Re: Springfield Town Center Grand Opening October 17!
Posted by:
curiosity
()
Date: October 22, 2014 07:08PM
Out of curiosity, we decided to check out the Springfield Town Center for an early family dinner.
What were our first impressions?
Walking through the main entrance (right behind the valet parking and smoking mall employees), we noticed 2 things right off the bat: white, white paint and super bright lights. The aesthetics are sterile, like a hospital.
Second? Two homeless guys hanging out on some chairs across from Maggiano's. One dude was sitting back under a ratty and filthy blanket and it was obvious that he had been there for a while and had no plans to move for a while.
This was not a positive first impression.
We ventured in further and I hate to say it, but it just felt weird. The sterile feeling was pervasive. The openness of the main entrance? I think they were going for something grand and impressive, but failed. It just seems open and empty. Hangar-like.
The feeling of emptiness increased as we walked through the mall.
I understand that they opened the mall early and that they plan to bring in more tenants, but the visual impact is strange. There's a lot of unoccupied space - the old Springfield Mall white walls are back. Now, they feature graphics, but it's the same effect. Most of these facades had generic 'Coming Soon' statements which gave off a strange vibe. The new white walls probably do an even worse job of hiding the lack of tenants.
The top floor seems fuller. The bottom floor is downright depressing. And much like the old Springfield Mall, the feeling is one of emptiness. Of an old main street of a town that time passed by. With little but a few cheap storefronts and a whole lot of storefronts covered up and shuttered. Not positive. Very empty.
There are weird, open lounge spaces that just leave you scratching your head. There's one we walked by and based on the embedded advertising from Scholastic (I think) and what I assume were supposed to be (very small) bookcases, it looks like it's meant to be the kid's library that the mall's marketers talked about two years ago. But it's just some uncomfortable, cheap, Ikea-looking lounge chairs in a big, open, empty space. Again, just empty and really weird.
Surprisingly, the floor plan feels much the same as the old mall. Right down to that creepy old white-walled corridor out back between Penney's and Macy's (next to the new Dicks). It's the same angled corridor. With absolutely nothing in it but empty white walls with no sign of tenants or life.
Speaking of Penney's, we walked that way to check out the Dicks and see if they'd fixed up the parking lot back there.
What did we find? Police arresting three guys right outside of Penney's.
The positives? I'll continue to go to Target, Macy's, and Penney's. I like having Dicks Sporting Goods nearby. It will be nice to have a Children's Place close by. But there was one at the old Springfield Mall so that's nothing new.
Positive additions? Maggiano's is alright, but overpriced. And I'm actually sort of excited to see a UniQlo opening up. Certainly not a high end place, but it's a decent place to find some okay clothing for low prices. Low-end, but brushed up a little. Much like Springfield Town Center.
I didn't know what to expect, but hoped to be wowed or at least surprised. I wasn't.
After dinner, our kids asked to leave and didn't want to see more of the mall. They were disappointed. Whatever it was they expected to find in the new mall, they didn't find it.
They received no objections from us.