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The Galleria Mall At 5085 Westheimer Rd.


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On 2/28/2020 at 1:53 PM, DevelopmentX said:

The truth is not quite as dramatic as some here have expressed. The Galleria is still the retail behemoth for the area of the State. However, security issues and the nature of a shopper population that might just walk the mall to escape bad weather or to celebrate a Quincenara is not the target market for most of the exclusive brands. Simon, which owns the Galleria still has deep pocket books and has actually "poached" Tom Ford and Akris from not only ROD but also their sister property in Atlanta - Buckhead Atlanta- by opening the check book and building new stores and offering free or discounted rent. I have spoken to sales staff and management at both stores as well as several other luxury stores that opened in the Galleria over the last two years- no one wantsa to be in the Galleria. Unless you're luxury business is based upon perfume, sunglasses and handbags- the majority of the clientele (including international visitors) are not focused don high-end clothing.

 

Reality suggests otherwise.  No one is being forced to be in the Galleria, and yet, there remains the largest concentration of luxury retail in Texas.

 

On 2/28/2020 at 1:53 PM, DevelopmentX said:

The challenge from what I've heard about luxury brands weighing whether to open at ROD or The Galleria has to do with "conversion" rates. What % of consumers who visit a shop at ROD convert into an actual sale vs. stores at the Galleria. The Galleria still wins this battle- primarily because it is the established game in town. Business travelers form overseas know that they can pick up a luxury watch at the Galleria easily. One stop shopping. The brands at ROD have worked hard to establish their own clientele. Obviously, HERMES is an excellent example of a brand that does not rely upon foot traffic. True destination retail. That is what ROD does best. Security is also much more controlled at ROD. I think the success or failure of brands at both ROD or The Galleria depends upon the strength of the brand.

 

Contrary to Trae's theory that the luxury retail customer doesn't go to the Galleria. They clearly do.  Thank you.

Edited by Houston19514
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On 2/28/2020 at 1:53 PM, DevelopmentX said:

If I were Simon- I would purchase ROD and co-market the two properties and own the market long term. It happened in Atlanta- remember Phipps Plaza which was the luxury competitor to Lenox Mall. Simon took them over and formatted accordingly- driving traffic between properties. Long term it makes the best sense. Or JP Morgan strikes a deal for Simon to manage property at some point. I know of at least 6 luxury stores that would exist the Galleria ASAP and move to ROD is they could and if they could increase conversion rate of foot traffic.

 

 

Again, no one is forcing them to stay in The Galleria, and..  they want to leave the Galleria and move to ROD . . .  "if they could increase conversion rate of foot traffic"??  Are you saying they would like to move from the Galleria to ROD but don't because they won't do as good of business in ROD?  If that is the case, in what sense do they "want" to relocate?

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2 hours ago, Houston19514 said:

 

Again, no one is forcing them to stay in The Galleria, and..  they want to leave the Galleria and move to ROD . . .  "if they could increase conversion rate of foot traffic"??  Are you saying they would like to move from the Galleria to ROD but don't because they won't do as good of business in ROD?  If that is the case, in what sense do they "want" to relocate?

Hi 😀, I used to work at a luxury store in the Galleria. While the galleria does have a lot of foot traffic and obviously good for business, a lot of stores have trackers that count the amount of people in the store and corporate uses these numbers to see if their product is selling relative to the amount of people in the store. It was always BAD in terms of some of the other stores in the nation (yes those stores were in big cities too) with hundreds of people coming into the store just to take pictures and mess up merchandise. Also, from personal contact with the store managers of Carolina Herrera, Fendi, and Valentino, I can tell you that they considered moving to the ROD. The idea that some of these stores have is "most of their clientele specifically come to shop at their store, why not personalize the experience by taking the mall aspect out of the equation." A lot of clientele avoided coming to our store because of parking issue, how busy it is, and the safety of walking back to your car with your stuff. A trip can easily take half an hour just to get into the store vs literally minutes at ROD. These specific reasons are the reason why the store I used to work at and stores like Versace, Prada, etc used to do "showcasing" where we'd take all our new products and go to some of the clients homes. This and many more reasons is why some stores looked to ROD. I know Tom Ford moved to the galleria from ROD, but that could be because it doesn't have frequent clienteles to buy suits. 

Edited by Amlaham
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3 hours ago, Amlaham said:

Hi 😀, I used to work at a luxury store in the Galleria. While the galleria does have a lot of foot traffic and obviously good for business, a lot of stores have trackers that count the amount of people in the store and corporate uses these numbers to see if their product is selling relative to the amount of people in the store. It was always BAD in terms of some of the other stores in the nation (yes those stores were in big cities too) with hundreds of people coming into the store just to take pictures and mess up merchandise. Also, from personal contact with the store managers of Carolina Herrera, Fendi, and Valentino, I can tell you that they considered moving to the ROD. The idea that some of these stores have is "most of their clientele specifically come to shop at their store, why not personalize the experience by taking the mall aspect out of the equation." A lot of clientele avoided coming to our store because of parking issue, how busy it is, and the safety of walking back to your car with your stuff. A trip can easily take half an hour just to get into the store vs literally minutes at ROD. These specific reasons are the reason why the store I used to work at and stores like Versace, Prada, etc used to do "showcasing" where we'd take all our new products and go to some of the clients homes. This and many more reasons is why some stores looked to ROD. I know Tom Ford moved to the galleria from ROD, but that could be because it doesn't have frequent clienteles to buy suits. 


Yes, of course a bunch “looked” at moving but from the Galleria to ROD.  But at the end of the day, how many made the move? Did anyone?

 

 As for showcasing, that is not unique to Galleria stores.  That is done by high end stores all over the country (and no doubt the world) for their best customers, and I’m quite certain at least some of the stores at ROD do it too.

Edited by Houston19514
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On 2/28/2020 at 3:17 PM, jgriff said:

I enjoy going to ROD. My attitude towards a trip to the Galleria is “Oh crap, I have to go to The Galleria.”

 

It has been expressed, by the Uptown management group, to a client of mine in the galleria area that the BRT is supposed to alleviate that "Oh crap" feeling almost completely during the normal course of the year, and quite a bit during Christmas. My initial thought tho is that all these entities, Uptown Park, Galleria, the Whole Foods Development, the Dicks strip, etc, are possessive enough about their parking that I don't know how happy they will be that people will park at their place, initially go into their store, do some shopping, put stuff in the car, and then get on the bus to go to another development. If the BRT can somehow elevate the general experience of going to the galleria, primarily by helping congestion or parking, it would be a big boon. And those businesses, including the Galleria, that sat through the construction deserve it. 

Edited by X.R.
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40 minutes ago, X.R. said:

 My initial thought tho is that all these entities, Uptown Park, Galleria, the Whole Foods Development, the Dicks strip, etc, are possessive enough about their parking that I don't know how happy they will be that people will park at their place, initially go into their store, do some shopping, put stuff in the car, and then get on the bus to go to another development.

 

The idea is that people will park at either of the transit centers bookending the BRT line. 

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On 3/11/2020 at 9:39 AM, X.R. said:

 

It has been expressed, by the Uptown management group, to a client of mine in the galleria area that the BRT is supposed to alleviate that "Oh crap" feeling almost completely during the normal course of the year, and quite a bit during Christmas. My initial thought tho is that all these entities, Uptown Park, Galleria, the Whole Foods Development, the Dicks strip, etc, are possessive enough about their parking that I don't know how happy they will be that people will park at their place, initially go into their store, do some shopping, put stuff in the car, and then get on the bus to go to another development. If the BRT can somehow elevate the general experience of going to the galleria, primarily by helping congestion or parking, it would be a big boon. And those businesses, including the Galleria, that sat through the construction deserve it. 


The traffic issues aren’t why I dread going to the Galleria. The whole place has a flea market vibe these days. 

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Just now, jgriff said:


The traffic issues aren’t why I dread going to the Galleria. The whole place has a flea market vibe these days. 

The bottom floor from Nordstrom to Banana Republic is a gypsy market. "Have you heard of the Dead Sea in Israel"? "you must try this product"! "Excuse me, SIR, yes, you, come this way I'll show you my sale".

 

Heck off, buckaroos..

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"Excuse me, Sir? Sir!? SIR?!!?? Can I ask you a question?! Where did you get those shoes?! Sir? Are you married (see above)?! SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIR!!!????!!!

 

the worst part is my condo is pretty much directly across from Forever 21 so i enter there and as soon as i travel out the Forever 21 door into the mall, BOOM there is that dang setup/kiosk for 200.00 hand scrub that i can get at Marshall's for 12 dollars! HA!

They TRY to stop me everytime not remembering me (maybe?!)...and i just say "no i can get all that crap at Marshall's at a 90 percent discount!"

Edited by gene
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  • The title was changed to Rain Forest Cafe
  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...
3 hours ago, Highrise Tower said:

New page could use a refresher of the proposed highrise hotel/condo building back in 2016.  This is at the corner of Sage & W. Alabama.

https://houston.culturemap.com/news/real-estate/04-06-16-the-galleria-moves-on-up-with-major-expansion-luxury-high-rise-hotel-and-condos-planned/#slide=3

 

tKRZdhX.jpg

 

Pp14B53.jpg

One day 😏

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5 hours ago, ZRFkris said:

So this tower was scrapped?

 

I would assume so, at least this iteration of it. If the hotel does end up happening, I'd venture to guess it will be half as tall and won't look nearly as good.

 

I think COVID has set the industry back.

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^^^ let's not forget about the forthcoming next HANOVER BLVD PLACE development... which shall include a 50+ story structure indicating a hotel... and possibly related condominiums.  could be our long awaited RITZ CARLTON...

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9 hours ago, monarch said:

^^^ let's not forget about the forthcoming next HANOVER BLVD PLACE development... which shall include a 50+ story structure indicating a hotel... and possibly related condominiums.  could be our long awaited RITZ CARLTON...

Was this info from an insiders post on here?

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  • 3 months later...

i actually forgot all about Joey's Restaurant coming to the Galleria but the construction fence is now surrounding Yauatcha and the fence has the big Joey's Restaurant logo printed on it...so this is happening! 

 

https://houston.eater.com/2020/1/29/21113668/joey-restaurant-opening-houston

Edited by gene
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9 minutes ago, Justin Welling said:

I love Joey's! The atmosphere is similar to Moxie's, but the food is way better. 

awesome to hear! i had no idea what to expect as i had never heard of them! my condo is pretty much behind moxies and across from Joey's so i am excited to have both! 

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  • 1 month later...
  • The title was changed to Galleria Expansion, Ritz Carlton Hotel & Residences At Sage / W. Alabama
  • 2 months later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Joey's looks like it will be open by summer i do believe (if not end of spring possibly?)! i need to walk by there this week/weekend to check it out better but it looks pretty great with all the windows and signage etc (former Yauatcha space)

https://joeyrestaurants.com/

and here is their hiring notice:

https://apply.workable.com/joey-restaurants-1/j/AEC4247935/

 

Edited by gene
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