There are few things that draw as much interest as a new business story. If it’s a restaurant, it’s really over the top.

 

If it’s a national restaurant (despite my love for a smorgasbord of quality local joints), the numbers are higher. If it happens to be a restaurant going to the mall, it’s often a complete numbers meltdown. To be quite honest, any story we’ve done regarding new businesses – restaurants or otherwise – at the Meadowbrook Mall always do big numbers.

 

They also create a lot of conversation on social media that requires our limited staff to have to monitor the comments when those stories run because, invariably, someone decides profanity is the best way to get their point across. While the profanity is rare, what isn’t is what comes out every single time on the comment front.

 

“I don’t know why the Mall doesn’t get INSERT YOUR CHOICE HERE.” Look, I get it. As much as everyone truly should be happy when anyone is investing in their community, I understand that getting a new restaurant is much more exciting than a new cellular phone store.

 

In fairness, some of the comments are just to express people wanting to see a business they would like to be in Bridgeport or the North Central region. That’s not an issue.

 

What I don’t understand is what will undoubtedly show up in the comments of our various social media platforms on every business story and very likely for this very post about the subject. People actually believe that a development (and for purposes of this blog we’re using the mall) simply picks up the phone to get a business here and can’t understand why it hasn’t been done or believe that the development should turn down a business from coming here because, well, they don’t like it.

 

A local group or individual or a national group comes in and invests tens of thousands and sometimes millions of dollars and the complaint brigade springs forth. 

 

“I don’t understand why we have to have another doctor’s office?” Yeah, that’s come up for doctor's and just about every other business for that matter, There’s no reason for me to try and explain how I believe it works on every comment (although there's often a few that do chime in) so I thought I’d try here. It’s likely an exercise in futility, but I’m going to try.

 

Again, I get people want certain things. I’d love to see a big, shiny new grocery store. I’d love to see a Dave and Buster’s for my inner child. Heck, a new Mercedes Benz dealership would be pretty cool too so I could act like I was considering a purchase to take a few summer test drives.

 

Folks, telling someone to come here or turning down someone willing to invest in your property is not how it works. Don’t believe me? I figure some don’t so I called my friend Joe Bell, the director of corporate communications for the Cafaro Company.

 

The company Bell works for owns the Meadowbrook Mall. They own commercial property all across the country. Bell has spent more than a decade dealing with slugs like me asking questions as it relates to their property.

 

He was happy to weigh in on the dilemma about why the Meadowbrook Mall doesn’t have a Whole Foods when a handful seem to think it’s a pretty easy process.

 

So how does a business actually get here?

 

“We have leasing executives who have been in touch over the years with many different businesses and those discussions often go on regularly for 10 years or more. We may have a situation where a space comes open in Meadowbrook Mall or maybe a couple of others and we go and talk to those contacts,” said Bell. “We try and introduce them to a space for a business opportunity. That’s where it begins.”

 

As you can see, many times a basic deal may be a decade in the making.

 

“It’s a complicated process; I’m certain our real estate people wish it was easy. You have to match the desire of a potential client looking to expand with available space at the right time in the business cycle,” said Bell. “There are so many factors that come into play. I’ve seen retailers that have no desire to be at a certain location and two years later that retailer has a change in attitude and wants to come.

 

“For anyone that doesn’t believe we’re not talking to as many brands as possible, understand our agents are always talking. They’re always looking for the right fit for an existing contact or getting in touch with the contact for a new business,” said Bell, who said Red Lobster and Olive Garden (almost universally brought up) are among their many clients. “It’s a matter, many times, of networking where you have a contact directly or your contact can put you in touch with a third party. There is no script that fits every situation.”

 

Yes, but what about Macy’s? Even though Macy’s just closed its Charleston location at a mall that was providing the retailer tens of thousands of square feet for free – yes FREE – they opted to close the store. Macy’s is doing that nationwide in plenty of big markets yet, without fail, someone is flabbergasted that Macy’s isn’t in Bridgeport.

 

“Right now, they’re not in the mode to expand locations. They’re trying to rationalize the spaces they have across America to make sure each one is operating efficiently and profitably,” said Bell. “They’re not in the mindset to open stores Willy-Nilly.”

 

What that means is that a right opportunity has to present itself. A unique development opportunity that Macy's would buck their current trend for. That would likely mean a big market, a major new development or some area that would at worst, have population base much higher than Bridgeport.

 

The good news for you fans of Macy’s in Bridgeport? Bell said there’s no way to know if that would ever happen, which means there's a chance. Particularly for their "neighborhood stores" that go to smaller locations with smaller stores. Then, he added this as a bit of a downer.

 

“I would not expect that anytime soon,” said Bell of a Macy's arrival in Bridgeport. “It’s not in a phase of its life to be expanding, particularly in markets of that size.”

 

And that leads to demographics. Back when I ran blogs on Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and a few other grocery chains where I provided a link where you could send them a request to actually come to your town, I prefaced the blogs on the demographic requirements.

 

Bridgeport and, for that matter, most if not all of West Virginia didn’t fit the mold of so many businesses people would love to see. That doesn’t mean it can’t happen, because there are several examples of big-name stores in small-time markets. It is by far the exception as opposed to the rule.

 

“Demographics are very true as it relates to final decisions. Tenants look at different things, but some have very specific requirements about average age, household income, and the proximity to similar retail, the proximity to higher education and various industries to learn about disposable income,” said Bell. “Population is certainly one of those and certain retailers require a sufficient population.”

 

Bell said population is often a make or break thing. He said companies usually have people that crunch numbers to determine if a store is justifiable in a particular city. Bell said, as I’ve mentioned before, rooftop surveys that simply count the number of homes within a certain radius often put a grinding halt on a company being courted to come to places such as Bridgeport.

 

“There are instances where population doesn’t matter as long as you’re the dominant retailer, but usually they want to know the population in a radius of five miles,” said Bell. “For places that serve as a more regional destination, they don’t mind a radius of 25 to 30 miles. When an entity has strict requirements, and many do, it will certainly hurt the chances if not eliminate the chances of landing them.

 

“It’s just not an exact science. As mentioned, it’s complicated,” Bell continued. “It will definitely involve a phone call, but it’s never a matter of just picking up the phone and getting someone here. It’s way beyond that.”

 

Editor's Note: Top photo is of the mall signs on the hillside facing Johnson Avenue, while Joe Bell is shown in the bottom photo. Pictures by www.benqueenphotography.com.