I am always thrilled when one of my projects opens! Retail/entertainment centers frequently require right-sizing for the market and/or for the level of demand. Clients aren’t always happy to hear the results of the research when they hire us for a project and I often have the unenviable job of revealing how to scale centers for the real world. In the past 24 months, much of our work has been for centers that have large amounts of vacant space; clients want to know how to fill these spaces with well-performing tenants. These days, fixes are neither easy nor quick and most projects require major reinvestment, even to attract a new tenant, or for those brave developer/owners, to create a new user.
So it is my great pleasure to share an inspiring success story. Four months ago in March, I was called in to consult on a project in Roswell, Georgia. You heard it right, Roswell, like the notorious sci-fi location in New Mexico, where the UFO incident allegedly occurred. You remember, the recovery (wink wink) of extra-terrestrial debris and alien corpses from an object which crashed in July 1947. Since the late 1970s the incident has been the subject of intense controversy and theories as to the true nature of the objects. Pop culture at its best with movie themes, video games, stories and internet reports thriving on this highly-thematic incident.
My client in Roswell bought a shopping center in a great location in Roswell with wonderful potential. The site offers terrific discount retailers on a top level, with an underneath level offering a vacated/closed/bankrupt family entertainment center. Once a thriving 10-screen Cinema, with an attached indoor family entertainment center, and an outdoor 36-hole, two course miniature golf attraction. The retail portion of the center was doing well, while the cinema and family entertainment center closed in April 2009.
What to do? The Client Group, Mimms Enterprises, owns many retail centers in Roswell and is a good corporate citizen and champion of family values. They wanted to incorporate these values into the new center. Three talented and motivated executives were chosen to spearhead the project: Lonnie Mimms, Micheal Pardue and Wendy Floyd. These individuals share an appreciation for technology, games, sci-fi movies, the showmanship of Walt Disney and P.T. Barnum and a passion for Roswell.
The result, Phase One of Area 51, which opened in record time on July 31 as a 10-screen, state-of-the-art cinema (The Aurora Cineplex) and a 36-hole golf course (The Fringe.) A record 3,000 attended the opening weekend.
Phase II will include a Café and a number of party rooms, which are always in demand! Phase three will include a family restaurant, comedy club and an activity/game floor.
Kudos to Mimms for opening a new attraction in this difficult time and kudos for a successful launch!
The new FEC “Area 51” was a grand transformation from the former facility. The Mimm’s and their staff did a great job opening a new attraction in a perfect location. Michael Pardue, Wendy Floyd and Lonnie Mimm’s are a “ball of energy” from outer space! (They all love Sci-Fi and fun). Like us at EDG, a quirky group in entertaining way. They are a good company and great family. They have done something great for the City of Roswell. Congrats!
Steve