Read chapter 85 here
Photos by Retiring Guy
Wednesday, November 18, 2020
Out of curiosity, I visited West Towne Mall yesterday during a morning run of errands. I purposely chose a time when it would underpopulated. What surprised me most was how healthy it looks after being closed for 2 months in the spring and reopening with
reduced hours (11 am to 7 pm Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 on Sunday) and capacity limits.
Not to mention many people’s fear of large gatherings, which is what shopping malls need to survive. I didn’t see as many empty storefronts as I had anticipated. The majority of tenants specialize in clothing for women and teens, a category that experienced the largest percentage drop in sales since the start of the pandemic. Forever 21 and H&M (the glass wall of windows across from Forever 21 in the top
photo) have probably received a boost due to their location near the mall’s only viable remaining anchor store, Dick’s Sporting Goods, a business that has experienced a growth in revenue so far this year. Penney’s, located at the opposite end, appears to be on life support. Few cars are ever parked near
parked near its three entrances.
The former tenant, The Boston, Store closed in 2018, giving the mall’s center court a forlorn appearance especially since the small spaces framing the entrance, previously occupied by Fannie Mae and Teavana, are also vacant. A year later, Von Maur, an upscale, Iowa-based retailer, announced it would raze the 2-story, 144,000-square-foot anchor space with a single-story, 86,000-square-foot store in time for the 2021 holiday season. Some interior demolition work took place until Covid put the
project on hold early this year. Now the targeted opening date — perhaps more of an aspiration than a promise — is the fall of 2022.
After its square footage was reduced by two-thirds in 2017, a last-gasp effort to survive, Sears closed its doors in a year later. (The space remains vacant.) Total Wine and Dave and Buster’s subsequently filled the remaining vacuum. The former continues to do well, as liquor sales are
up 25% during the pandemic. Dave and Buster’s, on the other hand, mapped out a business plan where social distancing turns out to be toxic. They remain open 5 days a week, Tuesday through Sunday, but without any outdoor dining options, the chain is struggling. In fact, last month Nation’s Restaurant News reported that sales were down 62% in September. And that was before the second wave of the virus washed over America. Dave and Buster’s is disparagingly referred to, in some quarters, as ‘Chuckie Cheese for adults’. Having brought the boys to numerous Chuckie Cheese birthday parties once upon a time, the ‘grown-up’ concept never appealed to JoAnna and me. Now it’s a distinctly horrifying entertainment option.
I counted three shuttered vendors in the food court. To be honest, I expected to find twice that number. When the boys were toddlers and in grade school, a trip to the mall – and they were frequent – usually involved lunch or dinner in this large, open space. Back then, 25 years ago, most of the tables and chairs were occupied. As for meal choices, Andy and Eddie usually remained loyal to McDonald’s, a Happy Meal being the main draw, while JoAnna and I preferred the variety offered Sbarro and the subs and fries at Steak Escape. It was always a great place to people-watch.
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