The New Retail Thread

Isn't the MBTA ride from BCEC to the Cambridgeside Galleria approximately the same as Copley/Pru?

Silver Line at BCEC is optional.

Then Red Line at South Station to Green at Park Street, plus a few more stops.

Although it's possible, I doubt conventioneers use the Commuter Rail to get directly to Back Bay from South Station.
 
Anecdotal story:

During my first ever visit to Boston, I visited Galeria first, long before the pru, copley or quincy market.

I was staying at the Cambridge Hyatt (pyramid). I do not remember if we asked for directions/advice for a mall and were told to go there (straight down memorial drive!) or if we picked it for another reason.
 
You are forgetting the true tourist draw for shoppers; The Wrentham Outlets. Announcements are now in Japanese over the speakers. I'm sure I would have heard Chinese if I wasn't in and out so fast. I have had aunts and their friends come from Ireland and skip DTX because of the closure of Filene's Basement, hit the Back Bay one day and Wrentham the next. No mention of the Crimeside Galleria. Wouldn't it nice of Simon, instead of building 550,000 SF in Merrimack NH, built (the first?) urban outlet mall on Menino's Pit of Despair?
 
Sicilian said:
Isn't the MBTA ride from BCEC to the Cambridgeside Galleria approximately the same as Copley/Pru?

Silver Line at BCEC is optional.

Then Red Line at South Station to Green at Park Street, plus a few more stops.

Although it's possible, I doubt conventioneers use the Commuter Rail to get directly to Back Bay from South Station.
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It's not about proximity to the BCEC. It's mainly about proximity to HOTELS. People who attend BCEC and Hynes conventions stay in up to 20 different hotels sometimes. The hotels in Cambridge are a popular option because they are cheaper than the ones downtown. With the free shuttle to the Galleria from Kendall Sq (mainly the Marriott: Cambridge Center) and the fact that Hotel Marlowe is attached to the mall with the Royal Sonesta across the street, it's inevitable for tourists here for conferences and conventions to end up at CambridgeSide.
 
^datadyne

Interesting.

Just to be clear, I was responding to Ron's post which I thought was suggesting that Copley is easier to get to from the BCEC, and it seemed to me Copley and Galleria were about the same T commute from BCEC.
 
I don't know why, but I've been almost obsessive about researching the retail climate in Boston over the past few years, figuring out why the malls in this area are so successful. There's something about Boston that is just different from the normal principles one might expect. Maybe a large part is our lack of a sales tax on clothing. I always love seeing the shocked faces from people from NY, CA, etc when they realize they're not paying tax.

Are we the only major city in the US without a sales tax on clothing and unprepared food? NY, DC, Chicago, LA, San Fran, Dallas, etc all have tax.
 
Most of the malls are successful, but the Atrium in Chestnut Hill seems to be bleeding tenants.
 
Ron Newman said:
Most of the malls are successful, but the Atrium in Chestnut Hill seems to be bleeding tenants.
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Yeah, Atrium Mall is a sad case. It's astounding how it survived as long as it did with the Mall at Chestnut Hill across the street. It's a cool mall and the free garage parking is excellent. The restaurants keep it busy mainly. I usually go to that Cheesecake Factory because you can drive to it and the crowds arent as huge as Prudential, but I've still had to wait upwards for 40 minutes for a table. That's impressive for a nearly dead mall.
 
Chestnut Hill Mall and the Atrium should be integrated with (sad to say) a gerbil tube across Route 9. Also, few people realize that Chestnut Hill Mall is a 10 minute walk from Chestnut Hill T stop, and that Atrium is a 10-15 minute walk from Newton Centre T (along a more pedestrian friendly path than the Chestnut Hill mall is from Chestnut Hill T, in fact). This should be advertised more than free garage parking.. after all, the driving set is still more likely to head to Natick for mall shopping - I can tell you first hand that the Newton/Brookline suburban set head in that direction all the time despite being 20 miles out of the way.
 
Shepard said:
Chestnut Hill Mall and the Atrium should be integrated with (sad to say) a gerbil tube across Route 9. Also, few people realize that Chestnut Hill Mall is a 10 minute walk from Chestnut Hill T stop, and that Atrium is a 10-15 minute walk from Newton Centre T (along a more pedestrian friendly path than the Chestnut Hill mall is from Chestnut Hill T, in fact). This should be advertised more than free garage parking.. after all, the driving set is still more likely to head to Natick for mall shopping - I can tell you first hand that the Newton/Brookline suburban set head in that direction all the time despite being 20 miles out of the way.
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I drive to the Natick Collection to shop and I live off Huntington at Brigham Circle. The Mall at Chestnut Hill is a horrible mall. It should just be called the Bloomingdales Mall, after the result that occured after Filenes and Bloomingdales played musical chairs buildings.

I also should note that it is IMPOSSIBLE to access TM@CH and Atrium in the winter by foot from the Green Line, because the sidewalks are not properly shoveled. I tried my freshman year. You have to take the bus.
 
Shepard said:
Chestnut Hill Mall and the Atrium should be integrated with (sad to say) a gerbil tube across Route 9. Also, few people realize that Chestnut Hill Mall is a 10 minute walk from Chestnut Hill T stop, and that Atrium is a 10-15 minute walk from Newton Centre T (along a more pedestrian friendly path than the Chestnut Hill mall is from Chestnut Hill T, in fact). This should be advertised more than free garage parking.. after all, the driving set is still more likely to head to Natick for mall shopping - I can tell you first hand that the Newton/Brookline suburban set head in that direction all the time despite being 20 miles out of the way.
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It would be a much more hospitable walk if the old omni foods site is ever redeveloped, along with the recently announced upgrades/improvements to the chestnut hill shopping center.
 
I wouldn't object to a gerbil tube here, but an old-fashioned signalized crosswalk would be useful in the meantime.
 
So I finally got to check out the Converse store...

Honestly, every time I find myself on Newbury St since it opened (okay... only twice before today...) I will search on my phone for the address. First time I did this I got nothing but remembered it was in the 300 block. Walked down and was looking all over around Newbury Comics and didn't see a thing down there. Second time, I searched and found it was definitely in the 300 block (but no specific address). Today, I searched and found an actual address after walking right by it previously. Part of the problem: always walking on the wrong side. Other part: I figured no matter where I was I'd see a decently sized sign. I didn't even notice the sign until I was practically at the door.

Thoughts as I'm going in "wow, this ramp really IS shitty, I feel ashamed to tread upon it..."

Thoughts as I'm in the first floor "okay, kind of bland down here, but gotta check all the shoes upstairs!"

Thoughts upstairs "WTF, Champs at DTX has a better selection, this place fucking blow- OOOO! Orange shoe laces! ...okay let's get out of he- wtf is this? A shoe dipped in food dye or something? Ugh, let's go..."

Thoughts as I'm walking out "this ramp was the most accurate first impression of what to find inside, ever"
 
Newton —

A Chestnut Hill Square developer told the Newton TAB today that Simon Property Group withdrew its appeal against the Route 9 project.

Douglas Karp, executive vice president for New England Development in Newton, said Simon Property Group - which owns The Atrium and the Mall at Chestnut Hill - withdrew its complaint last week.

Simon Property Group filed an appeal with the Middlesex Superior Court in December, citing the new shopping square would create traffic congestion and hurt the other malls.

Karp said the owners came to an agreement.

"We addressed any of their concerns about the project and they have withdrawn their appeal," he said.

William Shaevel, of Boston’s Shaevel and Krems, represents Simon and said his client withdrew on June 27.

“There is an agreement and usually with these types of litigations we can’t discuss the particulars, but I think both parties were satisfied with the resolution,” Shaevel said.

Karp said demolition began this week for the 11.3 acre shopping site, which will include Equinox Fitness Club, a grocery store, a medical office, retail and restaurants. He hopes to announce the rest of the tenants this fall.
Copyright 2011 Brookline TAB. Some rights reserved

Read more: Newton malls lift appeal against Chestnut Hill Square development - Brookline, Massachusetts - Brookline TAB http://www.wickedlocal.com/brooklin...hestnut-Hill-Square-development#ixzz1Rk2qJefM
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http://www.wickedlocal.com/brooklin...Hill-Square-development?photo=0#axzz1Rk2YRixd
 
BosDevelop said:
This is good news. That site has been abandoned for way too long. Has to be a decade now since that awful fire. Traffic in the area will be interesting however. I wonder what Simon has in store for the dying Atrium Mall next door.
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The restaurants work. They should just convert the upper levels into offices. They've got 4 elevators at their disposal, so they could run 2 or 3 express to the office levels and leave one/2 for the restaurant floors. V, A, and B can be restaurant parking and C and D can be office parking.
 
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