Clarence, N.Y. (WBEN) - As the calendar prepares to change to 2024, changes are planned at Eastern Hills Mall. A number of tenants were given eviction notices as the mall converts to a town center and some say they're adapting and finding ways to stay.
"We have been hyper focused on Christmas, this is our season," says Keith Mann of Mister Christmas. He tells WBEN he didn't want to let the notice affect his business. He's noticed a slowdown in foot traffic at the mall, with other stores moving out, but his store's sales are still up.
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Mann says he's planning on staying in the mall. "We've since been sort of promised we'd be able to stay in the spot that we're at, because we have a back entrance to the front of the mall. And we're going to try and figure out how to adjust, how to utilize and reorganize the space that we already have," notes Mann. He says he's received offers to move out, but those were non-starters because those offers required an immediate move. "We're pretty much all set up here with three stores now connecting, and it's just too big of an adventure to move all of that in such a short amount of time. So we're not sure what's actually going to happen," says Mann.
Patricia Conner of Pure Integrity candles says business has been good for her this season, and it's more than just her mall location. "We have an online presence, we have an Amazon presence. And then we also ship all over the country. And people locally know our candles are right here to purchase them," says Conner.
Conner says she's moving to a location with an outside entrance, allowing her to stay in the mall she's been in for 22 years. "They didn't make it too difficult for us just because we have been here (so long). So I think the people that have been here a long time they're trying to accommodate to find spaces for them," says Conner.
Conner says customers are thankful she's still going to be local at the mall.