More Malls

Although people have lived in and around Mayberry for millennia, the city founders decided the best locale for the town proper was on the bluffs overlooking the Missouri River, turning their backs on the river forever. And so it was until the million year flood of 1993.

When the river receded the town fathers saw gold in the river bottom land, so armed with federal flood assistance money they built a million year levee and decided to create a retail city where once were only farms and scattered light industry.  The thinking, if we build it they would come, was successful beyond their wildest dreams.  A year after the flood construction began on the world's largest outdoor mall, and it was good.  For the next 20 years the mall attracted retailers from far and wide.

Retailers looked and what they did not see was an outlet mall.  The city saw empty space and put out feelers for outlet mall builders.  They hit paydirt, and last fall construction began on not one but two outlet malls, within a few miles of each other.  They broke ground on the same day, each racing to be the biggest, bestest mall ever seen.  The first opens this weekend, the second in 3 weeks.

The race to open has been fun to watch.  Seemingly the later to open has been the more successful attracting tenants.  Each of their 80 tenant spaces are leased and planning has begun on an expansion.  The first is half leased, although each claims they have 6 retailers the other place has.

Last week we had no Brooks or Ralph outlet, by the end of August we might have 2.  Christmas shopping just became easier.

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