They need to shutter the Lenscrafters. The chairs were covered in dog and cat hair. Extremely dirty store.

Has anyone heard of a little thing called the Internet? How about superstores like Target and Walmart? How is this mall store closing phenomenon a mystery to anyone?

I agree. The mall started to fade when Bishop's left. I remember busloads of people stopping there.

But, the reality is that as long as Obama is President, more retailers are going to be pulling out. Business and industry have no confidence in the Democrats, so until the Republicans are back in power, things will just get worse.

Anyone who thinks the mall is hurting hasn't been there at mid-day on a Saturday recently. That place is nuts. I had to stop there to make a couple of returns this past Saturday and had a hard time finding a parking space. I even made the comment to my spouse that Janesville's economy seems to be doing just fine given the amount of cars in the parking lot at the mall.

MGDJoker - That's pretty common with commercial rental agreements. Square footage rent plus a percentage of sales.

sarah"The prices are higher, the few stores I want to visit seem to be miles apart, "
here lies a problem. People wont walk in the mall and people think there isn't enough parking downtown because they cannot hop from curb to front door.
Look for SALES!
Kohls has some nice clearance things now- sweaters and shirts pants 10-12.

loveorleave"I tend to shop online or quite often go to Madison. The availability of apparel for a professional is so limited in Janesville! "

I see plenty of things in JCP- who are you that this stuff isn't "good enough" for you? Isn't that what you are saying? please clarify if not.

im back- I think this is a bit interesting comment and I agree to some extent. They come before 10 am and I am sure the wallet isn't near!!!

Imback....where does your bitterness come from?

Malls are going to have to offer something besides shopping to survive, especially in the age of internet shopping. It's why many have rides, extensive children's play ares, even water parks. I don't think any of those are in the cards of the J-ville mall, and it will probably go the way of the Beloit Mall at some point.

Thanks for the info, Steve. You say that the AT&T store is not in the mall anymore, that is good, now I don't have go into the mall for anything. Sears has their own outside entrances, so I am good there. Things do improve on occasion.

First, we are a nation wih 50% of it's citizenry in poverty. Then there's Walmart, and then the loss of our jobs, so the people who can afford to go to the Mall are fewer. Yes the mall has sentimental value, but consumer culture needs to be replaced anyways; with what I don't know, but it's not the worst thing in the world to be looking for alternatives to consumerism, that feeds corporations who make there clothes in near sweatshop conditions in china. Go online and buy clothes made in america that last. I don't know. I shop at Goodwill.

Christopher and Banks joined the larger sizes store of C&B.

Maybe CBL should lower the lease prices to attract new retailers

I wonder what Kohls could do with the whole mall.

I remember hanging out at the mall as a teen in the early 90's... today it is way busier than is was then. Are people blind? Its not suffering... remember the baby boomers had kids so there are plenty of people out shopping, and also no one has any money management skills so all their money if free to blow.

The problem is CBL. Milwaukee PC moved out because they wanted to charge 14,000 buck a month rent and take 5% of sales on top of that.

Sorry about the idiot remark, you just got this old goats goat.I have to disagree with your comment about being a minority on Boomer spending habits.Think outside of Janesville, where GM did not exist.Dad worked at American Motors but that didn't go far for a family of nine.My son is in his thirties and every time he opens his wallet, moths fly out. Like father like son I guess.

Orange, thanks for such a polite reply. I am a boomer, born in 55. There are a lot of boomers who worked at good-paying jobs like the GM plant. They lived high on the hog, with 2 new vehicles, a boat or a summer cabin up north, etc. They aren't in debt, and they have cut back on the extras, but they do need that social security check to supplement their pension or 401K. I think you are a minority on the spectrum of boomer spending habits. I am also, to some extent. I've never had more than one outstanding loan and I do have a little money saved up. I'm just basing my opinion on my personal observations. Perhaps other boomers can contribute their perspective.

Poetic maybe, that the "mall" concept is feeling the Internet and its Online shopping nipping at its retail heels (and let us not forget the many shopping networks on Dish).

Sort of reminds me of the angst felt decades ago when malls were pointed at as the antagonists in the fall of mom-and-pop retail and grocery stores. There is quite a list now of victims of that darn ol' Internet thing: media genres; long distance phone calls; book stores; video stores; movie theaters; some university class rooms; the Post Office; and the list goes on; and, now..., malls too?

I would like to be around 25 years from now to see what kind of scheme replaces the Internet, or at least converges on it and absorbs it. If the past is a prediction of the future, it is just a matter of time. I wonder as well, where the mall will be by then?

Violins playing now – I am sometimes sad that sports bars have all but replaced supper clubs; mega farms have replaced family farms; and, I am still always hoping Grant's in Creston Park will someday re-open so I can finally buy that poor sad monkey in their little pet aisle down from the soda fountain.

Bob Keith – just a bit tongue-in-cheek perhaps?

And say what ??? "They largely didn't grow up with an ingrained ,"save up until you can pay cash for it" ethic". Are you an idiot ? You must be ,because your obviously not a boomer yourself.If you are (God help us),you must have been on the tail end.I was born in '51, didn't have a credit card until I was 45,didnt believe in them.If I didn't have the cash, I did without ! But guess what, I had the cash. Because I saved my money,while raising a family,buying a house,a car, etc. Inheritance ? We never got anything, nor did we expect it.Once you hit 18,you were on your own.Dad died in debt, Mom had nothing. Your idea of what a baby boomer is , is really the offsprings of boomers. Your first comment was correct, we do have everything we need already.We use the mall as an exercise area because it's heated an open. Do we spend any money there ?Well,according to you we spent all our money ( not true).I think I'll go to Arizona for a couple of weeks and spend it there. Might even use the dreaded credit card.

I think I can speak for many, many boomers in that the "wealth they inherited from the previous generations" = zero. In fact, in some cases actually negative because we had to pay for our parent's funerals.

Retailers (and not just in Janesville) have to contend with 2 problems that aren't going to go away.

First, the baby boomers have grown past the shopping age. They have those extra decades-worth of things they have already bought and they don't need more material things.

Second, the baby boomers have spent the wealth they inherited from the previous generations. Unlike the pre-credit card generations, they largely didn't grow up with an ingrained "save up until you can pay cash for it" ethic. Boomers put it on their credit cards or took out home equity loans and paid a lot of interest on the debt. When they inherited estates, more of that money had to pay off acquired debt instead of going into savings or investments.

Frogger, sometimes stores (especially chains) will remodel in order to give themselves a new image. Those large windows leak a lot of heating and cooling energy, and if you are going to spend money on the building, why not fill in those windows with insulated walls to reduce your power bill? A lot of the retail buildings in Janesville are older and not very energy efficient.

Thanks n00b for your informative post.

I too miss the days of the theater, Thrift Drugs, the food counter @ JC Penney, the bakery, Buddy nut Squirrel...But i do like Tiger lily, Rue 21, some of the more AFFORDABLE new stores. Buckle is rediculous in price, as is American Eagle, how they stay in buisness is beyond me.BUT, that said, they are geared to the ones that spend $$$$ so, a forever 21, H& M, Charming Charlie, etc....would be nice to see here....but really, no jobs here, no $$ to spend...that seems to be part of the problem, who wants to relocate to Janesville? And the mall? They require stores to 'update' their look every so many years, why then hasn't the mall bothered to? Talk about tired & worn looking?That place should be leveled and rebuilt into outlet stores...or better stores than we currently have, so people don't NEED to go out of town.

CherryVale is a nice mall for nice apparel, at least for men’s. I assume there is good stuff for women’s clothes. I don’t have a problem with Penny’s; the Stafford broadcloth wrinkle free shirts are an excellent value in my book.

GoodAmerican:
You're probably right. My timing is probably off as much as you suggest. But I was so upset to discover the store had been closed....

greymaster - as long as you are shopping local ! ;)

JoyM,

I like Book World. Why I even bought a copy of the special priced edition of Playboy for 0.60 there.

greymaster - go across the street to Janesville Plaza and patronize Book World. They have discounts and frequent buyer rewards - without an enrollment charge - and will order you anything they can obtain that you request. AND they are local!

The only reason I would go there is Sears for tools, now that Craftsman tools are almost all made overseas i have no reason to go there. My wife drags me through once in awhile, like someone mentioned, all I see is kids and young thugs not spending any money, she her self hates it. If I am forced to go there (tuxedo a few months ago) i try to go early weekdays. The new strip malls are way nicer.

I tend to shop online or quite often go to Madison. The availability of apparel for a professional is so limited in Janesville! Yes it does look as if our mall is dying. It is a sad place to do some shopping. The multi-colored floor tiles look very bad. CBL should invest some money in Janesville so it will attract businesses to locate here. Not everyone wants to shop at $ stores! Are the malls in Madison and Janesville owned by CBL? If so, West Towne is the clear winner. Doesn't Janesville deserve better? How about it Janesville Mall manager? I would like to shop here.

and for poster n00b...Mall security will not let Children under the age of 14 shop without parents being there i have personally seen kids eating in the food court and big bad security has walked over to them and told them to finish up they had to leave....i felt that they are there spending money and not bothering anyone why should they leave...but on the other hand i have seen many of those age groups act up and cause a scene....Yes the mall is a baby sitting service but 10.00 is money spent...

you forgot to mention the new location of Orange Julius.. the new location opened up on June 1st when Best Buy Mobil took over Oj's old location...there are many days i look out into the food court and its as empty as can be but on other days the noise is deafening so i guess it all depends on what day you are there...I do have to say some days the most noise is coming from the puppy store...that mall has so much potential if only they would bring back the days of the sidewalk sales or craft sales or even the RV/Boat shows they had..I think it all revolves around Advertising which in the last 5 years i have worked there those attractions have been gone..So why would people want to come to the mall when they can go to Madison and have a wider variety of stores and food places to eat...

After Borders closed in Madison, I stopped at Waldenbooks (also a part of the Borders company)at the Janesville Mall and asked whether there were any plans to close Waldenbooks, too They laughed at me and I was told "Of course not!" Three weeks later I came back to the Mall and the book store was closed. I miss it.

anonomouse - The economy for the most part is fine. All we do now is use the "economy" to blame normal things we dont like on. Look at all the new businesses going up everywhere. I stopped in the mall last weekend... as busy as ever. The economy is in continual change, always has been. Nothing new, nothing wrong with it. There isnt less jobs, there is actually more being created every day.

cynicaleye: You can't be serious, even if the mall was at full capacity, you'd complain these are low paying jobs and secondly the mall has been on the decline for several years not just since 2010.

You should go on the weekends - that place is always hopping. Personally, I do most of my shopping in Madison or online - and many of my friends do the same. If they want to bring more shoppers to Janesville, they need more variety - they have the same old discount stores & it's been that way for years.

fishingal - yes, the Milton Avenue BK has been dumpy for years. I used to like it, but now cringe at the thought of going there. However, I've been to the one south of Milton a few times and have been better satisfied with the cleanliness aspect.

My sources tell me that the Mall will be closed in early 2013, after the holiday season. Remember, you heard it here first.

". A few steps later, what used to be the busiest place in the mall, the AT&T Store, closed and bolted for the high visibility of Milton Avenue and Highway 14. "
And probably CHEAPER too!!
JCP is nice to shop in but they could use a remodel. It is just so DIRTY and outdated in there. I make this comment on my receipt survey eash time.
Does anybody know if you get to do a survey and do you still get 15% off because of their "new pricing" going on.

Again if downtown WAS OPEN FOR BUSINESS people may go down to shop. Hubby went down on a sunday to checkout some stuff at the pawn shop- not open- Consignment shop- NOT OPEN.
Service at the pawn shop stunk- do you really want to sell your stuff OR NOT!!??
I would prefer Bishups over the food court.
I miss the fountain- it was so cool!
Cannot even get good popcorn anymore.
Sigma- to add to Burger King that location- I say a prego chic come directly out of the stall and skip the "employees must wash your hands" then she went outside to smoke and back to the counter. I told a manager about it- GROSS- she didn't seem to care either.
I was going to work there once when I was a lad. Took home the poly and said I am not wearing this! My mom said tell them I said you cannot work here lol. It was aweful.
I remember Mont Ward too. They had pool tables and lots of windows.
JCP used to sell electronics. Windows there too.
Kmart used to also have windows. Why take away all the windows? DO they think people become distracted? To hard to keep clean? You can see stuff from outside- yep that would be silly!!

The economy isn't what it used to be, people don't have the disposable income they had in the past and I haven't been in that mall since several gazette readers commented on how the people from Il are only a drag on society and said I only spend 2 dollars coming through there, used to shop there a lot due to taxes being cheaper, I stopped going there as did several people I know. We can spend our money more wisely in Wisconsin, There is a much better mall in Madison and most of us are traveling past Madison anyhow. no need to shop where we aren't wanted. A lot of people do read the comments on this papers site. Janesville used to be a nice place to visit, shop and live. But with the comments some of the residents and readers have posted it has become abundantly clear to most that Janesville does not want "tourists" and is very closed minded to new ideas

But why are the rents so high? I don't know but could it be that expenses are high for landlords and they have no choice but to charge that rent? What is the yearly property tax bill for the Janesville Mall? What's it cost to heat the place, to plow the snow, provide janitorial service, security, maintanence, and such? And we are not even to insurance yet. I have a feeling CBL is not making out like bandits. Many landlords of buildings in Janesville are just breaking even. The city can talk and talk all they want but the truth of the matter is that they were short of money and they went to commercial property owners to get it. Plain and simple. That great new property tax assessment round will put landlords in the red so guess what? Rent goes up and stores will close. You made your bed now sleep in it.

I feel the economic model of the mall type of business structure is totally outdated and is doomed to fail. It was predicated on big chain stores anchoring financial stability for the facility and then the “other” little stores filling in the remainder of the load. The big guys drew in the hordes with their advertised sales and leader ads and the little guys picking up some crumbs from the crowds. I was looking to open a business and seriously looked at the mall for the exposure I could get from the crowds but after spending 5 days in the mall with 3 people doing research on the crowds and their actual spending habits by picking people out a random and “stalking” them from the time they entered until they left we found the mall is just a big baby-sitting service. The vast majority of the people we observed were teenage “shoppers” who would spend the day there and not spend more than $10.00 in general.
True we did our research on a Monday Wednesday Friday Saturday and Sunday not during a holiday shopping event but the results were enough to make me decide the mall was not the place for my business.
The problem I found with starting a small business in our community is the commercial real estate rent values are so high that the only people making money on your work product is the landlord. The mall has to change with the times and sell themselves to the clients not the other way around.

Christopher and Banks didn't close. They had two stores -- Christopher and Banks (next to the AT&T store) that carried junior and misses sizes, and C&J Banks on the other side of the aisle closer to the food court. C&J Banks carries women's plus sizes. They merged the two stores into one so now it's back to just one Christopher & Banks store in the larger space that was only C&J Banks. All of the junior, misses and plus sizes in one store.

I believe that this was a corporate change in all of the malls where there was a C&J Banks and a Christopher & Banks store.

On line shopping is so much easier and relaxing. I would rather pay shipping then go to a mall.

I haven't stepped into the mall in over 25 years and it will be more than likely at least another 25 years before I do.

MonkeyWards, man you're old Steve. I remember that store when the Mall was first built...

Leave obama in office with his anti-business and socialistic practices and even more stores will be closing.

The mall has had stores closing for the 30+ years I remember going there...nothing new at all. There is always a boarded up store. Musicland, Sam Goody, Karmelkorn, like 15 different Egyptian novelty stores, There used to be a toy store where the kitchen place is, used to be a drugs store in there, a theatre, its a continual changing place not sure how you dont see that.
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Burger King on Milton ave has very poor management. They are also super cheap so the place is a dump and the manager keeps very few people on hand. I sat 15 minutes in the drive thru one day because the lady sent everyone home because they werent busy prior to lunch. How dumb can you get? The manager is doing them in there. I remember going inside once to eat and they had the heat turned way down. Not sure how they expect business???

I went to Burger King the other day and my how things have changed in a matter of weeks. Napkins, salt & pepper, and the ketchup dispenser are the things I noticed that are no longer available to dine in customers. They give you one napkin each on your tray, otherwise you need to ask for packets of the rest. If they are hurting that badly, I imagine its just a matter of time before they disappear quietly as well.