Jackson Jambalaya

Future Parking lot for highland village?

The hardware store closed due to rent increase. It went from $17.00 square foot to $48.00 square foot. The owner will keep the other two stores open in Hattiesburg and Petal. He owns them outright.

Ace Hardware blamed the increased rent on their decision to leave. But, the area has become one big traffic snarl and the parking lot is inadequate and not customer friendly. The surrounding community has a large number of senior citizens who cringe at driving in this congestion.

Can't speak for the Pine Cone, but know for a fact that Ace Hardware leaving was because the owners of the shopping center wanted to nearly triple their lease charge when it was to renew mid January. They did not want to leave but could not justify that big of an expense increase, plus they still had the shop in Fondren. Would not be surprised if Pine Cone had a similar situation. Maywood Mart's new owners are out of New York and want them some Whole Food rates.

Those New York owners are just trashing Maywood Mart. It has been a stronghold for our area over 40 years being as a main street for us. The leaving of Montgomery Hardware, Bon Ami, and the Pine Cone is so deterimental to our area. They have done nothing but bring in trash stores. I hate to see what else will come in now.

My Lexus bottoms-out, if I don't S L O W L Y creep from Maywood Mart's parking lot, onto Northside. So many layers of asphalt have been added, over the decades, that surely the grading is now in violation of all sorts of guidelines/regulations.

That's really dangerous, since oncoming traffic is dense, fast, and clueless. Making it worse is that there is always some idiot behind me, about to hit my bumper, while I wait for a space in traffic. And the other exits are nearly as problematic.

So really, the New York Guttersnipes can just go ahead and fill the whole place with ho-nail boutiques, weave-salons, and dollar stores, as far as I'm concerned.

If they can replace Maywood Mart with high tax places, more power to them. Just leave McDade's, Nandy's, Beemon's in the center somewhere with great parking and a great parking lot. I am just afraid that they want it for an entirely different reason and that will really cost the area and Jackson. I have been shopping McDade's for 60 years under different names. The barbershop has been there always and Beemon's is the best independent pharmacy in the nation. I despise Kroger's because you can never park in front and it is a moving jungle inside. McDade's is just right for quick shopping and it isn't a convenience or dollar store! Thank heavens.

For many, many years it was a joy to shop at Highland Village and Maywood Mart. You could find anything you needed from hardware to groceries to upscale clothing and restaurants. Now the parking is awful, the area is not safe and so many of the stores are second rate. This is another piece of Jackson lost - Welcome to more of the third world country!!!

How would a nail salon be able to pay the higher rents at Maywood Mart? Doesn't make sense. If the NY owners can get some high end stores in there to pay those rents, then great. The current stores can move to Deville, which will improve that mall, and replace Radio Shack and the old sporting goods store.. Everybody wins.

"the area is not safe and so many of the stores are second rate. This is another piece of Jackson lost - Welcome to more of the third world country!!!"

The area is unsafe? That's just demonstrably untrue. Go drive around Eastover and tell me what 3rd world country that looks like.

Stick to the Walmart and Applebees in Madison; I'm sure the parking is much easier there.

Or go drive around Mountain Brook and tell me how it compares to Eastover. You're right. Eastover isn't third world...only second world. Ha!

Settle down, children (1:40 pm AND 3:24 pm). Does every single thread have to be a pissing match between inside and outside of the city limits?

There are several nice stores there, but I can't see small shops paying that kind of rent. The owners must have a longer term plan for that facility.

Such a drastic rental increase, if true (and I don't doubt it) would indicate to me one thing; run off all the old tenants so a bright shiny new tenant (such as Costco perhaps?) can be brought in.

I'll anxiously await the choir to tell me how wrong I am.

If the Yankees are jacking the rent, mcDades is a short term tenant. Look for all to vacate if their leases come up within the next couple of years. Sad. Truly sad. A blow to jackistan for sure.

the new york owners are totally disinterested in the community, and because of that they will never realize the full value of this property. instead, they just suck every dime out and do not reinvest in the property. their local company is just as bad, out to make a buck and don't care about the best mix of businesses in the center...which if they did it would increase the center's overall value

There's a world of difference between Birmingham and Jackson even though the two are quite similar-
Their revitalization project is working thus far; Jackson's has been an abymismal failure-the latest blow being the water meter snafoo.

Mountain Brook is very nice- so is Belle Meade / West End in Nashville.

I need not mention the catch and release program that is the subject of so many blog posts on JJ that seems to contribute to the ever encroaching demise of Jackson.

The remaining 'pocket of wealth' in Jackson will eventually leave if the grown ups don't come to the table like Kingfish is trying to do to get a grip on the city at large.

Why should a property owner with no presence in the community give one whit about the 'feelings' of the community, how long these places have served the residents or how long old people have been able to wander around in the stores without being trampled?

Owners/investors are about one thing. Profit. Any business who comes to a community and says, "We want to become a part of your community just like family" is blowing smoke up your collective asses, and surely you know that.

And city officials across the state will sell their souls and YOUR fuzzy feelings for an increased tax structure and more cash registers.

Mountainbrook is it's own city and has its own incorporation. It is a suburb of Birmingham. Thank you very much

the amount of wealth in Mountainbrook is greater than Eastover by orders of magnitude.

good point 8:02.

Do tell us why someone is comparing Eastover to Mountain Brook?

One is a neighborhood in a city and the other is a suburb of a city ( in the same county of said city).

Anyone who views Eastover as vibrant doesn't have a clue as to the composition of its aged inhabitants.

I don't understand why you blocked my comment. I'll try again.

You can't compare Jackson to mountain brook. The vast majority of mountain brook is white. The vast majority of Jackson is black. Jackson should be modeled after a succesful, safe, and productive black community in america. Since the problems that plague Jackson are the same problems that plague black america.

To elaborate on 10:16 w/o including race as a factor:

Mountain Brook doesn't have the overall population as Jackson ( Eastover included).

I don't know where most of you went to school, but you can't apply large group statistics to small group populations and vice versa.

According to Google:

Mountain Brook, AL = 20,359
Jackson, MS = 172,638

Some of you just seem to make stuff up or draw conclusions based on limited anecdotal knowledge.

Yes, some of us in Eastover are aging, but the homes being built and which have been renovated are owned by our children's and grandchildren's age group. And, the builds and renovations aren't being done " on the cheap".

Haven't you driven through the neighborhood in the last few years? Are you blind? Do you not know that homes don't stay on the market?

Maywood Mart is busy at lunch time for obvious reasons, but I have zero problem with parking the rest of the time. People with money don't have to shop at high traffic times.

I do hope Beemon's and McDade's can stay but that sort of change is hardly indicative of economic demise but rather the opposite. And, it's not like getting to Fondren or Deville adds that much time.

The assumption some of you apparently make is that out of state investors don't do adequate research and planning before making purchases and that wealthy people never give thought to how they spend their money.

No doubt you have based this assumption on the mall in South Jackson 40 years ago. That was 40 years ago. You didn't have a lap top 40 years ago, did you?

Here's another news flash for some of you...those with a lot of money can get in early and make long term investments. We don't need a quick turnover on investments. We buy when the price is low and sell high because we make it our business to understand markets and trends.

This has happened before. Old shopping centers in capitol cities have been redefined. Those long time businesses that are prepared to hold out during the change end up being the local businesses that survive. They are the business people who don't stubbornly rely on past experience or panic with change but who take a deep breath and analyze change.

Atlanta, Richmond and Raleigh have all " been there and done that".

watching cities that died now decompose is a sad sight. not sure New York owners are the cause, but it seems to be a strategy, mega rent increases do not just happen. admit i lack any solutions to recovering the urban areas that will pass the political 'gimme me mine first' hurdle.

golly gosh darn @6:59 AM... I was all ah-tither with worry in regard to closing hardware stores and rich invading yankees from the north but after being enlightened by your insight, investment prowess and abounding wisdom I will sleep well tonight.

Anyone who views Eastover as vibrant doesn't have a clue as to the composition of its aged inhabitants.

^ This.

It's made up of reprocessed money owned by individuals that make me feel old at 45yo. A bunch of rich brats that doesn't know what it means to really work to put bread on the table.

Why should a property owner with no presence in the community give one whit about the 'feelings' of the community

by "property owner", I assume you mean business. One would think that a business who's profits rely mostly on the community would give one whit about the feelings of said community. Otherwise, they would be stupidly not making a profit.

Well put 6:59 a.m. --- I would only add that the investors are probably modeling their investment on Highland Village, their "potential" next door neighbor. In addition, a "Family Dollar type store" looks for areas where rents are low, and potential ROI high. Why would a low end store, come into an area, where rents have tripled? I would think, there might be a strategy here, that we're all not privy to, but the naysayers are going to plead gloom and doom -- sibling rivalry on steroids in Madison and Rankin county! If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem because ultimately Jackson's problems affect you.

These New York owners are not new, they've owned it for years. They did the same thing to Blockbuster and Clarks Cleaners. Wonder how much rent they are charging Dress Code? How is that place still there?

They're walking the dogs this morning in Eastover.

The fools who pressed out Ace are carpet baggers.

KF - why did you spike my demographic comparison of Mountain Brook vs Eastover - I proved I'm not a robot :-)

Also: "They did the same thing to Blockbuster "

Blockbuster went bankrupt nationally - local issues may have hastened the demise of individual franchised stores but they were all doomed when streaming video became practical.

Personally, I don't care. I have lived in NE Jackson for 30 years. I remember when the McDades was a Sunflower. But honestly, the only time I go to McDades is when Kroger is out of something. The fact that the hardware store was still open was surprising. Hardware stores are great in rural areas that don't have walmart/lowes/home depot. But I am surprised that those big name stores, and the prices and convenience of one stop shopping, hadn't driven it out of business. Personally, the only time I have been to that store, or any other hardware store, in the last ten years was to get a key made. I'll take the prices of Kroger and walmart. Maywood Mart should change its name to Whole Food Parking Expansion Phase I.

How will the owners of Maywood Mart make money if no one can afford to rent from them? Did seeing Whole Food across the street on a map make it appear to a high scale area? 10 years from now Highland Village may vacant..

I don't know about the cleaners, but Blockbuster closed because Flicks Entertainment, the franchise holder, pulled all their Blockbusters. That's why the sister store, formerly Purple Creek on County Line then Pear Orchard/Old Canton next to RiteAid, closed at the same time. Blockbuster like all video stores suffered a slow death that began the day Netflix went online and ended with Redbox.

As the horde of smoothie militants invades no doubt Maywood Mart will soon need to pit neighbor against neighbor to produce an ostensible solution to a parking problem that doesn't exist.

10:36. You're right about Blockbuster going under nationally, it was going to happen anyway. However I do know that with that particular store the issue was not being able to pay the higher rent. The positive is that I cleaned up on $1 and $2 DVDs the last week they were open.

Maywood Mart is just fine for me- I've been shopping there over 50 years. It has a great mix of retail shops and restaurants, coffee shops etc. And the parking just proves its a vibrant center, with lots of Hinds, Rankin and Madison county customers. So naysayers, your jealousy of the state Capitol is amusing. Suppose you'll just have to enjoy your shopping experience at the big box stores!

No, 8:30, by 'property owner' I do NOT mean business. These people y'all are barking about don't own the property. They are businesses who rent space on the property. The business owners might 'love the locals', but, the property owners could not care less about the locals, the old people, the history or where you park. Please pay attention.

Whole foods is how they're pimping it out - that and being right next to eastover.

Check it out:

http://properties.theshoppingcentergroup.com/property/output/center/detail/id:1843/#overview

Someone call the phone number and ask about this over all plan. Rotf.

BeBop Records was the anchor tenant.

Rather strange - the property owners have told other tenants that the hardware store space is already leased, but they have been very secretive about the supposed new tenant... and based on website above, they have no tenant at all...

Hey Fondren and Jackson haters!! read this and weep!:

http://www.clarionledger.com/story/business/2015/02/24/mcraes-telehealth-data-ummc/23938603/

10:58: That is a great project for the City and area but it is part of the Medical Center that is already located a few blocks away. A real story would be a Belks moving into the building.

Moron at 10:57. A Belk's would not be bringing in 300 employees making $60,000+ per year.

Admit it. You hate Jackson. Redneck.

@ 519 PM

And you think they will move their family next door?

Jackson isn't attractive for young families. You think they can send their kids to private school on $60K/year and pay absorbent taxes at the same time?