Mixed reviews for Urban Outfitters, Hollister

I stopped at the Menlo Park Mall, in Menlo Park, N.J., a few days ago, to check out one of its newest tenants: Urban Outfitters. The store was rocking, with a relevancy that escapes most chains. It looked fabulous -- and like nothing else in the mall. Urban Outfitters remains unrivaled among specialty retailers for its ability to make each store a unique and compelling destination. Nobody, at least for my money, does it better.

Meanwhile, another teen fave -- Abercrombie & Fitch’s Hollister brand -- made its Manhattan debut with a 40,000-sq.-ft. flagship in SoHo. In keeping with A&F tradition, the store is very, very dark. Pre-opening promotional materials had promised a SoCal-lifestyle driven experience. But with its dark interiors, the store feels more like a worn-in frat house than it does a beach. Sure, there were some cool touches -- most notably, the pier inside the entrance and the wall of flat-screen TVs with live feed of the surf from Huntington Beach, Calif. But overall, I found the new Hollister a pretty gloomy affair. Lighten up, guys. And let the sun shine in.