are you at the mall?
permalink | categories: business, channelside, economy, entertainment, retail, st peteby tommy @ 10:25 am
Back at the turn of the century, building brand new open-air entertainment-heavy shopping centers were all the rage around the nation. Some here in Tampa Bay jumped on the bandwagon with BayWalk, Centro Ybor, and Channelside Bay Plaza.
The Tampa Tribune’s Michael Sasso notes that all three have all been underperforming for years. Owners and tenants at the three places say they are suffering because of safety and parking perceptions, and the the limited number of retailers doesn’t help either.
Of course, the same could be said about Olde Hyde Park Village and downtown St. Pete’s The Pier, too. We have been over Channelside’s troubles as well as our perception of Centro Ybor, so we don’t care to rehash all of that.
However, we would like to know where you DO go shopping. And why?
Tags: BayWalk, Centro Ybor, channelside, OHPV, Pier, shopping
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January 5th, 2009 at 11:37 am
Amazon.com because they have almost everything these days
. Never was much of one for shopping anyway, so, I “shop” online, and if I need it now, I go get it where it is available locally(price is only one criteria I use).
January 5th, 2009 at 11:38 am
Oops, hit return before I was done. I have been known to browse in HD, Lowes, or Harbor Freight if I need to kill time nearby.
January 5th, 2009 at 11:41 am
Online shopping can’t be beat. The last time I went to a brick and mortar store I was frustrated by the lack of choice and high prices.
January 5th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
Mostly online as well. Easier and best way to compare prices.
January 5th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
Online.
January 5th, 2009 at 3:56 pm
It never ceases to amaze me every time a new store opens up that sells, essentially, worthless crap.
I can understand trying to hawk worthless junk to the tourists on Gulf Blvd, but I go to Channelside about once every week or two to eat/drink and I cannot recall ever stepping foot in a single retail store there. Same goes for BayWalk and Ybor. Are people really clamoring for knickknacks and expensive boutiques?
January 5th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
I do enjoy the new Wiregrass shopping center in Wesley Chapel but the three main places I go there are 1. The Brass Tap, because I love their beer selection. 2. Barnes & Noble because I can spend hours in a book store. 3. Bath & Body Works. Other than that, I generally shop online or in Target.
January 5th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
I haven’t been to a Mall in two years except for a moive maybe. I like Britton Plaza for a quick fix. And really, how many Malls for a town this size can you have? What did the developers care $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
January 5th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
Depends what im looking for, for me HD, Target, Lowe’s and Macy*s usually has everything im looking for for me….im not a shopper…also, i didnt realize those “open air” centers were intended to be for shopping, i thought they were “enetertainment centers”..movies, restaurants, bars, theater, comedy, music, etc…
January 5th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
Wait, people shop at those places? And not just tourists? Oh, I guess not.
Besides online and Target, I have found a fondness for “Your Neighborhood Thriftstore” in St Petersburg. Always half-price on something I am looking for and more than not I get brand new board games for about $2. (On 9th Ave N just east of 66th St opposite end of the shopping plaza with Sweetbay.)
January 5th, 2009 at 8:47 pm
Super Target on Bloomingdale, for stuff I need/want right away and clothes for the kids. Peltz for kid’s shoes (a “REAL” shoe store! No more trekking endlessly through the mall! Sandals, sneakers and dress shoes ALL UNDER ONE ROOF!). Home Depot for Home stuff. Publix for groceries, Costco for stuff we use alot of. Amazon or Target online for gifts or stuff I don’t need right away (books, CDs).
I can’t stand the traffic at Brandon Mall. From the day it opened, the traffic design has been atrocious at that mall. It hasn’t improved either, over the years.
One time we took a Starlight cruise from Channelside. We went into some of the shops when we returned. There was not one thing I even remotely wanted to buy. and If there had been I would have definitely looked to find it cheaper elsewhere.
People in Tampa Bay are CHEAPSKATES! They want deals! I read this awhile ago and it’s true. We just don’t want to part with our money, so you better have a darn good deal or something incredibly desirable.
January 6th, 2009 at 6:05 am
Well the big difference is these retail locations were built without ‘anchor’ stores that traditional malls have. This was pointed out when they were built but sicne the economy was going fine at the time people would still go shopping there even with a Sears or Nordstroms to draw people in. It was pointed out in the paper when Centro was being built that this model had not been tested during a negative economy like we see now. This is the result.
January 6th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
centro ybor, channelside and baywalk are not ‘malls’. they are destinations for drinking and eating and movies.
there is not now, and never was, a critical mass of retail stores in any of them to be a shopping destination. im not quite sure how the few shops that do exist in these places subsist if the they not subsidized national chains like victoria’s secret, ann taylor etc
January 6th, 2009 at 9:13 pm
I shop at consignment shops and thrift stores. I find the “mall” stuff that other people paid top dollar for at a bargain price! Plus in those type of shops you never know what treasure you might come across!
January 7th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
The Westshore Mall is adjacent to my daily commute on the number 30 bus. I stop in there for a snack and a little people watching, at least once a week.
International Plaza is also on Route 30 but involves a rather inconvenient 10 minute walk through a non-pedestrian parking lot. I go there much less often. The Grape at International is the best place in the Westshore area for an afterwork drink and snack. It’s too bad that it’s in the middle of an asphalt desert.
On the weekends, I’ve been known to ride my bike to the Citrus Park Mall. With it’s bike lanes and dense mid day traffic pattern, Sheldon Road is the best North-South corridor for bicycles in Western Hillsborough county.
January 7th, 2009 at 1:36 pm
I don’t like paying covers at bars and I don’t like paying to park. Call me a cheapskate, but that’s going to affect where I go. I can go to International Mall, park for free, then shop and go to restaurants and bars.
January 7th, 2009 at 7:25 pm
I agree with the above comments. I love and shop often at ALL of the malls here except Brandon as it is far from home, but I’ve never considered the other places for shopping. They are for movies, eating and drinking. I do like Urban Outfitters in Centro for gifts as they have some amusing and unique items and books for sale, but I only go during the holidays for gifts for friends and family.
January 8th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
I usually go to Target at Walter’s Crossing. I do go to the Urban Outfitters at Centro and end up hitting Brew Co. or a bar at the same time. I’m done with malls unless I need a fancy dress.
January 8th, 2009 at 11:14 pm
Online, Publix and dollar stores.
January 11th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
Oldsmar flea Market
January 13th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
Malls are okay for rainy days, but it gets kind of boring, seeing same shops, no matter which mall, which city. Mall shopping really feels more like an errand.
For fun shopping, indies is the way to go. So much more character, more of a feeling of community. And I don’t want to get all preachy, but shopping at indies is just better for the local economy