New Orleans Northshore

March was a very successful and busy month for the Tenants and Management of Hammond Square.  We have not seen official sales reports yet, but according to casual conversations with the Tenants and completely full parking lots at times, we expect great numbers. 

Our big Easter event was Saturday March, 30th and the Square was really busy!  At 8 am we had classic cars pulling into the lot near Albasha Greek & Lebanese Cafe and East of Italy for the annual Cars for Kids Fundraiser put on by the Golden Oldies Motor Club.  They raised a record-breaking amount for Children’s Hospital during their show.  155 show cars were onsite for the event with trophy winners in multiple categories:  Best of Show, Best Paint, Best Interior, Best Engine, and Kid’s Choice.  The Golden Oldies also had a stage with live performers and vendors set up in the area. 

At 9 am we had bunnies from Magic Happens Rescue Group out of Baton Rouge in the space next to Kay Jewelers.  The younger crowd enjoyed petting the rescue bunnies and learning facts like how long the average bunny lives and why their ears are so important. 

Also happening at 9 am, we had our regularly-scheduled Tangi Humane Pet Society dogs and kitties arrive at a new spot between Dillard’s and Maurices.  This was the most successful adoption event to date!  Nine dogs and one cat were adopted.  According to the manager of Maurices, they enjoyed having all of the animals close to their store.  Patrons would bring their children in strollers to the windows while shopping so the kids could watch the animals from inside the store. 

The main Hammond Square event, an Easter egg hunt, started promptly at 9:30 with areas divided for children based on age:  4 and under were in an area near Dillard’s, 5 and older were in front of Charming Charlie and Zales.  With over 700 eggs to hide, we finished just in time for the start of the hunt!  We plan on enlisting the help of more people to hide the eggs next year.  After all the planning and hard work, all of the eggs had been gathered in only 5 minutes!  The snack table with low-sugar punch, Ring Pops and Rice Krispy Treats was a big hit with the kids.  It took longer to give out the snacks than the actual hunt.  Another giveaway by Hammond Square was crayons for the kids and bags they could color…a great place to put eggs for the kids who did not bring baskets. 

Most of the Tenants specializing in the sale of children’s items had lines of customers waiting for the 10am store openings.  Our Easter Bunny pictures were nonstop for multiple hours after the egg hunt as well as our Shopping Center train ride.  So far, the majority of the feedback from the community has been overwhelmingly positive.  We’ve received a few messages of thanks on Facebook and over the phone from members of the community.  Many are saying they remember the old Mall having events, but that was back when they were children and they appreciate having these types of events close to home again. 

What is next on the agenda? Hammond Square has partnered with North Oaks Health System for an event to Celebrate Women’s Health on Saturday, May 4th from 10am to 4 pm.  This event has already become bigger than what was originally thought when the concept was first explored.  North Oaks is providing heart and stroke screenings as well as child safety seat checks.  North Cypress is teaching mini yoga/aerobics classes.  Dillard’s has a fashion show and cosmetics event going on that day too.  Multiple local health-related vendors will be set up at tables throughout the Center to provide people with information and promote their products.  North Oaks and Hammond Square have also put together 100 bags filled with coupons and goodies from the Tenants and vendors that will be handed out exclusively to people participating in the events. 

Looking ahead to June, we will have a big event to celebrate Father’s day.  Most people don’t think about a shopping center catering to that holiday for an event, but we look forward to surprising the community with an event that Dads and kids will thoroughly enjoy.

Remember to Shop Tangi to have your sales taxes benefit the community where you live!

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 30^th! 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! 

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!

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!