Cache Valley Mall sports A Sharper Image
Cache Valley Mall renovations are almost over and the food court is set to open in November.
From Main Street, it is apparent the Cache Valley Mall has received a makeover – complete with a new extension, ligting scheme, parking lot, 400-seat food court and a fresh coat of paint inside and out.
Kelly Lindsey, marketing coordinator for General Growth Properties, Inc., said the structure was due for the multi-million-dollar renovations that it has endured in the past few months.
The upcoming food court will include a Great Steak and Potato, Samurai Sam’s, Ranch One, Taco Time and Rollerz Frullati Café, most of which are new to the area.
Maya Gomez, store manager of Famous Footwear, said the renovations so far have definitely brought in new customers.
“I can’t wait for the food court to open,” she said, “It will bring more customers and I am so sick of eating pretzels, you wouldn’t believe it.”
General Growth Properties, Inc., the second largest developer of shopping centers in the nation, has owned the mall and its property since 2002. Its previous owner, JP Realty, built the mall in 1976.
Although GGP owns more than 180 shopping centers in the United States, Lindsey said their staff deals strictly with the Cache Valley Mall.
Lindsey said competition from the growing trend of large strip malls was a small factor for the renovations. The timing was right and the mall needed to refocus, he said.
“Everything considered, our window of opportunity was here so it was the right time to act,” Lindsey said.
These large “box stores” like Best Buy and Borders have brought business to the valley and the local market, Lindsey said. “Generally, they are competition, but there is a big leakage of retail dollars in the valley and all the strip centers help hold the money in the area.”
“When [the money] is here in the valley, we can compete for it; if we can’t keep it in the valley, we can’t compete for it,” he said.
As for future improvements to the mall, Lindsey said the majority of the renovations are complete.
“There are still some improvements to be made and we’ll just keep working on those as we move forward,” he said.
Nathan Karren, an undeclared sophomore and employee of Global Cellular, said he feels people just come in and out now, but with the addition of the food court, people will actually spend more time in the mall.
“I do think the new stores have hurt the big department stores,” he said, “because people park their cars in the new parking lot and don’t go through the department stores on their way into the mall.”
As for the addition of more stores or another department store, Lindsey said the current tenants will remain where they are for the time being because the mall is basically “landlocked” and doesn’t have the space for many new stores.
Nestle Tollhouse Café is the only new, permanent venue that will come to the mall in the near future.
However, about a dozen more kiosks and carts will be coming to the common areas temporarily for the Christmas season.
“Never say never in the shopping center industry,” Lindsey said.
Julia Rehs, a junior majoring in history, and frequent shopper of the Cache Valley mall said she has shopped at the center more since the renovations have taken place, but would like to see more stores come in.
“I think the food court also will bring in new customers because the restaurants coming in are not available anywhere else in the valley,” she said.
The prime piece of real estate that the mall sits on is perhaps the retail center of the valley, Lindsey said. Everything has been built around the mall and GGP has no intentions of selling the property in the future.
With the new renovations and coming food court, Lindsey said, “We want to become a place for all age groups of shoppers to come spend time, shop, relax, and have lunch.”
There has been a large demand for some bigger chain stores such as Victoria’s Secret, Lindsay said, adding that there are a lot of things that need to fall into space.
“The mall is like a puzzle. You’re always going to see things coming and going, and spaces will be reworked. You may see improvements from time to time, and it’s a big building so there’s a lot of maintenance that needs to be done,” Lindsey said.
Wyatt Meldrum, manager of Cuddlebag and former employee at the shoe store Journeys, feels the renovations have helped him be positive about working at the mall.
“Working at the mall is more respectable now. I am not as embarrassed to tell people I work here,” the sophomore in law and constitutional studies said.
Overall, Lindsey said, “there is no doubt in my mind this has been a success.”
-amking@cc.usu.edu
The Cache Valley Mall is attempting to bring in more business through a costly renovation which is expected to be finished by the end of 004. (Photo by Jennifer Wheatley)