Fifteen years ago, you couldn”™t find a parking place at the Nanuet Mall. Business was bustling, Macy”™s was humming and A&S was king of the hill.
Those days are over; in fact, most of the mall”™s 915,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space is empty storefronts or “store closing” signs posted on doors of those retailers who are still hanging on.
On the day before Easter, usually a busy time for any mall, Nanuet”™s parking lot was a cake walk, no waiting ”“ or walking.
All things considered, the Nanuet Mall had a very good run, opening in 1969 and drawing millions of shoppers a year to the likes of the Carriage House restaurant on Bamberger”™s second floor. Until the Palisades Center opened five miles farther south, the Nanuet Mall was the only enclosed shopping mecca in Rockland County.
Simon Property Group bought the Nanuet Mall in 1998 from Corporate Property Investors for an undisclosed sum.
Fears that Palisades Center in Nyack was built on landfill and rumored to be “slowly sinking” didn”™t stop customers from flocking to its stores, food courts or movie theaters, nor diminish its appeal to major anchors. Its four floors of stores, food and entertainment made the Nanuet Mall start to look like a poor cousin. Despite Nanuet”™s very visible location on Route 59, mallrats started flocking to the competition.
Boscov”™s, one of Nanuet Mall”™s three anchors (along with Macy”™s and Sears), was the only game in town on Saturday, March 22. Prices were slashed in some departments up to 75 percent. Boscov”™s, one of the last family-owned retail chains in the U.S., has told Simon it has no plans to return once its doors close in May 2008. One employee said she”™s retiring, but “many will be looking for full-time work. I have a day job, so I”™m lucky. Many people rely on this store as their primary source of income.”
Simon announced plans to redevelop the 40 year old shopping center into an “open air/entertainment lifestyle center.” The publicly held company already runs 67 “lifestyle centers” included in its massive portfolio, described as blends of retail, commercial and residential space. Macy”™s and Sears will continue to be anchor destinations at the redesigned mall, according to Simon”™s February press release.
Talking to Simon”™s CEO, David Simon, or any major player in its corporate inner sanctum, however, is not so simple. No one from the world”™s largest retailer seems willing to come to the table to discuss future plans for the once-popular shopping destination ”“ or any other, for that matter. One corporate spokesperson said, “Speculation on the part of the media as to what will happen ”“ or what will not happen ”“ is the primary reason Simon releases information when it knows exactly what its plans are.”
Based on mall conversations, the speculation is not limited to the media, with shoppers wondering about the mall”™s fate, as well.
“We believe that our redevelopment will re-establish this property as a unique retail destination in this market,” said Ray Olin, Simon”™s project developer for the proposed reconfiguration of the Nanuet Mall. “We look forward to presenting our plans to Clarkstown and Rockland County in the very near future.”
When that will be, only Simon knows. Simon is publicly traded on the NYSE as SIMON. Among the world”™s largest retailers”™ holdings regionally include Westchester Galleria, the Jefferson Valley Mall and Woodbury Common Premium Outlets. The company leases more than 242 million square feet of space and owns more than 150 million more. Simon has a presence in five countries outside the U.S. and plans to develop shopping centers in China. Whether they”™ll be ready in time for the 2008 Summer Olympics, however, is unknown.
Simon”™s not saying.
