Axios has a story about how “shopping malls across the country are adding lifestyle experiences and off-kilter attractions to draw in consumers in the age of e-commerce … New attractions range from ice rinks and huge entertainment venues to niche gyms.”
And, of course, pickleball.
The story notes that “workplaces have also spilled into malls. Coworking companies and doctors’ and dentists’ offices have rapidly become mall tenants, as stores close … The goal is a symbiotic relationship between retailers and lifestyle features.”
KC’s View:
In the Stamford Town Center near me, Pickleball America has taken over a two-story location that used to be a Saks 5th Avenue, converting it to what it calls “one of the largest indoor pickleball venues.” We’ve started playing a regular 90-minute pickleball game there every Tuesday night, and really like it – but the rest of the mall is akin to a morgue.
But, they’re trying. There is a dance studio and an exercise joint, plus a Macy’s and a Barnes & Noble (though why these two anchor tenants still are there escapes me). Some other stores, too, but the other night, during the run-up to Christmas when you’d think it would be busy, it was dead.
Love the pickleball. But they have a long way to go. And I’m dubious whether even these changes can save C and D malls.
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