North Dallas: Galleria

[Proquest20]

I would think that 55+ apartments or condo-hotel with a public fitness chain, an HEB grocery, and public cafés around a pocket park would put the Galleria right back on the map long before a walkable central park lawn comes to Dallas International District. But...

I would ultimately be well pleased to see a four tracks of subway or jitney & four tracks maglev station underneath that lawn with express nonstop service to transfers at Addison Circle DART (northbound) and at either SMU/Mockingbird or at Walnut Hill DART (southbound) and nonstop maglev service to DFW Terminal D (westbound), to Galatyn Park (eastbound), and to Exposition Park passing by underneath SMU/Mockingbird DART to get there (southeastbound)

Definitely think grocery or a food hall type of situation would be the best for the old American Girl and Belk stores.

[mhainli]

On the soon to be vacant American Girl, if adding value to the entire site is the owner’s main goal, seems like a hotel or residential tower does that with minimal impacts to mall operations/future plans. Since AG is near the corner, separate driveway entrances on the Frontage Road and possibly Alpha are possible too.

[Addison]

I would think that 55+ apartments or condo-hotel with a public fitness chain, an HEB grocery, and public cafés around a pocket park would put the Galleria right back on the map long before a walkable central park lawn comes to Dallas International District. But...

I would ultimately be well pleased to see a four tracks of subway or jitney & four tracks maglev station underneath that lawn with express nonstop service to transfers at Addison Circle DART (northbound) and at either SMU/Mockingbird or at Walnut Hill DART (southbound) and nonstop maglev service to DFW Terminal D (westbound), to Galatyn Park (eastbound), and to Exposition Park passing by underneath SMU/Mockingbird DART to get there (southeastbound)

H-E-B is obviously not interested in North Dallas any time soon (given they own no real estate and won't even expand their delivery service there), so that's a non-starter.

IMO, the owners / management should seek out Dave & Buster's to fill some of that vacant space on the west side. That would bring a fair amount of traffic.

[rono3849]

On the soon to be vacant American Girl, if adding value to the entire site is the owner’s main goal, seems like a hotel or residential tower does that with minimal impacts to mall operations/future plans. Since AG is near the corner, separate driveway entrances on the Frontage Road and possibly Alpha are possible too.

They'll have to big empty spots with the old Marshall Field's store & soon to be empty American Girl store. The ownership needs to rethink those spots badly.

[mhainli]

On the soon to be vacant American Girl, if adding value to the entire site is the owner’s main goal, seems like a hotel or residential tower does that with minimal impacts to mall operations/future plans. Since AG is near the corner, separate driveway entrances on the Frontage Road and possibly Alpha are possible too.

They'll have to big empty spots with the old Marshall Field's store & soon to be empty American Girl store. The ownership needs to rethink those spots badly.

Yes, redeveloping the old Marshall Field site is the key to the Gal north end. Hope the current owner/lender (Met Life) does it right. Or perhaps pushing that decision to the future owner with a longer term interest and hopefully better plan might be better - but it needs to happen soon.

[vman]

IMO, the owners / management should seek out Dave & Buster's to fill some of that vacant space on the west side. That would bring a fair amount of traffic.

Or something like EVO, that recently opened a location in Southlake.

[Addison]

IMO, the owners / management should seek out Dave & Buster's to fill some of that vacant space on the west side. That would bring a fair amount of traffic.

Or something like EVO, that recently opened a location in Southlake.

EVO owns the old LOOK theatre on Belt Line and plans to re-open it (eventually)

[LongonBigD]

IMO, the owners / management should seek out Dave & Buster's to fill some of that vacant space on the west side. That would bring a fair amount of traffic.

Or something like EVO, that recently opened a location in Southlake.

EVO owns the old LOOK theatre on Belt Linr and plans to re-open it (eventually)

I had forgotten this. So glad to be reminded. Drove by the site last weekend and was regretting the fact this theater was no longer an option.

[I45Tex]

Wish we could succeed at boosting the signal of Matt's evaluation here. Suggestions how we can?

My crazy idea to revitalize the Galleria would be all about taking advantage of the large, sunny, climate controlled linear interior space and making it a very visually appealing indoor garden/park of sorts. Lots of plants and water features, the kind of place people would travel to to take instagram photos at. A total reinvention. Then, increasing non-retail density by cramming as many residential towers, office towers, and hotel towers on to the site connecting to the "indoor park." They could do this on both remaining surface parcels, as well as in place of certain portions of unused retail like the old Belk/Saks space.

Skating rink would have to be repurposed for this, maybe moved to empty retail space somewhere.... I know it' very slightly iconic, but how many shopping dollars does the rink really bring in? Maybe even put a creek of sorts, with waterfalls, running linearly down the first floor.

The Belk and American Girl sites could probably host 3 towers alone. Make the atrium worth something, then subdivide those plots and sell to the likes of Streetlights development, hotel developers, etc...

Most of the retail facing the atrium could stay, and would eventually fill up with retail and dining tenants if foot traffic and daytime population increased with more residents/office workers/hotel guests. Throw in a Food Hall facing the new garden atrium too. Isn't there a huge, long abandoned circa 1980s gym above the Galleria that could be repurposed for something, like an entertainment space?

And to clarify, by indoor garden/park, I mean something spectacular along the lines of "The Jewel" at Singapore Changi Airport, but made to fit the Galleria linear layout:

[Proquest20]

https://prestonhollow.advocatemag.com/2 ... ia-dallas/

As previously discussed in the West Village thread, Kittenish is opening at the Galleria (although this article doesn't mention the West Village location closing)

[acclar11]

https://prestonhollow.advocatemag.com/2023/08/02/nashville-based-boutique-opens-first-texas-location-at-galleria-dallas/

As previously discussed in the West Village thread, Kittenish is opening at the Galleria (although this article doesn't mention the West Village location closing)

That's a small space, jeez.

[rono3849]

The Galleria is a a tipping point. It needs to downsize the retail aspect of the development and the retail industry continues to downsize. NorthPark is going to attract the boutique stores, while they will skip stores in The Galleria. The owners need to proceed with their plans to demo the South wing of the mall and replace it with a new hotel, new residential tower, and new office tower. The Gap/Banana Republic/Old Navy combo store can relocate to the old Marshall Field's location. American Girl store should be razed and replaced by an upscale movie theater. These moves can revitalize the mall in a smart way.

[Proquest20]

The Galleria is a a tipping point. It needs to downsize the retail aspect of the development and the retail industry continues to downsize. NorthPark is going to attract the boutique stores, while they will skip stores in The Galleria. The owners need to proceed with their plans to demo the South wing of the mall and replace it with a new hotel, new residential tower, and new office tower. The Gap/Banana Republic/Old Navy combo store can relocate to the old Marshall Field's location. American Girl store should be razed and replaced by an upscale movie theater. These moves can revitalize the mall in a smart way.

NorthPark is opening a Claires right as Galleria has opened up Intimissimi, Mango, and Cotopaxi, among others. Instead of filling vacant spaces with new tenants, a lot of them are just relocations of existing stores. They're not doing great either - instead of bringing back the very stores they kicked out when they wanted to upgrade the mall's image, proving that they failed to upgrade to a luxury mall, they need to add mixed use components to a property that currently has zero. Close down Maggianos and Corner Bakery and build a high rise luxury hotel or office tower on the site. Galleria has one too, but it’s not really the best use of space to open a store for a brand that sells its products everywhere from Walmart to CVS, and also planning to sell its products in the adjacent Macy’s. However, with the spaces surrounding the storefront all being empty at NorthPark and other big name tenants coming to the Galleria or West Village, I do think NorthPark is also feeling the effect of the retail struggles.

As for designer stores like Prada, Marni, and Creed, it's really all just due to proximity to Neiman Marcus (one that held pop ups for some of these brands) and proximity to the park cities.

Yes, the Kittenish store is in a small space, but it's among a bunch of other new-to-market locations that really could've been at NorthPark. If anything, I would say that the Galleria leasing team is doing a good job at making sure that the Galleria can thrive, even while Belk is closed and so is 1/3 of Nordstrom. Still, I do believe both malls are in desperate need of revitalization. It's not a good look for the Galleria to have 3 major vacancies, but let's not pretend like their leasing team hasn't pulled in some strong tenants within recent months.

[Addison]

The Galleria is a a tipping point. It needs to downsize the retail aspect of the development and the retail industry continues to downsize. NorthPark is going to attract the boutique stores, while they will skip stores in The Galleria. The owners need to proceed with their plans to demo the South wing of the mall and replace it with a new hotel, new residential tower, and new office tower. The Gap/Banana Republic/Old Navy combo store can relocate to the old Marshall Field's location. American Girl store should be razed and replaced by an upscale movie theater. These moves can revitalize the mall in a smart way.

NorthPark is opening a Claires right as Galleria has opened up Intimissimi, Mango, and Cotopaxi, among others. Instead of filling vacant spaces with new tenants, a lot of them are just relocations of existing stores. They're not doing great either - instead of bringing back the very stores they kicked out when they wanted to upgrade the mall's image, proving that they failed to upgrade to a luxury mall, they need to add mixed use components to a property that currently has zero. Close down Maggianos and Corner Bakery and build a high rise luxury hotel or office tower on the site. Galleria has one too, but it’s not really the best use of space to open a store for a brand that sells its products everywhere from Walmart to CVS, and also planning to sell its products in the adjacent Macy’s. However, with the spaces surrounding the storefront all being empty at NorthPark and other big name tenants coming to the Galleria or West Village, I do think NorthPark is also feeling the effect of the retail struggles.

As for designer stores like Prada, Marni, and Creed, it's really all just due to proximity to Neiman Marcus (one that held pop ups for some of these brands) and proximity to the park cities.

Yes, the Kittenish store is in a small space, but it's among a bunch of other new-to-market locations that really could've been at NorthPark. If anything, I would say that the Galleria leasing team is doing a good job at making sure that the Galleria can thrive, even while Belk is closed and so is 1/3 of Nordstrom. Still, I do believe both malls are in desperate need of revitalization. It's not a good look for the Galleria to have 3 major vacancies, but let's not pretend like their leasing team hasn't pulled in some strong tenants within recent months.

The losses have been much greater than the wins though IMO:

*Brahmin
*Pottery Barn
*Wrangler
*Swarowski
*American Girl
*Morphe
*J. Crew
*Talbots

(in addition to the Belk & Nordstrom situation)

[R1070]

Morphe closed all of their stores and Wrangler moved to a new spot in the Stockyards which makes total sense. The other ones are sad to lose though.

[I45Tex]

The Galleria is a a tipping point. It needs to downsize the retail aspect of the development and the retail industry continues to downsize. NorthPark is going to attract the boutique stores, while they will skip stores in The Galleria. The owners need to proceed with their plans to demo the South wing of the mall and replace it with a new hotel, new residential tower, and new office tower. The Gap/Banana Republic/Old Navy combo store can relocate to the old Marshall Field's location. American Girl store should be razed and replaced by an upscale movie theater. These moves can revitalize the mall in a smart way.

1) "NorthPark...need to add mixed use components to a property that currently has zero. Close down Maggianos and Corner Bakery and build a high rise luxury hotel or office tower on the site."

2) NorthPark[...] 're not doing great either - instead of bringing back the very stores they kicked out when they wanted to upgrade the mall's image [proves that they are more afraid of further vacancy than they are of dwindling their 'swinging for the fences' upscale opportunities by filling their space in a hurry with suburban family shopping,] proving that they failed to upgrade to a luxury mall

3) Galleria can still revitalize the family mall in a smart way.

All 3 points still seem more important than the true statement that Galleria's recent losses exceed wins. That comes back to trends having little to do with management strategy. There was bound to be dramatic belt tightening if pre-'department-store-nirvana' Dallas was the highest retailed-square-feet MSA per capita in the country and may still be. Nirvana in the sense of becoming nothingness.

[I45Tex]

The Rockets' newish owner built a posh highrise hotel between Uptown Houston shopping district's Post Oak Boulevard and West Loop South. Jerry Jones won't live forever and the next Cowboys or other media-courting franchise owner will not keep moving closer and closer to the Red River. That pendulum will swing south again eventually and the pokes will open their next practice palace in an underground lair The StarCave beside Knox-Henderson DART subway station in 2036. The DART trains will pass holodeck exhibits of the players training. Not to be upstaged, Dallas Entertainment Mandarin Oriental NorthParkingLot will be announced in 2034.

[Proquest20]

The Galleria is a a tipping point. It needs to downsize the retail aspect of the development and the retail industry continues to downsize. NorthPark is going to attract the boutique stores, while they will skip stores in The Galleria. The owners need to proceed with their plans to demo the South wing of the mall and replace it with a new hotel, new residential tower, and new office tower. The Gap/Banana Republic/Old Navy combo store can relocate to the old Marshall Field's location. American Girl store should be razed and replaced by an upscale movie theater. These moves can revitalize the mall in a smart way.

NorthPark is opening a Claires right as Galleria has opened up Intimissimi, Mango, and Cotopaxi, among others. Instead of filling vacant spaces with new tenants, a lot of them are just relocations of existing stores. They're not doing great either - instead of bringing back the very stores they kicked out when they wanted to upgrade the mall's image, proving that they failed to upgrade to a luxury mall, they need to add mixed use components to a property that currently has zero. Close down Maggianos and Corner Bakery and build a high rise luxury hotel or office tower on the site. Galleria has one too, but it’s not really the best use of space to open a store for a brand that sells its products everywhere from Walmart to CVS, and also planning to sell its products in the adjacent Macy’s. However, with the spaces surrounding the storefront all being empty at NorthPark and other big name tenants coming to the Galleria or West Village, I do think NorthPark is also feeling the effect of the retail struggles.

As for designer stores like Prada, Marni, and Creed, it's really all just due to proximity to Neiman Marcus (one that held pop ups for some of these brands) and proximity to the park cities.

Yes, the Kittenish store is in a small space, but it's among a bunch of other new-to-market locations that really could've been at NorthPark. If anything, I would say that the Galleria leasing team is doing a good job at making sure that the Galleria can thrive, even while Belk is closed and so is 1/3 of Nordstrom. Still, I do believe both malls are in desperate need of revitalization. It's not a good look for the Galleria to have 3 major vacancies, but let's not pretend like their leasing team hasn't pulled in some strong tenants within recent months.

The losses have been much greater than the wins though IMO:

*Brahmin
*Pottery Barn
*Wrangler
*Swarowski
*American Girl
*Morphe
*J. Crew
*Talbots

(in addition to the Belk & Nordstrom situation)

It's not like J. Crew, Talbots, Swarovski, and Pottery Barn don't have locations elsewhere in the market. That brings us to Brahmin, Wrangler, American Girl, and Morphe. American Girl and Brahmin are definitely the most major of the three, as Morphe closed all of their locations - but their products are still very much available in the market. Talbots and J. Crew seem to be struggling chains in general, and Wrangler definitely fits better at the Stockyards (although it would be nice for them to come to NorthPark to compliment the offerings of Tecovas). I only need to go like 10 minutes north to Willow Bend, or 15 minutes southeast to get to NorthPark, if I wanted to shop at Swarovski. It is sad to see Brahmin go, although their products are still in department stores like Macy's and Dillards. This was the only one in North Texas, so maybe if they come back they'll try out Clearfork or Southlake.
Bringing in new-to-market tenants in place of other ones that have locations at NorthPark, Knox, or elsewhere is definitely a good recovery strategy. Considering the Cheesecake Factory is opening a second restaurant within the Galleria and Louis Vuitton is expanding their store, I think the decline of the Galleria is very exaggerated. Especially when you consider the tenants NorthPark is getting are either dumb luck due to Highland Park Village being full, or lower end tenants being brought back out of worry that the mall will face further vacancies, as vacancies at NorthPark last for a long time (see The Theodore, Disney, La Duni, those five spaces surrounding the new Claires store, the two restaurants behind AMC).

[Cbdallas]

I think the larger problem here is the surrounding area of the Galleria feels like a desolate wasteland and there is not much they can do about that. Not a very inviting look for potential shoppers.

[acclar11]

I think the larger problem here is the surrounding area of the Galleria feels like a desolate wasteland and there is not much they can do about that. Not a very inviting look for potential shoppers.

The Galleria looks awful. The inside is filled with wallboard, and from the tollway, you see a closed Belk, Pottery Barn, and soon to be closed American Girl. I also just found out that the Tommy Bahama here is the worst performing one in the chain.

[Proquest20]

I think the larger problem here is the surrounding area of the Galleria feels like a desolate wasteland and there is not much they can do about that. Not a very inviting look for potential shoppers.

The Galleria looks awful. The inside is filled with wallboard, and from the tollway, you see a closed Belk, Pottery Barn, and soon to be closed American Girl. I also just found out that the Tommy Bahama here is the worst performing one in the chain.

Interesting that they opened new locations in Plano and Fort Worth only a couple years ago if one of their Dallas locations is doing so terribly.

But definitely, while the Galleria needs to redevelop itself, it also is majorly relying on the surrounding Midtown development to keep moving forward. Speaking of "full of wallboard" that's kind of what NorthPark is like these days too as well lol.

[I45Tex]

Well, yeah, wallboard is the color of dramatic belt tightening if pre-'department-store-nirvana' Dallas was still the highest retailed-square-feet MSA per capita in the country.

[I45Tex]

Doubled edged sword of having older high end shopping but being outside of Florida/California/Boswash... Houston only recently has gotten scaled up toward DFW levels so their ages and locations are calibrated only to present desire lines

[Addison]

I think the larger problem here is the surrounding area of the Galleria feels like a desolate wasteland and there is not much they can do about that. Not a very inviting look for potential shoppers.

The Galleria looks awful. The inside is filled with wallboard, and from the tollway, you see a closed Belk, Pottery Barn, and soon to be closed American Girl. I also just found out that the Tommy Bahama here is the worst performing one in the chain.

Interesting that they opened new locations in Plano and Fort Worth only a couple years ago if one of their Dallas locations is doing so terribly.

It's possible that the chain performs well in Dallas as a whole, but their customer base simply no longer shops at the Galleria (and for what reason do they have to?).

Tommy Bahama caters to a specific type of demographic (Preppy Upper Middle Class White Men), and these days you'll mostly find them shopping at Legacy West, Highland Park Village or NorthPark.

[Proquest20]

The Galleria looks awful. The inside is filled with wallboard, and from the tollway, you see a closed Belk, Pottery Barn, and soon to be closed American Girl. I also just found out that the Tommy Bahama here is the worst performing one in the chain.

Interesting that they opened new locations in Plano and Fort Worth only a couple years ago if one of their Dallas locations is doing so terribly.

It's possible that the chain performs well in Dallas as a whole, but their customer base simply no longer shops at the Galleria (and for what reason do they have to?).

Tommy Bahama caters to a specific type of demographic (Preppy Upper Middle Class White Men), and these days you'll mostly find them shopping at Legacy West, Highland Park Village or NorthPark.

Those other two locations are actually in Fort Worth and Plano. Giving people who would come to the Galleria to shop at Tommy Bahama locations nearby probably does make it so that they no longer have to come to North Dallas. If the Galleria store is doing so bad I bet it would do great over at Knox or West Village.

[Addison]

Interesting that they opened new locations in Plano and Fort Worth only a couple years ago if one of their Dallas locations is doing so terribly.

It's possible that the chain performs well in Dallas as a whole, but their customer base simply no longer shops at the Galleria (and for what reason do they have to?).

Tommy Bahama caters to a specific type of demographic (Preppy Upper Middle Class White Men), and these days you'll mostly find them shopping at Legacy West, Highland Park Village or NorthPark.

Those other two locations are actually in Fort Worth and Plano. Giving people who would come to the Galleria to shop at Tommy Bahama locations nearby probably does make it so that they no longer have to come to North Dallas. If the Galleria store is doing so bad I bet it would do great over at Knox or West Village.

Tommy Bahama has a 4th store in NorthPark as well.

And the Plano store is at Legacy West (in fact, the only Tommy Bahama restaurant in DFW is there too).

[Proquest20]

It's possible that the chain performs well in Dallas as a whole, but their customer base simply no longer shops at the Galleria (and for what reason do they have to?).

Tommy Bahama caters to a specific type of demographic (Preppy Upper Middle Class White Men), and these days you'll mostly find them shopping at Legacy West, Highland Park Village or NorthPark.

Those other two locations are actually in Fort Worth and Plano. Giving people who would come to the Galleria to shop at Tommy Bahama locations nearby probably does make it so that they no longer have to come to North Dallas. If the Galleria store is doing so bad I bet it would do great over at Knox or West Village.

Tommy Bahama has a 4th store in NorthPark as well.

And the Plano store is at Legacy West (in fact, the only Tommy Bahama restaurant in DFW is there too).

Yeah, but the NorthPark store has been there way longer than the locations in Plano and at Clearfork, both which are relatively newer centers. So it's not as significant as to why the Galleria location may be underperforming. Still, opening a restaurant along with the Legacy West store does show they perform really well in the market. I could see them moving their Galleria store somewhere uptown and replicating that concept there.

It could just be that their customers no longer go to the Galleria now that there's locations in West Plano and Fort Worth, as the Galleria mostly appeals to suburban residents and tourists, rather than Dallas residents (despite being in North Dallas).

[Addison]

Those other two locations are actually in Fort Worth and Plano. Giving people who would come to the Galleria to shop at Tommy Bahama locations nearby probably does make it so that they no longer have to come to North Dallas. If the Galleria store is doing so bad I bet it would do great over at Knox or West Village.

Tommy Bahama has a 4th store in NorthPark as well.

And the Plano store is at Legacy West (in fact, the only Tommy Bahama restaurant in DFW is there too).

Yeah, but the NorthPark store has been there way longer than the locations in Plano and at Clearfork, both which are relatively newer centers. So it's not as significant as to why the Galleria location may be underperforming. Still, opening a restaurant along with the Legacy West store does show they perform really well in the market. I could see them moving their Galleria store somewhere uptown and replicating that concept there.

It could just be that their customers no longer go to the Galleria now that there's locations in West Plano and Fort Worth, as the Galleria mostly appeals to suburban residents and tourists, rather than Dallas residents (despite being in North Dallas).

Well, Tommy Bahama is another legacy "upscale" store for the Galleria that predate Saks' departure too.

[Proquest20]

Tommy Bahama has a 4th store in NorthPark as well.

And the Plano store is at Legacy West (in fact, the only Tommy Bahama restaurant in DFW is there too).

Yeah, but the NorthPark store has been there way longer than the locations in Plano and at Clearfork, both which are relatively newer centers. So it's not as significant as to why the Galleria location may be underperforming. Still, opening a restaurant along with the Legacy West store does show they perform really well in the market. I could see them moving their Galleria store somewhere uptown and replicating that concept there.

It could just be that their customers no longer go to the Galleria now that there's locations in West Plano and Fort Worth, as the Galleria mostly appeals to suburban residents and tourists, rather than Dallas residents (despite being in North Dallas).

Well, Tommy Bahama is another legacy "upscale" store for the Galleria that predate Saks' departure too.

Likely it’ll leave once its lease ends, and hopefully it will relocate elsewhere within Dallas considering there is a market for them. I’d imagine this would look like Knox or Preston Center considering the West Village didn’t work out for them last time.
Even having Belk at the Galleria was good for some of these tenants as it still carried some of the high end brands Nordstrom and Macy’s carried (including Brahmin and Tommy Bahama).

[mhainli]

The Galleria is a a tipping point. It needs to downsize the retail aspect of the development and the retail industry continues to downsize. NorthPark is going to attract the boutique stores, while they will skip stores in The Galleria. The owners need to proceed with their plans to demo the South wing of the mall and replace it with a new hotel, new residential tower, and new office tower. The Gap/Banana Republic/Old Navy combo store can relocate to the old Marshall Field's location. American Girl store should be razed and replaced by an upscale movie theater. These moves can revitalize the mall in a smart way.

Careful what we wish for. Agree that something needs to be done soon, but I don’t trust that the lender and Trademark have the proper goals in mind to do what it takes. The last concept proposal presented was hopefully just that - as there was no focus on mall improvements just cramming more buildings on an already tight site. Any more towers should not further obstruct ingress/egress and sight lines to the mall. The lender needs to sell to someone with a knowledge of mixed-use sites and a vision of what the mall can become.

[Addison]

The Galleria is a a tipping point. It needs to downsize the retail aspect of the development and the retail industry continues to downsize. NorthPark is going to attract the boutique stores, while they will skip stores in The Galleria. The owners need to proceed with their plans to demo the South wing of the mall and replace it with a new hotel, new residential tower, and new office tower. The Gap/Banana Republic/Old Navy combo store can relocate to the old Marshall Field's location. American Girl store should be razed and replaced by an upscale movie theater. These moves can revitalize the mall in a smart way.

Careful what we wish for. Agree that something needs to be done soon, but I don’t trust that the lender and Trademark have the proper goals in mind to do what it takes. The last concept proposal presented was hopefully just that - as there was no focus on mall improvements just cramming more buildings on an already tight site. Any more towers should not further obstruct ingress/egress and sight lines to the mall. The lender needs to sell to someone with a knowledge of mixed-use sites and a vision of what the mall can become.

Agreed 100%

The Galleria is troubled, but the cure shouldn't be worse than what ails it. I darn sure wouldn't be going to the Galleria if it just became one big construction zone for years.

Part of me hopes the spike in interest rates has killed that proposal, and they'll start doing more aggressive/creative leasing efforts for the vacant space.

My ideas:

*Scout Dave & Busters for the old Saks space
With all the young professionals in Addison and surrounding areas, it would be a huge hit. Alternatively, maybe Von Maur would be interested in the space. They would be new-to-market and thus it would be a destination store. They have locations in Birmingham, OKC and Atlanta, so Dallas wouldn't be an entirely new frontier for them.

*Collaborate with Nordstrom to convert its 3rd floor into a Nordstrom Rack, relocating from their outpost down the street.

I do think simply demolishing American Girl should be fine, since it's detached from the mall itself. Alternatively, I think it would be a great spot for coworking space. However, I can't but wonder if they could have been convinced to take over the old Pottery Barn space with some negotiation and a lucrative lease...

[Proquest20]

I liked the other idea about demolishing both American Girl and Belk, and turning that section into high rise apartments. That way, they could even have their own entrances without disrupting the flow from the mall itself.

Not sure Dave and Busters would take the whole Saks space, but I’m sure they could take the Pottery Barn space. As for Von Maur or Bloomingdales, I don’t think whatever the Galleria adds next will be a department store, considering they don’t really do well at this location. It needs to be entertainment, or more of something that gets people on the property in the first place. They have strong holiday seasons here because of all the entertainment they have for that time, but they need things that appeal to people year round.

What I think would need to be done is that they capitalise off of the fact that there’s a dying mall up the street that still has some very good retailers. For example, if they get Brooks Brothers, L’Occitane, Allen Edmonds, and Swarovski to come to the Galleria, that would boost it’s status. Get Neiman Marcus to relocate, and the Galleria’s back on track. A smaller format RH would be good use for the American Girl store

[I45Tex]

Good points all

[mhainli]

Lots of good ideas. I hope these type options are being considered but I have doubts. My general goals for the important southern part of the site would be: tear down Blue Garage, Gap bldg, and a portion of mall if it cannot be repurposed as is (i.e. 3 level Dave &. Busters with center atrium?). Build back modern parking garage that hugs the eastern portion of the site, south of the mall - leaving room for surface parking and sight lines from freeways. Garage should serve mall stores and perhaps one tower (hotel preferred). Decision of where to put the tower should be studied carefully (adjacent to mall, adjacent to Frontage Road,etc). Surface parking has goal to serve restaurants and leave sight lines open from nearby freeways - which is a current missed opportunity from IH 635. PROVIDE SOME KIND OF GRAND ENTRY and sense of arrival on the south end of the mall. Arrivals and freeway passersby need to see something that stands out.

[I45Tex]

Maybe a large, conventional, convenient and inviting, open surface lot visible from freeway could just be -- in place of the ever popular green roof -- on the roof of a new Dave and Busters', to make more of the prime space?

[mhainli]

Maybe a large, conventional, convenient and inviting, open surface lot visible from freeway could just be -- in place of the ever popular green roof -- on the roof of a new Dave and Busters', to make more of the prime space?

That’s actually a great example of outside the box thinking needed for this constrained site - and could just work. Macy’s has roof parking on top of 3 levels of retail. This would be easier.

Wonder if the current owner/management team is even considering these type options?

[mhainli]

Maybe a large, conventional, convenient and inviting, open surface lot visible from freeway could just be -- in place of the ever popular green roof -- on the roof of a new Dave and Busters', to make more of the prime space?

That’s actually a great example of outside the box thinking very much needed for this site - and could work. Macy’s has roof parking on top of 3 levels of retail. This would be easier.

Wonder if the current owner/management team is even considering these type options?

[The_Overdog]

I don't get you all's love of surface parking. If you want a Dave & Buster's with surface parking, there's one right over on Walnut Hill, only 10 minutes away. And the one in Stonebriar is generally not that crowded. I guess adding on to The Galleria would make corporate events for the towers there easier. And the garage next to American Girl is only like 30 feet away, so it's extremely accessible and generally never full, but they are still bailing out.

I just don't think parking is the problem, even if the entries from the garages are not very inviting.

If you really need some parking, reconfigure and beautify the Noel Road Side, and put in some street parking over there. The 'brutal' side of Macys is a terrible eyesore.

[Cbdallas]

Parking issues did not impede sales at the Galleria back in the heyday so why on earth would it in today's world of less retail and in person shopping. The issue is not parking it is a stale unchanged concept of what a retail mall looks like today. Change or fail.

[Addison]

...If you want a Dave & Buster's with surface parking...

To be clear that is *NOT* what I said I wanted. Rather, it would simply be a good reuse for the old Belk's / Saks, as I know D&B was known for taking over vacant department store spots (namely Sears) in other parts of the country.

Really, we're just brainstorming on ways to drive more traffic to the mall.

Stonebriar is crazy busy these days even without a residential or office component (and has no problem attracting/keeping tenants), so it's doing something right that the Galleria could take lessons from.

[Addison]

Parking issues did not impede sales at the Galleria back in the heyday so why on earth would it in today's world of less retail and in person shopping. The issue is not parking it is a stale unchanged concept of what a retail mall looks like today. Change or fail.

True, *BUT*, the Galleria also didn't other malls to compete with back in the day (pre-Stonebriar / Willow Bend and pre-NorthPark expansion). It was *THE* destination for luxury shopping.

I just don't think Trademark's proposal is the answer to what ails the Galleria either. In fact, to mhainli's point
it could unintentionally hurt the mall even more.

[mhainli]

Parking issues did not impede sales at the Galleria back in the heyday so why on earth would it in today's world of less retail and in person shopping. The issue is not parking it is a stale unchanged concept of what a retail mall looks like today. Change or fail.

True, *BUT*, the Galleria also didn't other malls to compete with back in the day (pre-Stonebriar / Willow Bend and pre-NorthPark expansion). It was *THE* destination for luxury shopping.

I just don't think Trademark's proposal is the answer to what ails the Galleria either. In fact, to mhainli's point
it could unintentionally hurt the mall even more.

Respectfully disagree with CBdallas. I do believe parking issues DID impede sales back in Galleria’s heyday. Hard to quantify but I knew several that hated the parking there so they rarely went - preferring NP.

Gal faces many of the same retail challenges and headwinds as other malls, but with an additional weakness that most don’t face: parking (awkward garages and connections to the mall, very little surface, etc). Ignoring this weakness and doubling down on an existing strength (mixed-use) that furthers the weakness is crazy. If restaurants, entertainment, etc. become a larger part of the new mix, as advertised, then even more important to have an adjacent surface parking component. Who wants to park 300’ away in a parking garage and walk to a restaurant? I know the detractors will point to other parking-a-plenty malls that failed, but each situation is different. In this case Met Life, Trademark are at least talking about redevelopment. So what’s it going to be???

Agree with Addison that on some of these posts we’re just brainstorming ideas to help the mall. I’m not pushing for a D&B or necessarily surface parking on top of it but this is the kind of thinking that’s needed for this constrained site.

[Addison]

Parking issues did not impede sales at the Galleria back in the heyday so why on earth would it in today's world of less retail and in person shopping. The issue is not parking it is a stale unchanged concept of what a retail mall looks like today. Change or fail.

True, *BUT*, the Galleria also didn't other malls to compete with back in the day (pre-Stonebriar / Willow Bend and pre-NorthPark expansion). It was *THE* destination for luxury shopping.

I just don't think Trademark's proposal is the answer to what ails the Galleria either. In fact, to mhainli's point
it could unintentionally hurt the mall even more.

Respectfully disagree with CBdallas. I do believe parking issues did indeed impede sales back in Galleria’s heyday. Hard to prove but I knew several that hated the parking there (especially the Blue Garage) so they rarely went - preferring NP.

But also, back in the day, people did in fact come to the Galleria to shop in spite of its parking problems because it had a lot of stores you couldn't find elsewhere in the Metroplex (NorthPark included).

[Proquest20]

Kittenish is now open here, although it does look like a temporary space.

[R1070]

Kittenish is now open here, although it does look like a temporary space.

Cotopaxi does too.

[Proquest20]

Kittenish is now open here, although it does look like a temporary space.

Cotopaxi does too.

Definitely - it kept all of the design elements of Apricot Lane.

[itsjrd1964]

Looks like the Galleria has a lot planned for Christmas, including a redo/update of its 95-foot tall tree.

https://dallas.culturemap.com/news/ente ... righter-fo

[Tnexster]

Banana Republic at Galleria Dallas now sells furniture and home goods
Furniture and decor are displayed along with men’s and women’s apparel. H&M is bringing its home goods to its Galleria store next spring.

https://www.dallasnews.com/business/ret ... ome-goods/

[R1070]

Nice!

[Proquest20]

Mango has opened.