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

For many of the past 38 years, whenever kids went back to school and families across Alabama prepared for holiday shopping, there was one place to go — the Riverchase Galleria.

Now, several storefronts are empty and news came this week that Macy’s — the last one in Alabama — is up for sale.

The future of the mall seems as uncertain as the chances of finding a parking spot did when the Hoover shopping center opened in 1986.

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

“Everything that 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 that were to go in the worst-case scenario, if it were to go dark, we would be working continuously to try and backfill that space with another quality retailer that can come online here in Hoover.”

Some shoppers have expressed concern over the Galleria’s future in the wake of declining mall popularity nationwide.

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

“We’re always looking at those entertainment and different uses for the lifestyle changes of the consumer,” he said.

Mike White, former general manager of the Galleria, told WVTM 13 that the shopping center, like other indoor malls, will have to adapt to stay successful. They have not evolved in the way that it needs to be,” White said.

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

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

Knighton said that the city is in constant conversation with the Galleria’s developers Brookfield Properties on how to bring new life into the property.

“We talk all the time with building property owners,” 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 with their management team out of Chicago about potential redevelopment opportunities for the campus.”

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

The Galleria’s struggles included two tragic incidents of deadly violence in the past five years.

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

Bradford was shot to death by a Hoover police officer moments after gunfire injured 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 due to additional security measures that have been put in place.

“Fortunately, we haven’t had an incident since 2020,” Knighton said.

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

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

And while several malls in the Birmingham metro area, like the once beloved Brookwood Village, now stand empty, Knighton said the Riverchase Galleria is as beloved today as it has ever been.

“From a location standpoint, it’s about as good as you get in Alabama, being so close to the intersections of I-459 and I-65 as well as having two exits off of I-459, directly to it,” he said.

“And the demographics have done nothing but get stronger around it since it was built.”