Mall aboard: Future requires evolution at West Park Mall

For three and a half decades, Cape Girardeau’s West Park Mall has helped bolster the city’s reputation as a regional hub.

While some malls have struggled as a result of internet retailers’ increasing share of sales, others, such as West Park, have been rethinking what it means to be a mall, why people come and how to attract them in the years ahead.

Cape Girardeau Mayor Harry Rediger, who himself worked in retail management with J.C. Penney for two decades, said Cape Girardeau’s mall remains an important part of the local economy.

“Ever since the mall opened in 1981, there’s been lots of sales, lots of sales tax, lots of visitors and shoppers,” he said. “It’s been super successful ... [but] in today’s world, malls are kind of out of favor. ... I’ve been in a lot of malls that have been razed now, and ours is still very viable.”

John Mehner, president and CEO of Magnet, offered a similar sentiment via email, pointing out the mall’s importance locally.

West Park Mall is seen March 17 in Cape Girardeau.Fred Lynch

“We are working on ways to strengthen our mall, and that may include some innovative changes,” he said.

Rediger said he has upcoming meetings planned with mall management and business leaders to discuss the mall’s future.

West Park Mall spokeswoman Stacey Keating said via email that future likely will include offerings outside traditional retail.

“There has been a shift in the industry ... and many malls are looking to diversify the tenant mix at their properties. Generally, the goal is to provide an experience through the addition of dining and entertainment options. Some malls are also adding lifestyle components like fitness centers and medical offices. All of these uses draw traffic to the property and, in turn, positively impact the other tenants.”

The mall currently has about half a dozen vacancies, and stores including Lids and Finish Line have closed, but more than 20 stores remain, including anchor stores such as Macy’s, Barnes & Noble, Furniture Factory, Old Navy and J.C. Penney.

Restaurants, Keating said, have been shown to increase foot traffic, and with the addition of Tandoor Indian Bar & Grill last year and Don Carlos Authentic Mexican Restaurant and Taqueria before that, West Park has shown itself willing to branch out.

Keating said no details about specific tenants can be released until the agreements are completed.

“That said, we are working on some exciting expansions/renovations of existing tenants, and we’re always on the lookout for new opportunities to enhance the tenant mix at the property,” she said.

Jason Claunch, a commercial consultant working to draw companies to Cape Girardeau, said even retail sales need not be a zero-sum contest between online and brick-and-mortar.

Nearly a quarter of online purchases are returned, according to statistics provided by Claunch’s firm Catalyst and the International Council of Shopping Centers.

When that happens, he said, people often find it more convenient to take the product back to a physical location rather than ship it again.

If that happens, he said, 18 percent of those individuals purchase something else while in the store to return their original product.

Claunch said West Park Mall, compared to others with which he has worked, is well-situated for future success.

“When you look at the viability and sustainability of malls long-term, the Cape mall definitely measures up,” he said. “It’s a merchandising mix. ... It’s got a very strategic regional location. ... It doesn’t have the regional competition that a lot of the malls have, where essentially they’re cannibalizing themselves. ... In this case, the fact that it’s singular, that makes it more sustainable and viable.”

His firm, he said, has reached out to about 80 tenants as part of the retail-development initiative, with hope some will choose to invest in the Cape Girardeau market, including West Park Mall.

Among the foot traffic, 15-year-old Tyler Helm said the talk of malls not being cool anymore is exaggerated.

“I go to the mall every weekend,” he said, adding he typically spends money when he does. “It’s like the main thing in Cape.”

Fellow Cape Girardeau resident Christy Niswonger disagreed somewhat. She dislikes crowds, she said, so she usually prefers to shop online.

But she and her son Sam went last week to buy shoes at Payless.

She does, however, enjoy the restaurants at the mall and would like to see more move in.

“I think they need a bigger food court,” she said.

tgraef@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3627

Pertinent address:

3049 William St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.