Nothing big... but even strip malls are improving incrementally.
Shopping center evolves
The Westridge Shopping Center at 132nd Street and West Dodge Road will have a new look, new businesses and a new name this fall.
The new look is courtesy of a $750,000 renovation of the 106,000-square-foot shopping center that includes construction of a convenience store with gas pumps for the main anchor, the Hy-Vee Food Store.
The new businesses are a Cox Communications customer service center; Cheeburger Cheeburger, a 1950s-style family restaurant and soda fountain, scheduled to open later this fall; and a second still-to-be-announced restaurant.
The new name - Linden Market - reflects the identity of the shopping center's location more accurately, said Timothy Kerrigan, a partner in Investors Realty, the company that manages and leases the center for a local private investor.
Kerrigan said Linden Estates, Linden Place and Linden Park are in the immediate area of the shopping center, which sits on 20 acres of land. The use of "Market" in the name clearly suggests an atmosphere, Kerrigan said, of dining, shopping and entertainment all in one place.
"It's not just a shopping center anymore," he said.
Renovations began in mid-August. They include new landscaping and directional signs, lighting, colored concrete, benches, planters and public art. Twenty front-door parking stalls also are being added at the east end of the nearly 500-car parking lot.
This is the first major renovation of the center, which opened in 1989. The work is expected to be completed by Nov. 1, Kerrigan said.
In general, Linden Market's 26 retail tenants are pleased with the improvements.
Lindley Clothing, a family-owned menswear retailer, has been at the center for 12 years after operating a store in Millard since 1960.
Lindley Clothing also operates a location in Wahoo, Neb., where the business was founded 69 years ago.
Owner John Lindley said the center's appearance needed an update.
"The renovations are fantastic," Lindley said. "To bring the parking up to the front door . . . It was quite a walk for our customers ."
He said the changes are needed for the center to compete with new shopping malls and centers.
Renaming the center Linden Market will give it more name recognition, Lindley said. He admitted that in the past he referred to the center as the Hy-Vee Center.
"When people are trying to find you, it's easy to say, 'Look for the Hy-Vee.' That was the landmark."
Dan Billerbeck, pharmacist and part-owner of Medicine Man Pharmacy, agreed that the new name is a good idea.
"Many people don't know the name of the shopping center," Billerbeck said. "But a lot depends on how the name is promoted."
Billerbeck, who has been at the center for 15 years, recently moved north of his original location next to the new Cox customer service center.
He said he hopes the renovations generate more traffic to get people walking through the plaza.
Kerrigan said the local private investor regards Linden Market as one of the best locations in Omaha because of the abundance of nearby housing developments, business parks and traffic along West Dodge Road. Almost 194,000 people live within five miles of Linden Market, and the average daily traffic in 2003 was 88,300 cars, Kerrigan said.
According to the 2003 data, the median age of Linden Market customers living within one mile of the center was 46. Average household income was $140,645. Within three miles, the average household income was $82,960.
Linden Market is part of Omaha's movement toward establishing neighborhood gathering spots, Kerrigan said. The goal is to "create a neighborhood destination everyone will talk about."
Pretty good, I think, if you go their knowing what you are in for. Not a place where I want to go all the time but a nice change of pace.
