All stores at the renovated will have outside entrances if plans under consideration by the owners come to fruition, according to sources associated with the project.
Even before the recent closings of , sources associated with the project decided a major overhaul of the more than 40-year-old shopping center was in order.
The mall has survived the demise of a number of businesses, including Montgomery Ward, one of its original anchors.
“This will be a trophy power center,” a person associated with the project said. “It won’t be competitive with downtown Deerfield. We’re going to improve the center with functional, better space. We’re getting rid of the mall portion. Every store will have an outside entrance.”
Representatives of Deerbrook have been working with the Village as they develop their plan. in the near future.
“Staff and I have been working actively with ownership on a long term effort to reinvigorate that shopping center,” Rosenthal said at the April 16 Village Board meeting. “We expect a letter of intent detailing a strategic multi phased approach on this key property in the next few weeks.”
Sources associated with the project plan on a mix large format stores like the existing and to remain much as they are. is expected to remain an integral part of the development. “We are happy with T.J. Maxx,” the source said.
These larger enterprises will be blended with smaller operators like and restaurants such as . The outparcels like the Devon Bank will be part of the plan as well.
As far as that intersection goes....I will guess that it has to do with several factors. 1) Two counties intersect at Lake Cook Road 2) traffic pattern 3) Deerfield, Northbrook and some how Northfield Villages come into play 4) Deerfield in general has good demographics but strange shopping habits. Consider the number of National chains opening in the area and failing. Demographics indicate great location. Reality... ends up, it was a terrible choice. I can't figure out why. Orvis, Baja Fresh, Baker, Office Depot, Chi Chi's, Chili's, Stoney River, On the Border, Wolf camera, great indoors, all come to mind. Some that came in and have not closed are probably hanging by a thread. This issue requires professional study. The board are not retail marketing professionals. That $600k we spent on the pedestrian underpass remodel would have gone a long way toward building a workable plan.
Please tell me what yopur preferences would be! I am a local business person who has been trying to run a small Hair Studio for 18 years now. I am currently in Highwood and have served the North Shore area for quite some time. I can tell you from a small business stand point the biggest problem for most businesses is two fold. Rent cost is one of the biggest hinderences to any business. It has gone up and up as a result of large corporations and investment groups buying and selling comercial property over and over to eek out the last possible dime of proffit for the investors. Does this help the common business person or the consumer? And the second part is the large shift of consumers buying retail products on the internet. These businesses offer little service and support and do not give you any ability to touch, try on, test drive etc... any of the proiducts they sell, they also offer a very diffficult or tedious return policy or customer support is relatively non existent. These all are huge cost savings to the businesses and why they can sell their products at large discounts. But what personal enjoyment do you as a consumer get from browsing online? Can you load the family in the car and take them to a destination and have an enjoyable day of social interactgion, dining and together time sitting in front of a computer screen?
Thanks for listeneing, Steve Bachner The Hair Studio by Steve Highwood Il
Do it wisely and an area can be created that supports small business ... especially in Deerfield.
The one thing I really like about her direction is the attempts to create/direct foot traffic. I hope this is the way the Village is thinking. Stop talking about the stores. Start talking about the space, the foot traffic and how stores can fit into that plan.
To the village ... please tell the discussion of ongoing partnerships with TJ Maxx, Office Max and Bed Bath and Beyond (as well as Jewel and Sports Authority in other articles) is simply an attempt to placate these companies and their existing leases. If this was a successful retail formula, we wouldn't be having this discussion. As the cliche goes, you can put lipstick on pig, but it's still a pig.
I also want to mention The Glen. There is a concept that has value as well. The downtown area of the Glen has brought back the small town flavor of a central downtown like we used to have. It has made all the stores sit close to the street. They have placed access roads that go back behind the stores to a multi level Garage facility. These are accessed by back entrances to the stores as well. SO the customers are not inconvenienced whether they park along the street or in the garage behind.
These are two thoughts that could support second level housing and or senior housing as well. The location can serve a variety of needs from the corporate businesses to the residential housing around the parcel. This does need to be thought through carefully and I hope the powers that be are paying attention to this conversation. It should help them to create a space that serves the needs of the vendors as well as the needs of the clientele. It needs to be symbiotic. And I stress, we need more private busineses. The big box stores have gotten to be to saturated in a given area. It is apparent when a store like Best buy goes out and slashes their store numbers in half and still will be able to be well represented to their customers. I am willing to drive a bit further to get something I need, not everything has to be right next door. It takes the fun out of shopping!! It also allows for a shopping trip to be an outing rather than a errand.
That's why this discussion seems so obvious to me. Copy the Glen with different stores and move along. Instead we're talking about Office Max, TJ Maxx and a dying Jewel. None of the "experts" whispering to reporters even mentions the place that might be the most recently successful business in Deerbrook - Noodles (also in the Glen).