Subdude Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 Not a mall, it's a lifestyle center Developers are embracing these cozy, high-end urban centers in lieu of traditional big box formats.January 12, 2005: 3:14 PM EST By Parija Bhatnagar, CNN/Money staff writerNEW YORK (CNN/Money) - It's got Ann Taylor, Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma and a Barnes & Noble, just like a regular suburban mall. But take a closer look and you'll see leather lounge chairs in place of hard plastic benches, and natural sunshine instead of fluorescent tube lighting. Rather than a maze of escalators, you'll find tree-lined streets and beautifully designed stress-relieving fountains. There may even be a day-spa next to the Starbucks. In other words, it's a really nice mall. Link to CNN story Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 Town and Country Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astro Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 I like the concept of "lifestyle centers" but that's a dumb name. Who came up with that? I don't think that term is going to catch on with the general public...I don't see the casual phrase "I'm headed to the mall" ever being replaced with "I'm headed to the 'lifestyle center'". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 "I am going shopping" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tw2ntyse7en Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astro Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 We call Town & Country Village just "T.C. Village or "Town & Country". We never call it the "lifestyle center". Infact, if I called it that at work, I'd probably get punched for sounding so stupid... <{POST_SNAPBACK}> LOL... If I told someone I was going to a "lifestyle center": I could see them thinking I might come back with a sex-change operation or something Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 Now Club Houston...That's a Lifestyle Center ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KinkaidAlum Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 As are...Topless/Nude Clubs Babe's, Baby Dolls, Caligula XXI, Centerfolds, Chic's, Club Exotica, The Colorado, Cover Girls, Encounters, Fantasy, Gigi's, Gold Cup, Hi-10, HK 2000, Houston Dolls, LaChatte, Legends, Legs, Memories, Men's Club, Michael's International, Mirage, Moments, Moulin Rouge, Mustang, Obsession, Passion, Playmates, PT's, Pink puppy Cat, Rick's Galleria, Rick's South, Ritz Plaza, Riviera, Royal Palace, Score's, Solid Platinum, Splendor, St James, Treasures, Trophy Club, and XTC's Wild Horse."Massage Parlors, modeling studios, and Asian Spas"Mystique Houston, Polo Club, Executive XTC, Hollywood, Midnight Studios, Midnight Tan, Studio 5806, Studio Royale, Safari Club, Aloha, Topaz, Yellow Rose, Wild Orchid, and Playmate Adult Studios.And these are just the ones I have seen while driving! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowbrow Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 Thanks for the short list. My lifestyle needs some centering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted January 18, 2005 Author Share Posted January 18, 2005 The name might be new, but it seems that this category of retail development really isn't. Isn't "Uptown Park" on Post Oak an example, or even Highland Village? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 I don't like the soap they use at the Asian Spas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kzseattle Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 I don't like the soap they use at the Asian Spas.<{POST_SNAPBACK}>IMO, Uptown park, Highland village and Town and Country arent lifestyle centers. They are more like upscale strip malls. Good examples of a lifestyle center would be the town centers in Sugarland and Woodlands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UrbaNerd Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 How about those pics in the "houstonais have class" thread? does that development count as a lifestyle center? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted January 18, 2005 Author Share Posted January 18, 2005 IMO, Uptown park, Highland village and Town and Country arent lifestyle centers. They are more like upscale strip malls. Good examples of a lifestyle center would be the town centers in Sugarland and Woodlands.I haven't seen either of the town centers, so I'm not quite sure I understand the difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kzseattle Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 I haven't seen either of the town centers, so I'm not quite sure I understand the difference.<{POST_SNAPBACK}>IMO, a lifestyle center is typically is a mixed-used development that combines shopping, dining and entertainment venues, as well as lodging, residential units and offices. They are all connected with open-air pedestrian-friendly or pedestrian-only walkways that converge into a public piazza. Landscaping and water features such as fountains are common attributes. In general, the development encourages public gathering in an open-air environment. The town centers in Sugarland and Woodlands have all of these features. The one in Sugarland is still under construction though.However, Town and Country and Highland Village are strictly shopping destinations. The shops and restaurants seem disconnected from one another due to large parking lots among them, and there is no public piazza or pedestrian-friendly paths to encourage public gathering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tw2ntyse7en Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kzseattle Posted January 19, 2005 Share Posted January 19, 2005 I think T&C is going to build some residential & more retail over the razed mall. As for Highland Village, I don't think that will ever change. The demographic targeted for those stores hasn't ever really been known to hang out in public gathering spots. But maybe if they built one I would be proven wrong! <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Yeah, I also heard about the new project in T&C area. You may be right about Highland Village. Perhaps, it was designed for folks who simply wanted to park their car right by their favourite store, go in, come out and leave. If the developers wanted to make it more conductive to public gathering, they would have built parking lots behind the center or a parking garage, added a piazza, and built pedestrain bridges over Westheimer to connect the other half of the development. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kzseattle Posted January 19, 2005 Share Posted January 19, 2005 IMO, a lifestyle center is typically is a mixed-used development that combines shopping, dining and entertainment venues, as well as lodging, residential units and offices. They are all connected with open-air pedestrian-friendly or pedestrian-only walkways that converge into a public piazza. Landscaping and water features such as fountains are common attributes. In general, the development encourages public gathering in an open-air environment. The town centers in Sugarland and Woodlands have all of these features. The one in Sugarland is still under construction though.However, Town and Country and Highland Village are strictly shopping destinations. The shops and restaurants seem disconnected from one another due to large parking lots among them, and there is no public piazza or pedestrian-friendly paths to encourage public gathering.<{POST_SNAPBACK}>Here is an old article on the subject. In another thread, there was a discussion about the future of the malls. Some argued that malls would be gone soon and replaced with big-box retailers and strip malls. Other felt that malls are staying and only those that are under-performing would be eliminated. The rest would simply adapt themselves to changing demands. This article seems to agree with that notion.BTW, what is the forum's policy on posting references to articles/news? Post the link, copy-and-paste the entire article, or both?------------------------------------------June 3, 2004, 4:32PMMalls create 'lifestyles' in making comebackBy DAVID KAPLANCopyright 2004 Houston ChronicleDining on oak-roasted rack of lamb, the lovebirds gazed at a moonlit canal that soon will carry water taxis.It's not Venice. It's The Woodlands Mall.Once, "all it took was a 20 percent discount to get people in your mall, but today's shoppers are looking for an experience," said Wendy Ellis, senior marketing manager at The Woodlands Mall.Adjoining the original mall in The Woodlands is a new outdoor "lifestyle" wing with a street-scape overlooking a canal and gurgling stream, along with upscale retail and restaurants like P.F. Chang's China Bistro and the Cheesecake Factory Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UrbaNerd Posted January 19, 2005 Share Posted January 19, 2005 Now..if they could somehow link up the new T&C development with Memorial City mall..oh, that would be great! perhaps they could line the boulevard up with some neat stuff of some sort... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted January 20, 2005 Author Share Posted January 20, 2005 BTW, what is the forum's policy on posting references to articles/news? Post the link, copy-and-paste the entire article, or both?Always include a link to copywrited material. It's probably usually not necessary to paste entire articles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted January 24, 2005 Author Share Posted January 24, 2005 Houston Business Journal article on Houston lifestyle centers. They include Highland Village. Christine HallHouston Business JournalThe term "lifestyle center" first came onto the scene more than 15 years ago, but is becoming a new catchword in the Houston area. Different from a strip center and even a shopping mall, a lifestyle center caters to the needs of a particular area, according to the New York-based International Council of Shopping Centers.Full article Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.