Hi Marshall,
Here's a very positive article on AZ Mills that seems to feature RAIN as THE ICON of the Mall:
azstarnet.com
The URL will change tomorrow I believe but does include 2 (out of 5) pictures on RAIN. Here's the text:
Arizona Mills in Tempe is a 175-store mecca
By Sara Hammond
The Arizona Daily Star
TEMPE - ''Shoppertainment'' has come to Arizona.
If your idea of a fun day is visiting a mall with 175 stores crammed with good deals, circulating crowds of people, and visual and auditory stimulation around every turn, then Arizona Mills is for you.
If you've done Mall of America near Minneapolis, this Arizona shopping mecca may be a yawner. Otherwise, get ready for something that's available in only seven big American cities.
Even on a Monday, Arizona Mills, located at Interstate 10 and Baseline Road, was bustling. During its first four days, Nov. 20-23, mall manager Brian Peters figured a half-million people came through the doors.
''We had a terrific turnout,'' Peters said.
Developed by the Mills Corp. for $200 million, the 1.2 million-square-foot mall is as much about experience and fun as it is about shopping. In Florida, the Sawgrass Mills mall is the state's second-largest visitor attraction, trailing only Disney World. The company expects its Tempe location to draw 14 million to 16 million visitors annually.
''There is something here for everyone. I'm most proud of that,'' Peters said during a walk around the mall Monday.
Mall ''neighborhoods''
The Mills mall is a mix of retail, manufacturers' outlets, department stores, off-price retailers, restaurants and entertainment venues.
Arizona Mills is laid out race-track style, and the loop is a little less than a mile around, Peters said. Along the way, the mall is divided into six ''neighborhoods'' to make the place a little less formidable.
The shopping neighborhoods are separated by transitional areas, featuring an art or architectural element. Maple and cherry wood floors and carpeted areas make it easy on the legs and feet. ''Mills TV,'' broadcast over 80-inch monitors, runs promotions and entertainment videos.
Peters said Arizona Mills was 98 percent leased when it opened, and the mall has some stores and restaurants found in Arizona only there. Those include Rainforest Cafe, Virgin Megastore (music) and Off Rodeo Drive, as well as some upscale shops like BCBG Outlet (women's apparel) and MCM Outlet (leather and handbags).
Thunderstorm
Rainforest Cafe had waits as long as two hours during the opening weekend, said director of operations Don Hart. But savvy shoppers stopped at the jungle-themed restaurant-store, left their names and went on to visit other places, returning in time to be seated.
Rainforest Cafe got its start at the Minneapolis mega mall 3 1/2 years ago, and now, Hart said, there are 14 restaurants, and another 13 or 14 due to open within the next year.
In addition to food with a rainforest or jungle theme, the restaurant has 16,000 gallons' worth of aquariums with tropical fish, a thunderstorm that erupts every 22 minutes and eight exotic parrots bred in captivity. The birds come out for four hours a day to pose for mall goers.
Animated gorillas and an elephant, snakes and other critters also provide entertainment, Hart said.
''People want more than a plate of food,'' he said. ''Entertainment is an important part of the concept.''
Rather than calling Arizona Mills a ''discount'' shopping mall, Peters said its theme is value. Retailers' prices are at least 10 percent off suggested retail, he said. Most have higher discounts, and grand opening savings are as much as 60 percent off prices elsewhere.
Even with Tempe's 7.45 percent sales tax and the cost of getting there, Peters said Tucsonans can expect to save lots of money when they shop at the center.
Anchor tenants at Arizona Mills include Burlington Coat Factory, Oshman's SuperSports, GameWorks, Hi-Health World of Nutrition, Harkins Theaters with 24 screens, JCPenney Outlet Store and Mikasa Home Store.
Yet to open are American Wilderness Experience, Alcatraz Brewing Co. and the state's first 3-D IMAX theater.
Trip for Tucsonans
While the Mills Corp. draws the bulk of its customers from a 40-mile radius, its secondary market extends 100 miles - that would include Tucson - and its ''tourist market'' is anything beyond 100 miles away.
Tucsonans making the trip north will pass two existing Casa Grande outlet malls: the Tanger Outlet Mall, which has a number of stores that are represented in the Tempe mall; and, a few miles farther north, the nearly vacant Factory Stores of America center.
''When you're here, you don't have to go anyplace else in town,'' Peters said of Arizona Mills. ''We have some of the best outlets the state of Arizona has seen.''
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Hope your Thanksgiving was a memorable one and now bring on the HUMP!!
Regards,
Dennis |
