Home > Gwinnett > Rick Badie / My Opinion > Archives > 2006 > January > 26 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USKnow of a grungy strip mall? Submit it for our list of shame
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s either off-white or light gray. Hard to tell. The color of the paint is cloaked behind a film of dirt and grit.
This particular strip mall houses a barber shop, beauty supply store and European grocery. It has two dollar stores as well as two bridal shops. If there’s an anchor, it’s the Goodwill donation center, which, according to a sign in the window, receives 4,000 donations a month.
A few storefronts are closed. Lease signs adorn the windows. The parking lot’s expansive, big enough to hold an emissions testing trailer and a shuttered bank with a boarded up ATM machine. On weekends, the parking lot turns into a car lot. Private car owners park their for-sale vehicles there.
This is Lilburn Square. It’s in the 5000 block of Lawrenceville Highway. I pass by it several times a week en route to the gym or taking Miles to basketball practice.
On Wednesday, I stopped to browse in a few of the square’s shops and storefronts. I asked the clerk in the beauty supply store about upkeep.
When was the last time the building was pressure- washed? Has the parking lot been repaved in recent years? What about the paint job?
The man minding the store gave me a slight smile, then shook his head. He said tenants clean their own windows and their space, but that was about as far as it got.
In Gwinnett, we’ve mastered the strip mall strut. Mini-malls are omnipresent. Sometimes they’re built to a bare-bones minimum.
Sometimes they go upscale. Think Forum. Despite marketing that touts standalone buildings and storefront parking, it’s still a strip mall at the end of the day.
And there’s nothing wrong with that.
But sometimes developers, owners, investors or whoever let these concrete centers go to the dogs.
You know what I’m talking about. The ones that need a good hosing and paint job. The ones where marquees and other signs lack a few letters and lights.
Ones like Lilburn Square.
Of course others exist. Which brings me to my request.
Let’s see if we can compile a list of the dingiest and dirtiest strip malls in the county. They can be anywhere. It doesn’t matter if they are vacant or occupied. Square footage is irrelevant, too. If they are unkempt, give me a holler.
You can e-mail me or post your offering in the Badie blog. Include the name of the strip mall along with an address that at least provides the name of the nearest major road.
I, with the help of the AJC Gwinnett News staff, will give them a look. We might shoot some photos. If we have enough, we might compile a list, say, of the 10 worst-looking malls.
More important, we’ll try to track down the owners and ask them why in blazing saddles have they let their property go south. Then we’ll ask what they plan to do about it.
Sound like a plan?
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Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By Kathleen
January 26, 2006 08:01 AM | Link to this
This one isn’t the dirtiest yet, but it will be before long. I think it’s called Reynolds Crossing, it houses the new super Kroger at the corner of Steve Reynolds and Old Norcross. This strip has only been open a few months, and already the entrance to the Kroger looks like trash. Bits of paper, gum, cigarette butts. You’d think with their spanking new store the mangers would have someone out there cleaning up the entrance a couple of times a day. If this is the way the anchor takes care of their store I give it a year before the whole strip is dump.
By Kathleen
January 26, 2006 08:58 AM | Link to this
How about the one on Pleasant Hill between Old Norcross and Satellite. The one the Kroger had to move out of to have a new bigger store to compete with Super Wal-Mart. The sign at the road has plywood where the Kroger sign was, the corner restaurant is vacant, Jenny Craig moved out as did Supercuts. What remains is IHOP, Zappalitos pizza, Disc go round and a few specialty places. Ugh, it’s sad to look at. The Blockbuster followed Kroger over to the new shopping center. There is a vacant Rio Bravo, that has been vacant for a couple of years, with a sign that’s been there 9-12 months saying a Japanese restaurant is coming soon!
By MJK
January 26, 2006 10:18 AM | Link to this
They’re all ugly, if you ask me. They can dress them up any way they want, but because there are so many of them, it is like putting a dress on a pig.
By Glynis
January 26, 2006 01:18 PM | Link to this
Sadly, many strip malls come to mind, but Proctor Square, in Duluth at the intersection of Buford Highway and 120 just looks sad. And the parking lot is horrible - not sure when it was paved last.
By Kathleen
January 26, 2006 01:31 PM | Link to this
Glynis is right and the really sad part is all the money Duluth is putting in to the new government building and the downtown area (the festival center) just down the street. The new building and festival center/town green are really nice, then you turn the corner to see this junky place!
By robman
January 26, 2006 04:18 PM | Link to this
The strip mall on hwy 124 (formerly scenic hwy) in Lawrenceville that houses the Goodwill store is pretty bad, But even worse is the Citgo station at simonton and newhope. The parking lot has car size craters, the store is filthy it is just plain nasty.
By Concerned
January 26, 2006 09:16 PM | Link to this
The one near the corner of S. Norcross Tucker Rd. and Old Norcross Tucker Rd. is horrible.
By Ugly
January 26, 2006 09:21 PM | Link to this
Just about every strip mall in a 5 mile radius of JCB and I-85 is shameful. What does that say about Norcross?
By MC
January 27, 2006 12:32 AM | Link to this
This is just too tough for me…perhaps because I’m just as avoidant of the newer, shinier, “wealthier” strip malls as of the “run-down” ones, if not even moreso.
By Michael H. Smith
January 27, 2006 06:15 AM | Link to this
This strip has only been open a few months, and already the entrance to the Kroger looks like trash. Bits of paper, gum, cigarette butts.
The one the Kroger had to move out of to have a new bigger store to compete with Super Wal-Mart….
There is a vacant Rio Bravo, that has been vacant for a couple of years, …
They can dress them up any way they want, but because there are so many of them, it is like putting a dress on a pig….
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Wow! What is this Mr. Badie and eye-opener? And “robman” please don’t get me started beating-up on the City of Lawrenceville; it’s far too easily tempting with our 30 something hole-in-the-wall used cars lots ‘round town? By the way, all the comments made so far are good ones. I hope the commissioners and mayors of the county are tuned-in and taking notes from this blog. In the event some of them might actually be watching unawares, I also hope they are asking questions and thinking about answers, like:
Does the right to build hence therefore own, preclude the obligatory right to maintain said property in keeping with community standards?
When does enough simply become too much? Have strip-malls become like the gas-stations of the ‘50s? Like bad opinions, got one on everybody’s corner?
Is the public, which is us, trashy by proclivity in the overall un-conscience sense; and then how does the age-old message of “don’t litter� ever penetrate the deafening silent public defiance? How then are the two *Barrio Brats loosed on the community with cans of spray paint in hand marking buildings like dogs attracted to fire-hydrants, so different from that of the business-persons in pricy three-piece suites throwing gum-wrappers on the ground…. mere intent possibly?
You may have out-done yourself this time Rick, far be it from me to suggest you drug-out the classic R-E-S-P-E-C-T, though faintly resounds Aretha Franklin in minds memory upon this moment. Suppose we’ll find out, what it means anytime soon? Re, re, re, re, re, re, –Spect just a little bit, oo baby, for what we call home?
Guess Mother Earth isn’t my trash-can after all. Ouch!
*Just in case some clever intuitive person tries to market some unfashionable crap/dolls as the Barrio Brats or Barrio Bratz – in any derivative form thereof reverse engineered, singular, plural or otherwise conceptually speaking of course – not only is plagiary a no-no but promoting the thug-life is pernicious to say the very least.
– Oh…. and don’t forget the AJC now probably has copyrights ;)
By pam
January 27, 2006 08:29 AM | Link to this
The strip mall at 316 and Hwy.20. This mall use to house an Ingles…now it’s a dump with a Hardees Restaurant. A big embarassment sitting right off of a major highway.
Another BIG embarassment is right in the heart of Lawrenceville…a former UPTOP entertainment complex (off East Crogan Street/Highway 29). It looks like a mountain of pavement and is such an eyesore. I can’t believe officials in Lawrenceville keep leasing it out to so-so businesses that occupy it for a few months and then vacate the premises. I think it should be bulldozed and add some buildings/greenspace instead of more warehouses and strip malls.
By Michael H. Smith
January 27, 2006 08:41 AM | Link to this
Just curious – and meaning to change the subject – does anyone perhaps know of the total number of illegal alien immigrants now living in the U.S. from the Darfur province of Sudan? People there face genocide daily, suppose any of them want to have “a life�, of any kind…. let alone the “Better Life�?
If you want to give someone a guest worker illegal alien Amnesty – AJC and others – try giving it to ‘THOSE PEOPLE’ in this wide world without the convenience of our southern border who really do deserve the compassion of a commuted death sentence and to be called the good hearted poor people who only want to feed their families and a REFUGEE!
Genocides relive history’s dark chapters
By Kathleen
January 27, 2006 10:47 AM | Link to this
Michael H. Smith your post is interesting and deserves discussion, but on another BLOG or at another time when Badie puts up an immigrant topic!
By Michael H. Smith
January 27, 2006 11:02 AM | Link to this
Respecting your sentiments totally Kathleen but part of the Badie BLOG, which Mr. Badie himself opened the door to, was for the public to interject comments outside the present scope of his present BLOG subject!
By Michael H. Smith
January 27, 2006 12:19 PM | Link to this
Here’s another Hwy 20 Lawrenceville grungy, probably not related to immigration as some others strip-malls are, perhaps some blame rests on Gwinnett’s now overly reliant retail economy, nevertheless this stand-alone building’s time has come for an extreme make over and add TLC. The once West Building Supply store, once Flee Market, now empty solid brick structure with a broke window or two, can rhyme or reason explain its present state of existence?
By Gatorrrrrr
January 27, 2006 01:04 PM | Link to this
There are three shopping centers from 85 to Singleton off Jimmy Carter Blvd that 2 of the three do not need cleaning up.. they need a complete demolition and re-construction.
The shopping center where the International Farmers Market is just needs a good ole face lift. This location actually surprises me. This is as prime realty as you can probably get… and its SEVERLY under utilized. Why isnt this a major shopping center? Maybe AMC will buy the whole shabang and demolish it and put a 30 theater entertainment complex there. Oh geesh the thought of that and the traffic it would create just gave me headache.
The next resides behind the Dunkin Donuts at Singleton/JCB. Demolish it. Just get rid of it altogether. Re-build it with more architectural features and better shops/restaurants. Again.. prime property going to waste.
The third actually resides right across the street. Even more land than the last mention. and even more under utilized. Mow it down.. and I think put a major chain in their to drive traffic to the smaller stores.
Honorable mention, however not near as bad as those three examples would have to go to the shopping center where the Plaza Mercado sits at Rockbridge/JCB. However dirty it looks, its not near as in bad of shape as the the other three. I know there used to be a Kmart in that shopping center. That would have been convenient.
I, of course, do NOT advocate the use of eminent domain to accomplish this. Im sure the SWGCID has all these properties on their hotlist of sorts. Badie, perhaps you could do your article in conjunction with what they perceive as “problem areas”.
By Jan Harris
January 27, 2006 02:32 PM | Link to this
The Ingles strip mall at Annistown Road and North Deshong near the Dekalb Co. border — dirty and has been mostly unoccupied for over 10 years. This is owned by Ingles as I found out when I called them over their dangerous pot-hole filled parking lot.
Ingles nice property manager told me the traffic shortcuts people take to Annistown keeps destroying their parking lot, but they won’t make a decision to upgrade or renovate this center or to close it down. It gives Ingles a bad name and you’d think they’d spend some $ just for their image.
By jim
January 27, 2006 08:09 PM | Link to this
99% of all strip malls older than 10 years are pieces of sh*#. Funny to look back and remember some of them when they were new 30-40 years ago. Some were rather decent when there was a time everyone didn’t rush to the big malls to shop. But business and commercial buildings have changed. Jeez, is it a law that every strip center has to have a chinese takeout, korean nail shop, a drycleaner, and a mexican restaurant?! Those are the true anchors of every strip mall!
By Jim
January 27, 2006 08:16 PM | Link to this
A tougher question to answer is “can you submit a strip mall location that isn’t grundgy and ready for the hall of shame?”! Nice work by the way R. Badie. Always interesting reading.
By Teacher
February 7, 2006 07:17 AM | Link to this
If the trash in parking lots is offensive,we need to go to the source. Why can’t we start with the children ! Just maybe we could begin to educate the youngsters and they would take it to the adult audience quicker than any other messenger. We use to do ‘Give a hoot,don’t pollute’