Metro Jacksonville

According to Forbes - Seriously?

QuoteAmerica's Top 10 Shopping Cities
New York City doesn't even crack the list, but one state has the market cornered.
Move over New York. When it comes to shopping, everything’s bigger in Texas. Forbes’ first-ever ranking of the best U.S. cities for shopping takes a look at the real numbers behind what makes retail sparkle in the biggest cities in America. One look at the top 10 shows that NYC, long thought to be the best city for style, sophistication and putting your pocketbook to work, is nowhere to be found.

What? Why? How? The truth is, in deciding what makes a city “best,” it all depends on what you’re looking for.

America's Top 10 Cities for Shopping

1. Houston, TX

2. Phoenix, AZ

3. Dallas, TX

4. Baltimore, MD

5. Columbus, OH

6. Indianapolis, IN

7. Philadelphia, PA

8. San Antonio, TX

9. Jacksonville, FL

10. San Diego, CA

See the full list of America's 25 Best Shopping Cities
When it comes to shopping, everyone has their own style. Some of us are in-and-out. We know what we want, we know where to find it and we’d like to be on our way, thank-you-very-much. Others are in heaven strolling through well-lit retail centers, window shopping to our heart’s delight, even if there’s nothing we “need.” And some of us are on the hunt for a bargainâ€"if it isn’t on sale, it’s not on our list.
In compiling our list of America’s best cities for shopping, we took the interests of all types to heart to find the urban centers with the best combination of options, ease and affordability.
Of the 525 major shopping centers in the country’s biggest cities, there are nearly 257 million square feet of gross leasable retail area, according to data provided by Esri, a geographic information systems firm that tracks the leasable area of major U.S. shopping centers of more than 225,000 square feet. Of that, nearly a quarter of the retail space (87,879,057 square feet) is in the Lone Star state, more than explaining how three Texan cities landed in our top ten cities for shopping. Like their football and BBQ, Texans take their shopping seriously.
Houston comes in at No. 1 one the list. “Houston might be a big city, and sure you can spend days buying up the shopping malls, but for me the best thing has always been the boutiques that are somehow both 100% Southern and completely chic,” says stylist Kate Barash, a Houston native now living in Los Angeles
Barash, who describes her own fashion sense as “date night feisty,” shares her two favorite Houston stops for shopping: 310 Rosemont (1965 W. Gray Ave.), where she stocks up jeans from trendy 1921 and Seven For All Mankind. She also scores pieces from Milly and James Perse; and Lot 8 (6127 Kirby Drive), where she finds “the best L.A. designers without the Los Angeles inflated prices.”
If one-stop shopping is more your style than hunting for boutiques in humid Houston, take a drive to Texas’s biggest mall, the Galleria, which boasts 2.5 million square feet of retail pleasure.
At No. 2, Phoenix, Ariz., may be another steamy city for shopping, but its large number of shopping centers and retail stores (over 11,000 according to the BLS), and low sales tax (7.3%) make it easy on both the wallet and a shopper looking for options. Don’t get stuck on its desert location. Phoenix boasts retail choices that range from Gucci to Cartier at its upscale Biltmore Fashion Park to a surprising six Walmarts within city limits, (second only to San Antonio and Charlotte, with seven each) For a city of just over 1.5 million, that’s a whole lot of Walmart.
Dallas, No. 3 is dwarfed by its northern cousin in shopping malls at only 28 locations according to Esri, but its over 16,000 retail stores in the city more than compensate. Like Houston, a Galleria mall is the epicenter of retail in the city, but Barash describes Dallas as “more urban” and its shopping style follows suit. Dallas (200.227) also has a higher price index than Houston (195.165), knocking it down a few rungs from the top position.
The rest of the top 10 is filled out with surprises like Baltimore, San Antonio, San Diego, Columbus and Jacksonville, and a few towns who’ve long been proud to make retail a tourist draw: Philadelphia’s outlet center Franklin Mills, for example, houses over 1.5 million square feet of retail and even has hotels on-site to lodge bargain shoppers, and Castleton Square Mall in Indianapolis, Ind., is the biggest in the state.
So how did big citiesâ€"and notorious shopping hot spotsâ€"like New York, San Francisco and Boston fall to the bottom of the ranking? It’s in the numbers.
San Francisco has one of the highest combined sales tax rates in the country at 9.5% and New York is not far behind at 8.8%, coupled with a consumer price index of 241.147, the highest of any city on the list. NYC’s low number of major shopping centers also holds it back, although seasoned shoppers will know that New York City abounds in free-standing retail stores (over 75,000). Like New York, Boston is also penalized for its high prices and low number of mallsâ€"showing that shopping in cities might not be all it’s cracked up to be.
What do you make of the ranking? For those of you who think big box shopping is best, be sure we took the number of Walmarts into account when deciding what’s best. Like you, we can’t pass up a deal. Also taken into consideration were the number of major shopping centers (as provided by Esri), retail locations (U.S. Census), the Consumer Price Index (BLS data) and combined sales tax for each city. Click through the slideshow of our top cities by the numbers to find what’s important to youâ€"and what city is really “the best.”

http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-36960994
http://www.forbes.com/2010/12/13/best-cities-for-shopping-forbes-woman-time-retail-walmart-sales-tax_slide.html?partner=yahootravel

Well their methodology for this ranking isn't what you necessarily think of when you think "Top Shopping Cities." Which is what explains all the other surprises on the list. High sales taxes hurt the major shopping destinations like San Fran, Chicago, NYC, as well as a lack of shopping malls.  ???

It was probably the Regency mall that put is over the top versus Michigan Ave. ::)

Quote from: ProjectMaximus on December 16, 2010, 03:54:04 PM
It was probably the Regency mall that put is over the top versus Michigan Ave. ::)

LOL.  Surely the Landing contributed as well!

Why do we think so lowly of ourselves. Believe or not, please do travel here to shop. Anytime I vistors from out of town there are always like, " dang we dont have none of these stores back home. I have to go shopping the next time I visit." We finally get put on a list for something positive and we question it? Oh you gotta love the duvallians.  ;)

thanks Sleiman!

I know right! I think the town center put us on the map.

We have friends from Savanah who get giidy with the thought of visiting us so they can go to Kohls.  Who knew?

Anytime anything is positive in Jax, it always calls for sarcastic comments. Gee, whatta surprise. If SJTC was in DT none of these negative comments would be made. It always come back full circle with the "anti-suburban" crap, similar to the "rail or die" mentality.

YEAH but damn people, we don't have a 7-11 Store in 100 miles!  We NEVER get to shop at Sak's or Macy's either!


OCKLAWAHA

Quote from: Ocklawaha on December 16, 2010, 06:40:48 PM
YEAH but damn people, we don't have a 7-11 Store in 100 miles!  We NEVER get to shop at Sak's or Macy's either!


OCKLAWAHA

64 miles from the Duval County line.  Believe me Ock, I know ;).  We used to have 7-11's not too long ago and I miss them terribly.  It's a very guilty pleasure in life.  And truth be told, if you like wine... 7-11's cheap private label wines are on par with Two(now Three) Buck Chuck from Trader Joes.  Its a pretty decent table wine.  And slurpees(MT Dew mixed with Cola), tornados(the Gate version doesnt compare), ready made sandwiches(again so much better than Dandee) and the Big Gulps!!

What a lot of people don't realize is that on a sales per square foot metric, Jacksonville is a pretty good place to be in retail.  Also, Jax is a test market for a lot of large retailers b/c of our population size and relative isolation from larger markets.  Advertising on Jacksonville TV, print, radio pretty much serves just the Jacksonville metro area so it's very easy for retailers to test different store formats, media effectiveness, etc.

Quote from: I-10east on December 16, 2010, 05:59:39 PM
Anytime anything is positive in Jax, it always calls for sarcastic comments. Gee, whatta surprise.

We're not making fun of Jacksonville so much as we're mocking the criteria that this "study" uses.  Phoenix #2?  Baltimore #4?  New York not even on the list?  I mean, c'mon.  

Quote from: duvaldude08 on December 16, 2010, 04:21:25 PM
Why do we think so lowly of ourselves. Believe or not, please do travel here to shop. Anytime I vistors from out of town there are always like, " dang we dont have none of these stores back home. I have to go shopping the next time I visit." We finally get put on a list for something positive and we question it? Oh you gotta love the duvallians.  ;)

Travel here..... from Baldwin. 

Quote from: fieldafm on December 16, 2010, 07:33:00 PM

64 miles from the Duval County line.  Believe me Ock, I know ;).  We used to have 7-11's not too long ago and I miss them terribly.  It's a very guilty pleasure in life.  And truth be told, if you like wine... 7-11's cheap private label wines are on par with Two(now Three) Buck Chuck from Trader Joes.  Its a pretty decent table wine.  And slurpees(MT Dew mixed with Cola), tornados(the Gate version doesnt compare), ready made sandwiches(again so much better than Dandee) and the Big Gulps!!

I have a hard time getting past how disgusting most 7-11's are inside.

Quote from: duvaldude08 on December 16, 2010, 04:21:25 PM
Why do we think so lowly of ourselves. Believe or not, please do travel here to shop. Anytime I vistors from out of town there are always like, " dang we dont have none of these stores back home. I have to go shopping the next time I visit." We finally get put on a list for something positive and we question it? Oh you gotta love the duvallians.  ;)

Its an interesting list. Maybe the newness of SJTC is a factor.

7-Eleven?  Who cares?  Soon you'll have Wawa!  Pretty much the only reason Philly's above Jax in the shopping list is that Philly has Wawa, IMHO.  They'll open in Orlando and Tampa first, but I'm sure they'll make their way to Jax within a few years.  You'll be #7 in no time... http://www.wawa.com/Blog/2010/09/default.aspx

Wawa rules!

wawa DOES  ruuuule and 
yeah the "TownCenter" wouldn't catch so much flak if it weren't ALL ONE FLAT SPRAWLING MESS.
developers plan and build like they've never heard of elevators or preserving a meadow.

wow who knew?

QuoteNYC’s low number of major shopping centers also holds it back, although seasoned shoppers will know that New York City abounds in free-standing retail stores (over 75,000). Like New York, Boston is also penalized for its high prices and low number of mallsâ€"showing that shopping in cities might not be all it’s cracked up to be.

What do you make of the ranking? For those of you who think big box shopping is best, be sure we took the number of Walmarts into account when deciding what’s best. Like you, we can’t pass up a deal. Also taken into consideration were the number of major shopping centers (as provided by Esri), retail locations (U.S. Census), the Consumer Price Index (BLS data) and combined sales tax for each city. Click through the slideshow of our top cities by the numbers to find what’s important to youâ€"and what city is really “the best.”

From the above, its pretty obvious this survey was "rigged" to favor suburbia and penalize the bigger urban cores like NYC.  If they had a survey produce the results one would "expect" this wouldn't be "news" and we wouldn't be posting about it.  Surveys like this are proprietary "manufactured news" designed to cause a stir and attract eyeballs since "real news" is so pervasive on the internet today that offering it does not brand a site "unique" or distinctive anymore.  Time to move on.

Sure places like NY has great department stores but IMO that hectic pedestrian style of shopping is highly overrated. It's confusing as stores can be spread out over city blocks; It's not so "compact" like many people think unless you're going to one store. The last I need to do is huff it for twenty blocks across the borough of Manhattan to go to another department store, while detering pickpockets, and dodging traffic. It's not so convenient like people wanna believe.

SJTC has a better layout than a lot of town centers. Have you ever been to River City Market Place? Way more sprawling than SJTC. There definitely is room for improvement such as the huge parking lot by Target, but still a cut above the others IMO.

That RCMP "sprawl" sure do allow you to find a convenient parking spot unlike many times at SJTC. With that being I like both places.

I currently work at RCMP and when customers ask about the location of other stores their first remark, is "oh I guess I have to drive there." RCMP IS HORRIBLE FOR WALKING.... Almost no one walks around. I think it probably hurts the smaller stores. There was a nice yogurt shop there that closed recently and I believe they were killed by no foot traffic. The comments are usually, "I'm really surprised they designed this center like this. And...you can park and walk around at SJTC." So although it's a nice addition to the Northside, after now being employed there, I stick to my opinion thats it is poorly laid out.

And a side note....
There are people that work with me that live in the apartments next to RCMP. They are easily within walking distance, but there is no access to the center. Not even a gate. Zero walk-ability. A huge missed opportunity. Great planning you think?

I don't even know how you compare the two?  They're both designed around parking.  SJTC is horrible for walking due to the drive-by window shoppers, and RCMP is horrible due to the lack of walk-a-bility. 

IMO, they are both poorly planned, poorly executed, and a reason that I don't frequent either. 

If you want an outdoor mall, then compact the space and limit the vehicle traffic.  If you want a drive-thru mall, then eliminate the exterior sidewalks, put the storefronts on the main drag and move the foot traffic to the interior.

I'm not a planner, but I can 'see' it, why can't they?

I have been to other Town Centers, the best I have seen is easton Town Center in Columbus OH.  I have friends that live in Easton Commons.  They seemed to have gotten the right mix of Parking and walkability as well as housing, office and retail.  Plenty of sidewalks for those who want to walk.

They have over 5000 parking spaces that are in garages.  Strret parking is metered and has a 1 hour time llimit.  I thought when SJTC was built it was going to be more like this.  They also have their own exit off of the interstate.

http://www.eastontowncenter.com/Map.aspx (http://www.eastontowncenter.com/Map.aspx)

I have no problem with either SJTC's or RCMP's layouts'. If they were in DT with layouts like that, then I can see the problem, but since they are in suburban settings, I don't have any problem with them. IMO it makes no damn sense trying to put NYC's garment district in vast suburban Jax. Could they work on some things like access to adjacent housing? Yes, but for the most part it is what it is a suburban shopping center. I'm a "In and out" type of guy; Go in, get the crap that you need then get out; If I happen to see a shop I wanna stop by on the way, no problem; If it's close walk, if not fine then drive wow, that's brain surgery. Yesterday I went to Gander Mtn the get a hoodie; In and out, no problem. I didn't get hit by a car, and I didn't hit a pedestrian. Maybe alotta people (like me) do wanna walk down a pre-determined path away from your car to huff it to a store way out yonder. All the so called "good planning" (in the suburbs BTW) is gonna do is force you to walk down a pre determined path away from your car. The only people who don't like mall layouts like RCMP are the few urban planner types, thus being the reason why places like RCMP, and SJTC still are very successful.

Hey wait a minute, WE CAN'T BE one of the best... We don't have a train store! OCALA has 4! High Springs has 1, Orlando has 3, Tampa and Miami area's are loaded... I even heard that Gainesville has a tiny one in a garage or some such, hell, ST AUGUSTINE, has a micro-store trains and guns, but he only carry's Florida East Coast! Hum! Talk about team loyalty.

OKAY, SO THIS IS A BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY IN JACKSONVILLE! We have a couple of stores with a few train items, and Orange Park is a bit better off then 103rd. I'm talking 100% trains in the city with the most retired or active railroaders in the USA. Listing in Model Railroader, and an ad in NS, FEC and CSX employee magazines and you'd be off and running.

OCKLAWAHA ;D

I'm not sure you'd call me an urban planner type. I guess I'm more nostalgic than anything. In the small town I'm from (Zanesville, OH pop. 25,000) there is a traditional downtown and one of those town centers. I'd take the downtown any day. And that's in a place where it gets pretty cold. I just think it's a waste to see all this land eaten up in parking lots that are rarely ever fully used (at least in many of the stores) and to have to drive everywhere (waste of gas). Plus you get the benefit of the exercise and you feel like you're in an actual community. I'm not convinced that these modern town centers are actually an improvement over the traditional town centers that have worked for generations. Maybe we should take a few lessons from the past.

Quote from: ricker on December 17, 2010, 02:39:13 PM....yeah the "TownCenter" wouldn't catch so much flak if it weren't ALL ONE FLAT SPRAWLING MESS. .......... preserving a meadow..........

If pulp wood forest could be called a medow?

you get the idea.