Indoor Malls Constructs Community

During the holiday seasons in, Elgin mall is a place where children are rushing to cue up and have their pictures taken with Santa Clause, teenager perusing through their favourite stores, moms frantically searching for holiday bargains and seniors gather around benches to discuss current events. Elgin Mall is located in St. Thomas, Ontario and is more than a commercial hub – it’s a meeting point for a tightly knit community that has witnessed its manufacturing sector take its toll thanks to the recession.

According to property manager Julia Cole, this mass has not suffered any slow downs as many malls have witnessed during the recession and the property management team continues to look for more creative ways to service this city of 37,000 for an experience that goes beyond shopping.

About 48 stores in the mall, have made requests for new ways to cater to a younger crowd, women’s fashion and an older generation. Manager of many other properties are posed with similar challenges – how can older, less fashionable properties compete with powerful new competition? Although there has been little enclosed-mall construction since the mid 90’s, Canadian consumers are still interested in the indoor shopping experience as is evident in Elgin Mall. The key to injecting life into aging buildings, says Alex Avery (a real estate analyst with CIBC World Markets Inc.) is to understanding the demographic mix of the population in the surrounding area, attract retailers that conform to their own needs and continue providing affordable prices. Even the loss of major department stores in malls, can actually provide an opportunity to increase revenue by drawing in a larger number of smaller retailers at increased rents to occupy those vacation spaces. He adds that a renewed focus on community expectations, is like icing on the cake for these spaces.