The hype - Aeropostale, Best Buy and Target.
The reality Label Shopper and Amy's Attic.
We have nothing against Label Shopper or Amy's Attic, but they're not what we were led to expect.
Just over a year ago, there seemed to be a glimmer of hope coming from the Warren Mall with a new owner and a new mall general manager.
That glimmer is now gone.
On July 7, 2011, Juanita Jones, the new general manager at Warren Mall, said there will be new restaurants, a clothing store, a shoe store and a hair salon coming to the mall by September 2011.
A year later there are two new stores Label Shopper, a clothing store, and Amy's Attic, an antiques store.
Not exactly a list to get excited about when names like Aeropostale, Best Buy, T.J. Maxx and Target are thrown around.
Jones is gone and so is her replacement, Stephanie Flowers, and the book store Flowers operated, Bargain Books and More.
Maybe the third time will be the charm and new mall foreman, Mike Marfink. can lure Abercrombie & Fitch to Warren.
If trends around other Kohan-owned properties are a sign, there may be more serious trouble in the future for our mall. One Kohan-owned mall was shut down temporarily for delinquent utility bill payments and another indefinitely after a January 6 court order deemed it a safety hazard.
Even desperately needed improvements promised by Jones to the parking area at Warren Mall were quick fixes and car-swallowing potholes have returned.
The three remaining anchor stores continue to survive and the two new additions give a small taste of variety for Warren shoppers.
What is needed now is a long-term commitment to improve the facilities, inside and out, to attract new and exciting retailers.