Author Topic: End of an Era: Death of Ponce de Leon Mall  (Read 8284 times)

Metro Jacksonville

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End of an Era: Death of Ponce de Leon Mall
« on: April 15, 2015, 03:00:03 AM »
End of an Era: Death of Ponce de Leon Mall



While we've focused on Regency Square Mall's fall from grace, St. Augustine's Ponce  de Leon Mall is quietly calling it quits. Here's a look at what First Coast shoppers will no longer be able to walk through.

Read More: http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2015-apr-end-of-an-era-death-of-ponce-de-leon-mall

menace1069

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Re: End of an Era: Death of Ponce de Leon Mall
« Reply #1 on: April 15, 2015, 08:56:48 AM »
Personally, I think there would be a few ways to turn this around, but you have to be willing to think outside the box. With e-commerce being so easy to shop from remote locations, you have to make this a destination location. In other words, you have to make people want to go there.
So for the movie theater, instead of showing current releases try showing older movies so that newer generations can see them on the big screen. Or turn it into an independent movie house like the Enzian (http://www.enzian.org/) in Maitland, FL which would give up and coming movie makers a place to show their films.
As far as the mall, you can continue the mall/retail route and try to lure smaller businesses in there, such as start-ups and other mom & pop entrepreneurs who want to try their hand at opening their own business. if the retail way won't work, turn it into a medical mall with doctor's offices, a medical supply store and a pharmacy.
There are just too many things that can be done when you think outside the box. Yes, it's a mall but when malls fail they can have a new life. Look at the FSCJ campus on Baymeadows....old mall, now it's a college campus.
« Last Edit: April 15, 2015, 09:09:43 AM by menace1069 »
I could be wrong about that...it's been known to happen.

PeeJayEss

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Re: End of an Era: Death of Ponce de Leon Mall
« Reply #2 on: April 15, 2015, 09:59:08 AM »
Not sure a 30 year mall that was never all that popular can be considered to represent an "era."

coredumped

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Re: End of an Era: Death of Ponce de Leon Mall
« Reply #3 on: April 15, 2015, 10:12:26 AM »
I don't think this mall could be saved as a mall - it needs to be something else. It must be a destination, just like menace1069 said. It's just too far off the beaten path to be a retail outlet.

And that's what regency has going for it, tons of traffic and surrounded by a diverse & dense neighborhood. Regency could re-invent itself as retail destination, but sadly I think this mall is a goner.
Jags season ticket holder.

JohnnyK

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Re: End of an Era: Death of Ponce de Leon Mall
« Reply #4 on: April 15, 2015, 11:50:54 AM »
Just order stuff online and have it delivered to your house.  Why go somewhere to deal with the people and the traffic?  It would be diferent if they were local stores and shops that would really help the local economy but they aren't.  Most of the stores in the Malls are not based in the city they are in and it is usally cheaper to just buy their wares online.  Take a look at what Forbes has to say about traditional retail stores http://www.forbes.com/sites/adamhartung/2013/04/22/two-wrongs-wont-fix-jc-penney/ grant it this is from 2013 but I think it still applies today.  I think these malls like this best bets would be to turn themselves into appartments or condos either by retro fit or demolish and start over.  Then have small local shops around them within walking distances to make a vibriant community for people to live.  I say if the customers are too far away build a place for them to stay.

Jaxson

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Re: End of an Era: Death of Ponce de Leon Mall
« Reply #5 on: April 15, 2015, 12:12:17 PM »
It looks like this mall retained much of its look from 1979...
John Louis Meeks, Jr.

JaxJersey-licious

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Re: End of an Era: Death of Ponce de Leon Mall
« Reply #6 on: April 15, 2015, 01:13:23 PM »
Oh this mall brings back so many memories of my time in S.A. particularly the old pizza place. The guy running it used to exaggerate the prices ("That will be $8000!")  Yes it was an outdated, undersized, and mainly empty mall but it was OUR outdated, undersized, and mainly empty mall. I felt the main problem was that even though there was a lot of development north of the mall, the area south of it barely had any life there for many years with the exception of car dealerships. And the inside was to small to have anything like a branch of St. John's River Community College as was done with the one on Southside Blvd. The area deserved the better retail options now available so I'm not sad to see this mall hit the dust.

A bit of irony that even though for all these years this was the go to place for first run movies in St. Augustine, the little old Potbelly Cinema downtown with its decorative old school lunchbox art kept chugging along all those years even surpassing the mall's movie showing run. I understand its changed hands since then and has been repurposed, but I've always rooted for little guy businesses such as that  :)

cayohueso

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Re: End of an Era: Death of Ponce de Leon Mall
« Reply #7 on: April 18, 2015, 10:47:27 PM »
I actually remember the opening of the mall in 1979 since we were living in Crescent Beach at the time and I was in 5th grade at Orange Street School. During it's life I think it had an Alladin's Castle at one point as well as the movie theater. The Nautlius always had cool shirts, bathing suits etc., a record store (Musicland?), bookstore and yes..pizza. Good mall for the mallrats of the early 80's. Damn...getting old really is bull$hit.

Sonic101

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Re: End of an Era: Death of Ponce de Leon Mall
« Reply #8 on: April 20, 2015, 04:34:27 PM »
Does this article mean there's going to be more St. Augustine coverage?  :D

jwert

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Re: End of an Era: Death of Ponce de Leon Mall
« Reply #9 on: April 20, 2015, 05:46:16 PM »
It is so sad to see perfectly good buildings go to waste. In Tx I saw how shopping malls/strips were changed into senior centers combined w medical offices. This mall would be perfect for this. It is suspicious when corporations that own these empty building and clearly turn down requests to open business in them. Clearly being used as a tax write-off And a Sin. It would also be a great VA center since St Johns county planning board insists on clogging up 312 and US 1 with Lowes. Another disgusting plan. Citizens have no say. :(

Redbaron616

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Re: End of an Era: Death of Ponce de Leon Mall
« Reply #10 on: April 20, 2015, 09:22:12 PM »
Big corporations would rather write off losses than actually be creative. They just collect the mall rent checks and seem to think it is all magic. As a previous writer noted, try thinking outside the normal mall mindset. When I was in Saint Augustine, I enjoyed going there once in awhile.

As for shopping online, clothes can be hit-or-miss. Either the sizing is not standard or the colors/patterns look different in person than they did online. You simply can't feel the fabric online, no matter what advances computers have made.

Sad to see you go, Ponce De Leon mall.

 ;D How about more St. Augustine stories with happier endings?

PeeJayEss

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Re: End of an Era: Death of Ponce de Leon Mall
« Reply #11 on: April 21, 2015, 01:27:59 PM »
;D How about more St. Augustine stories with happier endings?

Maybe it would seem happier if we changed the title?
"Shitty, Under-performing Suburban Blight to Be Closed, Vacant Concrete to Remain"

It's a bad mall. Nobody is going to keep it open because of a small amount of nostalgia. You are sad to see it go, but it doesn't sound like you were actively supporting the place, so I'm not sure what the problem is.