I went there for the first (and certainly my last) time ever a couple of weeks ago. What a pit. So depressing - there's nothing there. It's like walking into a place that can't make up its mind: "Am I retail? No, not really. Am I a medical center with doctors' and dentists' offices? No, not that either. Am I offices? No, guess again!" and so on and so forth, ad nauseum.I can almost guarantee that University Heights will not get a single vote. Worst. Mall. Ever. The two brothers from Hong Kong that own it do not give a flying fornicate about the place, and even less about being a community partner.
A successful mall has to do this trick: it has to provide a sense of (good) variety, while simultaneously being sharply focused on one main thing.
There are successful malls that cater to consumers looking for low-end / discount products. Those malls might not be glamorous, but they can be really good. Then there are malls that cater to consumers looking for high-end products, usually around clothing, jewelry, personal electronics (i.e., not kitchen appliances!, more like Apple computers). Those can be really good, too.
The worst malls are the ones that think they can mix-and-match. They're unfocused and confusing. The luxury stores suffer from association with the discounters, and the discounters make the luxury goods look trashy.
But if you create a mall with lots and lots of variety that's focused, laser-like, on a particular consumer segment, it should be successful.
Phew, I must be in a sounding-off mood today. So unusual...!
That said, I can't think of a mall in Victoria that I like.