JCPenney; Manhattan Mall (former Gimbels), New York, New York

JCPenney; Manhattan Mall (former Gimbels), New York, New York. Front page of store directory from Grand Opening.

JCPenney; Manhattan Mall (former Gimbels), New York, New York. Banner outside store on 6th Avenue announcing opening. Photographed 9/26/09.

JCPenney; Manhattan Mall (former Gimbels), New York, New York. Exterior entrance. Photographed 9/26/09.

JCPenney; Manhattan Mall (former Gimbels), New York, New York. Mall entrance. Photographed 9/26/09.

JCPenney; Manhattan Mall (former Gimbels), New York, New York. Store directory.

JCPenney; Manhattan Mall (former Gimbels), New York, New York. Main aisle on Lower level 1. Photographed 9/26/09.

JCPenney; Manhattan Mall (former Gimbels), New York, New York. Showcase at mall entrance. Photographed 9/26/09.

JCPenney; Manhattan Mall (former Gimbels), New York, New York. interior display vignette. Photographed 9/26/09.

Manhattan Mall is located in Herald Square at the corner of 33rd Street and Sixth Avenue in New York. The building originally opened in 1910 as the flagship store for the iconic Gimbels department store chain, and was open until 1986 under that nameplate.

Fore more history on this space, click here for my Manhattan Mall post.

JCPenney is situated on the two below-street levels of the Manhattan Mall with escalator and elevator access from Sixth Avenue and direct subway and PATH train access on the selling floors. The store features a Sephora boutique, a large jewelry department, Custom Decorating and a catalog department, pretty typical for a suburban Penney's of this size. There was no Styling Salon, optical department or portrait studio.

The design of the store a bit of a departure for Penney's. The ceilings are very low, only 8 feet high in some places, and the extensive use of black, white and red in the interior details gave it a different look than your typical JCPenney store. Directional and department signs are lighted, making it feel very urban and helping viability. There are showcases and vignettes all over the store and Penney's has made the displays look as good as they can so show off what is actually a pretty good merchandise selection.

As expected, clothing is the primary focus of this JCPenney. Selections were a bit edited in larger sizes and petites, but there was plenty of decent looking merchandise at affordable price points. Some the merchandise clearly wasn't aimed at a typical New York shopper (a rack of teal Alfred Dunner sportswear separates comes to mind), but tourists would feel right at home with it. The home departments were also really well stocked.

There aren't a lot of sales associates on the floor, but the checkouts were very well staffed. They use a queue system similar to ones used by T.J. Maxx and Whole Foods Market, and payment is easy and efficient. There's even a package delivery service with rates as low as $15.00 for delivery in Manhattan.

I think this place has a future. Customer traffic was good for a Saturday and the store has easy commuter and tourist access via subway, commuter train, bus and foot. As long as they keep the merchandise fresh and the checkout speedy, they're not going to lose.

Macy's, Herald Square, New York, New York. Main floor cosmetics area. Photographed March 28, 2009.

Macy's, Herald Square, New York, New York. Cup of ice from Cucina & Company. Photographed March 28, 2009.

Macy's, Herald Square, New York, New York.The Cellar housewares department. Photographed March 28, 2009.

Macy's, Herald Square, New York, New York. Main aisle of main floor Photographed March 28, 2009.

Previously on LiveMalls
Macy's, Herald Square

Macy's, Herald Square, New York, New York. Exterior view from 7th Avenue and 34th Street. Photographed 10/6/07

Macy's, Herald Square, New York, New York. Exterior sign at corner of 34th Street and Broadway. Photographed 10/6/07.

Macy's, Herald Square, New York, New York. Exterior MACYSPORT sign along 34th Street. Photographed 10/6/07.

Macy's, Herald Square, New York, New York. Former entrance along 34th Street. Photographed 10/6/07.

Macy's, Herald Square, New York, New York. Exterior plaque along 34th Street. Photographed 10/6/07.

Macy's, Herald Square, New York, New York. View of main floor from escalator well. Photographed 10/6/06.

Previously on LiveMalls
Macy's, Herald Square

Macy's, Herald Square, New York, New York. Exterior view from 7th Avenue and 34th Street. Photographed by Sammantha Casolari for New York magazine.

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Previously on LiveMalls
Macy's, Herald Square

Manhattan Mall

Manhattan Mall (former Gimbel's), New York, New York. Photographed 12/9/06. (Nicholas DiMaio)

Note from Steve: Thanks to the generous contribution of Nicholas DiMaio of The Caldor Rainbow, I am able to present even more photos of the Manhattan Mall. Nick's photos were taken just before Christmas 2006, and show a lot of the details that I was not able to caputre in my pictures, including possibly the most neon-coverd McDonald's I've ever seen. LiveMalls thanks Nick extensively for his offering.

Manhattan Mall is located in Herald Square at the corner of 33rd Street and Sixth Avenue in New York. The building originally opened in 1910 as the flagship store for the iconic Gimbels department store chain, and was open until 1986 under that nameplate.

When Gimbels closed, the massive store was modernized and reconfigured as a vertical mall originally called A&S Plaza, which opened in 1989 with an 8-story Abraham & Strauss department store as its pimary anchor.

A&S's parent company, Federated Deaprtment Stores, merged with R.H. Macy Co. in 1994, and eventually combined the A&S and Macy's nameplates into a single Macy's brand. Since Macy's already had a store two blocks away, Federated transfered the former A&S to its Stern's division.

With Stern's as an anchor, the mall changed its name to Manhattan Mall and witnessed a gradual but distinct drop in popularity, hurt at least partly by the sudden proliferation of national chain stores taking up residence in nearby storefronts closer to Macy's, which culminated in near failure when the Stern's nameplate was discontinued in 2001.

The mall was drastically reconfigured, eliminating nearly half of its original shopping levels, and replacing Stern's with a relocated food court and smaller anchors like Steve & Barry's University Sportswear and Charlotte Russe. The changes increased occupancy, but compared to its original opening, Manhattan Mall is not the gem it once was.

In an effort to stem the tide of losses and increase poplarity, the Manhattan Mall will soon be reconfigured again. On April 18, 2007, JCPenney announced that it would open a 150,000 square foot store at the mall, its first in Manhattan, in 2008 or 2009. The new store will take up much of the existing mall space, but will add a popular anchor that may help the mall viable in the future.

Manhattan Mall (former Gimbel's), New York, New York. Exterior entrance at 6th Avenue and 33st Street. Photographed 4/28/07.

Manhattan Mall (former Gimbel's), New York, New York. Interior atrium. Photographed 4/28/07.

Manhattan Mall (former Gimbel's), New York, New York. Interior atrium. Photographed 12/9/06. (Nicholas DiMaio)

Manhattan Mall (former Gimbel's), New York, New York. Interior atrium. Photographed 12/9/06. (Nicholas DiMaio)

Manhattan Mall (former Gimbel's), New York, New York. Interior atrium. Photographed 12/9/06. (Nicholas DiMaio)

Manhattan Mall (former Gimbel's), New York, New York. Exterior of McDonald's. Photographed 12/9/06. (Nicholas DiMaio)

Manhattan Mall (former Gimbel's), New York, New York. Interior of McDonald's. Photographed 12/9/06. (Nicholas DiMaio)

Macy's, Herald Square, New York, New York. Chandelier on main floor. Photographed 4/28/07.

Macy's, Herald Square, New York, New York. Exterior lighting along 34th Street. Photographed 4/28/07.

Previously on LiveMalls
Macy's, Herald Square

Macy's, Herald Square, New York, New York. Exterior holiday display at Broadway entrance. Photographed 11/25/06.

Macy's, Herald Square, New York, New York. Exterior sign at corner of 34th Street and Broadway. Photographed 11/25/06.

Macy's, Herald Square, New York, New York. Exterior sign at corner of 34th Street and Broadway. Photographed 10/6/07.

Macy's, Herald Square, New York, New York. Reflection of exterior sign across 34th Street. Photographed 11/25/06.

Macy's, Herald Square, New York, New York. Former entrance along 34th Street. Photographed 10/6/07.

Macy's, Herald Square, New York, New York. Exterior plaque along 34th Street. Photographed 10/6/07.

Macy's, Herald Square, New York, New York. Exterior lighting along 34th Street. Photographed 4/28/07.

Macy's, Herald Square, New York, New York. Exterior view from 7th Avenue and 34th Street. Photographed 10/6/07

Macy's, Herald Square, New York, New York. Exterior view from 7th Avenue and 34th Street. Photographed by Sammantha Casolari for New York magazine.

Macy's, Herald Square, New York, New York. Exterior MACYSPORT sign along 34th Street. Photographed 10/6/07.

Macy's, Herald Square, New York, New York. View of main floor from escalator well. Photographed 10/6/06.

Macy's, Herald Square, New York, New York. Interior holiday display on main floor. Photographed 11/25/06.

Macy's, Herald Square, New York, New York. Chandelier on main floor. Photographed 4/28/07.

Macy's, Herald Square, New York, New York. Main floor cosmetics area. Photographed March 28, 2009.

Macy's, Herald Square, New York, New York. Cup of ice from Cucina & Company. Photographed March 28, 2009.

Macy's, Herald Square, New York, New York.The Cellar housewares department. Photographed March 28, 2009.

Macy's, Herald Square, New York, New York. Main aisle of main floor Photographed March 28, 2009.