- I received a message from Robert Price of The Southwest Dream Team. Mr. Price says Seay Properties is reviewing several possible tenants for the old Dillard's/Bacons building in Shively Center, not just the Peddler's Mall, and that there is currently NO LEASE AGREEMENT. This statement is contrary to the one made by the owners of the Peddler's Mall. The Peddler's state they are ready to move in July. Price, however, is confident that a business that is deemed a "good fit" for Southwest Louisville will enter into an agreement for the space, and has vowed to fight any negativity associated with Seay Properties. My comments on the situation were not meant to disparage Seay Properties, but to arm the community with enough information to make a decision on how to react.
The folks at The Southwest Dream Team continue to come up with great ideas to promote our area's best interests, and I have full faith in Mr. Price's knowledge of the situation. If Robert Price says the Dillard's building in Shively will get a "good fit" tenant, I believe him.
A representative from Seay Properties will be on hand as guest speaker at the Dream Team's next meeting, the details of which are outlined below:
Please mark your calendars! The next meeting of the Southwest Dream Team will be on Thursday, May 7th from 9:00-10:30am at the Waverly Hills Sanatorium. We will hear the most recent updates and reports from our busy committees. Benton Seay of Seay Properties will be our special guest speaker. To access the building enter off of East Pages Rd like you were going to Bobby Nichols Golf Course. Simply follow the road up the hill and to the left.
Due to the huge amount of interest in the history of Waverly Hills Sanatorium special arrangements have been made with owners, Charlie and Tina Mattingly to offer a tour of the building and grounds at the conclusion of the meeting. The building is not open to the public. Normally, there is an admission charge to enter the grounds and tour the building, but to attend the SWDT meeting there will be no charge. A charge will apply if you decide to go on the tour. Details are below…
If you would like to tour the Waverly complex you are encouraged to call 933-2142 now, to make your reservation. There will be one tour and only 40 people will be permitted to go. Please make plans and call them soon.
The complete tour will feature, The Body Shoot, Room 502, and the Children’s Ward, breezeways, the morgue and many other areas of the building. Comfortable walking shoes are strongly recommended. Please note that you must be able to walk down and back up the hill on the body shoot portion of the tour. The building is dusty and appropriate clothing should be considered.
Children under 10 years of age will not be permitted. You may bring a camera, however, video cameras and bright lights will not be allowed. It is recommended that you bring a small flashlight to assist in darkness and low light conditions. Your guided tour will take approximately two hours from beginning to end.
There is a charge of $22.00 per person, if paying by credit card. A discount of $2.00 will be given to those paying with cash.
The Mattingly’s are very proud of Waverly and have invested a lot of time and personal resources into the refurbishing of the property. The work is funded solely through the income received from these tours. I am sure you will agree the tour is worth the money. They have a long way to go with lots of work yet to do. Your tour dollars will accelerate its completion. I enjoyed my tour and I am sure you will too! I hope to see you then.
I strongly suspect that the PM folks have been given every reason to believe that they have the inside track, but if they move in, they should be picketed every day. It is insane that we can't get a few decent stores, and I don't want to hear (like I have heard) that businesses won't move in because they fear shoplifting.
ReplyDeleteI firmly believe the "good fit" comment made by Robert Price was premature and could very will come back to damage the Dream Team.
ReplyDeleteSWDT strength lies in its growing advocacy movement for a reemerging southwest, not as real estate deal makers. Keep your objectivity and independence please.
I agree with both posts above. I certainly hope the integrity of the group is not damaged by any assertions or predictions regarding a possible tenant in Shively Center. That said, it sure would be a heart-breaker for it to be leased to a jack-legged business like a Peddler's Mall.
ReplyDeleteI would like to add that, if it happens, well-timed protests could be a valuable tool. But I would rather see picketing or a petition BEFORE a lease is signed. Much more can be accomplished by being proactive, not reactive.
As always, thanks for commenting. Let's keep this discussion going!
BT
Brian
ReplyDeleteI have thought about your comments and here is my take on the Shively Center. The days of the Bacon's shopping center are gone, never to return. Today the medical center anchor tenant of this former strip mall.
Given the reality programming is necessary what complements a medical center. . . ancillary activities such as medical supply store, lab services (a very expensive renovation) a specialized medical procedure center.
Third level programming spaces like restaurants and impulse activities such as book stores, fast food and specialty shops. Of course flea markets compete with these areas and would be in direct competion. Strip mall owners across the country are tearing their hair out about these issues. There are no easy/quick answers.
I forgot to mention the Shively Center enjoys an easy on/off location from I-264 and exposure that I believe has been overlooked.
ReplyDeleteRay W
It would be a shame for a Peddler's Mall to be the SECOND thing people see at the I-264 Shively/Fort Knox exit, the first being the clean, high-class "Welcome to SW Louisville" sign put up by the Dream Team. It is like putting flowers in front of a whorehouse, and would totally cheapen the efforts of those who have fought so hard to bring positive change to Dixie Highway. The Dream Team was formed after Kohl's Department Store said Shively wasn't a "good fit". I find it hard to imagine a flea market would be considered as a step up from a Kohl's.
ReplyDeleteI still believe a legitimate business can locate there. It is only a matter of how badly the owner needs to lease the building, in my opinion. But that will have to be decided by the property owner, not the SWDT.
Hope for the best, but prepare for war.
BT
I think that it is time to start boycotting all of the Peddlers Malls. They have been taking over just about every area of the city and Southern Indiana as well. I've seen enough of these tacky places. The one out here in Hillview is plain nasty and not clean and should be boarded up. Its an embarassment to this community that we cannot get good reputable retail business in these various areas. I don't believe for one minute that the old Shively Center cannot be turned into something beautiful and useful. I find it odd that Texas Roadhouse has been there for years as well. So why can't they put in a decent group of stores or one megastore. What would be even better but probably unfeasible would be to have a third Louisville area type of mall that would serve that area. There is a lot of pent up spending power in West Louisville and Dixie Hwy. and it would be well advised of the city and business to take advantage of it. People get tired of going to the East End or over to Jeff Mall. It would do wonders for that area and make it a more attractive area.
ReplyDeleteIn my view, what would work out great is to put a decent size mall or retail area at that location with the possibility of running a bit south toward Rockford Lane and turning that economically depressed area into a third Louisville retail area. It already has interstate access, a good road system, a large population base and is a relatively safe area of the city. Not perfect but then again I can't Okolona is totally great either. It could be anchored by a Target and some moderately priced retailers, a quality bookstore, and some nice retaurants, I think it could be a go. I always notice how many people from that part of Louisville end up in Jeff Mall area or East End. Why not work on keeping retail dollars in SW Louisville as well as cleaning up and sprucing up the existing area. Its a beautiful area out there and with a little bit of work, it has a lot of potential and that could spill into a lot of Shively and towards the economically depressed areas of the city.
ReplyDelete