Business & Tech

Southdale: Mother of the Mall

Laurie VanDalen is focused on making the nation's first indoor shopping center 'more than a mall.'

Editor's note: This is part one of a two-part series examining the current state of Southdale Center, while also looking ahead to a number of planned improvements at the iconic mall. Read part two .

Renovations are nothing new to Laurie VanDalen.

After more than a year as 's General Manager, VanDalen is preparing the country's first indoor shopping mall to undergo a serious overhaul.

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With  immediately to the south and the Mall of America only six miles away, some believe the market simply can't support another mall. VanDalen disagrees, though given the amount of work going into revitalizing the mall, it's hard to argue things were going well for Southdale.

This will be the sixth mall renovation of VanDalen's career, all the more impressive considering Southdale is only the seventh mall she has worked in.

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"The nice thing is the more a mall is torn up, the more foot traffic you start to get," VanDalen said. "People get curious and want to see what's happening."

Helming a historic property like Southdale certainly has its challenges, she said, though in many ways the issues aren't unique to the aging mall.

"Our challenge is more knowing that we need to transition the mall into a full-blown center that provides customers with what they're looking for today," she said. "The challenge for me is I want it done today."

Turning the Tide

VanDalen wasn't willing to disclose occupancy rates for the mall, but admitted Southdale "has some room to grow."

"Anyone knows that walking around," she said. "We have some tenants coming in, some tenants relocating and most of the empty spaces as you come out of Herberger's will be open for the holiday season."

Some new stores—which VanDalen wasn't able to reveal—have committed to opening in 2012, with other established businesses set to undergo remodeling next year.

VanDalen attributes the massive changes at the mall to the 135,000 square-foot anchor space that once housed Mervyn's. Herberger's will join  and  as the third anchor store for the mall. Southdale houses more than 130 specialty stores and a 16-screen .

Traffic is up compared to last year at this time, she said, and so is foot traffic. Herberger's will open at Southdale on Nov. 9.

"To fill a massive three-story space like that is certainly helping the process," she said. "With all of the planned improvements, I think we'll start turning that tide again."

The mall will see another new addition this fall, with Michael Kors coming on board as a tenant. It provides yet another retail outlet for clothing, which currently dominates Southdale's offerings. 

Employees at , which has called Southdale Center home for several years, said the mall has "been good for us."

Sales Leader Megan Young said she likes the large variety of clients that being located in a mall provides.

"We have a regular clientele that comes in, but we also see a lot of new people because of our location next to the movie theater," Young said. "It's a great location and we love being here."

Building a Mecca

Simply put, VanDalen thinks shopping has changed. By working alongside Galleria, she sees the two as forming a sort of "shopping mecca" in southern Edina.

"Galleria is great and offers customers that sort of higher-end boutique shopping," VanDalen said. "We're looking to add retailers that aren't already here, because there's not room in any market for two shopping centers. We can really complement each other."

Edina Mayor Jim Hovland concurs. He believes Galleria has helped Southdale continue to be viable, though other properties have also contributed.

"I think the is a big beneficial factor for them," Hovland said. "I know Warren Beck wouldn't mind having another hotel out there and perhaps having them connected with a skyway. I could see a day out there—long after I'm done—where that's kind of a village unto itself."


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