Black Friday came and went. The holiday shopping season, already in full swing, now enters the last mad dash until December 25.
Naturally, this year’s shopping season varied “slightly” from the norm and what area residents experienced in 2019, long before the words coronavirus pandemic and community spread became fixtures in the everyday lexicon.
But how has it affected that experience and, in particularly, at the Ohio Valley Mall?
“I think it’s been a mixed bag honestly,” said Anthony Cafaro, Co-President of the Cafaro Company. “We’ve obviously seen lesser crowds, but that’s good for the community. Traffic has dispersed over a longer period of time as people started shopping sooner.
“Brick and mortar malls and retail in general has been challenged throughout the COVID situation. I think everyone is looking forward to seeing some degree of normalcy return.
“In the meantime, we’re all doing our best to keep people safe and have our businesses operating responsibly.”
But the important thing is the businesses at the mall are operating; providing goods and services as well as jobs for their employees. But 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. curfew—which Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine stated Monday will likely need extending past Thursday’s original end-date—is not doing businesses any favors.
And it’s certainly not helping restaurants.
Staying Afloat
The good news is most restaurants are making it thus far. It may be by the skin of their bottom lines, but they are still in operation.
Places that feature drive-thru options and carry-out or delivery via third-party vendors are keeping busy. So too were the more upscale and sit-down style restaurants. But Cafaro knows that curfew is causing the most damage there.
“Certainly, if you have a drive-thru, you’ve fared well through the entire pandemic,” Cafaro said. “Some have done more business even than they otherwise would have.
“But sit-down restaurants, even with the delivery and counter services, are not back to where they could be during peak times. And a lot of those restaurants rely upon a decent percentage of beverage sales and with that curfew in place, they are missing out.”
Some new restaurants have opened during the pandemic however and have flourished. It’s rare to drive past Chick-fil-A at the mall and not see the drive-thru lane packed with cars.
Even restaurants outside of the mall property, like Salsa Joe’s just west of St. Clairsville, have maintained a loyal following and remain busy.
Filling the Empty Spaces
The addition of Dunham’s along with Five Below in the repurposed spaced formerly occupied by Kmart is a success.
But there are two other spaces sitting empty that once housed big-box retailers and mall anchors.
The site of the former Sears store on the east end of the mall and the former Macy’s are, at present, unoccupied.
It’s not easy trying to lure a business into a major retail location during a pandemic. However, Cafaro admits there have been nibbles. And, with vaccines being deployed, that proverbial light at the end of tunnel is in view.
“The fortunate thing is now, unlike the spring when there was a great degree of uncertainty as to when all this would end, with the vaccine around the corner, we can start talking more about the opportunities from a business standpoint,” Cafaro said.
“But there will be casualties, and that’s not just specific to the Ohio Valley Mall and malls in general. A lot of businesses are being impacted that might not be able to survive. But in terms of the OV Mall, we have great tenants and the marketplace as a whole is vibrant.”
Non-Retail Use
Speaking of nibbles, Cafaro noted he has had preliminary discussions about using one of the former major retail spaces for medical use.
Nothing is even half-certain yet, but the interest is there. But as he explained, folks in that particular field are a bit tied up at the moment.
“We’ve had discussions for various office and medical uses for one of the spaces, but with the pandemic, folks in the medical field are not focused on real estate matters at present,” Cafaro admitted.
With larger spaces, like the former Sears and Macy’s buildings, Cafaro noted it can take years, not months, to come to an agreement for use of that type of space.
“But we’re hoping that in 2021,we can have some positive announcements for the Ohio Valley Mall and be able to backfill some of these vacancies.”
