When development at Exit 10 along Interstate 69 recently exploded, two companies joined to jump at the opportunity to make the area a destination for travelers and central and east central Indiana residents.
Developers Simon Property Group and Gershman Brown Crowley Inc. built Hamilton Town Center, an outdoor mall complete with large stores, specialty shops and restaurants. The companies also own property around the mall, outlots for more stores, restaurants, banks and other development flowing into the area.
The exit’s infrastructure, with an interchange off a major thoroughfare and recently rebuilt cross street of 146th Street, was important in bringing in Hamilton Town Center. Other considerations included the demographics of the mall’s target area, which extends through Madison County and into Delaware County, Simon public relations manager Les Morris said.
“It has the household demographics retailers want to see and developers want to see in terms of household income, education and lack of competition,” Morris said.
Hamilton Town Center sees a significant amount of traffic coming south on I-69 from Madison and Delaware counties, Morris said.
“We thought that this was a unique project, a unique platform for us,” he said. “It’s doing very well.”
Although restaurants and stores don’t generally release their sales figures, Morris said many of them were experiencing high consumer traffic in comparison to other stores in their district.
Mo’s Irish Pub in Hamilton Town Center regularly has a 90-minute wait time on Fridays and Saturdays, and next door at Paradise Bakery and Café, diners will find one of the company’s most successful stores in the state, Morris said. Qdoba Mexican eatery has set state sales records, and specialty stores in the mall like Gymboree and Lenscrafters have reported strong sales. The Hamilton 16 movie theater, also on the property, regularly fills its parking lot.
“It’s unbelievable,” Hamilton Town Center marketing director Tommy Holmes said. “Some of the stores are not only No. 1 in their district, but they are beating the nation in sales.”
Hamilton Town Center has been opening in stages since early May, when shoppers could visit 35 stores. More will open throughout the summer and fall, Morris said.
“That ensures the people who return again and again will see new offerings,” he said.
The mall was designed to have a regional draw, built to serve communities all along I-69, Morris said.
“For people in Anderson, it’s a wonderful, wonderful shopping option now,” he said. “You just scoot down 69, and there we are. We think very strongly that Anderson is definitely part of the trade area.”
Hamilton Town Center serves a need in the east central Indiana area, Holmes said. In talking with stores and getting ZIP code information about their customers, Holmes has determined a lot of shoppers and diners are coming from Anderson, Muncie and Kokomo.
“From my standpoint, being right off the exit, you’re not only capturing local people, you’re capturing people traveling on 69,” he said.
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Businesses in Hamilton Town Center include or will include:
Aeropostale, American Eagle, Ann Taylor Loft, AT&T; Mobility, Ayur, Bachrach, Banana Republic, Bath & Body Works, Bed Bath & Beyond, Borders, Buckle, Cache, Chase Bank, Chico’s, Christopher & Banks, CJ Banks, Claire’s Boutique, Cold Stone Creamery, Coldwater Creek, Cuppy’s Coffee, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Dressbarn, DSW Shoe Warehouse, Finish Line, Five Guys Famous Burgers, Game Stop, General Nutrition Center, Great Clips, Gymboree, Hallmark - Wooden Key, Hamilton 16 theater and IMAX, Houlihan’s, JCPenney, Jos. A. Bank, Jule, Justice, Key Jewelers, KeyBank, Lenscrafters, Massage Envy, Mattress Firm, Maurices, McAlisters Deli, Men’s Wearhouse, Mo’s Irish Pub, New York & Company, Noodles & Company, Occasionally Yours, Old Navy, Paradise Bakery, Payless Shoe Source, Qdoba Mexican Grill, Rack Room Shoes, Radio Shack, Rain Salon & Spa, Red Robin, Revolver, Select Comfort, Sephora (inside JCPenney), Stein Mart, Stone Creek Dining, Sunglass Hut, The Walking Company, Three Dog Bakery, Ulta, Verizon, Victoria’s Secret, Vinny’s Pizza, White House Black Market Zumiez
xInterstate 69
Related Photos
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John P. Cleary
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Richard Sitler
Discussion
October 7, 2008
I-69 (Exit 10): Mall entertains in prime location
- xInterstate 69
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I-69 (Exit 41): Five questions with an employee
Bryan Carter, assistant manager, The Rental Store
1. Do you believe the interstate has helped business?
Yes, it’s easy to get to. It’s easy to pick up equipment and get back onto the interstate.
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I-69 (Exit 41): Slow-to-grow exit shows potential
MUNCIE — It may not have restaurants, casinos or hotels, but Exit 41 on Interstate 69 is on the cusp of development.
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I-69 (Exit 34): Smokehouse keeps travelers coming back
DALEVILLE — Motorists traveling along Interstate 69 near Exit 34 can’t see the trademark smoke billowing from Bird’s Smokehouse BBQ from the road, but billboards teasing travelers with hickory-smoked meats and Southern cooking keep the restaurant busy at every meal.
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I-69 (Exit 34): Exit 34 causes growth for Daleville
DALEVILLE — As Nancy Johnson looks at her selection of purchased merchandise from the Great American Market, the large flea market in Daleville, she laughs.
“I spent a lot today,” she said.
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I-69 (Exit 34): Five questions with a businessman
Mike Hiatt, 65, of Yorktown, is the owner of Racer’s Edge at 15119 W. Commerce Road, Daleville. Hiatt sells NASCAR merchandise and boasts that his shop has the largest inventory of NASCAR memorabilia in the country. Hiatt pays for two billboards on the interstate, one facing each direction, in order to attract business.
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I-69 (Exit 26): Growing all around
Since the departure of General Motors, Anderson has had to redefine itself as a community.
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I-69 (Exit 26): Activity along I-69 keeps hotels hopping
Americans are traveling less because of the poor economy, but hotels at Exit 26 are doing OK thanks to new growth near the interchange and steady businesses coming from nearby events.
- I-69 (Exit 26): Five Questions with a businessman Rex Teeple move his established optometry practice to a new location near Exit 26 earlier this year. He is among the area business owners involved in a new initiative to promote the exit, goto26.com, The group’s Web site is not yet up and running.
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I-69 (Exit 22): Upgrades spur growth at city’s ‘gateway’
ANDERSON — It doesn’t have the lights and attractions of Exit 26, but Interstate 69’s Exit 22 is fast becoming a destination for business while continuing to be a major entry point for the city.
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I-69 (Exit 22): Growth expands south of Exit 22
ANDERSON — Sometime in the next year, drivers at Exit 22 should see major changes on the interchange’s drab south side. The city approved in June a 60-acre development that will bring a hotel, medical and retail sites. Construction is set to begin in spring 2009.
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