Hammond Square: Cars, Wine, and Photobooths added up to success
On a very cold Wednesday night, our first annual Lover’s Lane event was a huge success thanks to the many local vendors, car owners and organizations willing to brave the elements! Hammond Square had 40 Classic Cars lined up on Palace Drive outside of businesses from Cato to Menchie’s. There were over 100 people from Hammond and the surrounding area bundled up, but still in the mood to gather with friends and loved ones and revel in the oldies music, classic cars, wine tastings and a warm photo booth. If you are wondering if people enjoyed the photo booth, you can check out the pictures on the Hammond Square Facebook page as proof they did! We went through three cases of wine that night and the bottle selections made by Red, White and Brew seemed to fit the event just right.
Multiple tenants reported increased sales the night of the event. The restaurants were the biggest benefactors as the car owners and event patrons stepped in the heated spaces for dinner and snacks. Increasing traffic to our tenants is an added benefit of these events!
A Tenant Team Spirit award went to Maurices for their great participation in the event. They had live models in their store windows, passed out coupons during the event, and even let their employees try out the photo booth! A close second was the newest tenant at Hammond Square, Obsession. With a new owner, new merchandise and new management, the store passed out cupcakes and provided a sneak peak of all the fabulous clothing they will have available starting in March when they open.
There were some items that could have been improved. After the event I had many people tell me that they did not know about it. We heavily utilized Facebook, e-mail and other online media as our main promoting tools. We had one banner and three small landscape signs on site. Hammond Square is now an open air shopping center instead of an enclosed mall so we lose some of the reach impact that one or two major entrances can prove helpful for.
Because of this observation, signage for the next event will be placed at every entrance. We feel this may reach the crowd that doesn’t check in electronically on a regular basis, but does shop at the Square.
So what is next? Apart from our regularly scheduled Tangi Humane Society pet adoptions on the last day of every month; there is an Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, March 30th! The Golden Oldie Motor Club decided to hold their big Children’s Hospital fundraiser at Hammond Square in the lot by Nagoya and Albasha on the same day as the Hunt. We are taking the success from Lover’s Lane and making this an all-day event for the entire family with the Easter Egg Hunt on Palace Drive starting at 9:30 am and the Car Show participant registration going from 8:00 am – Noon. Hammond Square can only take the credit for the Easter Egg Hunt. Most of the work for this event is done by the Golden Oldies Motor Club who will even have a Kid’s Choice winner for the vehicle picked to be the coolest by the younger judges.
By Hammond Square slowly becoming known for being a social meeting area and tool for the community, we hope that it promotes a general feeling of community throughout Tangipahoa and the surrounding Parishes. As the Square becomes more active with new tenants and with even more successful existing tenants, we hope it will be used as a tool to show how Hammond is growing and changing in the right direction. Shop local. Shop Tangi!
Hammond Square: 2013 – A Year to Try New Things
Based on the positive sales reported by many of my tenants at Hammond Square, it looks like the residents of Tangipahoa Parish and the surrounding area had a very active Holiday season. Several retailers’ sales were the best in December 2012 from any other month since they opened! These numbers tell me that managing Hammond Square is going to keep me pretty busy.
So what does 2013 have in store for Hammond Square? This Saturday, January 26, kicks off our first heavily marketed event of the year. The Tangi Humane Society will have on-site pet adoptions starting at 10 am. The Shopping Center is giving away branded flying disks to people who stop by and donate $5 or bring stainless steel water/food bowls. This was the first time we used a promoted post on Facebook to let our shoppers know about the event. Another event that is new to the Center is in its final planning stages and is scheduled for Wednesday, February 13 from 7-9 pm. The Lover’s Lane Valentine’s event will bring a classic car show down Palace Drive with wine tasting stations and a photo booth. All are free to the community! We are using several outlets to promote this event – Facebook, banners, landscape signs, flyers, prizes for the car show participants and a radio remote.
In 2013 we are also working closer with two major businesses in Hammond: North Oaks Health System and Southeastern Louisiana University. Based on meetings held with both in early January, there will be more events and community involvement in the coming year at Hammond Square.
In regards to our leasing approach, we are aggressively pursuing some locally owned businesses for locations on Palace Drive. Locally owned businesses can bring character and sense of community to our Center.
It looks like 2013 will be a busy year for me, the leasing team, and Hammond Square’s retailers! Shop in Tangi! Shop Hammond Square!
Hammond Square – New Manager, New Town
Relocating from Atlanta to the Northshore of New Orleans, Louisiana to manage a shopping center in Hammond for Stirling Properties is a pretty big culture shock; however, it does help a bit that I am from the New Orleans area originally.
In my new position as the Hammond Square Property Manager, a large part of what I am looking forward to is meeting and learning about the tenants at Hammond Square. This will be the first time I have the stores Kay Jewelers, Zales, Charming Charlie, Maurices and many local merchants as tenants.
From what I have learned in my first two weeks, Southeastern Louisiana University and North Oaks Health System are a big part of the Hammond economy; meeting with representatives from those two institutions will be a 2013 priority. Hammond will be an interesting place to learn more about the economy, the importance of Hammond Square to the area, and the successful events put on by the Downtown Development District.
I can only hope that this blog will help me learn more about Hammond, Tangipahoa Parish, and the surrounding areas. In turn, I would like to share my knowledge about Hammond Square and the area with others. If all goes well, this can be a win-win situation!
Shop in Tangi! Shop Hammond Square!
Initial Months of Ownership Very Active After Stirling’s First Multi-Family Acquisitions
As expected, it’s been a very active few months of ownership since Stirling Properties successfully completed its first multi-family acquisitions in August. A total of 370 units were acquired in 4 apartment communities – Coventry Terrace in Baton Rouge, and Willow Gardens, South College Gardens and Acadian Gardens in Lafayette. Stirling Properties is the Asset Manager for the properties and BH Management Services, Inc. was hired as the primary property management firm because they specialize in apartment communities of this type, and to date they have exceeded our expectations.
The first month of ownership primarily consisted of training the property staff, taking inventory of units, lease audits, accounting setup, and property stabilization under the new management team. In addition, each management office was overhauled in order to bring them to BH standards for professionalism, quality, and function. The problem tenants and immediate maintenance concerns were also identified and addressed.
Upgrading these properties was the next step. At each property a model unit was identified and converted into a furnished leasing model. Also, BH further defined the scope of improvements for each property based on needs that they assessed after being on site. The primary areas that have been addressed include common areas, sidewalks, railings, exterior painting, soffits, signage, landscaping, porches and balconies, and general appearance. Amenities have become increasingly important for leasing of apartment properties, and as a result of BH’s recommendation, a state-of-the-art Wi-Fi system has been installed at each property for resident use on-site.
BH has a very proactive approach to marketing. Outreach marketing for the properties includes postings to Craigslist, Facebook, online advertising for off campus housing, postcard flyers and outreach stickers, promotional products, and participation in the LSU Housing Fair. A Preferred Employee Discount Program was also implemented. A car magnet promotion was put in place at Coventry Terrace in an effort to drive additional traffic and to help prospective residents locate the property. Residents receive a small monthly rental discount for agreeing to attach this car magnet to their vehicle.
Resident retention efforts are also underway. Coventry Terrace will host resident events monthly and a Fall Social is planned at Willow Gardens for an early December Saints game, barbeque and Toys for Tots drive. Monthly newsletters, resident referral flyers and early bird contests are also planned.
“Stirling Properties is very excited about this multi-family portfolio and we expect it to exceed our expectations once BH has had the opportunity to be on-site and fully implement its operational and marketing strategies,” stated Townsend Underhill, Vice President of Development at Stirling Properties. Based upon the demographic and economic trends in the nation, Stirling has grown very bullish on the multi-family asset class and we look to expand our holdings in this type of asset.
For more information about Stirling Properties’ Acquisition Team and its objectives contact Jeff Marshall at (985) 246-3765 or jmarshall@stirlingprop.com.
Stirling Properties Appointed Keepership for Multiple Facilities
COVINGTON, Louisiana —- (November, 2011) Stirling Properties has been named the court appointed Keeper of three Louisiana facilities, representing the lenders in the management of those properties.
The first facility is an office building located at 530 Natchez Street in New Orleans near the Queen & Crescent Hotel. It is approximately 17,000 square feet with about 50% occupancy. (more…)
Stirling Properties Awarded Contract for Facilities Management of all First Bank and Trust Branch Locations
COVINGTON, Louisiana —- (October 25, 2011) Stirling Properties has been awarded a contract to provide comprehensive facilities management for all First Bank and Trust branch locations in Louisiana and Mississippi. The contract, effective on November 1, 2011, also includes the First Bank and Trust headquarters at the First Bank and Trust Tower located on 909 Poydras Street in New Orleans. Founded in 1991, First Bank and Trust is a New Orleans based bank with over $925 million in assets. (more…)
