tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9879987.post5748983076593199831..comments2024-02-17T17:56:26.165-05:00Comments on LiveMalls: Belk, Independence Mall, Wilmington, North Carolina - UPDATEDLivemallshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567198484359363455noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9879987.post-63712058884358386282017-12-12T01:53:00.928-05:002017-12-12T01:53:00.928-05:00My Dad, Bill Melvin, was the supervising contract...My Dad, Bill Melvin, was the supervising contractor for this tile installation project. Since NHRMC covered up the classic marble he installed and the mall replaced the interior flooring, it's rare to spot the projects he worked on. The murals are still beautiful. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9879987.post-51335383791722609712016-04-06T13:32:23.914-04:002016-04-06T13:32:23.914-04:00My dad, Bill Killian, was a large part of hiring t...My dad, Bill Killian, was a large part of hiring the artist, Sam Bissett, to do the watercolors that then became the tile mosaics for each of the arches. I remember him being so excited, he was very low key, about this store having such a connection to the community in which he, and Bill Beery lived and raised their families. How exciting to see this so many years later.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07316443399803297299noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9879987.post-28399495591802584172006-11-09T23:14:00.000-05:002006-11-09T23:14:00.000-05:00You're right asbout burned out lights being a sign...You're right asbout burned out lights being a signal of something deeper, but I think how it worked for Belk was that they ended up planning higher-maintenence stores than they seemed at first. <br /><br />As they remodel the old stores, they've simplified their designs, with more common elemnts and bulb sizes, so that they can choose from a kit of maintennece parts rather than a custom solution for each store.<br /><br />Belk was able to pull off all those business names by making all the in-store signage, bags, credit cards and price tags either Belk or Leggett. The extra names usually were in the exterior signs and newspaper ads.Livemallshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01567198484359363455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9879987.post-58964158348127571932006-11-09T17:30:00.000-05:002006-11-09T17:30:00.000-05:00Deferred maintenance is the first sign something i...Deferred maintenance is the first sign something is wrong (financially). It's like when the office goes from Grade A two-ply toilet paper to Grade C East German single-ply. Layoffs come next. Burned out light bulbs drive me nuts! I worked at a furniture store that had hundreds of burnt out bulbs. I think it took me a week to replace ones that hadn't been on since the Seventies. Then, I had to wait for three light-bulb replenishments to arrive before finishing off the store. It's an endless job!!! They just kept burning out!! Oh, the store went bankrupt and closed for good, too (see, deferred maintenance!!!)<br />Other subject... How does a store that has so many business names work? I mean, do they issue a different credit card for each business name? Bags and other signage? Seems expensive.<br />ScottScott Parsonshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10967375949115515071noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9879987.post-86589645823684274702006-11-08T18:55:00.000-05:002006-11-08T18:55:00.000-05:00There sure are a lot of burnt-ou blubs at this sto...There sure are a lot of burnt-ou blubs at this store. I was talking to someone this morning about how Belk has some of the prettiest stores in the industry, but seems to drop the ball on routine maintenance. Belk SouthPark tends to be the exception to this.Livemallshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01567198484359363455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9879987.post-7624875604084098522006-11-08T17:37:00.000-05:002006-11-08T17:37:00.000-05:00Thank you, Steven, for the info.
Looking at these...Thank you, Steven, for the info.<br /><br />Looking at these photos yet again, I cringe when I see the burnt out lights in the "Belk" interior sign, of all places. Seriously, the lights outside I can almost overlook, but your own sign inside the mall is pretty...embarrassing!<br /><br />Those "frescoes," though, are quite intriguing...If I ever make it over to the coast, this mall is definitely one of my stops!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9879987.post-6527816579311743482006-11-07T18:50:00.000-05:002006-11-07T18:50:00.000-05:00You're on the right track, Matt. Belk at Oglethor...You're on the right track, Matt. Belk at Oglethorpe Mall was the first large mall store Belk built back in 1969, and it was signed as Belk instead of Belk-Beery. <br /><br />That didn't mean the end of Belk-Beery signs though. From what I can tell, the only stores that got signs that read just Belk at first were Charlotte, Fayetteville, Savannah, Greensboro and Winston-Salem, usually when their store companies got mall locations.<br /><br />Back on topic, this is one of the better-designed Belk locations of its era. All the signature elemnts are there, but it's distinctive in its own right.Livemallshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01567198484359363455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9879987.post-78808348652097839942006-11-07T17:28:00.000-05:002006-11-07T17:28:00.000-05:00Wow...what an interesting store!
Actually, the fi...Wow...what an interesting store!<br /><br />Actually, the first thing that caught my eye was the Belk-Beery sign. I thought I had read in the Belk book that the Savannah store was the first to receive the "new" Belk alphabet sign in...1969?...and that it was also the first store to *not* have the "partner's" name next to it. I'll have to snoop around tonight...it's been so long since I read that book, I know I've probably got it wrong.<br /><br />Pat -- awesome pics! Many thanks, and I hope to see much more from you!<br /><br />MattAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com