Changes at the Kanawha City Mall are highlighted below in an article by Sarah K. Winn at the Charleston Gazette.


April 25, 2006
The other mall
New anchor steadying Kanawha City shopping center
By Sarah K. Winn Staff writer
Brisk business at the Town Center and Corridor G shops makes it easy to forget about the Kanawha Mall.
But it’s still there out on the edge of town, offering what its managers and owners say is a little bit of the best of both worlds: department stores as well as one-of-a-kind retailers, ample parking within city limits.
And now that a revamped Elder-Beerman has filled the long-vacant north-end anchor space, they say, the mall is creating the biggest buzz it’s had in years, which should help lure new restaurants and retailers to claim its remaining vacancies.
Among the potential tenants being courted is the bakery chain Panera Bread.
“Once you bring in a new anchor, that in turn attracts more prominent small shops,” says Donald Simpson, president of mall owner Simpson Properties Inc. of Johnstown, Pa.
“We’ve been talking to a number of national retailers about the new Elder-Beerman and how they could co-exist with the store,” he said, but he wouldn’t name names.
It’s not surprising that Elder-Beerman’s move last month — from a 40,000-square-foot space at the center of the mall to the twice-as-big anchor spot — has gotten the attention of prospective tenants.
The space had been empty since 2002, when the Ames Discount Stores location closed. The vacancy gave that end of the complex a desolate appearance and probably raised doubts that other closures might follow.
But Elder-Beerman’s big, bright marquee and sparkling new interior have transformed the atmosphere.
“You couldn’t ask for a better response,” said mall Manager Marilyn Bowles, who estimates that about 600 people attended the store’s grand opening. “Our customers have been looking forward to it for years,” she said.
Elder-Beerman’s counterweight on the mall’s south end is Gabriel Brothers, the discount department store with a customer following all its own.
Filling out the other mall spaces are a few chains — like Kay Bee Toys, the FYE music store and Bath & Body Works — and locally owned retailers like the Coffee Bean.
One of the more unusual occupants is a Division of Motor Vehicles branch office.
“The closing of the Ames immediately before we took over created a difficult leasing environment,” Simpson said. “The DMV was a way to address that. We worked with the state to double the size of this operation and provide a state-of-the-art retail facility.”
The location has been a hit with people conducting DMV business because of the mall’s convenient location and easy parking, he said, and it has brought business to other tenants.
“It’s always our hope with increased foot traffic comes increased cross-shopping,” Simpson said.
Features like the DMV make the Kanawha Mall unique, Simpson says.
“We are a completely different shopping center than Town Center as far as size and what we are going to be able to offer,” he said. “Certainly, there are going to be tenants that might choose one center over the other. Obviously, FYE and Hallmark would do fine in either. But I would not think that DMV would fare as well.”
Still, plenty of mall vacancies remain. A space that had long been home to a military recruiting office is empty, for instance. And the food court has but a single tenant, Different Twist Pretzel Co.
Simpson says the occupancy rate is above 85 percent.
Over the next six months, Simpson said, he will focus on bringing tenants to the food court. The only other eating option is China Buffet, which is part of the mall but not in the food court.
“Serious negotiations” are underway with three restaurants, and they could settle in as soon as the end of the year, Simpson said.
Charleston City Councilwoman Ditty Markham, who represents Kanawha City, says she has been working to bring Panera Bread to the mall. A Panera franchise opened at Southridge Center last summer.
The mall “has a lot of possibility,” Markham said. It “could really add several things this community lacks.”
What Kanawha City doesn’t need are big-box retailers like Wal-Mart, she said, and that’s why the mall is such a good fit. A plan to bring Wal-Mart to the lot across MacCorkle Avenue from the mall in 1997 failed amid complaints about the impact on traffic and independent businesses.
“We don’t want a big-box store there,” she said. “If the mall failed, Wal-Mart would be able to go in. With Elder-Beerman’s long-term lease, there won’t be that type of development there.”
Ideally, the mall’s growth will mean more boutique-type stores, like Williams-Sonoma Inc., a fancy-cookware seller, Markham said.
“We should enjoy that momentum [from Elder-Beerman’s re-opening] right now and take advantage of it,” Simpson said. “This is the time to take it to the next step. This a very important time in this mall’s life.”
To contact staff writer Sarah K. Winn, use e-mail or call 304-348-5156.