Olathe’s Great Mall closing this fall

[stanleychief]

Looks like another mall bites the dust..

http://www.kansascity.com/news/busin...e10464437.html

Olathe’s Great Mall of the Great Plains will close in mid-to-late fall. The 786,000-square-foot mall, at Interstate 35 and 151st Street, opened to great fanfare in 1997.

In a statement, mall officials said: “The decision to close was difficult, but one that was guided by very compelling economic realities. "The development began to face struggles soon after it opened in 1997, and has been unable to recover in the intervening years due to a variety of factors, including the economic downturn and changes in customers’ shopping habits.”

VanTrust, the asset manager for the property, said it has “worked diligently to identify potential uses for the existing development.” But the structure, maintenance costs and layout do not support preservation of the current building. The developer is working with the Olathe Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Council to determine the best use for the property, one that is in the interests of both the city and the community.

[displacedinMN]

I was there when it was announced and wondered why was it needed.
Seemed more like an outlet mall.

Went there after it opened and yuck.

Gut it. Let amazon take it over and fly drones out of it for delivery.

[Bowser]

There is no reason enclosed malls should fail in the Midwest. Just a sign of shitty management.

[BWillie]

Originally Posted by Bowser

There is no reason enclosed malls should fail in the Midwest. Just a sign of shitty management.

It's a trend actually. Enclosed malls have been failing everywhere. I don't quite get it myself. The strip mall thing seems to be much more successful. People's tastes are strange.

[DaveNull]

They had a Johnny Rockets there when it opened, didn't they?

[Bowser]

Originally Posted by BWillie

It's a trend actually. Enclosed malls have been failing everywhere. I don't quite get it myself. The strip mall thing seems to be much more successful. People's tastes are strange.

I agree. Strip malls like Zona Rosa are fine for the three months or so of perfect weather we have, but the rest of the year it's either too hot, too cold, too windy, or too dark too early to enjoy them.

[Lonewolf Ed]

I still say whomever chose the carpets in the place should be flogged. I have honestly seen little kids fall down when the carpets change to a different bizarre pattern. When I am there, I have to look up a bit so I don't get dizzy. There are only two reasons I go there: the theater and the DMV.

[Dayze]

Wife and I went there for a nephews birthday party that was being held someplace there. It was like stepping into a ****ing time machine. Creepy.

[Fish]

Originally Posted by Dayze

Wife and I went there for a nephews birthday party that was being held someplace there. It was like stepping into a ****ing time machine. Creepy.

Monkey Bizness yo. Where kids monkey around....

[Deberg_1990]

Originally Posted by cosmo20002

Geez, that was a bust.
It was supposed to be a big deal that drew people in from all over the area. Not sure if it ever met expectation even in the beginning.

Yea, it just never really lived up to expectations. I remember going there not too long after it had been opened. Probably around 1998 and it felt dead or not nearly busy enough.

[Eleazar]

People don't buy things at malls anymore because Amazon.

[Munson]

Originally Posted by Lonewolf Ed

I still say whomever chose the carpets in the place should be flogged. I have honestly seen little kids fall down when the carpets change to a different bizarre pattern. When I am there, I have to look up a bit so I don't get dizzy. There are only two reasons I go there: the theater and the DMV.

Those carpets were god awful. The weird design made me dizzy, too.

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by BWillie

Not a surprise. It's not kept up anymore. Could possibly of succeeded if done right, but maybe not, kind of in an obscure area. For some reason white people like to shop at strip malls, they don't like to have an easy indoor place where you can get all your shopping done at one time, and walk to all of them. They prefer to drive their car to and from each little store. Too many youths and dark people walking around, not comfortable with that.

Uh, you apparently have never been to Oak Park Mall, have you?

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by BWillie

It's a trend actually. Enclosed malls have been failing everywhere. I don't quite get it myself. The strip mall thing seems to be much more successful. People's tastes are strange.

The Great Mall failed because it was an outlet mall, for one. It never brought in anything for name brand stores save Famous Footwear. If they ever got a Penney's or Sears in that place it would have done more business. People all around Olathe drive to Oak Park Mall because that's where all the stores are. The Great Mall never offered much in that way and so it sank.

[-King-]

Originally Posted by BWillie

It's a trend actually. Enclosed malls have been failing everywhere. I don't quite get it myself. The strip mall thing seems to be much more successful. People's tastes are strange.

People would rather go straight to the one store they need to buy from than walk through a crowded mall past 100 stores just to get to the one they want.

[Saccopoo]

There was a mall in Olathe?