The Mall at Green Hills reinforces itself as the place for high-end retail

by Ellen Margulies

As the Mall at Green Hills undergoes a major facelift and expansion, shoppers can expect to see more luxury brands and some shifting around of old favorites over the next four years.

The mall is already into the second phase of a four-year, multi-million dollar expansion project that will include a renovation of Dillard’s and create another 130,000 square feet of retail space inside the mall. In addition, Carrabba’s Italian Grill will move from its location in the main mall footprint, across the parking lot to the former Ruby Tuesday’s building. Gus Mayer has already moved into the old Chico’s location.

What will fill the space left by those movements has not been announced. See our post about the possibility of an expanded Restoration Hardware here. 

Elizabeth Pitcher, Marketing and Sponsorship director for the Mall at Green Hills, owned by Bloomfield Hills, MI-based Taubman, says the combined changes will “reimagine our center completely and enhance the shopping experience for our customers.”

The mall already offers access to high-end and unique-to-market retailers that Nashvillians can’t find elsewhere, such as Tiffany, Nordstrom, Madewell, Burberry and Louis Vuitton. 

The expansion project could potentially open up space for 30-40 new retailers, Pitcher says, depending on whether a larger, anchor-type store ends up in the mix. “We won’t know anything until, at the earliest, 2017,” she says.
 
Similar Taubman properties include brands like Bloomingdale’s, Neiman Marcus, Fendi, Emporio Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Henri Bendel, Prada, Gucci and Hermes.

Here’s the timeline for the project:

Phase 1. Completed in February 2015. A new, four-level covered parking structure replaced an uncovered surface lot facing Cleghorn Avenue and has 240,000 square feet of parking with 700 spaces. It will connect directly to the renovated Dillard’s in Phase 2 and will also have separate a mall entrance.

Phase 2. Anticipated completion: Spring 2017. Demolition of the former parking garage on the west side of Dillard’s to make way for the new two-level Dillard’s, with the addition of 570 underground parking spaces. The demolition work was completed in June, and construction on the new Dillard’s and underground parking deck started in July.

Phase 3. Anticipated completion: Spring 2019. Once the new Dillard’s is open, the existing Dillard’s will be demolished and construction will begin on an additional 130,000 square feet of retail space that will include another 180 parking spaces below ground. Escalators will be added to take customers directly from the parking deck into the mall. 

New Dillard's store under construction at the Mall at Green Hills

Challenges ahead

As more people move to Nashville, mall developers want to make sure they hold onto the No. 1 spot as the place to go for high-end merchandise. Even so, it’s a bold move that will take place against the backdrop of increasing traffic congestion and retail growth in other areas like 12South, Germantown and East Nashville. 

Just five years ago, the area known as The Gulch more closely resembled the actual railroad gulch it was named for than the quirky mix of upscale boutiques, condos, fine dining, nightlife and office space that now populate the area. Just five minutes down 12th Avenue South, the early food and shopping pioneers have been replaced or joined by dozens more vintage and specialty shops, bars and restaurants, all vying for attention in an increasingly crowded market.

Across the river in East Nashville, the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce subgroup Chamber East is busy branding its multiple shopping destinations. Most people are already familiar with trendy 5 Points, one of the earliest re-gentrified areas to catch on, but Chamber East Chair Ashley Segroves wants to see other popular districts get their due. Members of Chamber East has launched a mural project beginning at 600 Main Street that will eventually spread to Inglewood, highlighting some of the community’s lesser-known districts.

“There are all these other really great pockets that are hidden jewels,” says Segroves. “The goal is to create art stops throughout the community. You can go on the mural tour and while you’re there you can stop at these little restaurants and shops. We want to to spread the love that exists already so the smaller venues that aren’t as well known can stay in business.” 

Green Hills can’t quite compete with the East Side when it comes to locally-owned restaurants, although the reopening of Green Hills Grille in September was a welcome return to small indie scene that includes Firefly, Goozy and Table 3. For Goozy owner Christie Hauck, however, there was never any question where he wanted to locate when he decided to close down his Christie Cookie outlets inside the mall and nearby Village Green shopping center and reopen both as Goozy Dessert Bar & Cafe.

Former Ruby Tuesday's, to be the new location for Carrabba's Italian Grill

“It’s the high-end section of town, and that’s always a plus,” says Hauck, who first opened Christie Cookies in Green Hills in 1988.

“It was just an appealing market of upscale Nashvillians that liked and understood gourmet products,” he says. “This was way before Nashville’s boom. There was no East Nashville or Germantown, and it was the place to be." 

Those reasons are still solid, and Hauck is still reaching the demographic he wants in Green Hills, which offers him an upscale customer base that appreciates quality, he says.

As for concerns about traffic, Hauck says all the locals know about Rule No. 1: Avoid Hillsboro Road. “You can bob and weave around it. Everyone in the neighborhood understands the traffic pattern.”