We have lived in our community for the past 15 years. Moving up to Connecticut from Manhattan gave us access to more shopping malls; and, we were happy that our new home was situated closely to two of them. Recently, a new mall opened just 15 miles south of us and it got me thinking about our local mall and its transformation over the past several years. I could always run to the mall and pick up something quick that I needed for a business trip, the house or a gift for a birthday party. Years ago, there were stores like Ann Taylor, Talbot’s, J. Crew, Banana Republic, Gymboree, and GAP. I do not have any quantifiable data to support this but when TARGET moved into the mall as an anchor store things started to slowly change. As the big brand store names started moving out; generic (and mostly discounted) store names started opening at the mall.

There was a shopping experience shift but I did not notice it when it (literally) happened. As I look back, this was (I believe) the beginning of the transformation of our mall. It became evident, that the upper level of the mall was geared toward higher ticket brand experiences. The lower level was more discount shopping-type stores. Interesting…

Was this a long-term strategy that had been planned by the mall operators/owners? Or, were big brands just fleeing the mall and the vacancies were replaced with those willing to pay?

Judith Magyar wrote an article about the mall experience and I agree with her assessment, she writes: “Some malls are dying, and others are thriving. What’s the difference? The ones that are dying are those that never moved beyond the opportunity to shop, eat and watch movies. Those that are thriving are the ones that see themselves as an evolution of the community center, a third place to spend time after place number one, home, and place number two, work.”

My sentiments exactly. Recently, I went to the new mall that opened 15 miles south of my home, the experience was totally different. It was not necessarily that it was just shiny, bright and new but it had stores that one would have to drive a long way to shop like Nordstrom’s, Bloomingdale’s and yes J. Crew and other brand stores that moved out of my local mall that I enjoy shopping. Plus, they are new up and coming unique brands like UNTUCKit. They also brought entertainment value to the experience with Pinstripes the restaurant with bowling & bocce; along with outdoor space for concerts and more at the mall.

I still run to my local mall every once now and then and it is primarily to have lunch at the Cheesecake Factory or to take my daughter to Bath & Body Works. Or, I am forced to go to the Apple Store for a Genius appointment because something is wrong with one of our Apple devices. The last time, I was at the mall I saw a store front with “7 Eleven Coming Soon.” It left me scratching my head. Transformation must happen to stay relevant and retail is no different but the evolution has to be thoughtful and strategic; and, as a local resident I can say that the 15 mile drive south (passing my local mall) is worth it because they will have the shopping experience that I crave.

Sonya Ruff Jarvis, is the Managing Member of Jarvis Consultants and the Founder of the eRetailer Summit and JC Event Group. An expert in her field, Sonya has been published in numerous retail industry b-to-b publications. Sonya shares her experiences in her book series Mindful Minutes: A Marketer’s Journey Through Business. In addition, Sonya collaborated in publishing an anthology, Mentoring Moments: 14 Remarkable Women Share Their Breakthroughs to Success. To purchase Sonya’s books go to AMAZON.

Sonya has a M.B.A. in Marketing. She is married and has a daughter and they live in Trumbull, Connecticut.

Follow Sonya on twitter at @jarvisconsult or @eretailersummit.