Crossroads Mall?

[r5TPsooner]

WTF happened to that place? I haven't been there since 2000 and went to Dillards there yesterday because Quail Springs didn't have my size in a suit that I wanted. We decided to walk around a bit and I've never seen so many empty stores that were either gone or closed... on a Saturday.

Did this happen just recently or did something happen out there with ownership? Either way, the place is a shell of its former self and damn near looking like a flea market. The place was almost deserted as well. Really sad IMHO.

[yermom]

yeah, it's a crap hole

it sucks that to go to a decent mall i have to drive to Penn Square or Quail Springs

Sooner Fashion is pretty lame as well

[OUHOMER]

Gang bang central. we went there a few months back and it was almost scary. Some young thugs walking thru with security following right behind them letting them know they were being watched. seems like OKC trailer trash was every where.
Told the wife Do not come back here at night by yourself ever again. You could just feel BS in the air.

[Flagstaffsooner]

Wow, I used to manage a store there in the late '70's. There were hot chicks everywhere and queers in the back hallways. I guess the messicans have taken it over now.

[MR2-Sooner86]

Sounds like what happened to Eastland Mall in Tulsa.

[StoopTroup]

Malls became places for folks to steal from the stores.

The Stores leave security to the Mall as they are paying huge rent...they should expect some security IMO.

The thing is...the Malls can't or won't do enough to make customers feel safe.

If they aren't trying to steal from the Mall shops....they are trying to jack with your car or make you feel uncomfortable while in the Mall.

I just avoid places where I feel the need to carry a weapon.

It's sad that the Mall Management doesn't do more to make it an enjoyable enviroment.

Even Promenade Mall here in Tulsa has done a fair job of security...but there are folks hanging around outside the entrances there that make me want to slap a hairlip on them.

[MR2-Sooner86]

Even Promenade Mall here in Tulsa has done a fair job of security...but there are folks hanging around outside the entrances there that make me want to slap a hairlip on them.

Promenade Mall? I never felt like that place had good security. Sure it's a nice mall and pretty flashy. However you go there, especially around the movie theater, and it's as if trouble is out to find you.

[goingoneight]

It closed a lot of places and business sucked for the same reason Eastgate suffered in Tulsey. Shoplifting and generally dangerous types hanging around all the time isn't good for business.

[Partial Qualifier]

There was a gang shooting deal inside that mall a couple years ago, a kid got killed right between JC Penneys and that video arcade. I'm guessing that was the clincher.

[SoonerInKCMO]

Crossroads is good for giving posters nicknames.

[r5TPsooner]

Like I said, the last time I was in there was around 2000 and all of the shops were full. We had our three kids with us yesterday at Crossroads and we couldn't get to our car fast enough. At least when we went to Sooner Fashion Mall we felt safe the entire time and there were tons of parents there with there kids shopping, playing and having a good time with no apparent gang bangers in site.

I also scored some Opus X cigars at Plantations so it made the entire trip worthwhile. :)

[Sooner Born Sooner Bred]

Crossroads has been steadily declining in recent years. A lot of shoppers who would normally shop there will drive to Sooner Mall in Norman or to Penn or Quail Springs for a better mall experience. There are also "strip malls" with stores like Penney's and Old Navy nearby.

I think there was an ownership change a few years ago, but the mall was already going downhill. With only Dillard's left as an anchor, I think it's a matter of time before it closes. I'd like to see it reopen as a Grapevine Mills type place.

[BigRedJed]

Malls in general are a dying breed. There are a number of factors for this, including the preference most people are now showing for big-box centers (driving/parking convenience) and the new/old "town center" concept (preferable shopping experience). There will not be a single covered mall built in 2008, and a lot of malls are now tearing off their roofs and reconfiguring.

There are a couple of interesting online articles about the trend here (http://www.economist.com/world/na/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10278717) and here (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1571/is_18_18/ai_86868918). I especially like the one in the Economist.

Crossroads had its heydey before Quail Springs opened, and before Penn Square remodeled. People even drove from Edmond to shop there. The opening of Quail and the expansion of the north part of town and Edmond hastened Crossroads' decline, as has all of the new, non-mall retail development on the south side.

Quail itself was declining until the AMC opened in the late '90s, with an entrance that required people to walk into and through the mall to get to the theater. Penn has been pretty stable, mostly due to the part of town it's in. The Belle Isle retail center was also a huge shot in the arm.

But Quail and Penn Square could face a lot of the same troubles as Crossroads if they're not careful. The biggest problem a mall can face besides the current market shift is a proliferation of unsupervised teens. A lot of parents view malls as acceptable baby sitters, and a lot of teens, including gangbangers and the like, are drawn to malls because other teens are there. Air conditioning, no requirement to spend money, and the like.

Bricktown (much like an outdoor mall, in many ways) saw the same troubles crop up a couple of years ago, and got the city to pass a curfew ordinance to deal with it. They still have the same issues to some extent (late-night, unsupervised teens), but with a much better handle on it.

The worst thing for places like that is people who have no intention to shop, only to hang out.

I suspect ultimately Crossroads will go the way of Shepherd Mall, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

[SicEmBaylor]

Like I said, the last time I was in there was around 2000 and all of the shops were full. We had our three kids with us yesterday at Crossroads and we couldn't get to our car fast enough. At least when we went to Sooner Fashion Mall we felt safe the entire time and there were tons of parents there with there kids shopping, playing and having a good time with no apparent gang bangers in site.

I also scored some Opus X cigars at Plantations so it made the entire trip worthwhile. :)

Very nice. I like Plantations a lot.

[Soonrboy]

I think Penneys moving to Moore was the nail in the coffin for Crossroads.
I know they instigated a curfew there, like no one allowed without a parent after like 7:00 or something.

Is Garfields still there? It might be worth it for a Monte Cristo sandwich...deep fried ham sandwich...mmmmm

[SoonerInKCMO]

But Quail and Penn Square could face a lot of the same troubles as Crossroads if they're not careful. The biggest problem a mall can face besides the current market shift is a proliferation of unsupervised teens. A lot of parents view malls as acceptable baby sitters, and a lot of teens, including gangbangers and the like, are drawn to malls because other teens are there. Air conditioning, no requirement to spend money, and the like.

The biggest mall in the country and the biggest tourist attraction in Minnesota, Mall of America, had the same problem in the late '90s just a few years after it opened. They established some fairly strict anti-teen policies that were decried as racist, classist, and whateverelseist by the usual suspects. However, those policies were what kept the mall as a draw for both the locals and the tourists. I for one know that I was tired of wading through the obnoxious teens on the fourth floor as I was going from the comedy club to the sports bar - and I probably would've stopped going if not for the new policies that were put in place.

[r5TPsooner]

Crossroads has been steadily declining in recent years. A lot of shoppers who would normally shop there will drive to Sooner Mall in Norman or to Penn or Quail Springs for a better mall experience. There are also "strip malls" with stores like Penney's and Old Navy nearby.

I think there was an ownership change a few years ago, but the mall was already going downhill. With only Dillard's left as an anchor, I think it's a matter of time before it closes. I'd like to see it reopen as a Grapevine Mills type place.

Funny you should mention Dillards. When I got there I tried on the suit and I could not believe the condition of the dressing rooms. There was obvious water damage and the rooms and doors to the rooms haven't seen a coat of fresh paint in several years. Not to mention broken doors and benches. I was embarrassed for the employees who work there and I think that security was one of the buildings that closed because we never saw any security.

[r5TPsooner]

The biggest mall in the country and the biggest tourist attraction in Minnesota, Mall of America, had the same problem in the late '90s just a few years after it opened. They established some fairly strict anti-teen policies that were decried as racist, classist, and whateverelseist by the usual suspects. However, those policies were what kept the mall as a draw for both the locals and the tourists. I for one know that I was tired of wading through the obnoxious teens on the fourth floor as I was going from the comedy club to the sports bar - and I probably would've stopped going if not for the new policies that were put in place.

I got news for ya... the Mall of America is a scary place between 7pm-9pm on any nite of the week. The gang bangers are always out in force but usually met with just as many cops, not just Barney Fife mall security types. I wouldn't be caught dead at the MOA on a weekend after 8pm.

[SoonerInKCMO]

Hmm... it had gotten like that in about '96 or '97 but seemed to have calmed down quite a bit through the rest of the '90s. Things must have changed in the 2000s. Too bad. We had a lot of good times there with work people during happy hours and later on Friday nights.

[Viking Kitten]

Hey, those Minneapolis teens are the descendants of Vikings. They're gonna rape pillage and plunder, it's in the blood. Oh you betcha.

[r5TPsooner]

Hmm... it had gotten like that in about '96 or '97 but seemed to have calmed down quite a bit through the rest of the '90s. Things must have changed in the 2000s. Too bad. We had a lot of good times there with work people during happy hours and later on Friday nights.

You can definitely tell when the clientele changes over. It's gang bang central 2 hours before close and they are just looking for trouble, usually someone to beat up or steal from.

[SoonerInKCMO]

Oh you betcha.

I think you meant "Oh you betcha, eh?"


Fail. I think you're a Viking faker. ;)

[Viking Kitten]

Hey, at least I'd plunder a decent mall, like Penn.

[SoonerInKCMO]

You can definitely tell when the clientele changes over. It's gang bang central 2 hours before close and they are just looking for trouble, usually someone to beat up or steal from.

Did the mall people change the teen policy? It used to be that you had to be at least 16 (or 18? :confused: ) to even get in the mall by yourself after 7:00 or so. There were hundreds of teens roaming around on the 4th floor (that was all bars where you had to be 21 to actually get in) before the entrance policy was put into effect. It effin' sucked when you were half lit going from Knucklehead's or Hooters to the sports bar or whatever that dance club was and you had to push your way through a bunch of 15-year old dip****s that had no business being there.

[SoonerInKCMO]

Hey, at least I'd plunder a decent mall, like Penn.

That's just because you can't afford the gas to get all the way down to Crossroads. Next time I'm in town I'ma have to check my odometer to see if you're closer to DT OKC or DT KC. :D

[Viking Kitten]

*sticks tongue out at KCMO*

I could ride my bicycle to work if I absolutely had to, County Boy.

[SoonerInKCMO]

****, I could walk to work. 2.5 miles baby!

At least for the next two months.

[SoonerInKCMO]

Have I mentioned that I haven't bought gas since 6/18?

[Viking Kitten]

We've spent a hell of a lot less on gas since your last visit, I'll tell you that much.

[tulsaoilerfan]

Only time i ever go to a mall is to get school clothes for Conner, so i guess it will be about another 3 weeks and i will have to set foot in that damn place again.

[Sooner Born Sooner Bred]

Funny you should mention Dillards. When I got there I tried on the suit and I could not believe the condition of the dressing rooms. There was obvious water damage and the rooms and doors to the rooms haven't seen a coat of fresh paint in several years. Not to mention broken doors and benches. I was embarrassed for the employees who work there and I think that security was one of the buildings that closed because we never saw any security.
I'm sure they aren't spending much money on updates. I really wouldn't be surprised if they closed that Dillard's entirely. When that happens, the whole mall closes.


I think Penneys moving to Moore was the nail in the coffin for Crossroads.

It's still limping along, but barely. I think that crappy Dillard's is keeping it on life support. I've lived in south OKC/Moore my whole I can't remember being excited about shopping at Crossroads. The renovation of Penn Square in the mid 80s totally changed shopping for me.

[yermom]

i was pissed when JC Penney's closed there, i had no idea it just moved to Moore

win!

[r5TPsooner]

i was pissed when JC Penney's closed there, i had no idea it just moved to Moore

win!


It took a GNC and Men's Warehouse with it. They are all in a little strip mall together on the east side of I-35.

[Sooner Born Sooner Bred]

i was pissed when JC Penney's closed there, i had no idea it just moved to Moore

win!The new JC Penney is much better. I like the way it is organized. Plus, it has a Sephora store FTW.

[GottaHavePride]

That happened to Towne East Square in Wichita, too. That used to be the mall with all the high-end stores back when I was in middle school / high school. Now there's not much left there. Everything moved over to 21st and Rock Road in a big shopping district area. And by everything I mean EVERYthing: Tommy Bahama, Banana Republic, Victoria's Secret, you name it.

[def_lazer_fc]

people still shop at banana republic?

[Sooner Born Sooner Bred]

That happened to Towne East Square in Wichita, too. That used to be the mall with all the high-end stores back when I was in middle school / high school. Now there's not much left there. Everything moved over to 21st and Rock Road in a big shopping district area. And by everything I mean EVERYthing: Tommy Bahama, Banana Republic, Victoria's Secret, you name it.
Just so we're clear, I don't believe Crossroads has ever had the high-end stores, unless you consider Frederick's of Hollywood high-end. ;)

[Beano's Fourth Chin]

Sounds like they need to hire Gecko45:

http://lonelymachines.org/mall-ninjas/

[GottaHavePride]

people still shop at banana republic?

Well, the old people with money on the east side of Wichita do.

[colleyvillesooner]

Hey, those Minneapolis teens are the descendants of Vikings. They're gonna rape pillage and plunder, it's in the blood. Oh you betcha.

Sounds like they need Purple Jesus.

[Turd_Ferguson]

Just so we're clear, I don't believe Crossroads has ever had the high-end stores, unless you consider Frederick's of Hollywood high-end. ;)Nah...Spencer's was the high end place. Oh, and when they took Le'mans speedway and the bumper cars out, the mall started it's snowball run downhill.

[Boomer_Sooner_sax]

i was pissed when JC Penney's closed there, i had no idea it just moved to Moore

win!

The actually opened two new locations. The one in Moore and they opened a new one on SE 29th St. in Midwest City in that new shopping area. Both are roughly 6 miles from Crossroads from what I have read. My family has told me about the decline of Crossraods. Pretty amazing becasue even as recent as 2005, it wasn't that bad.

[Mjcpr]

Speaking of Eastland Mall....it was purchased a few yeas ago and converted to a mixed-use RE-development and, surprisingly, this project has been very successful. There is currently a bowling alley (although that's been there for years, a Coca-Cola call center, Workforce Oklahoma, Univ of Phoenix, Early Learning Center and the Jenks' drivers test site is moving there.

It may not be the greatest economic development project, but it beats having a huge, empty mall sitting there which is pretty much what it was for years.

[birddog]

That happened to Towne East Square in Wichita, too. That used to be the mall with all the high-end stores back when I was in middle school / high school.

ghp, you seem like a nice guy and all, but dollar general is NOT high-end.

[birddog]

people still shop at banana republic?

i was hanging with my fellow bangers yesterday and strolled through there.

they have like 5 different shirts to choose from and they're all long sleeve. terrible, terrible store now.

[BigRedJed]

Back when it was built, TowneEast wasn't just the nicest mall, it was the ONLY mall (save Twin Lakes, which was mostly a large, enclosed strip center with a Sears, albeit in a really nice setting). Makes me sad to hear of its demise. I've driven past it in the past couple of years, but haven't been inside in probably 25 years.

[Taxman71]

Crossroads was the thing in the 70's and early 80's. The telethon was there and El Fenix was a big after-church eating place. No doubt, Quail and Penn Square took away there market. Same goes for Heritage Park in Midwest City....even locals preferred to drive 30 minutes elsewhere.

When (if?) they build the mega-mall on the OKC Canal or Oklahoma Rive rfront, I think you will see a decline in Penn Square and others.....though, not quite as drastic.

[Sooner Born Sooner Bred]

Does anyone else remember that kick *** ice cream place they had in Crossroads in the late 70s, early 80s? I forgot what it was called.

I spent many an hour walking around that mall in the 80s. They had some decent stores back then like Express, Units and a huge Lerner's.

[bluedogok]

Funny you should mention Dillards. When I got there I tried on the suit and I could not believe the condition of the dressing rooms. There was obvious water damage and the rooms and doors to the rooms haven't seen a coat of fresh paint in several years. Not to mention broken doors and benches. I was embarrassed for the employees who work there and I think that security was one of the buildings that closed because we never saw any security.
Dillard's will be closing that location soon, probably tied into the lease ending. They have been closing "under performing" stores all over, I read a report that it was between 20-30 stores they are looking at closing. The San Antonio Riverwalk location is closing this month and I think the Highland Mall location here in Austin, they did just open a new one up in the Hill Country Galleria. They are abandoning many of the old mall locations and moving into the newer areas. It only makes sense that they do that as areas and demographics change.


Does anyone else remember that kick *** ice cream place they had in Crossroads in the late 70s, early 80s? I forgot what it was called.
Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor....

My sister worked at the Gingiss Formal Wear in Crossroads when she was going to OU in the mid 90's. You could sense a change happening even then.

[Taxman71]

I always like Orange Julius at Crossroads and their arcade was top-notch in the early 80's. Of course, the best part was driving through Valley Brook on the way there.

[BigRedJed]

Downtown malls don't work. The San Antonio Riverwalk mall is a great example. Same for Denver, which has an otherwise THRIVING downtown. Don't expect to see a tradional "mall" in Bricktown or on the river. Ever.

[soonerboomer93]

You mean the 16th street mall in Denver?

I've never heard anything bad about it

[BigRedJed]

Not from a security standpoint. It just underperforms.

[King Crimson]

i've never felt unsafe on the 16th street mall in Denver. and, i'm not sure how it compares to Crossroads? it's an open air mall. i walked up and down 16th st. mall 3 times a week for a year to take the light-rail to U of Denver and didn't feel unsafe. it's a diverse crowd no doubt about it.

i think the genuine complaint with 16th st. is the public transport shuttle that runs up and down the middle is kind of clumsy.

[BigRedJed]

Yeah, again, when I have heard downtown retail discussed by people in the downtown development business, it is only discussed in terms of underperformance, not in terms of security issues. Malls situated in downtown areas just don't seem to work economically, for the most part.

[BigRedJed]

Probably has to do with peoples' universal perception that parking and traffic are a bit more of a hassle downtown than they are in the suburbs. Why would they want to add that factor to visit a building that by its very nature shields you from interaction with the outside world? If you're going to a mall, you might as well go to a suburban mall. Especially when you consider that most people who fit the profile of mall consumers live in the 'burbs already.

Malls cater to car culture, and downtown isn't a good fit for that.

[Hamhock]

Yeah, again, when I have heard downtown retail discussed by people in the downtown development business, it is only discussed in terms of underperformance, not in terms of security issues. Malls situated in downtown areas just don't seem to work economically, for the most part.

i didn't think the denver mall was unsafe.

[King Crimson]

Yeah, again, when I have heard downtown retail discussed by people in the downtown development business, it is only discussed in terms of underperformance, not in terms of security issues. Malls situated in downtown areas just don't seem to work economically, for the most part.

i misread your previous post Jed. the downtown mall (esp. compared to the rest of the Lower Downtown development post-Coors Field and Pepsi Center) is not real high end--so, sure, that could be wasting potential. there's a 7/11, Walgreens, Sonic and goofy tourist shops. there's some mega-chain stuff like ESPNZone and Cheesecake Factory but mostly it's shop-space may be a little dated for the tastes of contemporary developers.

the real heavy hitters like upscale restaurants and "urban" style service industries (your martini and cigar bar styles from the 90's) and loft residential stuff is a product of the latest rounds of development (Coors Field, etc.) and that continues unabashed west of the Mall and north towards Coors.

but, 16th street is still pretty lively during the day and performs it's other purpose as a pedestrian thoroughfare to get from point A to point B around the downtown grid.

[BigRedJed]

i didn't think the denver mall was unsafe.
:les: I NEVER SAID THE MALL WAS UNSAFE, PPL!!!

[Mjcpr]

i didn't think the denver mall was unsafe.

I've never been there but I've never heard of it being unsafe either. I have no idea what he's talking about.

[Hamhock]

I've never been there but I've never heard of it being unsafe either. I have no idea what he's talking about.

i've never been there either.

clearly, BRJ, is a racist.

[BigRedJed]

i misread your previous post Jed. the downtown mall (esp. compared to the rest of the Lower Downtown development post-Coors Field and Pepsi Center) is not real high end--so, sure, that could be wasting potential. there's a 7/11, Walgreens, Sonic and goofy tourist shops. there's some mega-chain stuff like ESPNZone and Cheesecake Factory but mostly it's shop-space may be a little dated for the tastes of contemporary developers.

the real heavy hitters like upscale restaurants and "urban" style service industries (your martini and cigar bar styles from the 90's) and loft residential stuff is a product of the latest rounds of development (Coors Field, etc.) and that continues unabashed west of the Mall and north towards Coors.

but, 16th street is still pretty lively during the day and performs it's other purpose as a pedestrian thoroughfare to get from point A to point B around the downtown grid.
Yeah, but that also gets at what I am saying. Successful downtown retail development is generally store-front based, outdoor retail center, pedestrian-oriented stuff.

The traditional enclosed shopping mall makes no sense downtown. It's exactly what San Antonio shoehorned into downtown, and they're regretting it now.

A number of people bring up "what downtown OKC needs is a shopping mall," and I don't think they could be more wrong.

[Mjcpr]

i've never been there either.

clearly, BRJ, is a racist.

Yep.


It had dark people innit.

[BigRedJed]

http://offkeyclothing.com/images/blow%20me.jpg

[BigRedJed]

A word of advice: don't ever do a GIS for "suck it" or "blow me" with safe search turned off.





Unless you have an afternoon to kill.

[Mjcpr]

Or unless you wanna rub out that easy one.

[Hamhock]

Unless you have an afternoon to kill.

kill an afternoon? is that what you kids are calling now days?

[bluedogok]

Yeah, but that also gets at what I am saying. Successful downtown retail development is generally store-front based, outdoor retail center, pedestrian-oriented stuff.

The traditional enclosed shopping mall makes no sense downtown. It's exactly what San Antonio shoehorned into downtown, and they're regretting it now.

A number of people bring up "what downtown OKC needs is a shopping mall," and I don't think they could be more wrong.
Most of the malls being built today try to replicate the old downtown shopping districts, I work in the office part of a recently opened Simon "mall" here in Austin called The Domain, it is almost all high end stores with office and condo/apartments mixed in, future phases call for hotels with more retail/restaurant/apartment/condo development. The Hill Country Galleria is another one of those but not as upscale, it has a new Dillard's and Dick's Sporting Goods coming soon, The Domain has a Needless Markups and a Nordstrom coming in a future phase, the "cheapest" places for lunch are California Pizza Kitchen and Kona Grill. These have also been developed out in the burbs, The Domain is in far north Austin (northeast of The Arboretum) and the HCG is out in The Village of Bee Cave, both well outside the CBD (about 10 and 20 miles respectively).

A development like this could work in an urban setting, preferably better than the abomination that is the suburban inspired Bricktown lower canal development but as BRJ said, they tend to not pull in the same dollar per square foot that a traditional suburban retail environment delivers. Really, more specialty focused retailers tend to do better downtown, the REI downtown does better than the other suburban locations and we have a Patagonia store opening in downtown soon. The big ol' enclosed mall is in a down cycle at this time, the open air malls are all the rage along with the big box malls. It will probably be that way for quite awhile.

[Taxman71]

This is a government ploy aimed to kill off the old people who are on social security by eliminating their gymnasiums......err...indoor malls.

[badger]

I've never felt unsafe there, but then again, I've never gone there at weird hours.

The saving grace for Crossroads is the store you can't find at any other mall in OKC and aside from Enid, anywhere else in the state: Steve and Barry's.

S&B's has tons of logo/college/everything merchandise and it's all for under $10. The sneakers that Stephon Marbury famously released a few years ago to allow kids to have new sneakers without breaking their parent's budgets were from S&B's. I have a pair of canvas ones that I paid $9 for. They are wonderful.

I've now heard that S&B's is going to be closing soon and that the OKC location is a likely target for termination because of financial troubles on top (merchandise too cheap! too many celebrities! no revenue! fail.), so I encourage you all to check out S&B's before it's gone... if you feel safe at Crossroads. You may find your next wonderful pair of shoes there like I did, or some really great bargains on funwear.

More info here. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_&_Barry's)
Official store site here. (http://www.steveandbarrys.com/)

[r5TPsooner]

I know this is a bit off topic but I thought I'd share the story nevertheless. We took the kids to see Kung Fu Panda (movie kinda sucked but a good time was had by all) and do a little shopping later on Thursday. I needed a new suit or two for upcoming meetings/conferences/professional get togethers, so Dillards is usually my choice because I like Ralph Lauren stuff because the clothes seem to last forever and never show wear.

Anyway, they also had some RL polo's on sale for less than $30. I purchased a couple and thought since I'm going to Penn Square Mall to see about another suit in a size that's hard to find, I'll check on the RL polo's as well. Turns out that the same RL polo's that I purchased for $30 at Quail Springs were $40 at Penn Square. That was also true for the suit, slacks, and belts that I saw on sale at both places as well.

I just found it kinda funny that they would charge more for a mall maybe 10-15 minutes down the road from another mall.

[birddog]

http://offkeyclothing.com/images/blow%20me.jpg

speaking of offensive t-shirts. i saw a man this weekend at home depot with his ten year old son wearing a shirt that said, IF YOU LICK THEM, THEY WILL COME.

now, ordinarily i wouldn't mind because my grandpa has a t-shirt with a penis with a condom halfway on his head that says, COVER ME, I'M GOING IN.

the difference is my grandpa never left the house in this shirt. wearing a shirt in public like that is in poor taste.

[Sooner Born Sooner Bred]

I bet he bought that shirt at Crossroads.

[47straight]

Most of the malls being built today try to replicate the old downtown shopping districts, I work in the office part of a recently opened Simon "mall" here in Austin called The Domain, it is almost all high end stores with office and condo/apartments mixed in, future phases call for hotels with more retail/restaurant/apartment/condo development. The Hill Country Galleria is another one of those but not as upscale, it has a new Dillard's and Dick's Sporting Goods coming soon, The Domain has a Needless Markups and a Nordstrom coming in a future phase, the "cheapest" places for lunch are California Pizza Kitchen and Kona Grill. These have also been developed out in the burbs, The Domain is in far north Austin (northeast of The Arboretum) and the HCG is out in The Village of Bee Cave, both well outside the CBD (about 10 and 20 miles respectively).


The only thing that makes me barf more than "The Domain" is that Hill Country Galleria, and the only thing that makes me barf more than the Hill Country Galleria is The Shops at the Galleria.


Tax breaks for a Gucci store. My ***.

[King Crimson]

Boulder has a version of what the Domain sounds like, the new 28th Street Mall. built on the former site of the old-style "mall", also called Crossroads...kind of somewhere inbetween Sooner Mall in Norman and OKC's Crossroads. it was a massive destruction project. all that remains is one of the anchor stores, now a Macy's. but the new 28th has an Apple Store, Vic's Secret, Starbucks, 12 screen Movie Theatre (the real pull) and a variety of women's boutiques with which i'm not familiar. and a Puma store, Clarke's shoes etc. and a crap-ton of overpriced mid-chain style eateries like Panera, Pei Wei, Cali Pizza Oven, and some others--some fancy Japanese place that looks grotesque and an upscale Mexican place that has 17$ enchiladas. a couple "theme" places--some Island thing.

it's open air and was violently opposed by the downtown merchants. it even has local (and very efficient) public transportation running right to and right through it.

However, from what i hear, many of the merchants won't be re-upping when the leases roll around. scuttlebutt around the restaurant business in Boulder is the former "king" of authentic, upscale italian a place called Laudisio moved from their old, original location into a very rock start slot in the 28th street, styled it like there is no tomorrow (it's really beautiful)....and lost like a million dollars last year (also, reportedly thinking of suing the mall, though not sure why).

outside the movie theatre, victoria's secret, and apple store, i'm not sure anyone is doing that well out there. even the city has got behind it....planning art festivals and live music out there throughout the summer. but, it's always kind of dead.

[sooneron]

Could be the "no dreads" policy.

:D

[King Crimson]

Could be the "no dreads" policy.

:D

to a degree, those days are kinda over. that's more the downtown Pearl Street Mall, though, and near my crib along Boulder Creek...where you still jah representation.

more than anything, the Denver area's state of the art "Mall", Flatirons Crossing is about a 10 minute drive up the turnpike (highway 36) towards Denver....which has pretty much the same stuff/target demographic (as the new 28th street project) and more of it. by the time you negotiate the swollen in-town traffic to get to 28th street, you could zip out 36 to Flatirons in about the same time.

[sooneron]

to a degree, those days are kinda over. that's more the downtown Pearl Street Mall, though, and near my crib along Boulder Creek...where you still jah representation.

more than anything, the Denver area's state of the art "Mall", Flatirons Crossing is about a 10 minute drive up the turnpike (highway 36) towards Denver....which has pretty much the same stuff/target demographic (as the new 28th street project) and more of it. by the time you negotiate the swollen in-town traffic to get to 28th street, you could zip out 36 to Flatirons in about the same time.

Yeah, I'm surprised they'd be there at all. I was shooting a vid at Humboldt St Univ a while back and that place was like PCU! There were people protesting the fact that white people were wearing mohawks and dreads as it "trivialized the customs of others as being a style choice". I was doubled over laughing.

[King Crimson]

Yeah, I'm surprised they'd be there at all. I was shooting a vid at Humboldt St Univ a while back and that place was like PCU! There were people protesting the fact that white people were wearing mohawks and dreads as it "trivialized the customs of others as being a style choice". I was doubled over laughing.

we still got some of that stuff, too.

as far as the majority of the youth culture here, both on and off campus, i'd say the predominance of the "hippie"/dreads/60's style counterculture "look" and lifestyle archetype....has been dealt a fairly fatal blow by the hybrid urban hip hop/snowboard look...even the SoCal skate/ska culture thing coming out of the late 90's. you still see some hippie wannabe types, but not like you used to. most of the hippie stuff you see (commercially, politically) is baby boomer nostalgia and certainly sold that way to the tourists coming in from the larger Denver burbs in the guise of goofball "enlightenment" technologies ("healing" this or that, getting a massage or whatever, buddhist bookstores) and commodities (microbrews with hippie sounding names or whatever).

these days the hippie stuff emanates from the Boomer age group far more than the youth culture, IMO. kids are more comfortable with their suburban affluence than their parents seem to be.

[BigRedJed]

Went to a show at Red Rocks two years ago. In one night I saw more white people with dreads than I had seen in my entire life before that point combined. I also had lots of opportunities to buy mushrooms.

[Taxman71]

we still got some of that stuff, too.

as far as the majority of the youth culture here, both on and off campus, i'd say the predominance of the "hippie"/dreads/60's style counterculture "look" and lifestyle archetype....has been dealt a fairly fatal blow by the hybrid urban hip hop/snowboard look...even the SoCal skate/ska culture thing coming out of the late 90's. you still see some hippie wannabe types, but not like you used to. most of the hippie stuff you see (commercially, politically) is baby boomer nostalgia and certainly sold that way to the tourists coming in from the larger Denver burbs in the guise of goofball "enlightenment" technologies ("healing" this or that, getting a massage or whatever, buddhist bookstores) and commodities (microbrews with hippie sounding names or whatever).

these days the hippie stuff emanates from the Boomer age group far more than the youth culture, IMO. kids are more comfortable with their suburban affluence than their parents seem to be.

That sounds like the life cycle of the boomers in Taos, NM.....was a wanna-be-hippie in the 60's....went corporate and yuppie in the 70's and 80's....got financial security in the 90's...and now want to be a hippie again (but don't anyone else to know how much my Schwab account is worth).

[OUDoc]

Went to a show at Red Rocks two years ago. In one night I saw more white people with dreads than I had seen in my entire life before that point combined. I also had lots of opportunities to buy mushrooms.
They probably grow them in their hair.