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Date: 2/28/2022
HOLYOKE/SPRINGFIELD – The COVID-19 outbreak has hugely affected shopping malls across the country. Now, shopping malls are trying to find ways to stay relevant in the new normal.
The Holyoke Mall is Western New England’s premiere shopping center, in the city’s Ingleside neighborhood, owned by Pyramid Management Group, one of the largest privately held real estate developers in the northeast. Built in 1979, Holyoke Mall expanded in 1995 spanning 1.6 million square feet.
This three-level mall is home to 150 shops, restaurants, entertainment venues and department stores such as Best Buy, Target, H&M, DSW, 110 Grill and many more. In addition to national brands, Holyoke Mall is also home to many small businesses. Depending on the time of year, approximately 15-25 percent of its tenant mix is locally owned mom-and-pop shops or local franchisees. The shopping center and its businesses provide over 3,000 jobs to those in the area, and it also hosts numerous community groups to fund-raise or spread awareness about their organizations.
Marketing Director Lisa Wray told Reminder Publishing that the Holyoke Mall had already been adding more dining and entertainment destinations to the mix along with services prior to the pandemic. Over the last five years, the mall welcomed Round1 Bowling & Amusement and Billy Beez jungle-themed play park, as well as restaurants Sumo Japanese Steakhouse and 110 Grill. The tenant mix became even more diversified with the addition of United Tractor Trailer School and Xfinity. In 2020 and 2021, the center welcomed new tenants with the opening of Cinnabon, Altitude trampoline park, and rue21.
When the mall reopened after the shutdown in 2020, Wray said, “Providing guests with a safe shopping environment took on a whole new meaning, with enhanced safety measures, cleaning protocols and healthy shopper guidelines in place. The mall’s operations and hours fluctuated depending on the restrictions in place during the pandemic but occupancy was just about the same when we were able to fully reopen.”
Wray also said that COVID-19 changed not only who shopped and their purchasing behavior, but it also changed how retailers were reaching them.
“The retailers that developed an omnichannel platform before or during the pandemic were the ones that were most successful during the pandemic, and the ones that best positioned themselves for success in 2022 and beyond,” Wray said. “Retailers need to provide both digital and physical options for how people research and make a purchase. Many retailers now also offer package pick-up areas inside of their stores and curbside pick-up in their parking lots. They have also become a warehouse of sorts packaging and shipping merchandise right from their store to fulfill online orders.”
Wray describes 2022 as an exciting time for the Holyoke Mall as it continues its quest to seek out new brands, the latest trends and unique entertainment uses that keep the tenant mix fresh and relevant. The mall has partnered with Curative to have a COVID-19 drive-through testing site near the Planet Fitness parking lot, making testing services more accessible to the community.
“We have always believed that a mall is more than a shopping center but rather a destination, adding experiences and adapting to changing consumer preferences, regardless of whether the industry says they belong in a mall,” Wray replied.
The Holyoke Mall is at 50 Holyoke St. in Holyoke. For more information, visit www.holyokemall.com.
Built in 1968 by the Rouse Company, the Eastfield Mall was the first enclosed shopping center in New England. Owned by Mountain Development Corporation, the Eastfield Mall currently has 63-65 retailers.
Marketing Manager Jessica Burroughs said the mall was doing “really well” before the pandemic hit. There was a waiting list for available stores. Once they were able to reopen after the 2020 shutdown, a lot of the small mom-and-pop shops struggled and eventually closed down. The Eastfield Mall offered its stores the option to do curbside pick-up, and many businesses chose to do so. Some of the restaurants, like Ninety Nine Restaurants, stayed open for a while, but didn’t make it through the pandemic with the restrictions that were in place. Ninety Nine relied on bar business, which was tough for the restaurant at the time.
“We did lose a couple of business,” Burroughs said. “Some moved to be closer to family to support each other. Since that, we’re are at 98 percent leased and currently back to almost full capacity.”
She continued, “At this point, we’re in a good spot. We are trying new marketing tactics and holding new events here at the mall. We just had our first vendor fair. It went really well, so we’ll be doing more of those to try to get more smaller businesses who can’t afford full-time rent at the mall the opportunity to come in and sell their products. It’s been different, it’s been a learning experience to see what works and what doesn’t work. We’re trying different avenues to get people back into the mall.”
For 2022, Burroughs would like for more people to realize how many different shops, stores and services, and overall, what they have to offer at the mall.
“Pretty often I’ll hear people say there’s nothing at the mall,” Burroughs added. “People don’t really realize the number of small businesses and local entrepreneurs that are actually growing here. The general public will be surprised if they came to our hallways to see what we have.”
The Eastfield Mall is located on 1655 Boston Rd. in Springfield. Its hours are Sundays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. For more information, visit www.eastfieldmall.com or call 543-8000.