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BUILOING A GENiER THAT SELLS
<br />continu�d
<br />great chain departanent stores would
<br />con:inue to have isolated stores sur-
<br />roundeci by parking. The shopping
<br />center is successful when each shop
<br />through its operatio�n serves a de-
<br />mand and supplements the "draw"
<br />of its great neighbors. The well-
<br />planned, intelligently rented center
<br />is outselling downtown locations by
<br />its balafrc.e of conveniently related
<br />stores and services as �rreTt as its
<br />conv�nient parking. The two fac-
<br />tors add up to convenient shopping.
<br />Use o# show window
<br />As for the bes� use of show win-
<br />dows, one could imagine small shops
<br />with their. display f.orming much of
<br />the periphery of the lar�est stores
<br />whose own name over important
<br />entrances are �lll the mall �xposur�
<br />they really need.
<br />The present trend of handting the
<br />"outdoor sa1�5" of major chain
<br />stores in featuring "outdoar mer-
<br />chandise" is in a peculiar state.
<br />Starting with outdoar space used to
<br />sell outdoor-used or outdoor-gro�i�n
<br />merchandise, more and more of such
<br />ar�as have been roofed and ��ow
<br />more and more of it is being F�_�lly
<br />enclosed for the winter months.
<br />Meanwhile there is still a l�gitimate
<br />demand to have outdoor space to
<br />sell outdoor merchandise. 'I'he de-
<br />signer, meanwhile, has a most dif-
<br />ficult problem in integrating the
<br />two kinds of selling. Someone is
<br />32
<br />going to find � very attractive solu-
<br />tion to this changing function.
<br />S�rvice stati�n� intrud�
<br />The auto service statian is another
<br />intrusion on the original purpose of
<br />the shopping center which was
<br />getting the customer out of his car
<br />and into the store witll the least
<br />confusian and danger. Surveys
<br />should be made to determine how
<br />many people leave their car to be
<br />serviced and then go intc� the center
<br />and buy. If the proportion is sm111
<br />the automotive centers need not be
<br />placed near the main center where
<br />they often occupy too much desir-
<br />able parking space.
<br />The danut plan
<br />Seven years ago this writer ex-
<br />�ressed the hope some center would
<br />be built on a donut plan with
<br />either a pavilion of small shops or
<br />a major depaxtment store centrally
<br />placed, surrounded by a mall and
<br />an outer ring of selling spaccs.
<br />Given a sloping site the selling mall
<br />could he on the main level of the
<br />department store and a direct auto
<br />entrance to the store be effected on
<br />the lower level. The final result with
<br />a continuous ever returning circular
<br />traflic $ow would encour.age the
<br />easy continuation of shopping—and
<br />a more compact land coverage.
<br />A sense of shopping ad��enture is
<br />probably more needed in our shop-
<br />ping centers than anything else.
<br />Norkhland in Detroit had this quality
<br />and the "zig-zag" northern mall at
<br />�Oakbrook Center seem� to carry the
<br />basic objective forward since it has
<br />received such favorable acceptance.
<br />The principle at Oakbrook is sus-
<br />ceptible to modification since it is
<br />simply based on the idea that on
<br />the diagonal one can see frnm main
<br />store to main store, but as one fol-
<br />lows the arcade one sees dir•ectly
<br />ahead principa] secondary stores.
<br />fUo aig-zags
<br />A proposed center in the south-
<br />west, instead of zigging and �ag-
<br />ging, will use short jogs along the
<br />main axis. While looking down
<br />the long, narrov��, straight mall is
<br />the result of the most logical me-
<br />chanical mall layout, it is probably
<br />demonstrable that customers are not
<br />mechanically logical. There are
<br />many other ways of 5oftening the
<br />"bowling alley" solution. For ex-
<br />ample, the Gateway Center in Lin-
<br />coln, Nebraska angles the store
<br />groups on one side of the mall so
<br />they invite one into the short cross
<br />mall even as they seem to lessen
<br />the distance between the two far
<br />ends.
<br />The character of a center, that
<br />quality which dif�erentiates it from
<br />a11 other centers is most important
<br />amd most dif�'icult to define. It is
<br />continued on page 34
<br />SHOPPING CENTER AGE, JUNE 1983
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<br />Woolworth
<br />�gW YORK SHOPPING CENTER Melco was selected for t e -
<br />have benefit��edtsrom�,hesf��ecordtrof bde-
<br />worth Store in this impo�tant Center because man.
<br />installations acrossus ng �Meleo Roof-Top developed
<br />free conditioning �S the result of Melco quality—
<br />pendabiliteaas ofsexperience.
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<br />CALIFORNIA VARIETY STORE
<br />Melco quality minimizes maintenance,
<br />du to� ets peakaPemormanceeat minY
<br />too. After almost four years of continual operation on this Woolwor
<br />Store, units need no painiing Melco Roof-Top
<br />Melco offers you so many WaYs g ace-saving
<br />mum cost. Write tor facts about the sp
<br />system now•
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<br />STRTES
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<br />�- time and
<br />reduce costs. For e a�o p�le'are reason
<br />exclusive design features which substantially
<br />ressive 110,000 sq• ft• woolco. These installation savings,
<br />14 Meico Units on this imP Department Stores built in the United States.
<br />COLORADO DEPAR?MENT , STORE. Melco offers many
<br />expense were minimized installing
<br />enough for Melco Units to have been selected for the first 6 Woo co yR�O�n�rrtd Tradrmu�k
<br />„t,�o��' pE�S,p�J INC. RIDGEFIELD, NEW JERSE�Y
<br />NIELCi�I�R, ��MS
<br />SHUPPlNG CENTER AGE, JUNE 1963
<br />33
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