Bham Now Retail — Malls are offering shoppers entertainment experiences to get them engaged in their retail spaces.

As brick and mortar retailers try to reinvent themselves to offer customers experiences that include entertainment, Brookwood Village Mall may be undergoing a significant redevelopment in the near future.

Bham Now Retailers — A renovation of the west side of Brookwood Village Mall could include a movie theater and two hotels. Giving shoppers an entertainment experience.

Possible Entertainment District?

The 603,857 square-foot retail space near the Homewood and Mountain Brook neighborhoods is anchored by Macy’s on one end and a grocery store and Target on the other end. Future plans for the mall could include two hotels, upscale restaurants and a dine-in movie theater concept marketed as a family-friendly entertainment destination.

Last September the popular retail store, H&M, announced that they would a store at Brookwood Village, but late Friday, the company said they were not going to open at Brookwood Mall. The Swedish retailer announced earlier in the year that they were closing 170 stores and would not open as many stores in 2018. This plan of action has worked for the retailer and they have announced that they have had the largest increase in sales in 16 years. H&M does operate two Birmingham area stores at the Riverchase Galleria and Shops of Grand River.

Brookwood Village Mall has been a popular destination for shopping since 1973 because it is centrally located. The mall offers several community events throughout the year to engage shoppers. Brookwood Live is a concert series held on Thursday evenings May through September. Christmas at the Village offers activities for shoppers during Nov. and Dec. In the Spring, the Chili Cook-Off serves as a fundraiser for the Exceptional Foundation.

Engaging Shoppers

The Birmingham City Council last April approved funding for an access road off of Lakeshore Drive which would pave the way for a new luxury movie theater to be built in Homewood as we reported in May.

Galleria shopping center in Hoover — The Riverchase Galleria

The Riverchase Galleria

New retailers will open at the Riverchase Galleria in the coming months. Sneaky Pete’s will open this fall along with True Religion a designer clothing store and Superior for Men. Earthbound trading will open in 2019. Dave & Busters is on schedule to open in November.