My family has always enjoyed stopping by former-Herschend-property-Grand Village when we are in Branson. Over the years, we have watched cycles of it sliding downhill, perking up a bit, then sliding back down. A few years ago, a developer announced a major rehab and the addition of new buildings, but it never happened.
We visited this past weekend, and I believe it's in the worst shape ever. There are only a few stores left, and the vacant spaces look really shady. The centerpiece of the village--the cupola on the main building--is so rotted that it looks like it could collapse at any time.
The nicest store in the complex is Pete Engler Designs, and the lady working there told me that they would close at the end of the year and move everything to their store downtown.
It's almost to the point that the place needs bulldozed. One would think that in an era of stores moving out of indoor malls into strip malls that this place could thrive, especially in a place like Branson. It's sad to see its decline.
