MONROE — The Mall of Monroe is hoping to attract more local businesses. National retail trends show that customers want stores that deliver an experience. Artificial intelligence shows that many people visit local shopping malls.
The 600,000 square foot facility at 2121 N. Monroe St. has 27 rental units.
“There are 11 vacant properties,” said Timothy Mattune, senior vice president of asset redevelopment for Cafaro, the company that manages the Mall of Monroe in Niles, Ohio.
Plans are currently underway to add additional tenants, Mattune said. No mall stores have recently closed.
“We're opening new stores and maintaining existing stores, and we're doing very well,” Mattune said. “We have a good mix of established tenants, including Bath & Body Works, the shoe department, Color Beauty Supply and Spencer’s.”
The mall is currently recruiting local business owners.
“The bosses at Calfaro have emphasized local leasing. We've done a lot of local leasing,” Mattune said. “We're looking for established brick-and-mortar stores, startups, and people who have had an Internet business and are tired of not having a garage or basement.”
“We'll accept just about anything,” added Rhonda Howard, Mall of Monroe property manager.
She said the mall is currently looking for an operator for a full-service salon, which is already equipped with chairs, capes, vacuum cleaners and other supplies.
Several of the mall's current tenants have invested in mall stores, including local theater company Monroe Community Players.
“They've invested in production and rehearsal space,” Mattune said.
The same goes for the Phoenix Theater.
“Phoenix is one of the most frequented theaters in the Detroit metropolitan area. Their market area is 45 miles,” Mattune said. “They're constantly investing in real estate, whether it's replacing seats or carpeting. They're at the forefront of everything related to entertainment technology.”
Color beauty products have also grown.
“She's expanded several times. Business rates went from 1,000 feet to 8,000 feet now,” Mattune said.
Cafaro operates 12 malls in the country. Mr. Mattune has been with the company since 1987 and participated in the development of the Mall of Monroe, which opened in 1988.
“The first thing we had to do was knock on farmers' doors to buy land to put on Mall Road,” he recalled.
The Mall of Monroe's longest-tenant tenant is Shoe Department, which moved into the mall in 1994. Bath & Body Works opened in his mall in 1997.
mall trends
Matune has seen many trends in the retail industry over the years. Currently, the popularity of apparel stores is declining nationwide.
“Retail is going through a tough time. There's no emphasis on apparel anymore. A lot of clothing has gone off the streets. There's more emphasis on exercise, phone calls, and eating. Down Telegraph Road. As you go along, there are all these restaurants,” Mathune said.
We are also focusing on businesses that provide experiences nationwide. Examples at the Mall of Monroe include Planet Fitness, Dirty Birdie, Family and Friends Funland, Classic Pinball, and Pillar His Performance, which just added a youth hockey academy.
“We have a great mix of retail and experiential,” Mattune said.
Despite these trends, Howard said people in Monroe County seem to want a clothing store.
“People said what was missing from the mall was a place for clothing, salons and nails,” she says.
How many people visit Mall of Monroe?
Mall of Monroe is a popular tourist attraction.
Mattune said the mall gets its data from Placer.ai, which uses artificial intelligence and algorithms to track visitors and their trends.
“(The technology) blew me away. In 2022, we had 228,000 different people coming to the mall and 1.3 million visits. They spent an average of 105 minutes in the mall,” said Mattune. he said.
According to Placer.ai, the average age of visitors is 38 years old. The majority of visitors (52%) are women.
Howard said some of the results were surprising.
“After closing on Monday, we were told there would be a lot of traffic after 7 p.m.,” she said.
Although the mall interior is closed, stores like Phoenix Theater and Planet Fitness are still open. There are also mall pedestrians all day long.
Walking through the mall is still free, but starting in 2005, registration is required.
“Exercising increases your heart rate. If something happens, we know who to call,” Howard said.
She said the walkers are dedicated.
“Last year we had 154 people sign up,” Howard said. “When school is out, pedestrians from the shopping mall sometimes come here. It's a nice surface to walk on.”
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Mall of Monroe stores
Current Mall of Monroe businesses include: Applebee's (in the mall complex), Bath & Body Works, Brow Shapes, Champion Force, Color, Claw Kicker, CubeSmart, Disctopia, Domka Outdoors, Dirty Birdie (coming soon) ), Family & Friends Funland , Catalina's Kitchen, Leviathan, MCF Market Pulse, Monroe City Church, Monroe Community Players, Phoenix Theater, Pillar Athletic Performance, Planet Fitness, Quality Auto Parts, Ragnarok Motorworks, Ragnarok Outpost, Shoes Division, Spencer's, ULEKstore's Classic Pinball and Arcade, Wu Ci Acupressure & Reflexology and Wonder World Comics.
For more information about Mall of Monroe, call 734-242-9150 or visit themallofmonroe.com and Facebook.
— Contact reporter Suzanne Nolan Whistler hereswisler@monroenews.com.
