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Posted by: southsider2k7 Oct 18 2007, 07:29 PM

Looks like they are putting in a new eatery where the Old Country Buffet used to be... Any ideas what it is?

Posted by: JHeath Oct 19 2007, 11:44 AM

I believe it's another buffet, serving oriental cuisine (and I'm using that term very loosely here).

Posted by: southsider2k7 Oct 19 2007, 01:08 PM

I wonder if it is the one from Wal-Mart Plaza that recently closed down? I'd really be curious to find out who the ownership is, because if it is the one who is running the site at the long-since-former Ponderosa, I'll never eat there on principle.

Posted by: JHeath Oct 19 2007, 01:20 PM

Call the mall office--they should be able to provide that info.

Posted by: Ang Oct 19 2007, 01:32 PM

I know the two have different owners. The Ponderosa place is Fortune House (I believe-could be wrong) and I can't remember the name of the other one. But I liked the other one better. The Walnart Plaza one. Probably mostly on princple, like SSder. I used to live down the street from that house that burned down. This was before it became a boarding house, when the family still lived in it. I know what they were like and I didn't much care for them so I didn't want to eat at their restaurant.

Posted by: southsider2k7 Oct 19 2007, 01:39 PM

Yeah, Fortune House. I couldn't remember the name of the place. We used to go there, but we also quit going after finding out about the illegal labor and 3rd world conditions that they were basically forcing people to live in. After that incident, there is no way I am putting a dime in their pockets. People died in a horrible fashion because of that.

Posted by: Roger Kaputnik Oct 22 2007, 11:04 AM

The mall is gonna go bust if they don't get better stores in there. The new Penney's in Valpo is gonna dry up more business here. Howsabout a little food court in there? TJ Max?

Posted by: JHeath Oct 23 2007, 01:08 PM

How about ANYTHING?

There is a nice little toy store where KB used to be. Good, clasic toys. Not the over-commericalized stuff you see everywhere else.

Posted by: Roger Kaputnik Oct 24 2007, 10:58 AM

TRAFFIC--how will the Mall ever build up enough traffic to lure a biggie there?

Posted by: southsider2k7 Oct 24 2007, 11:04 AM

Good question. If you think about it, what was the last chain store to open up there? All of the places that have opened in the last few years at least have been individual proprietors, which means they don't have the customer base or name recognition, and it also means they probably don't have the capitol to take a short to medium term loss while they build a following.

Posted by: Ang Oct 24 2007, 11:18 AM

You know, I don't understand that either because all those Chicago people have to drive right past the mall to get to the outlet mall. Marquette should step up their advertising along 94 to try to draw in the out-of-town shoppers on their way uptown. Since most of the stores are privately owned specialty shops, that would be a good angle.

Posted by: Roger Kaputnik Oct 24 2007, 11:26 AM

Still seems like they need a popular draw like a tj maxx, but why would they go there instead of Lighthouse?

Posted by: JHeath Oct 24 2007, 11:27 AM

If you mean anchor stores, I'm not sure which of the three opened most recently. Carsons, Penneys, and Sears have een at the Mall as long as I can remember. But, the last "chain" store was Bath & Body Works.

Posted by: Ang Oct 24 2007, 11:30 AM

The mall opened with the same three anchors it has now. Those have never changed.

It might survive if it could get more trendy stores in there. The problem is the volume isn't enough and the trendy stores don't want to move there. I was a retail guru for a while (many years ago) and was in management. The trendy stores like Zumiez and Hot Topic would help bring business, but those stores won't go to Marquette because there's not enough business. Vicous cycle. So the mall will have to do something first to draw more people in, then those stores will come and the mall will boom again.

Posted by: Roger Kaputnik Oct 24 2007, 11:35 AM

The restaurant (Appleby's?) seems to be busy most of the time. A good food court may work.

Posted by: southsider2k7 Oct 24 2007, 11:36 AM

They tried a food court years back. It failed pretty badly.

Posted by: Roger Kaputnik Oct 26 2007, 07:52 AM

I don''t remember that. How about a good one with more at the mall to encourage traffic?

Posted by: southsider2k7 Oct 26 2007, 07:59 AM

It was where the Old Country Buffet ended up being. It didn't last very long, as places closed up shop pretty quickly.

Posted by: Ang Oct 26 2007, 08:42 AM

I remember that food court. I think the only people that ate there were employees from the stores. They didn't have very good choices of food places.

Posted by: JHeath Oct 26 2007, 09:40 AM

Isn't that where Schoop's was when they first moved into MC? That was the only place I ever remember going in the former food court.

Posted by: RexKickass Oct 28 2007, 03:27 PM

It was also in a really inconvenient part of the mall, far away from anything else and just hidden.

The mall has bad management, ridiculously high rents and poor marketing.

REX is the last chain to move into the Mall where Walgreens used to be. That could have been an Old Navy about five years ago, but the Mall had just signed the Nasser Furniture people for that spot.... on a one year lease.

Posted by: southsider2k7 Oct 29 2007, 06:49 AM

And REX is gone now...

Posted by: Roger Kaputnik Oct 29 2007, 07:04 AM

RexKA is right.

Posted by: RexKickass Oct 29 2007, 03:48 PM

When did they leave?

Posted by: southsider2k7 Oct 29 2007, 05:11 PM

Spring or early summer.