Will Neiman Marcus' design, and the store itself, work in Natick?
As I'd said on the main page, Neiman Marcus' new store at the Natick Mall will look quite different than anything else in the area. The MWDN published opinions on what people thought of the new building, and many of the opinions were quite interesting.
Some people said that it was good for Natick. Others said that it was an eyesore. Others asked whether Neiman Marcus sells children's clothing. Another said that he likes to call Neiman Marcus "needless markup". Either way, it was a pretty crappy and unorganized piece of journalism. But on the issue at hand, the store's design. Well, maybe you'd like my $0.02.
I'd say that it's about time for something like this. As I've said in a previous article, retail in the triangle is undescript, consisting of big-boxes that all look like one another, seeing that both the Natick, but particularly Framingham, planning boards are not exactly in support of originality, and would rather have all buildings made of a tanish-brick mixture (see the Natick Mall's Sears).
As no two Neiman Marcus stores look alike, I think that they've made the right decision for Natick. It's something innovative that will make the adjacent Nordstrom, which looks somewhat like a smaller, red version of the mall's Filene's, pale in comparison. As many mall officials noted, the store will easily become the precedent for a Natick (and Framingham) designed for the future.
Hopefully Neiman Marcus has success with this store, beyond the initial design. General Growth seems to be a "mixed-bag" when it comes to upscale malls. The company has continually trumped the success of one of their luxury malls; Tyson's Galleria, located in McLean, VA, outside of Washington, D.C. This mall is quite similar to Natick as there is a "normal" mall located next to it with Sears, etc, and the Galleria has a Neiman Marcus, much like Natick will.
However, the company also manages an upscale mall on Chicago's wealthy North Shore that has not been as lucky. Northbrook Court, located in Northbrook, IL, serves as one of General Growth's malls in the area, and exists as a luxury mall with no adjacent "normal" mall. Constructed in 1976, and remodeled in 1996, Northbrook Court has been having problems as of late because shoppers have come to visit the anchor stores (Neiman's, Marshall Field's, and Lord & Taylor) and then leave, with few venturing into the mall due to it's awkward blend of stores. GGP is trying to fix this by changing the mix of stores to target their target audience, 38-year old women, but for now, they are having many problems.
Yet with all of the coverage of the mall in local news, and with the condos adding speculation of onlookers to the mix, one must expect the new mall to succeed. MetroWest, and notably the communities of Wayland, Wellesley, and Weston, certainly have the demographics for the store to succeed. If the design brings the shoppers in, and GGP doesn't pull a Northbrook on the inside, then the mall should be a huge success.
Some people said that it was good for Natick. Others said that it was an eyesore. Others asked whether Neiman Marcus sells children's clothing. Another said that he likes to call Neiman Marcus "needless markup". Either way, it was a pretty crappy and unorganized piece of journalism. But on the issue at hand, the store's design. Well, maybe you'd like my $0.02.
I'd say that it's about time for something like this. As I've said in a previous article, retail in the triangle is undescript, consisting of big-boxes that all look like one another, seeing that both the Natick, but particularly Framingham, planning boards are not exactly in support of originality, and would rather have all buildings made of a tanish-brick mixture (see the Natick Mall's Sears).
As no two Neiman Marcus stores look alike, I think that they've made the right decision for Natick. It's something innovative that will make the adjacent Nordstrom, which looks somewhat like a smaller, red version of the mall's Filene's, pale in comparison. As many mall officials noted, the store will easily become the precedent for a Natick (and Framingham) designed for the future.
Hopefully Neiman Marcus has success with this store, beyond the initial design. General Growth seems to be a "mixed-bag" when it comes to upscale malls. The company has continually trumped the success of one of their luxury malls; Tyson's Galleria, located in McLean, VA, outside of Washington, D.C. This mall is quite similar to Natick as there is a "normal" mall located next to it with Sears, etc, and the Galleria has a Neiman Marcus, much like Natick will.
However, the company also manages an upscale mall on Chicago's wealthy North Shore that has not been as lucky. Northbrook Court, located in Northbrook, IL, serves as one of General Growth's malls in the area, and exists as a luxury mall with no adjacent "normal" mall. Constructed in 1976, and remodeled in 1996, Northbrook Court has been having problems as of late because shoppers have come to visit the anchor stores (Neiman's, Marshall Field's, and Lord & Taylor) and then leave, with few venturing into the mall due to it's awkward blend of stores. GGP is trying to fix this by changing the mix of stores to target their target audience, 38-year old women, but for now, they are having many problems.
Yet with all of the coverage of the mall in local news, and with the condos adding speculation of onlookers to the mix, one must expect the new mall to succeed. MetroWest, and notably the communities of Wayland, Wellesley, and Weston, certainly have the demographics for the store to succeed. If the design brings the shoppers in, and GGP doesn't pull a Northbrook on the inside, then the mall should be a huge success.
posted by Justin at
11:41 PM
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