File photo
File photo
Malls across the country were hurting even before the COVID-19 pandemic brought the economy to a standstill, and University Mall in Carbondale hasn’t been immune to the troubles.
“It’s unfortunate that a lot of the stores are closing, online everybody is shopping online,” shopper Louis Gaston told KFVS.
Although the mall is losing big anchor tenants there is a plan to rebuild, Steve Quinn, a member of the Chamber of Commerce.
“We don’t like to see businesses like Macy’s go away or JC Penney, which was just announced, but when those things happen they are not really a surprise,” Quinn said. “And so there’s already plans in place to bring in new tenants and fill those spaces right back up."
Malls will have to make some changes in the near future, Quinn said.
“No business ever needs to feel like they are alone because you know we say we’re all in this together, the business community is in this together too and we have the real opportunity here to not only survive this thing but end up better on the other side of it," he said.
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