A Gaithersburg city councilman reports that Lord & Taylor has notified the city government that the company intends to close the Lakeforest Mall store on September 15.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I usually order online at JCP and return anything that doesn't fit at the store. If my purchase is less than $100, I do the store pick up. Now, that will not be possible. The next closest JCP is in Frederick. I guess that's the end of my JCP shopping. Their seasonal clearance on Carters clothes was the best. Where else could you get Carters sets at $6?

There's JCP at Wheaton. It's nice. Also, there's a Carter's store at Gaitherburg Square. They give out tons of coupons and I've found the store sale prices are about the same as Kohls/JCP etc.

This mall is 7 miles from my home and that is 20 miles away..too far..

And if Lakeforest mall closes after this, I will miss Claires too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We used to skate at the ice rink there in the 80s 4 nights a week!

The big pond in front of the Toys R Us that would always freeze during winter?

No, there was an indoor rink in the center. They eventually turned it into the kids playground. While we’re discussing 80s kids at LF, anybody remember Anita’s Kids Place, with the playground inside the store? We used to go there and then Stride Rite for shoes, and maybe a Mrs. Field’s cookie for a treat.

Do you remember the yearly 4th of July fireworks across the street at the fairgrounds?

They were doing that even 4-5 years ago. I used to park in the lake forest parking lot to watch.

Anonymous wrote:So not shocked ... Lake Forest Mall is a sh t hole, has been for a very long time.

OMG! It even smells like sh$t when you go in there.

The only reason to go to Lake Forest is for that addictive Pakistani takeout place by Claires.

Anonymous wrote:I usually order online at JCP and return anything that doesn't fit at the store. If my purchase is less than $100, I do the store pick up. Now, that will not be possible. The next closest JCP is in Frederick. I guess that's the end of my JCP shopping. Their seasonal clearance on Carters clothes was the best. Where else could you get Carters sets at $6?

There's JCP at Wheaton. It's nice. Also, there's a Carter's store at Gaitherburg Square. They give out tons of coupons and I've found the store sale prices are about the same as Kohls/JCP etc.

I usually order online at JCP and return anything that doesn't fit at the store. If my purchase is less than $100, I do the store pick up. Now, that will not be possible. The next closest JCP is in Frederick. I guess that's the end of my JCP shopping. Their seasonal clearance on Carters clothes was the best. Where else could you get Carters sets at $6?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We used to skate at the ice rink there in the 80s 4 nights a week!

The big pond in front of the Toys R Us that would always freeze during winter?

No, there was an indoor rink in the center. They eventually turned it into the kids playground. While we’re discussing 80s kids at LF, anybody remember Anita’s Kids Place, with the playground inside the store? We used to go there and then Stride Rite for shoes, and maybe a Mrs. Field’s cookie for a treat.

remember the Doctors pet store? I miss Babbages

I liked that mall. My oldest is 13 but even less than 10 years ago, that was the first mall I would go to. They slowly started losing businesses until I too stopped going a few years ago.

Silver Diner closing was the last time I really went to that mall.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We used to skate at the ice rink there in the 80s 4 nights a week!

The big pond in front of the Toys R Us that would always freeze during winter?

No, there was an indoor rink in the center. They eventually turned it into the kids playground. While we’re discussing 80s kids at LF, anybody remember Anita’s Kids Place, with the playground inside the store? We used to go there and then Stride Rite for shoes, and maybe a Mrs. Field’s cookie for a treat.

Do you remember the yearly 4th of July fireworks across the street at the fairgrounds?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live nearby and have thought for years that the mall just had terrible management. The area has its issues, but shopping centers can still thrive if they are well-managed (look at Wheaton Plaza, or PG Plaza), Providence adequate security, and understand their customer base. But regular stores kept disappearing and independent junk stores took their place. There are very few chain there anymore—even the McDonald’s closed. If you can’t keep a Mickey D’s in business, there are issues!

Exactly. People who say malls are dying haven't been to Montgomery Mall or the mall in Tyson's on a weekend. Those places are packed. It's just that malls need to be updated--like anything else--or they can't survive.

Didn't they totally redo the mall in Springfield? I remember driving by there a few years ago and it was creepy empty, but I think it's all totally revitalized now.

Every metro area has a few malls that survive, even as number decline. When malls were hot, even less well managed malls survived. If one went bankrupt some other company bought it, now they tend to be redeveloped as things other than malls.

Springfield has undoubtedly been helped by the closure of Landmark mall, reducing direct competition. It is also planned to get a dense mixed use component.

Tysons of course has added an "urbanist portion" facing the SL metro station. Pentagon City has also added such a section. The most successful malls are becoming less "mallish".

Anonymous wrote:I'm surprised Lord and Taylor is still open and of course Sears too.

Lord and Taylor has been using contestation of building demolition permits to try to make money from settlements. I wouldn't be surprised if they do that in this case, if demolition seems imminent. It's sort of a weirdly brilliant money-making strategy for a dying business.

https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/real-estate/the-retailer-takes-its-case-to-the-montgomery-county-board-of-appeals/

Anonymous wrote:It seems that one of the wealthiest regions in the country can support a number of nicely updated shopping malls in 2019. But not all the malls and Lakeforest is probably not going to make the cut. Not enough people really wanted to go there on a regular basis and spend money.

I disagree about needing a wealthier area to survive. People won’t shop at LF because there are no stores there, and the stores started leaving because they weren’t supported by the mall. The mall could have been saved, but it changed ownership multiple times and nobody wanted to put in the effort to revitalize it. I worked there part time for about 10 years in the early 2000s. I remember one summer, the A/C was out for like the whole summer! Yankee Candle had to close because their candles were melting! My store management bought a portable A/C for our store out of their own pockets. Stuff like that does not keep businesses, and if you can’t keep chains, it’s over. There are plenty of shoppers with disposable income who would go to Lakeforest if the stores they wanted to go to were there, and if they felt secure. Wheaton and Columbia malls have transit centers nearby too, and people still feel safe shopping there. As of now, we drive 25 minutes to Montgomery Mall, but I’d much rather drive 5 minutes to LF.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We used to skate at the ice rink there in the 80s 4 nights a week!

The big pond in front of the Toys R Us that would always freeze during winter?

No, there was an indoor rink in the center. They eventually turned it into the kids playground. While we’re discussing 80s kids at LF, anybody remember Anita’s Kids Place, with the playground inside the store? We used to go there and then Stride Rite for shoes, and maybe a Mrs. Field’s cookie for a treat.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live nearby and have thought for years that the mall just had terrible management. The area has its issues, but shopping centers can still thrive if they are well-managed (look at Wheaton Plaza, or PG Plaza), Providence adequate security, and understand their customer base. But regular stores kept disappearing and independent junk stores took their place. There are very few chain there anymore—even the McDonald’s closed. If you can’t keep a Mickey D’s in business, there are issues!

Exactly. People who say malls are dying haven't been to Montgomery Mall or the mall in Tyson's on a weekend. Those places are packed. It's just that malls need to be updated--like anything else--or they can't survive.

Didn't they totally redo the mall in Springfield? I remember driving by there a few years ago and it was creepy empty, but I think it's all totally revitalized now.

Here is a recent tour. Turn the volume down though because the person talking is quite annoying.