Residents Worry About More Vacancies at Brookwood Mall
Between the soon-to-be-shuttered Belk department store and the food court, which is the midpoint of the mall, I counted a dozen empty shops at Brookwood Village.
Another five dot the other half of the mall — the area between the food court and Macy’s. This means roughly a third of the shops inside Brookwood Mall are vacant. A few stores were occupied but closed for reasons that were unclear. So it’s no wonder the announcement that Belk will close this January has residents of Homewood concerned for the future of this property.
“The neighborhood is really kind of nervous that this will just turn into an empty mall like Eastwood or Century Plaza where you have all this real estate and nothings in it,” says Julie Tucker, who lives near Brookwood Mall.
Brookwood representatives say they knew about Belk’s decision to close the store before the start of a multi-phase development plan, including a $20 million renovation. Officials say redevelopment of the Belk store is the second phase of that plan, which they say will be announced soon. Tucker says residents would like to see another department store, or even furniture giant IKEA move into the space, but “I don’t know if they would come here if there isn’t anything in the middle,” Tucker says. “So it’s kind of like a chicken or an egg. It’s like they’re not going to bring anchor stores if there are no stores in the middle, and then no stores in the middle can come if there’s no anchor stores.”
The popularity and convenience of online shopping has delivered the biggest blow to brick and mortar malls, and Brookwood Village, like many others, has struggled to compete. Officials with the mall did not respond to requests for an interview. Still, many people want instant satisfaction when they shop. They want to be able to walk away with that new pair of shoes. For Belk lovers, the company says its four other nearby stores are still open for business.
Trevi Fountain fee takes effect as Rome seeks to manage tourist crowds
Tourists hoping to get close to the Trevi Fountain had to pay 2 euros starting Monday as the city of Rome inaugurated a new fee structure to help raise money and control crowds.
Clintons agree to testify in House Epstein investigation ahead of contempt of Congress vote
Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton agreed to testify in a House investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, but the Republican leading the probe said an agreement had not yet been finalized.
Appeals court overturns former UCLA gynecologist’s sex abuse conviction
It was ruled Dr. James Heaps was denied a fair trial because the judge did not share with his defense counsel a note by the court's foreman pointing out concerns that one juror lacked sufficient English to carry out their duties.
Populist conservative Laura Fernández wins Costa Rica’s presidential election
Candidate Laura Fernández won a resounding victory, promising to continue the aggressive reorienting of the Central American nation's politics started by her predecessor.
What Jared Kushner’s ‘New Gaza’ plan includes, and what it leaves out
President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner laid out a plan for a "New Gaza." A close look suggests it makes room for fewer Palestinians and less housing.
Trump administration sued over visa freeze on immigrants from 75 countries
A group of nonprofit organizations and U.S. citizens Monday filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's sweeping suspension of immigrant visa processing for people from nearly half of the world's countries.
