Shops in Cache Valley Mall prepare for the mall’s closure
Eutauna Yocom smiled as I walked into Alvey’s Chocolates, which displayed rows of caramel apples, homemade fudge, toffees and truffles. I sampled some raspberry fudge — the flavor exploding in my mouth — as Yocom, the owner, made small talk with me.
Eventually, we moved to the topic of the Cache Valley Mall closing, and Yocom sighed. She started telling me about Alvey’s and her concerns about how her business will stay afloat.
“As a small business owner, it’s definitely going to be hard finding a place with as much foot traffic,” Yocom said. “This is our only location.”
In June, the Cache Valley Marketplace project was introduced to the Logan City Council. The plan would be, after demolition of the mall, to rebuild a 148,000 square foot store, along with 346 housing units and a 156-room hotel.
According to Yocom, the Cache Valley Mall managers allegedly have not been upfront about when the mall will be officially closing, leading her to worry how her business will make the transition to work in other locations.
“It would be nice if we were given some information,” Yocom said.
But according to Addie Shirts, manager at Akita Ramen Poke and Boba, the mall’s managers have a reason for not disclosing as much information up front.
“There’s a lot of confounding factors here that make it really difficult to say definitively when it’s going to close,” Shirts said, noting that the Logan City Council has had several meetings and discussions to rezone the area — which may delay the public’s knowledge of any definitive date.
The Cache Valley Mall managers did not get back to the Statesman in time of the article’s publication, despite several attempts to contact them.
Despite having little knowledge about the future, many businesses are already making relocation plans, including local business Pure Oils.
Dae Hopson, one of the managers of Pure Oils, noted that doing business in the mall is no easy task — especially with their space’s $2,000 monthly rent. With the mall closing, she’s not sure how the business will fare in the future.
“To be honest, I’m not sure if we’re going to find a place,” Hopson said. “There probably won’t be many places that will be (available) in Logan for a while.”
Hopson saidshe hopes she and Pure Oils’ other two managers will be able to find a rental space that has a cafe adjacent to a shop — that way, customers could drink non-alcoholic beverages and have stand-up poetry nights, in addition to purchasing some oils and jewelry.
“We’re hoping if the stars align and everything works out, we’ll not only take this as an opportunity to have new product, but to provide a new part of the business to offer to the community,” Hopson said.
John Barrett, another manager at Pure Oils, affirmed that even though he hasn’t received much information from the Cache Valley Mall managers as to the mall’s closing date, he’s confident that the business will stay in Logan.
“I don’t know where we’re going to go, but we’re going to find somewhere to go,” Barrett said.
Fun Unlimited, one of the anchor stores in the Cache Valley mall, is also working to find affordable locations in Logan to relocate. With the store chock-full of comics, playing cards and books it’s also “a good place to get old games,” saidemployee Kai Carver.
The business is trying to stay in Logan, Carver said, but if they don’t find another location to put their vast amounts of VHS tapes and Gamecube controllers, they will need to move to Ogden. So far, he said, there isn’t much more information on when they will relocate.
Larger chain stores like Bath and Body Works and Claire’s noted they will likely have other locations in Logan to operate out of, so there will be little concern for them.
Bath and Body Works will be opening their second location in Logan in October, along with several other businesses, including Five Below, Homegoods, and Ulta Beauty on 49 E. 400 North, according to a report found in the Herald Journal.
Despite Clarie’s having two other locations in Logan’s local Walmarts, it won’t leave workers unaffected. For Lizzy Wright, a Claire’s employee and Utah State University student studying art education, the loss of the job and income will be difficult — and not just for her, but for the many college employees working in the Cache Valley Mall.
“I just think it might affect it quite a bit; this is pretty much the only place that college students can find that pays a little better than most,” Wright said.
It is still unclear as to whether Gamestop will get another location, according to Ember Gonsalves, the manager of Gamestop.
“Just like everything else, they can’t really give confirmation about it,” Gonsalves said. “We hope so; it would be smart (to get another location), right, since we’re like the only game stop within an hour in each direction.”
Gonsalves noted that despite the announcement about the mall closing, foot traffic is still as busy as ever, and with the holiday season coming up, she’s not concerned.
Shirts agreed, adding that several customers have expressed their concerns and support for her business.
“I think as time goes on, I’ve become less stressed about it, especially because I’ve seen how much interest the community has taken, not necessarily in the mall itself, but with the businesses in the mall,” Shirts said. “That makes me hopeful that something is going to happen.”