Greetings from Stehekin,WA. Wow…Hartford Mall! I thought that Sal outdid himself again and introduced another special flavor with his newest Exlog 95. From the “Friendly’s French Dip Burger” consumption and the super-crisp 4K drone fly-overs which I greatly enjoyed. So for me personally please more ‘mall finger-food reviews’ and definitely moew fly-overs. Getting serviced at the ‘Infinite Wireless’ store was also a pleasure to see as this kind of care, expertise and pride can never be gotten at Best Buy with the Geek Squad.

As usual the Hartford Mall financial and owners report was spot-on! I love the deatils. But as to the future of the mall I question the cities 'Planning Commission' discussion on the Sears teardown and the introduction or addition of a new outside Lifestyle Center. Very much like SIMON did in 2013 at their ailing Nanuet Mall. David Simon at the time called it ‘reimagining’ the old Nanuet Mall in NY. Essentially creating a brand new Lifestyle Center and in the process demolishing the old enclosed mall envelope. David was also steadfast that ‘Lifestyle Centers’ do not require any sort of traditional department store anchors and saw the 'Nanuet Lifestyle' recommendation as a clear winner. David of course at the time already had inside information and communication from both Sears and Macys that they would not survive in the long-run. The naming of the newly proposed lifestyle center to “The Shops at Harford Mall” sounded very familiar as well and which is identical to what SIMON named his lifestyle venture at Nanuet.

To be sure my now dear wife LeeAnne was the General Manager at Nanuet Mall and involved in the initial idea-hatching and existing small retail tenant issues to making room for the a Lifestyle conversion. She later with SIMON transferred as a GM to Simon’s Chestnut Hill Mall in Boston. Little did we know then that we both would wind-up working in the UAE and getting married in Dubai? It’s a small world!

I was glad to see a lot of YouTube commentary on the Hartford Mall. Much about supermarkets taking over former Sears or JCPenney spaces like in Natick Mall, Beaver Valley and Columbia Mall. In Indianapolis the 500,000 square foot Eastgate Center Mall was totally taken over by a newly constructed ‘Lifeline Data Center'. Additionally the now totally demolished Eastgate Mall site also plays host to FBI and regional Homeland Security operational centers both having entered into a 25 year lease agreement. So as malls on the edge go there are viable alternatives out there and not all is doom and gloom.

There was talk about Macy’s leaving Hartford Mall in 2022 and I am hoping that this will not be the case! I used to work closely with Matt Dominsky at Urban during my times at Copley Place and in the days when we both grew-up as juniors in the industry. Then Matt later going with CBL in Chattanooga joining its Board of Directors. CBL was lucky to have napped him as Matt was a square shooter and knew is stuff better than most. Hartford Mall in turn is lucky to have CBL at the helm. I hope in this regard that Hartford Mall will farewell and not ultimately fall victim to unscrupulous pirates like Captain Kohan and Igor Namdar!

Simon’s ‘Shops at Nanuet’ a beautiful Lifestyle Center presentation and design. Originally in 2013 well leased with high quality tenants but later turning into an unexpected failure due to a quick succession of store closings. As of 2021 there are a total of 40 remaining tenants.

Wegmans at Natick Mall taking over a former JCPenney space on 2 levels

A brand new 350,000 square foot Indianapolis based Lifeline Data Center

and home to regional FBI and Homeland Security operational centers

and where once the 1957 opened Eastgate Center Mall was located.

The interior of the ‘Lifeline Data Center’ ready to taking-on the hardware

components and equipment for IT operations, storage systems; servers;

network infrastructure, and various information security elements.

As Hailey Geertgens reported on YouTube ExLog 95, a new Rural King in

Beaver Valley Mall replaced the vacated Sears building! Not all is lost!

Lidl opening at the Mall of Columbia, MD, transforming the 30,000-square-foot

ground level of the former Sears space at the Mall into their new home. Lidl is

the third largest retail food seller in the world, behind Walmart (1) and Kroger

(2) and is currently in the process of expansion into the US-market and with an

additional fifty locations planned to open by the end of 2023.

LeeAnne always loved the action of new construction. Here in Dubai her

Nanuet Mall days are surly a distant memory, but getting the new retail

construction supervisors here on the same page is not.

Construction sort-off? This time with Tamir setting-up our all new two-level mall convention exhibit booth and architectural models. For LeeAnne a big affair because now she can make her contribution in marketing, leasing, model assembly, decorations, space assignments and construction. Our twice annual Dubai shopping center conventions are always a very good time and for us getting a full week away from the heat and press of the onsite projects. Then being served the best of foods, lots of smiles and getting to mingling with the crème de la crème and the others.

When LeeAnne joined me later in Dubai I was glad that she adopted well and

especially to the never-ending hot weather and 70-degrees even at midnight.

Here she is in our conference room making sure that her mall management

and operations people are being taken care off by development and the

onsite construction teams.