TROY (WWJ) -- One local mall is starting to draw in new and old customers, with what they say is a potent combination new storefronts and nostalgia.
“That’s the thing about Oakland Mall, everybody used to come here. It’s kinda that nostalgic feeling and we’re bringing the people back and they’re getting that experience of seeing the stores they used to walk into 10, 15 years ago,” Scott Kalinowski, Asset Manager at Oakland Mall, said.
Amazon and online shopping have hurt brick and mortar stores, Kalinowski said, but Oakland Mall is trying a new tactic to bring people back in.
“By adding family-centric entertainment, destination-type events, food and on-trend retail, we’re able to bring the consumers back to the mall,” Kalinowski said.
Mario Kiezi purchased the mall two years ago. Kalinowski said that this is the first mall Kiezi has purchased, but he owns other types of stores and properties. The first year was spent learning the ins and outs of how the mall works and customer trends. Over the second year, the occupancy has grown from less than 80% to 86%.
The move to adding entertainment-type businesses and having events has helped grow the mall, Kalinowski said. Oakland Mall has partnered with Canterbury Village to bring in families. Store owners said they are seeing higher sales from the additional foot traffic from people coming for the events.
2024 will see several new businesses coming into the mall. Kalinowski said Oakland Mall was the “first local retailer or mall to sign Miniso in Michigan.” Miniso is a Japanese household goods store that has gained popularity from TikTok. The plan is for the store to open Feb. 1 of next year. New restaurants include Seapot, a Japanese and Korean Barbecue restaurant, a coney island and a Mexican restaurant.
The mall is currently hosting two events with Canterbury Village. There is a dinosaur winter wonderland exhibit and a winter wonderland walkthrough exhibit. The winter wonderland walkthrough includes meet and greets with characters like The Grinch, Buddy the Elf and Mrs. Claus and Santa. The exhibit runs through Christmas Eve. The hours are 3 p.m.-8 p.m. on Thursday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Christmas Eve. Kalinowski said there have been “significant lines” for the event.
The mall said the new stores coming in during 2024 will hopefully continue to draw in customers and allow the mall to continue to flourish and grow.
Kalinowski said the central location and proximity to expressways means that it’s easy for people to come shop from multiple areas.
Oakland Mall is located at 412 W. 14 Mile Road.