Haunted Mall

Disney has its Haunted Mansion and it may soon have a haunted mall. Downtown Disney, the shopping and dining area right outside the main gate of the two resort parks, is bleeding tenants:

Downtown Disney is quickly losing tenants. Last weekend, Club Libby Lu, a store for girls to dress up, shop and have a makeover, closed. Owned by Saks Inc., all 78 of the Club Libby Lu stores around the nation will close.

Recently, Department 56 and Starabillas also closed.

The Register’s Retail blog reports that Yankee Holding Corp. will close all 28 of its Illuminations stores, including the one in Downtown Disney. The high-quality candle store is scheduled to close on April 30. Currently, everything in the store is being sold at 25 to 50 percent off.

We were over there right after Christmas and they were having a huge blowout sale at Department 56. My wife scored a number of goodies for next year's Christmas decorations (unless Christmas is cancelled because the Porkulus Bill didn't pass).

Right near where I live there is suddenly a surplus of big box store locations. Within just a couple miles of here there are three vacant Mervyn's stores, a vacant CompUSA, vacant Linens & Things, and a soon-to-be vacant Circuit City.

If you're a big box store looking for South Orange County locations, brother we got 'em.