Groceteria.com

This actually pertains to a mall built in the mid-1980s, the Three Rivers Mall in Kelso, Washington, which opened in 1987.

http://www.tdn.com/articles/2007/10/05/ ... news09.txt

A used car dealership plans to move into the long-vacant former Emporium space. This mall has had troubles the past few years with numerous store closings.

What I would like to know is: Are there any other malls with an arrangement like this? I can't say I have ever seen a car dealership inside a mall, and it doesn't seem like something one would look for when visiting a mall.

Super S wrote:...Are there any other malls with an arrangement like this? I can't say I have ever seen a car dealership inside a mall, and it doesn't seem like something one would look for when visiting a mall.

Back when Saturn first appeared on the market, they had a regular mall-sized storefront in the Westminster Mall in Westminster, CA. I have no idea where the lot was, but I always wondered how they got a full showroom of cars onto the second floor of the mall!

Penn Cann Mall was converted to a Auto Mall. That would be the prime example.

In Bakersfield, the old Robinsons-May store last winter was a Honda Dealer.

The former SEARS in El Monte CA has been LONGO TOYOTA for years.

I know that in a lot of places, a mall and an automobile dealer are two separate and distinct zoning classifications, with different parking ratios, etc. It doesn't seem to make a lot of sense to put a dealership into an anchor along with existing retail, but I suppose a showroom would work.

Dave wrote:I know that in a lot of places, a mall and an automobile dealer are two separate and distinct zoning classifications, with different parking ratios, etc. It doesn't seem to make a lot of sense to put a dealership into an anchor along with existing retail, but I suppose a showroom would work.

According to the article, the car dealer in Kelso will be using 100 spaces in the mall parking lot. I assume these are adjacent to the now-vacant anchor and are probably sitting empty most of the time anyway. It really wouldn't have any more impact than a travelling used-car sale that sets up shop in mall parking lots.

Looking at Kelso's zoning laws (which seem to be fairly permissive in established commercial areas), it looks like automobile dealerships are an allowed use of the "major retail" zone.

Dave wrote:I know that in a lot of places, a mall and an automobile dealer are two separate and distinct zoning classifications, with different parking ratios, etc. It doesn't seem to make a lot of sense to put a dealership into an anchor along with existing retail, but I suppose a showroom would work.

Cities love it tho...as car sales generate a lot of sales taxes.

tkaye wrote:

Dave wrote:I know that in a lot of places, a mall and an automobile dealer are two separate and distinct zoning classifications, with different parking ratios, etc. It doesn't seem to make a lot of sense to put a dealership into an anchor along with existing retail, but I suppose a showroom would work.

According to the article, the car dealer in Kelso will be using 100 spaces in the mall parking lot. I assume these are adjacent to the now-vacant anchor and are probably sitting empty most of the time anyway. It really wouldn't have any more impact than a travelling used-car sale that sets up shop in mall parking lots.

Looking at Kelso's zoning laws (which seem to be fairly permissive in established commercial areas), it looks like automobile dealerships are an allowed use of the "major retail" zone.

In the area immediately outside of the store, there are quite a few spaces, although it seems like less than 100. However, this mall has EXCELLENT visibility beside I-5 and the Emporium space is on the freeway side of the mall.

It will be interesting to see how this works out.

In Buffalo there was (it may still be there) an RV dealership in the old Woolworth's store at Eastern Hills Mall. While not an "anchor" per say, it was still a big retail spot that was sitting empty.

Marquette Mall in Marquette, MI has a car dealership in a former Angeli's Supermarket space (Angeli's being a now defunct local chain).

In Bellevue Washington, there's a former Marina Safeway (plus a couple of additional smaller store spaces next to it) that got turned into a Toyota dealership. In that case, A portion of the shopping center (A mid-to-late 60s development, which still has an old style Dairy Queen and a diner type restaurant that's been around since 1967 in the parking lot) still has a number of other busineses in it, and there's another new car dealership next to the shopping center as well.

Brian Lutz wrote:In Bellevue Washington, there's a former Marina Safeway (plus a couple of additional smaller store spaces next to it) that got turned into a Toyota dealership. In that case, A portion of the shopping center (A mid-to-late 60s development, which still has an old style Dairy Queen and a diner type restaurant that's been around since 1967 in the parking lot) still has a number of other busineses in it, and there's another new car dealership next to the shopping center as well.

That must be Toyota of Bellevue...a year or two ago I remember seeing this site under construction at Live Local and originally assuming it'd be a Safeway remodel.

TheStranger wrote:

Brian Lutz wrote:In Bellevue Washington, there's a former Marina Safeway (plus a couple of additional smaller store spaces next to it) that got turned into a Toyota dealership. In that case, A portion of the shopping center (A mid-to-late 60s development, which still has an old style Dairy Queen and a diner type restaurant that's been around since 1967 in the parking lot) still has a number of other busineses in it, and there's another new car dealership next to the shopping center as well.

That must be Toyota of Bellevue...a year or two ago I remember seeing this site under construction at Live Local and originally assuming it'd be a Safeway remodel.

That is correct. Apparently the remodeling was extensive (with the addition of a service department) although the arched roof of the old Safeway still remains. Back when the Safeway was still here, it had a more recent 90s storefront that had been added, while most of the Marina stores here retained the original style storefront.

The Great Lakes Mall in Mentor, Ohio has a Kia and Subaru showroom in the old Victoria's Secret. I snapped a photo, it was kind of funny seeing a pink and gold car showroom with ornate lighting fixtures.

I have seen car showrooms in dealerships before. Not so much in former anchor spaces but satalite offices with a few cars on display and demos in the parking lot.

Back home in South Florida there was a Cadillac showroom inside the Galleria in Fort Lauderdale. It was a Bayview Cadillac (Ed Morse) Showroom on the lower level. The actual dealership was located about a mile away but they had that office and a few demos in the mall's parking garage. The local Lincoln-Mercury dealership also had an office there specifically for the high end Lincoln customers (no economy cars).

The Galleria Ft Lauderdale catered to a high end clientele. It seemed like you could shop at Lord & Taylor (which used to be in the mall) and order your new Cadillac on the same trip.

Also the old Boca Raton Mall (1974-1987) regularly had new vehicles on display throughout the mall AND had car dealership "stores" occupying a few spaces inside the mall. The city of Boca Raton itself does not have any car dealerships. Most are in neighboring Delray Beach or Deerfield Beach. And the high end car dealerships are usually 20 miles away in West Palm Beach. But I was a young "mallrat" in the late 1970's. I remember Dan Burns Oldsmobile, Jack Nicklaus Pontiac (yes, the golfer was a car dealer in the 70's) and Wallace Ford (all based in Delray Beach) all had offices in the mall with at least one car on their floor and a couple "nice" demos in the parking lot.

Today, other than the occasional "tent sale" in a mall parking lot. I haven't seen any dealerships inside malls, thriving mall nor dying malls.