Barnes & Noble joins Chapel Hill's revamped University Place
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The scene at University Place these days. Photos: Mary Helen Moore/Axios
University Place mall in Chapel Hill is continuing to evolve, with a new alcohol-friendly social district up and running and a Barnes & Noble opening Wednesday.
Why it matters: Malls had to change to survive online shopping's takeover, and the ones that did are up 13% in value since last year, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The big picture: Many of those surviving malls followed the same playbook as University Place's owners — building apartments and offices, adding more non-enclosed restaurants and shops, and creating outdoor hangout areas lined with plants, art and places to sit.
Flashback: Ram Realty estimated its investment to overhaul the 1970s mall at around $160 million, according to the Daily Tar Heel.
- The company bought the mall in 2018 and leasing is managed by JLL Property Management. There are 31 retailers open or in the works.
Zoom in: Entertainment has become key to juicing foot traffic. University Place's new entertainment district lets people buy to-go drinks at four locations and hang out outdoors, including during Saturday morning farmers markets.
- Drinks are sold at Silverspot Cinema, Stoney River Steakhouse, Bartaco and Hawkers.
What they're saying: Mall manager Marni Sawicki told Chapelboro that everything they're doing is aimed at becoming the community's go-to spot.
- "We just want people to feel like it's theirs and feel like they have a stake in it," Sawicki said, according to Chapelboro.
The latest: It's a sentiment echoed by the manager of the new Barnes & Noble, which took over the former Planet Fitness space and has a cafe included in its 20,000 square feet.
- Store manager Andrea Wilson said in a news release she hopes "to create a true third place … where people can relax, browse and enjoy spending time."
State of play: Bookstores like Barnes & Noble are hanging tough, too, posting strong sales even as fewer Americans are reading books.
- Before Chapel Hill, there were already eight Barnes & Noble locations in the Triangle, the more recent additions typically far smaller than the super-sized stores of malls past.
Case in point: The Streets at Southpoint location is 30,000 square feet, while Village District's came in around 10,000 square feet in 2021.
- This summer's openings in Knightdale and Chapel Hill are both around 20,000 square feet.
📍 If you go: The mall is about 2 miles from UNC-Chapel Hill at the intersection of U.S. 501 and Estes Drive.
What's next: The Barnes & Noble ribbon-cutting is at 10am Wednesday, and rewards members get discounts the first week.
