What does the future hold for Riverchase Galleria as Alabama’s last Macy’s faces possible closure?

For many over the past 38 years, whenever kids went back to school and Alabama families got ready for holiday shopping, there was one place to go – the Riverchase Galleria.

Now, more storefronts are empty, and news broke this week that Macy’s — the last in Alabama — is being put up for sale.

The mall’s future seems as uncertain as the chances of finding a parking spot when the Hoover Mall opened in 1986.

Hoover Economic Development Manager Greg Knighton said the city and Riverchase Galleria management are prepared to begin looking for a replacement store if the mall’s Macy’s location closes.

“Everything I’ve read about Macy’s so far from Macy’s, is that they’re evaluating what they’re going to do with their stores,” Knighton said.

“Certainly, if the worst were to happen, if it were to go dark, we would continually work to try to fill that space with another quality retailer that can come online here in Hoover.”

Some shoppers have expressed concern about the future of the Galleria as the malls decline in popularity nationwide.

Tommy Richardson, current general manager of Riverchase Galleria, acknowledged the need to adapt to changing consumer lifestyles in a recent interview with WVTM 13. AL.com’s efforts to reach Richardson for comment were not immediately successful.

“We’re always looking at those different entertainment and uses for changing consumer lifestyles,” he said.

Mike White, the Galleria’s former general manager, told WVTM 13 that the mall, like other indoor malls, will have to adapt to be successful. They didn’t perform the way they needed to be,” White said.

Across the U.S., older malls have lost at least half and, in some cases, more than 70 percent of their value since 2016, The Wall Street Journal reported in 2023.

Between 2016 and 2020, more than 1,000 department stores closed in the US, the WSJ reported. As department stores closed, other tenants left, and mall values ​​quickly deteriorated.

Knighton said the city is in constant conversation with developers at Galleria Brookfield Properties about how to bring new life to the property.

“We talk to building owners all the time,” he said.

“And of course, it’s important to note that there are probably more than a dozen property owners on that campus, so the big boxes each have their own stores in the mall, but we have conversations with them and their management team outside of that . Chicago about potential campus redevelopment opportunities.”

“I don’t have anything to share yet in terms of what that would be,” he continued. “But we’re in ongoing conversations with Brookfield and then we’re as a city working to try to fill back any empty stores that are offline and on campus.”

The Galleria fights have included two tragic incidents of deadly violence in the past five years.

The 2018 Thanksgiving Day shooting that left 21-year-old Emantic F. “EJ” Bradford, Jr. dead sparked protests in Hoover.

Bradford was shot and killed by a Hoover police officer moments after gunfire wounded an 18-year-old and a 12-year-old bystander.

Then a 2020 shootout killed 8-year-old Royta Giles Jr. Three other shoppers were injured but survived.

Knighton said these incidents have not been repeated in recent years because of the extra security measures that have been put in place.

“Fortunately, we haven’t had any incidents since 2020,” Knighton said.

“We believe this is because additional security measures have been put in place. The city has a police station there, and we have a presence on campus during business hours. As we know, indoor malls across the country have faced safety issues.”

For a mall that was once replaced as Alabama’s number one shopping attraction, many have expressed concern that the best days of a mall they fondly remember are gone forever.

And while several malls in the Birmingham metro area, such as the once-beloved Brookwood Village, are now empty, Knighton said Riverchase Galleria is as beloved today as ever.

“Location-wise, it’s as good as Alabama gets, being so close to the intersections of I-459 and I-65, as well as having two exits off of I-459, right onto it,” a he said.

“And the demographics have only gotten stronger around it since it was built.”