Dallasretail wrote:I tend to shop in the luxury wing but also will do a some high low shopping by pairing something from J Crew or a chain store with something from Neimans. I hope that she can retain some of the staple mall stores. I do think foot traffic is important to a mall’s success.
For the Prada article - I do think there is a precedence for Austin to get stuff before Dallas due to their rep as a “cool city” with a lot of tech money. I am hopeful that Prada’s pop up success will translate into a full store. Has anyone been to River Oaks recently? I used to be envious of how many Texas exclusive stores they had but that list really seems to be dwindling. Do they have a ton of empty store fronts? I def would love Vilebrequin to return to Dallas as well as us getting a COS and a Zadig.
I think the stores that come to Austin before Dallas tend to be trendier and not necessarily luxury stores. Think Brandy Mellvile, which is only opening in Southlake this year after years of being in Austin, or COS, which isn’t necessarily a luxury store, but actually closed their Austin location. Austin does have potential to have more luxury stores, and I think both Austin and San Antonio are emerging in terms of being luxury shopping destinations. Dallas, however, seems to be more established, partially due to Neiman Marcus, a major airport that makes it more attractive to international visitors, our proximity to Oklahoma and Arkansas, along with the fact that many luxury stores have outlets in San Marcos, which is driving distance from both Austin and San Antonio. Austin only just now got an Hermes store, and it’s majorly unsurrounded by any other luxury stores. At the Domain, Gucci only just opened a few months ago, and Hublot is opening soon, years after having a location in Dallas. In a few years, as Austin continues to grow, it may become more of a destination for this type of retail.
A lot of River Oaks stores seem to have since moved back to the Galleria, like Tom Ford and Dior.