdoor shopping center. In many cases, such as on Blob Dog Attacks Geordi, there is no comparision [Tuesday, June 7]:

I hate Woodfield. While it has a great Apple Store (the first in Chicagoland) among other stores, I can't stand Woodfield. Perhaps I was too spoiled when I lived near the more generally upscale Old Orchard and Northbrook Court, but I hate that Woodfield is the closest mall to me now... Now, I read that Old Orchard and other malls are contemplating facelifts with nary a mention of Woodfield. This mall I'm stuck with might be in its current state for a long time.

I've never seen the movie Mean Girls, but apparently LiveJournal user hyperfocused has. She writes in her blog The Occasional Poet Dreams of Stardom [Sunday, June 5]:

Watched Mean Girls for the first time today. I hadn't realized it was set on the North Shore, more specifically at Evanston Township High... The mentions of Old Orchard Mall and Walker Brothers pancakes had me feeling nostalgic for my youth, though the movie itself made me damn glad I was 37 not 17.

Speaking of LiveJournal, user rebel_prince15 writes in his blog about the hunt for a piece of furniture [Saturday, June 4]:

Water Tower Place had more stores in it. C bought a FOM pillow he saw and I wanted the puzzle cube ottoman at Old Orchard. It's $375, maybe someday I can buy it. Ha!

Amy and I wondered where you could buy a puzzle cube ottoman up at Old Orchard. I'm thinking either Pottery Barn or one of the anchor stores. Who knows?

So, as you can see, I'm not the only weirdo who writes about Old Orchard out there!

Posted by Tannerman at 06:43 PM | Comments (0) | Categories: Other Malls | Outside the Orchard | Westfield

June 22, 2005

Saks selloff could harm State Street

Saks continues to shop around their Carson Pirie Scott chain for new buyers. As previously reported, the company has already sold off their southern department stores division (Proffitt's, McRae's) to Belk, Inc. They are looking to find a home for their northern stores as well, intending to focus solely on their flagship brand, Saks Fifth Avenue (which will be leaving Old Orchard at the end of July) and Parisian, which offers merchandise slightly above the level of its mid-range department store chains.

The northern group of stores up for sale includes Boston Store (WI), Carson Pirie Scott (IL, IN), Herberger's (CO, IA, MN, MT, NB, ND, SD, WI, WY), Bergner's (IL), and Younkers (IA, IL, MI, MN, NB, SD, WI), as well as Club Libby Lu.

Of interest to those in the Chicago area is how this potential sale will affect the retail landscape on State Street. Our sister blog, SteveandAmySly.com has been chronicling the State Street Christmas Windows produced by the "big 3" on State Street: Marshall Field's, Carson Pirie Scott, and Sears. An exit by Carson's would not only make their window displays disappear (which have been quite lame over the past few years anyway), but also provide a potential lack of shopping downtown. The Chicago Sun-Times has more details on this development:

Renewed speculation on Carson's Loop site
June 21, 2005
BY SANDRA GUY Business Reporter

Carson Pirie Scott's parent company, Saks Inc., took new steps Monday to hold off its debtors, and speculation bubbled about the future of the Carson's store on State Street.

Saks is trying to sell the Carson's department store chain, and that could open up new possibilities for the historic Carson building at 1 S. State.

The building's owner, Joseph Freed and Associates LLC, has built a reputation as a developer of mixed-use projects such as the Arlington Town Square with Ann Taylor Lofts, Jos. A. Bank Clothiers, California Pizza Kitchen and a six-screen movie theater.

"There's unlimited numbers of things you could do [with the Carson's store on State Street]," although condos would never work, said Jeff Renkert, Freed's vice president of marketing.

The space is too cumbersome and the building's landmark designation too restrictive for condos, he said.

The building, a masterwork designed by Louis Sullivan, could keep a scaled-down Carson's store and open up space for specialty boutiques, or it could house a new retailer altogether, even a big-box retailer such as Target.

Other possible tenants include a grocery store to serve the many new residents living downtown, and a student center for the 55,000 college students who attend classes in the State Street corridor, said Ty Tabing, executive director of the Chicago Loop Alliance, formerly the Greater State Street Council.

A $17 million upgrade of the 600,000-square-foot Carson's store heightens the possibility that new tenants will move in. The building's original cornice is being replaced, and the floors, elevator banks, communications systems and heating-and-air-conditioning systems upgraded. Another 400,000 square feet is occupied by offices.

Retail experts have argued that State Street required three "anchor" department stores to attract shoppers, and those anchors are Carson's, Marshall Field's and Sears, Tabing said.

"With Block 37 coming, a new anchor could emerge," he said, referring to retailers that will be part of the planned redevelopment of the long-vacant parcel between Field's and the Daley Center.

Furthermore, new retail could better serve the residential development springing up around the Carson's building: A 33-story condo building is going up on the Walgreens site at State and Randolph, a condo tower is proposed behind buildings at 21-39 S. Wabash, and people already live above H&M, Nordstrom Rack and the Children's Place on State Street.

Retail analyst Lois Huff said a private-equity firm such as Bain Capital, which is rumored to be a potential bidder for the Carson Pirie Scott chain, would look to make money from Carson's real estate.

"The downtown store is, at best, a store that could stand some reinvention, but it is great real estate," said Huff, senior vice president of Retail Forward, a Columbus, Ohio-based retail strategy consulting firm.

Carson's, along with other mid-tier department stores, is stuck in an untenable position between discounters such as Target and Wal-Mart and fashionable luxury stores such as Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue, Huff said.

"The Carson's [on State Street] would be extremely vulnerable for Carson Pirie Scott, but extremely attractive" for a new owner looking to profit from its real estate, she said.

Meanwhile, Saks Inc. announced Thursday that it would offer its bondholders a special payment to persuade them not to force Saks to default on $1.22 billion in debt.

Saks now wants another two months, until Oct. 31, to file its financial statements with federal regulators. Saks is being investigated by federal authorities for allegedly improperly collecting $20 million in vendor markdowns in its 1999-2003 fiscal years. Stores take markdowns when goods don't sell at full price, and they ask their suppliers to eat some of the cost.

Posted by Tannerman at 11:46 AM | Categories: Anchors

June 20, 2005

Field's Watch: Name may stay after merger?

A recent article in the Chicago Tribune provides hope that the Marshall Field's name will remain after the Federated-May merger is completed. According to the article, the Lord & Taylor name may be the one to get the ax instead. We'll see.

Field's likely to keep its name
By Becky Yerak
Tribune staff reporter
Published June 18, 2005

The chances that the Marshall Field's name will survive might be better than expected, according to two Wall Street analysts.

When Federated Department Stores Inc. announced plans in February to buy May Department Stores Co., some retail observers said the deal spelled doom for the Field's name, a Chicago-born chain owned by May.

Federated has a track record of changing the names of its regional department stores to Macy's. The May acquisition is expected to close in the third quarter.

Two retail analysts expressed optimism, however, about the future of the Field's name in a Women's Wear Daily report on Friday about the New York flagship of Lord & Taylor, another May asset.

"The L&T banner is not going to be the one that survives," Citibank Smith Barney analyst Deborah Weinswig told the trade publication. "Marshall Field's has been chosen as the one to survive."

Weinswig couldn't be reached Friday to elaborate.

Also in the article, Deutsche Bank analyst Bill Dreher noted Field's "tremendous following."

"I wouldn't expect Federated to move away from that name but rather expand it in the Midwest," he said.

A Federated spokeswoman would not comment on the report. "We've got nothing to say on that right now," she told the Tribune on Friday.

Posted by Tannerman at 09:56 AM | Categories: Anchors

June 08, 2005

Sunset at Old Orchard

Sometimes, a pre-summer night visit to Old Orchard reveals unexpected beauty...

Posted by Tannerman at 11:06 PM | Categories: Fountain Court | Pear Lane

June 06, 2005

Proposed Expansion: Old Orchard Goes Lifestyle

Here at the Old Orchard Observer, we've talked about consolidation in the retail industry, especially as it pertains to mall anchors. With Marshall Field's being acquired by Federated, 3 out of 5 anchors at Old Orchard will be owned by the same company. Then just last week it was announced that Saks Inc. would be closing the Saks Fifth Avenue store at the mall, resulting in another unknown for Old Orchard Center. In short, anchors are going to be lost. So what do you do instead?

Traditionally, large malls have been built on the assumption that anchors draw you to the center. Hence the label, "anchor." Often, the appeal of a mall has been built on what anchor stores are present. From a business perspective, rent and leasing rates are determined based on the number and size of the anchors in a mall.

But in case you haven't noticed, there aren't enough anchors to go around these days. There is consolidation, like what is taking place with Federated and May. There is a change in strategy, like what you see in Sears moving away from mall-based stores. There is a downsizing and focus on profitable stores, evident in what took place last week with Saks; J. C. Penney is also a good example here. And of course there is the loss of anchors altogether, as in Montgomery Wards and the like.

This has created a void for traditional malls as they try to figure out what to do. Many have chosen to go with somewhat alternative anchors. For example, the mall I used to work at, Randhurst (Mt. Prospect, IL), recently built a Costco as a part of the mall. Here in the city, unique architecture has allowed traditional "all in one stores" stores like Target to serve as anchors.

The growth of big boxes (Wal-Mart, Target, warehouse clubs, etc.) and category killers (Best Buy, Barnes & Noble, Home Depot, etc.) has changed the way people shop. It also is changing the world of mall design and planning. Unfortunately, malls are large and heavy on infrastructure... you can't easily change course and reconfigure.

Sometimes there are exceptions, such as Brickyard Mall, a local mall I grew up with here in the city. It was a large, two-story, indoor mall that basically outlived its usefulness. It recently reopened after being completely torn down and rebuilt as The Brickyard, an outdoor center with a mix of big box retailers and specialty stores. So far, it's been quite a success story.

Other local shopping centers are shooting to become lifestyle centers, the big buzzword in retail these days. A lifestyle center is typically an open-air shopping center that doesn't really feature anchors. Instead, the mix of stores comes more from the specialty retail/boutique side of things. Often they are modeled to look like small towns, full of sidewalks, park-like places, and common areas. They don't require as much space as a large indoor mall and they offer convenience to a typically affluent shopper, as they can just park their oversized SUV nearby and quickly shop.

The "lifestyle center" concept was pioneered by Poag & McEwen with the construction of The Shops of Saddle Creek in Germantown, TN, in 1987. My current employer is located near another lifestyle center that recently opened, 500,000 sq. ft. Deer Park Town Center in suburban Chicago.

So what do you do when you are a traditional mall, you are losing anchors, and the trend seems to be towards lifestyle centers? Well, you build a hybrid! Last July, a suburban mall called Yorktown Center (previously the home of Big Idea) announced that they were going to tear down some vacant anchor space (formerly populated by Montgomery Wards) and build a lifestyle center concept called The Shops on Butterfield. Uniquely, this development would actually connect with the existing traditional indoor mall and feature an attached hotel. It will be interesting to see how that plays out, as the new development is set to open in 2006.

Even knowing these trends, I was shocked today when I read the following story in Crain's Chicago Business regarding what may happen to Old Orchard down the road. I guess the concept makes sense when you think about it...

Continue reading "Proposed Expansion: Old Orchard Goes Lifestyle"

Posted by Tannerman at 10:38 PM | Categories: Anchors | Mall Info | News | Other Malls | Westfield

June 03, 2005

More on the "Shoppingtown" branding change

Tampa Bay-area (FL) blogger Costa Tsiokos adds more ongoing commentary about Westfield's stupidiy regarding the "Shoppingtown" name via PopulationStatistic.com. Tsiokos references this St. Petersburg Times article from May 8, 2002:

Forget the mall; now it's 'shoppingtown'
By MARK ALBRIGHT and CHRISTINA K. COSDON
May 8, 2002

Three of the Tampa Bay area's largest malls have new Australian owners. Now they're getting new names.

Westfield Group, which this week completed its purchase of Brandon TownCenter, Citrus Park Town Center and Countryside Mall, is adding "shoppingtown" to those names.

"We've called our properties in Australia 'shoppingtowns' since the 1960s," said Stephen Fluhr, general manager of newly renamed Westfield Shoppingtown Brandon. "In Australia, a mall is a shoppingtown."

Work crews this week began sticking the new names on doors and customer service booths at the malls, whose new names include Westfield Shoppingtown Citrus Park and Westfield Shoppingtown Countryside. Eventually pylon signs at mall entrances will be changed to match the rest of the company's portfolio of 61 U.S. malls and shopping centers.

Not everybody's a fan of the new names. "My wife just called and said people are up in arms," said Clearwater Mayor Brian Aungst, "The mall is not moving out of Countryside, is it? To me, Countryside Mall is a perfect name. This is a dumb idea."...

The name changes mark the latest attempt by mall owners to use their real estate holdings to promote their corporate brand. The effort spread once the companies became publicly traded stocks.

Simon Property Group of Indianapolis has plastered its name all over the parking lots and doors of its Tyrone Square, Gulf View Square and Crystal River malls. Prime Retail Inc. of Baltimore added the name at its Prime Outlets Ellenton property. Mills Corp. of Arlington, Va., which owns Sawgrass Mills in Broward County, puts its corporate monicker in all of its outlet mall names.

Contrast this with the "about face" that Westfield is doing, noted in this June 1, 2005 St. Petersburg Times article:

If you didn't call them 'shoppingtowns,' don't
By MARK ALBRIGHT, Times Staff Writer
June 1, 2005

Westfield Group has stopped calling its U.S. malls "shoppingtowns."

The Australian developer, which drew a lot of attention with the unusual monicker when the company made landfall in the states three years ago, began phasing it out May 1.

With no fanfare, the owner of three malls in the Tampa Bay area stopped ordering business cards, signs, brochures and other materials that make any reference to "shoppingtown."

"We won't be taking down signs to change the name, you just won't see us putting it on replacements as time goes by," said Catherine Dickey, spokeswoman for the chain. "The name served its purpose."

While rival malls in the market have made "mall" or "plaza" part of their formal name, Westfield did not. So the three local malls now will be called Westfield Citrus Park, Westfield Brandon and Westfield Countryside. "People know they are malls," Dickey said.

Westfield imported the "shoppingtown" label for its U.S. properties from what they are called in Australia. One reason was to send a signal to shoppers that things had changed at their nearby mall. Many shoppers never picked up the hint or ignored it. But Westfield officials are unconcerned that "shoppingtown" never became a household word.

"Shoppingtown is part of our heritage, but Westfield is the brand," Dickey said.

Westfield could have saved themselves a lot of money if they just would have looked at the U.S. market and note that, well, malls are called malls! I swear that company is run by idiots.

Posted by Tannerman at 12:16 PM | Categories: Other Malls | Westfield

May 27, 2005

Saks closing at Old Orchard

Last month, I speculated about the anchor situation at Old Orchard, given the pending merger of Federated and May. Who would have expected that the anchor to make the first move would actually be Saks Fifth Avenue, which has announced that they are closing their Old Orchard location at the end of July.

Recently, the parent of Saks (Saks Incorporated) started the process of unloading chains in the company portfolio that didn't quite fit with their preferred direction. Recently, they sold off their southern department stores division (Proffitt's, McRae's) to Belk, Inc., which operates stores in the Southeast and Midwest. They have also expressed an interest in selling off all or parts of their northern department store division, which would include Chicago's own Carson Pirie Scott.

It seems the strategy that Saks is taking involved breathing new life into their Saks Fifth Avenue stores, stepping up to compete with Federated Macy's and Bloomingdale's. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, "The Saks Fifth Avenue store, a major presence at 72,000 square feet, opened at Old Orchard 27 years ago. The Off 5th store, measuring 33,000 square feet, opened two years ago... Saks' new focus centers on Saks Fifth Avenue stores that average 100,000 square feet."

Here's the official press release about the closing:

Saks Fifth Avenue and Off 5th to Close in Skokie, Ill.
May 26, 2005

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 26, 2005--Saks Fifth Avenue Enterprises ("SFAE"), a business segment of retailer Saks Incorporated (NYSE: SKS) ("Saks" or the "Company"), today announced it plans to close its 72,000 square foot Saks Fifth Avenue store and its 33,000 square foot Saks Off 5th store, both located in the Old Orchard Shopping Center in Skokie, Illinois (metropolitan Chicago). The stores are expected to close by the end of July 2005. Both locations are leased.

Fred Wilson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Saks Fifth Avenue Enterprises, commented, "This announcement is consistent with our strategy of focusing our energy and resources on our larger and more productive units. We remain very committed to metropolitan Chicago, and we will be able to enhance our merchandise assortments and service offerings at both our flagship Saks Fifth Avenue Michigan Avenue store and our Highland Park location in order to better serve our many loyal Chicago-area customers."

SFAE also will continue to operate its two other Off 5th stores in metropolitan Chicago, located at Gurnee Mills and Woodfield Village.

Approximately 70 associates are employed in the Old Orchard Saks Fifth Avenue store, and approximately 50 associates are employed in the Off 5th location. All affected associates either will be offered transfer opportunities or will receive appropriate severance packages. "We are very grateful for the dedicated Old Orchard team, and we will make every effort to provide needed assistance to our associates during this period," Wilson continued.

Saks Incorporated operates Saks Fifth Avenue Enterprises (SFAE), which consists of 57 Saks Fifth Avenue stores, 52 Saks Off 5th stores, and saks.com. The Company also operates its Saks Department Store Group (SDSG) with 232 department stores under the names of Parisian, Proffitt's, McRae's, Younkers, Herberger's, Carson Pirie Scott, Bergner's, and Boston Store and 43 Club Libby Lu specialty stores. On April 29, 2005, the Company announced that it had entered into an agreement to sell 22 Proffitt's stores and 25 McRae's stores to Belk, Inc. The sale is subject to various closing conditions, including the expiration or termination of all waiting periods under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act. The Company expects to complete the sale in the second quarter of 2005.

Now the speculation can begin regarding what Westfield will do to fill this vacant space. Saks is located at the northern tip of the mall, covering the already dead and highly-vacant section known as The Promenade. This is a huge blow to occupancy rates.

But, as the Sun-Times recaps, "Old Orchard, whose owner recently dropped the name 'Shoppingtown,' is no stranger to change. Ten years ago, Chicago investor Sam Zell led a $100 million renovation and expansion that resulted in a shift toward more luxury stores. Bloomingdale's opened at the center, and Nordstrom replaced Montgomery Ward."

Posted by Tannerman at 10:59 AM | Categories: Anchors | The Promenade

May 26, 2005

Fountain + Person = Good

Remember what security told me about taking photos at Old Orchard? Here's a refresher:

If you are taking a photo of another person outside while in the mall, that is allowed.

I discovered an Old Orchard photo on Flickr today that took advantage of this somewhat obscure, undocumented policy. The author from Madison, WI, simply captions, "Old Orchard is a GREAT mall!"

This photo was taken at the fountain found in The Promenade section of the shopping center, which sits on the north end.

Posted by Tannerman at 04:45 PM | Categories: The Promenade

May 19, 2005

Signage migration begins at Old Orchard

During a recent trip to Old Orchard, Amy and I noticed that Westfield has begun the promised removal of the word "Shoppingtown" from their branding.

Besides cutting down the official name to something shorter, the new branding also changes the font used to spell the mall name, in this case "Old Orchard." A horizontal white line has also been removed. According to my graphic designer friend Chris Arndt of Arndt Design, "what's distinctive about the new font is the 'r' and 'a'. It's clean and contemporary. Part of the class is going from upper case to title case." So there you have it!

Posted by Tannerman at 02:34 PM | Categories: Mall Info | Westfield

May 16, 2005

Sometimes the "Westfield" sticks, sometimes it doesn't

Today I came across a rather juvenile blog post by a high school senior who, based on the context of her postings, must live in the Chicagoland area. Using the rather insanely hard-to-read text messaging-format of writing, she talks about going to the mall with a friend, and in turn compares the mall to Old Orchard:

ok so i had to wake up at 10:00 cuz asma's friend had a b-day party at the westfield mall which is 40 minz away, at BUILD-A-BEAR...so we decided to take her there n jus hang out...n omg that build-a-bear place is sooo cool... i jus walked around at the mall n checked out a few thingz n omg itz huge n itz niiice...itz one of the best mallz, better than lincolnwood n old orchard...n they had the cutest clothez EVER!!!

Based on the geography mentioned and Build-A-Bear store locations, I assume that this author visited either Hawthorn Center (Vernon Hills, IL) or Fox Valley Center (Aurora, IL).

What I find interesting about her blog post is that while she refers to the mall she visited as "the westfield mall," she later describes two other north-of-Chicago shopping centers by name, "lincolnwood" (as in Lincolnwood Town Center, Lincolnwood, IL - owned by Simon) and, of course, "old orchard" (as in Westfield Shoppingtown Old Orchard, Skokie, IL).

What's unique about this is that this author inadvertently uncovered what the biggest problem is with the Westfield rebranding campaign... it attempts to reprogram the human need for short description of a place/location. You see it happen with sports stadiums all the time, where fans ignore the ridiculously long corporate names attached to stadiums in favor of a short version, minus the branding. For example, in Chicago, the United Center is often referred to as "the UC." U.S. Cellular Field is called "the Cell" or, even better, "Sox Park" or the traditional "Comisky Park."

The author above shows how simple use of the words "lincolnwood" and "old orchard" in the context of malls is all you need. What is contrasting with this argument, however, is that she calls the shopping center she actually visited simply as "the westfield mall." Talk about branding confusion!

Posted by Tannerman at 12:42 PM | Categories: Other Malls | Westfield

May 13, 2005

MSNBC = Westfield Shoppingtown?

Over on Joe Sherlock's blog, he humorously comments that he "read last week that MSNBC is changing its name. Maybe it will be renamed Westfield Shoppingtown."

Ouch. You see, Westfield, you are earning a bad, bad reputation! Knock it off already.

(Oh, and for those wondering, "MSNBC" is rumored to be renamed "NBC News Channel", pending NBC terminating their partnership with Microsoft).

Posted by Tannerman at 07:32 PM | Categories: Westfield

May 11, 2005

Discovering Gymboree Play & Music

On a recent visit to Old Orchard, Amy and I discovered a storefront we had not noticed before. Tucked away in a hidden walkway off The Promenade is Gymboree Play & Music. It's not really a retail storefront; rather it's more of a daycare-type facility that is probably using previous office space that was unleased.

Apparently the chain was started in California in 1976 by a lady who was looking for a "safe, fun and nurturing place for new parents and children to play together." (I wonder if Gymboree owned this back then or if it was a buyout later).

In any case, she started up this concept which offered parent/child programs devoted to the "physical, emotional and social development of children." Now, I guess they are some sort of big name in this field, even though I've never heard of the spin-off (of course, we don't have kids either). There are now over 530 locations in 27 countries.

Let me just tell you that it isn't cheap to go here. According to their brochure, 6 weeks will cost you close to $100 on their "Ultimate Flexibility" plan. And with only 3 locations in the Chicago area (Arlington Heights and Northbook are the others), you don't have many competitive options. That said, they seem to offer quite a diverse mix of times, days, and classes for ages 6 months through 5 years.

Posted by Tannerman at 07:06 PM | Categories: The Promenade

Westfield Web Watch: Macy's Hate

Since Old Orchard is owned by real estate giant, it's often helpful to keep tabs on what others are saying about the parent company. As it currently stands, Westfield operates more than 120 shopping centers in four countries, providing about 29 million square feet of space. Company trends and observations found elsewhere may add insights to the future of Old Orchard. The Westfield Web Watch is a recurring feature that takes a look at this online conversation!

Pasiphae rants about corporate name changes, namely the renaming of Bon Marché to Macy's, which may foreshadow what we will experience at Old Orchard and the Marshall Field's name. Interestingly, like so many others, the author is not so happy with the whole "Westfield Shoppingtown" branding either:

... And now you're dropping "Bon" all together and just making it Macy's. You know what? I don't want to shop at "Macy's." If I go into your store it will be to shop at the Bon. I'm going to continue to call your store the Bon. Which won't be any different than what I've been calling it these past few years, because I can't think of ANYONE that calls your store by its stupid "official" name in regular conversation. So much for corporate strategy, huh?

It's gonna be an uphill battle to get us to stop calling it the Bon. Just like we refuse to call Southcenter Mall by the ridiculous, [screwed] up name "Westfield Shoppingtown Southcenter" [Seattle, WA]. Nobody calls it that.

Posted by Tannerman at 06:42 PM | Categories: Other Malls | Westfield

More Anti-Shoppingtown Fun!

Following up a report about a Westfield property in Wilmington, NC dropping "Shoppingtown" from their name is this article from The Desert Sun (Palm Springs, CA):

Westfield mall to ditch 'Shoppingtown' moniker
Chris Bagley
The Desert Sun
May 11, 2005

For many it's been a tongue twister, for others a puzzlement and now, for all, it will be no more.

Westfield Shoppingtown Palm Desert is becoming just plain Westfield Palm Desert.

Australian mall owner Westfield will drop the word "Shoppingtown" not only in Palm Desert but at most of its 66 other shopping centers in the United States, company officials said Tuesday.

While the "Shoppingtown" appellation is common in Australia it never took off in the United States, a company spokesman said.

The malls will change their logos over many months, said Laurel Munson, an official in the company's Los Angeles-based U.S. division. New logos could show up first on business cards and doors.

Signs on buildings and stone monuments would likely be the last to drop the word, Munson said. She said a specific timetable for altering the signs was not known. "Obviously it's going to take time," Munson said.

An administrative assistant in Palm Desert said the name change would become apparent as the mall routinely replaces signs, food-court trays and other items. The mall hasn't yet changed anything, the employee said.

The company added "Shoppingtown" to its U.S. locations about five years ago, Munson said, as it expanded its U.S. presence. The current rebranding isn't part of a larger marketing effort.

Westfield acquired its first U.S. center in Trumbull, Conn., in 1977. It acquired the Palm Desert shopping center in 1999.

Source: The Desert Sun

Posted by Tannerman at 04:57 PM | Categories: Other Malls | Westfield

May 09, 2005

Security doesn't like photos

I came across this Old Orchard photo on Flickr today, a community-oriented photo-sharing website. I had to chuckle at the description the author provided:

As I took these pictures, solely focusing on the dead or dying flowers, several security guards passed me, looking mystified and slightly alarmed.

Those Westfield Mall Cops sure get freaked out for no reason!

Posted by Tannerman at 09:28 AM | Categories: Mall Info

May 07, 2005

About the Professional Building

Hey, are you looking for office space? Perhaps you are opening a dental practice... or something medical like that. I guess Old Orchard has medical office space in their Professional Building. Yeah, it's so true! Now you can go to work and then shop the mall on your breaks. Not many people have that sort of opportunity (well, I did when I worked at Randhurst, but that's another story).

According to the sign in the Old Orchard parking lot, leasing for the Professional Building is handled by NAI Hiffman, the Chicago area representative for NAI – the world's largest commercial real estate organization (or so they say on their website). NAI Hiffman is the largest full-service, privately owned real estate services firm in the Midwest. How exciting!

Oh, it gets better. Here's what they proclaim: "We deliver results that combine our best real estate practices with your strategic business goals. Every professional service that we provide is focused on your bottom line. We view real estate as a dynamic road map that leads our services to your needs. Wherever you need to be, NAI Hiffman is already there." Wow, you can't lose with these guys!

Believe it or not, the Professional Building actually looked a little different just a few years ago. I don't if anything has changed on the inside, but the exterior has undergone some noticeable changes.

Before the Westfield Borg took over Old Orchard Center ("You will be assimilated – resistance is futile"), the top of the Professional Building displayed the words "Old Orchard" in such a way that you could locate the mall from miles away. It was a grand icon.

Since the Westfield takeover, however, a new sign proclaiming "Westfield Shoppingtown Old Orchard" now caps the 8-story building. I think this might be a cloth-based sign with lights behind it, as I've seen it ripple in the wind on occasion.

The building itself straddles the open-air walkway of the mall below, technically falling in The Promenade section of Old Orchard. Directly underneath the building lies Crate & Barrel, Starbucks, and Banana Republic. Surprisingly, there is a cozy feeling when you are underneath the building. The decor isn't so sterile as to turn you away, but it's not all warm and fuzzy either.

The building is located on the north side of the shopping center. Interestingly, it possesses its own underground parking garage that can be found on the Old Orchard Road side of the mall, right near Bloomingdales. I've never set foot in either the Professional Building itself or the parking garage. Maybe one of these days...

Posted by Tannerman at 06:57 PM | Categories: Professional Building | The Promenade

May 06, 2005

"Why are there 2 Sunglass Huts?"

A few weeks ago, we were walking through Old Orchard and Amy commented, "why are there two Sunglass Huts?" And doing a double-take, she was right? There was a stand-alone store on the north side of Pear Lane, and a combination Sunglass Hut/Watch Station on the south side of Pear Lane.

However, as of Wednesday night, there is now only the combination location, because a demolition crew was there gutting the stand-alone store. By the next day, there were construction walls around the space. What was odd is that demolition was actually taking place during mall operating hours, typically a no-no for liability and aesthetic reasons. But apparently, Westfield doesn't care about such things.

Sunglass Hut/Watch Station are owned by Luxottica Group, which is also the parent of LensCrafters, among other things. It's the largest retailer of sunglasses in North America. The company was founded in 1971 and acquired by Luxottica in 2001.

Posted by Tannerman at 05:36 PM | Categories: Pear Lane

Busy serving overpriced ice cream

When Amy and I stopped by Old Orchard this past week, we noted that Cold Stone Creamery not only had the construction walls down, but also was hoppin' with business. It does look like a great location with Theaters 7-12 right across the way and a couple restaurants around the corner. We'll probably know better come summertime.

No word yet on how the custom flavor of Skokie Crunch tastes.

Posted by Tannerman at 05:18 PM | Categories: The Vineyard

"Sea-Derived Skincare" sails to new port

When Rogers & Hollands wanted a corner location, this prompted H2O Plus to find a new home. They're constructing a new location right next to the new Landau store on Pear Lane.

No word on when this new location is going to open, but it's probably a lot cheaper in rent than their previous spot.

Posted by Tannerman at 05:11 PM | Categories: Pear Lane

Get there in style with Liberty Travel

Looks like Old Orchard is opening a Liberty Travel location. I assume this is a travel agency. It's going to be located in the Hawthorne Way section of the mall, right next to Potbelly's and Theaters 1-6. I can't say this is an ideal location for a travel agency, then again, what is? Wouldn't this better fit in a more hidden area of the center, like the Professional Building or the Arcade Shops? Maybe they are banking on visibility to generate business.

Posted by Tannerman at 05:00 PM | Categories: Hawthorne Way

New Location: PacSun

Not too long ago, the rather large Record Town/Sunday Matinee which was located in The Vineyard closed for good. It was located right next to Theaters 7-12. But hey, who still shops at record stores in the mall? There's nothing but overpriced goods to be found there, thus, they're closed.

The small Pacific Sunwear of California location that was previously found in The Garden has moved into the now-subdivided Record Town/Sunday Matinee storefront. Rebranded simply as PacSun, this is a larger store in a far more visible area.

Posted by Tannerman at 04:52 PM | Categories: The Garden | The Vineyard

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 | Categories: The Park

May 03, 2005

Will Old Orchard get FAT?

Ah, you have to love Paul Pressler. He's currently the President and CEO of Gap, Inc. But before that, he spent 10 years running the Disney theme park empire into the ground. If that was his goal, he did a fine job. You see, he wasn't a creative guy. He was a business-oriented, retail guy, having gained favor at Disney via his successful reign with The Disney Store. Eventually, he left Disney due to various factors and started at Gap in September 2002.

What does this have to do with Old Orchard? Well, for one thing, the center already has a Banana Republic, in addition to combination Gap/Gap Body and Gap Kids/Baby Gap stores. Old Orchard also offers Talbots and J. Jill. Why mention those retail locations? Because Gap is launching a fourth store brand targeted directly at the same market... with Chicago being a testing ground for 4 new stores called Forth & Towne. The name refers to the company's fourth store brand (after Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy) and "Towne" is supposed to convey a sense of community.

Chicago a 4-store lab for Gap's Forth brand
Becky Yerak
May 3, 2005

The Chicago market soon will be a retail laboratory for Gap Inc.

When the San Francisco-based merchant begins testing its Forth & Towne format in Chicago this fall, it'll try new approaches to see what works and what doesn't. Four Forth & Towne stores will open in yet-to-be-announced malls and shopping centers in the Chicago area. A fifth will open in New York.

"We'll experiment with different ideas across the five stores to understand what really resonates and then apply what we learn to future openings," Gap Chief Executive Officer Paul Pressler said in an April 21 conference call. "This includes testing the right combination of store experiences, styles, quality, fit and value."

Finding the winning formula for Gap's fourth retail concept is important because Forth & Towne seeks the affections of women who are 35 and older

That demographic is increasingly coveted by retailers because it's growing rapidly and earns the highest average income of any age group of women, Pressler said. Typical customers at the company's namesake chain are 18 to 34. It also owns Banana Republic and Old Navy. While younger women typically shop at specialty stores, older ones tend to default to traditional department stores. "They don't feel there's a viable alternative," Pressler said.

Forth & Towne prices will fall somewhere between Gap and Banana Republic. The test stores range in size from 8,000 square feet to 10,000 square feet. That's bigger than other specialty retailers wooing that demographic.

For example, Janeville stores, launched last year by Gymboree Corp. for women in their mid-30s and older, are 3,000 square feet. The typical store of Chico's FAS Inc., whose clothes are known for their forgiving fit, is 2,600 square feet.

Stocking a wider array of sizes will be a Forth & Towne hallmark. "We want to make sure we offer a broad size range" so we can serve shoppers with different needs, Pressler said.

The fitting rooms will be in the center of the store, surrounded by "neighborhoods" of merchandise. Gap executives, echoing recent comments by Federated Department Stores Inc. CEO Terry Lundgren, are waxing poetic about how a decent dressing room helps convert store traffic into sales.

Gap expects to have about 30 Forth & Towne stores through 2007.

The chain is being developed by Gap veterans and new talent based in New York. "They're functioning like a start-up," Pressler said.

Chicago was picked as a test market because it's centrally located and has a "great demographic" of women 35 and older, a Gap spokeswoman said.

Source: Chicago Tribune

No word has been made yet regarding which shopping centers in the Chicago area will get the 4 test stores. Also odd is the spelling of the name "Forth & Towne". As mentioned by Snarkmarket.com, they misspelled both "fourth" and "town". Go figure. And over at SnarkHunting.com, it's illustrated how Gap was smart to use the ampersand in the new store name rather than spelling out the word, as the initals for the chain would then reflect Forth And Towne. Would that really describe the 35+ women's market?

We here at the Observer will keep you posted on future developments!

Posted by Tannerman at 01:55 PM | Categories: News | Other Malls | Pear Lane | The Garden

April 28, 2005

Pre-opening look at Sigrid Olsen

As previously mentioned, today Sigrid Olsen opened their new store at Old Orchard, which is located in the Pear Lane part of the center. During our "date night" last night, Amy and I dropped by the new location just to see what it looked like. Obviously the store was not open yet, but you could peer in through the windows.

What we saw was actually not that impressive. Looked like basically a bunch of clothes that utilized a soft, pastel color palette. However, given that this location is at Old Orchard, they are most likely overpriced. That pretty much describes 75% of what you find there anyway.

I was actually surprised at how small the space seemed. There is not a lot of square footage there, but they are on the main thoroughfare between Marshall Field's and Lord & Taylor. If course, they are also surrounded by other specialty clothing retailers, so best of luck in trying to get their products to stand out.

Posted by Tannerman at 02:38 PM | Categories: Pear Lane

The Croc comes to Old Orchard

Do you remember back in the 1980s how it was so "in" to wear a shirt with that goofy crocodile logo on it? Well, that stuff was made by a company called Izod.

Interestingly, the Izod brand was split in 1995 and sold to Phillips-Van Heusen, becoming crocodile-free. The brand that retained the "croc" was Lacoste, a French apparel company based in Paris.

Their namesake is Jean René Lacoste, a famous French tennis player, businessman, and innovator. He was nicknamed "the crocodile" by fans (ah, there's where that came from!). According to Wikipedia, he is now mostly known as being the namesake of the Lacoste tennis shirt, which he invented in 1929.

I mention all of this because Old Orchard is going to be opening a Lacoste store in Spring 2005, according to their construction walls located in The Garden section. The Chicago Tribune recently published this story about the upcoming opening:

Lacoste's crocodile scares up new shops
Becky Yerak
Published April 19, 2005

Lacoste, the crocodile-logo polo shirts that were practically issued to people coming of age in the 1980s, is opening its second Illinois store next month in Westfield Old Orchard in Skokie.

After falling out of favor in the grungy 1990s, Lacoste is back, thanks to a resurgence of retro, preppy dressing. It's now a $1 billion brand globally, and U.S. sales rose 125 percent in 2004 and are expected to rise 60 percent in 2005. In 2001, Lacoste hired its first creative director and in 2003 had its first runway show.

The French luxury sportswearmaker has 28 stores and plans for five more in 2005, including Skokie, Las Vegas and New York's Soho neighborhood. Its other local store is in Chicago's Water Tower Place.

...Don't confuse Lacoste with Izod. The two names had been interchangeable, but Izod now represents a croc-less, lower-end polo brand sold in such retailers as J.C. Penney Co. In contrast, Lacoste polo shirts start at $70 at retailers such as Marshall Field's. New for this season are women's Lacoste swimsuits starting at $125.

Lacoste is part of a wave of new tenants at Old Orchard as 10-year leases expire. Other tenants include Sephora, Sigrid Olsen, Landau and Sisley. Among those departing: Lady Foot Locker, Sweet Factory, GNC and Christopher & Banks.

Source: Chicago Tribune

Posted by Tannerman at 11:22 AM | Categories: News | The Garden

April 27, 2005

Good-bye Shoppingtown!

It's no secret that I detest the branding of Westfield malls as "Westfield Shoppingtown _____". It seems when Westfield purchases a property, they do their best to remove any sort of unique identity that the shopping center previously held with its customer base.

While the branding isn't completely removed, the emphasis now is placed on the corporate parent rather than the individual property itself. I think this is a bad idea as a person typically associates a positive/negative experience with a physical place when it comes to shopping, not a corporate giant. And while Westfield attempts to keep the previous mall's name in their rebranding (i.e. "Old Orchard Center" became "Westfield Shoppingtown Old Orchard"), the subtlety is lost. It's unfortunate that other large mall operators are trying to mimic this branding, namely Indianapolis-based Simon. I wish I could get my hands on some research about this strategy, either for or against, because it just baffles me.

With that in mind, I was a little shocked by this article from today's Wilmington Star-News, published in Wilmington, NC. It references Westfield Shoppingtown Independence:

Westfield engages in name-dropping
April 27, 2005
by Bonnie Eksten

WHAT'S IN A NAME: Not "Shoppingtown," after Saturday. Westfield Shoppingtown Independence mall in Wilmington will shorten its name to Westfield Independence beginning Sunday.

The Australian-based property management company manages 126 shopping malls in four countries. The company has decided that "Westfield," is the brand name consumers use and recognize, said Chuck Willetts, marketing manager at the Wilmington mall.

All the Westfield properties are slated for the name change, but don't expect signage to change immediately. Mr. Willetts said signs would reflect the new name only when they need replacing.

Posted by Tannerman at 03:51 PM | Categories: News | Other Malls | Westfield

Another Marshall Field's in Chicagoland?

Even with all the previously reported hype about the future of Marshall Field's, the company just announced that they would be opening a new store in Bolingbrook, IL (about 40 miles from Old Orchard). Apparently it's part of a new shopping development called The Promenade at Bolingbrook, being built by Forest City Enterprises, a firm I've never heard of before. One wonders if this store will eventually become a Macy's.

Marshall Field's Announces Plans for New Store In Chicagoland
Tuesday April 26, 11:00 am ET
Bolingbrook to Be The Company's First Store Opening In Six Years

MINNEAPOLIS, April 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Marshall Field's today announced plans to open a new store in spring 2007 at The Promenade at Bolingbrook, a new mall development on Boughton Road near Interstate 355 and the Interstate 55 exit in Bolingbrook, Ill.

The Bolingbrook store will be Marshall Field's 18th store in Illinois and its first new full-line department store in the Chicagoland area since the opening of its Northbrook Court store in 1995 and is the retailer's first new store since its Grandville store opened in 1999. Construction of the new two-level, 180,000-square-foot Marshall Field's store will begin in fall 2005.

"We are thrilled to be part of the new growth and development of Bolingbrook and to be expanding our presence in the Chicagoland area," said Frank Guzzetta, Marshall Field's president and chief executive officer. "This is a terrific opportunity for us to create an exceptional shopping experience and introduce the Marshall Field's brand to the Bolingbrook community in a new, exciting environment."

The Promenade at Bolingbrook is a 1.1-million-square-foot retail center that is being built on two separate pieces of undeveloped land and will be linked to form a seamless shopping destination covering more than 121 acres. The first phase of The Promenade at Bolingbrook is scheduled to be completed in fall 2005, and Marshall Field's Bolingbrook will open on the south side of Boughton Road during the second phase of the development.

Source: Marshall Field's Press Release

Posted by Tannerman at 10:22 AM | Categories: Anchors | News | Other Malls

Sigrid Olsen opening April 28

Another retailer that is opening soon at Old Orchard is Sigrid Olsen, a clothing specialty chain that is owned by Liz Claiborne. Here is the press release which highlights their store opening on April 28. It's interesting to note that the release references the mall as "Old Orchard Center" and not the Westfield-mandated "Westfield Shoppingtown Old Orchard":

Fashion Designer SIGRID OLSEN Announces Opening of Chicago Suburb Store
Tuesday April 26, 3:25 pm ET

NEW YORK, April 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Fashion designer Sigrid Olsen brings her nature-inspired, artful clothing line to the women of the Chicago suburbs with the opening of her store at the Old Orchard Center. Opening on April 28, 2005, the SIGRID OLSEN store is the second in the Chicago area, with the first in Oakbrook Center.

"My goal is to create an uplifting experience for the consumer in an environment designed for meeting her lifestyle needs," says Sigrid. Sigrid knows that women in Chicago are educated about fashion and crave clothes that make them feel confident and feminine.

Showcasing Sigrid's sportswear line in a relaxed, comfortable shopping environment, the store brings to life the company motto of "vision/art/clothing/life" by the artistry and beauty of the space and its contents. Honey stained gauged oak, raw black metal, and woven sisal carpets are paired with antique items, drawing on Sigrid's inspiration from nature.

For Spring/Summer 2005, Sigrid presents a line full of floral prints and garden palettes. Inspired by the act of arranging a bouquet, Sigrid chooses color stories with complementary shades. Silhouettes are modern and feminine, with special attention paid to the must-haves for the seasons - jackets and skirts.

An artist by trade, Sigrid launched her sportswear line 20 years ago and has seen it grow from casual resort wear to a lifestyle collection of year- round sportswear. SIGRID OLSEN is the core of the brand, with an emphasis on coordinated color and novelty driven collections. Collection focuses on quality fabrics and attention to detail, imbued with Sigrid's sense of color. SO be it is the artful evolution of comfort casual with a fresh contemporary spin. All divisions, including SIGRID OLSEN handbags, will be featured in the store.

Old Orchard Center is located at 34 Orchard Center in Skokie IL. Store hours are 10am-9pm, Monday through Friday and 11am - 6pm on Sunday. In addition to the new store, there are twenty-seven SIGRID OLSEN retail stores nationwide. The line is also available at select department and specialty stores.

Source: Sigrid Olsen Press Release

Posted by Tannerman at 09:57 AM | Categories: News | Pear Lane

April 26, 2005

Self-serve cosmetics: Sephora in Spring 2005

A lot of you may be wondering why all the recent store openings at Old Orchard? Is the mall not doing well or something? Actually, that's not the case all. It helps to know a little history. Mainly, that Old Orchard underwent a massive renovation in 1995. My dad actually worked as a carpenter on a few projects at Marshall Field's during this time of rehab. Anyway, it's 2005 now and many of those 10-year leases are expiring, thus the influx of new stores.

And it looks like a Sephora is being added. Being a guy, I'm like, "who cares?" But, for those interested, you may be curious in regards to a more official description of the retail chain: Shopping for cosmetics at Sephora is meant to be a hands-on sensual experience. Sephora's self-service approach to buying makeup arrived from France in 1998 with the opening of the first Sephora USA stores in New York and Miami. Now with about 95 stores nationwide, Sephora stocks more than 250 brands of prestige products, including its own collections of cosmetics, skin care, and bath and body products, all of which customers are encouraged to sample.

Sephora also sells via catalog and online at Sephora.com. Sephora is one of the largest fragrance and cosmetics retailers in Europe. Formed in 1993 by founder Dominique Mandonnaud, Sephora was acquired by LVMH, the world's leading luxury products group, in 1997.

Posted by Tannerman at 09:08 PM | Categories: Fountain Court | History

April 25, 2005

Anchors: Will they change?

Currently, there are 5 anchor stores at Old Orchard. These are Bloomingdale's, Lord & Taylor, Marshall Field's, Nordstrom, and Saks Fifth Avenue. Interestingly, consolidation is bringing many of these anchors under common owners. This may soon change the face of Old Orchard like it has at so many other shopping centers.

For example, Marshall Field's was sold to The May Department Stores Company in July 2004. This put both Field's and Lord & Taylor under the same roof. Then in February 2005, Federated Department Stores acquired May, resulting in Bloomingdale's, Marshall Field's, and Lord & Taylor all being owned by the same company. That's over half of Old Orchard's anchors.

Will Federated keep all 3 stores running at Old Orchard? Will they sell off the real estate to someone else? Will the much-rumored name change of Field's to Macy's actually happen? I think we'll start to see some answers form this year. In the meantime, here's a quick rundown of who owns what when it comes to the anchor stores (Old Orchard anchors denoted with an astrick):

• Macy's
• Bloomingdale's*

• Famous-Barr
• Filene's
• Foley's
• Hecht's
• Kaufmann's
• L.S. Ayres
• Lord & Taylor*
• Marshall Field's*
• Meier & Frank
• Robinsons-May
• Strawbridge's
• The Jones Store
• David's Bridal
• After Hours Formalwear
• Priscilla of Boston

• Saks Fifth Avenue*
• Parisian
• Proffitt's
• McRae's
• Younkers
• Herberger's
• Carson Pirie Scott
• Bergner's
• Boston Store
• Off 5th
• Club Libby Lu

• Nordstrom*
• Nordstrom Rack
• Façonnable

Posted by Tannerman at 06:47 PM | Categories: Anchors | News

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 | Categories: Pear Lane | The Park

Fake jewelry finds its way to Old Orchard

Apparently, a Landau store is "Coming Soon" to Old Orchard Center (I still refuse to call it Westfield Shoppingtown Old Orchard). From the looks of their website, this is nothing to write home about. A little poking around on the Web reveals that "Landau is the largest chain of elegant accessory boutiques in the world with over sixty exclusive boutiques located in the most exclusive shopping settings."

Is there really a big demand for costume jewerly?

Posted by Tannerman at 11:19 AM | Categories: Pear Lane

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 | Categories: The Park

April 21, 2005

NikeWomen store arriving Summer 2005

There is a lot of retail development going on at Old Orchard right now, more than we've seen over the past year, in my opinion. Pretty much anywhere you walk through the center you'll be greeted by construction walls proclaiming something is "Coming Soon". One such addition to this North Shore shopping mecca is NikeWomen (officially Nike spells it as "nikewomen"... go figure).

Old Orchard's store is slated to open "Summer 2005," so that leaves a pretty broad timeframe (though the construction wall states "July 2005"). Interestingly, this is only the 8th standalone NikeWomen store in the country. All but one are in California (with the oddball in Georgia), so I would imagine this will be some sort of tentpole for the region. You'll find the others at Fashion Island (Newport Beach, CA), The Grove (Los Angeles, CA), South Coast Plaza (Costa Mesa, CA), The Shops at Mission Viejo (Mission Viejo, CA), Stanford Shopping Center (Palo Alto, CA), Fashion Valley (San Diego, CA), and Lenox Square (Atlanta, GA).

Unlike a NikeTown store, which we have in downtown Chicago, NikeWomen stores are "designed to strengthen Nike's relationship with female customers through a lifestyle approach rather than the sports imagery themes found in other Nike stores." Um, OK. Apparently rather than looking like a Foot Locker, with footwear on one wall, apparel somewhere else, NikeWomen stores integrate all that stuff. For example, they display products on tables, next to coordinated outfits. There are no hard benches or locker-room decorations. Nike says that "walking into a NikeWomen store will feel like coming into someone's home." Except that this person will try to sell you stuff.

Apparently, the chain used to be called NIKEgoddess, but was renamed recently. Gee, don't know why that first name didn't work out!

Posted by Tannerman at 07:33 PM | Categories: Pear Lane

Takin' photos at Old Orchard

Having previously worked for a real estate investment trust (REIT) -- that's fancy talk for a company the builds and runs malls -- I'm somewhat familiar with the policies that are often put in place for a property. As much as people choose to forget, a shopping center is not public property, and therefore those who utilize them are subject to the rules of conduct that are imposed. It's even harder to come to grips with this when the shopping center is an open-air mall like Old Orchard because it feels like city streets or a park.

I remember when I was a kid we used to do these photo scavenger hunts with my youth group using Polaroid cameras. The ideal location was the area's largest mall, Woodfield. Given the size of that place, you could easily spread a group out to discover unique situations for film. However, every time we did such an event, we were required to get permission from mall operations first.

For some reason, retailers seem a bit nervous about cameras. Maybe they are afraid that a competitor will take photos of their window displays, signage, or something. Who knows. When I worked out at Randhurst, I don't believe that photography inside the mall was generally allowed. However, being a member of the management office, I was allowed to freely roam and take personal photos if I wanted. I was also often tasked with taking photos of storefronts on behalf of the leasing office. Often, photos are used inside the industry when a retailer is trying to sell a concept to a certain shopping center. They help illustrate what a store will look like, etc.

Given the scope of the Old Orchard Observer, photos help illustrate the "news and views" that I write about. Amy and I have taken photos at Old Orchard before without problems. But, just to be on the safe side, I thought I would walk over to the Customer Service area (which Westfield ridiculously calls the "Shopping Concierge Center") and ask what the mall's policy was on photography. Often, you'll find a Code of Conduct posted at the entrance to a center, but I could not find one.

While I was talking to the folks at Customer Service, a Old Orchard security officer joined the conversation to add his insight. According to what he told me, photography inside a store is not allowed. However, outside photos of the landscaping, such as flowers, topiaries, etc., would be acceptable. If you are taking a photo of another person outside while in the mall, that is allowed. However, they tend to frown on photos of actual buildings. Sounds like an obscure policy, but I can understand the concerns.

So, apparently, to be in the clear, I just need to have Amy included in every shot I take at Old Orchard!

Posted by Tannerman at 01:02 PM | Categories: Mall Info | Other Malls

Cold Stone Creamery adds custom flavor

Per the Official Site, the new Cold Stone Creamery in The Vineyard section of Old Orchard is slated to open on April 30.

Cold Stone Creamery will celebrate their grand opening by introducing a special Skokie Flavor: Skokie Crunch. Skokie Mayor George Van Dusen will be the celebrity scooper at the event. During the grand opening celebration from noon to 2pm a portion of sales will benefit United Way of Skokie Valley. For extra fun, a clown will be on hand from 1 to 4pm and a balloon artist will entertain children from 4 to 7pm.

Posted by Tannerman at 11:56 AM | Categories: News | The Vineyard

April 20, 2005

Where is Old Orchard?

Old Orchard is located north of Chicago in the suburb of Skokie, inland of an area that is locally referred to as the "North Shore". Demographics tend to be upscale, with an average household income (HHI) of $110,046 (2001 figures per Polk/MapInfo Target Pro Demographic Analyzer). Comparatively, Chicago's HHI is $83,163, while the national average comes in at $59,148. So, it's without saying that Old Orchard is located in a prime area for retail success.

Located right off of I-94 (Edens Expressway), Old Orchard is roughly 20 minutes from our apartment in Chicago. It's bordered by Old Orchard Road to the north, Skokie Blvd. to the east, and Golf Road to the south. There is no direct access from the west off Lawler Ave. Access to the mall from the Interstate is at the Old Orchard Road exit.

The Center is located on a rectangular plot of land and the main walkways are actually oriented on an angle, following a northeast to southwest direction. Like most regional shopping centers, the core buildings are at the center, while parking lots surround the complex. Most lots are at ground level, however there are also 4 parking garage structures. At Christmastime, it's very hard to find a parking spot at Old Orchard.

The layout of Old Orchard emphasizes the 5 anchor stores it contains: Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale's, Lord & Taylor, and Marshall Field's. You'll find these retail giants located at key points throughout the property, somewhat evenly spaced from each other.

Posted by Tannerman at 08:34 PM | Categories: Mall Info

April 14, 2005

What the heck is this?

So, I know what you are saying. "Steve, do you really need another website to worry about?" After all, I already have a blog over at SteveandAmySly.com. I already have a pretty active set of discussion forums at TannerWorld Junction. I already have a professional portfolio website. Not to mention some odd side projects. Oh, and I do have a real job keeping things running at Kidology.org. So what am I doing launching something new at Bounga.com?

The truth of the matter is that most of the above projects were experiments. Either with software platforms (vBulletin over in TannerWorld Junction), journalistic tests (personal weblogging), adding new ideas to an old process (integrating online elements into a wedding), or concepts in online interaction (pretty much any crazy contest or event from the forums). That's what I'm doing here.

The current buzz in both the online and offline world revolves around blogging. While Amy and I have been doing that for a few years with our makeshift publishing system on SteveandAmySly.com, I've never used a blog-specific tool. Interest in blogging has grown, whether it be with my employer, professional contacts, or friends. Many want to know about the ins-and-outs of this whole blogging thing. So, to familiarize myself with current online trends, I have installed Movable Type, a popular online publishing tool used often for weblogs and journals.

As is often the case with those who decide to start blogging, they often rant about their personal lives or comment about other items they see online. Eventually, they get bored with the concept and yet another publishing area is abandoned. Because guess what, it takes a lot of work to write! So as I was thinking about testing out this platform, I obviously needed something to write about. Something that wouldn't demand a lot of my time with daily updates, but something that would provide for frequent updates with unique content.

I decided to write about Old Orchard Shopping Center, a large open-air mall located in the Chicago suburbs. I was already writing about the center infrequently on SteveandAmySly.com with items such as Death at Old Orchard (12/19/03), Lights out at Illuminations (2/19/04), Photo Update (7/14/04), Photo Update (12/9/04), and well as covering nearby shopping centers. It was only natural to take this personal interest and adapt it to the content needs I have here.

Also, for those who don't know, I worked in the retail industry for a while, employed by an owner and manager of shopping centers across the country. Thus I have an established interest in this phenomena of American culture. Plus, given my interest in themed environments and how they relate to human experience, adapting to Old Orchard's outdoor, park-like setting made sense. Finally, Amy and I often spend our "date nights" at Old Orchard, so it's not like I'm going out of my way to visit.

So that's the plan. To discover more about Movable Type and how it relates to the world of online publishing while focusing content around a definable, updateable subject matter. Oh, and it finally gives me a reason to use that Bounga.com domain I've had sitting around for a while! :) This thing will be constantly evolving. We'll see what happens.

Thanks for reading!

- Steve

Posted by Tannerman at 06:09 PM | Categories: Mall Info