What’s going on at the Christiana Mall? I had heard rumor that the mall was in trouble, possibly going the way of Tri-State and other failed malls, taking in Dollar Stores and other cheaper chains and becoming to scary to go to unless you are protected by your teenage gang.
That didn’t sound like the Christiana Mall I grew up shopping at. I decided to pay the mall a visit.
I immediately saw that those fears may have been real, but the Mall was making strides to avoid such a fate. The first change, a very controversial change, I spotted at the entrance where I walked in that Friday evening. It was a police officer, there to enforce the new mall curfew. Due to a rising tide of underage mischief, harassment and even violence, the Mall has closed it doors to teens on Friday and Saturday night unless accompanied by a parent (not just an adult, a parent).
This gives shoppers peace of mind, which is key, but they also need to be able to find merchandise they want to spend their money on. When I entered I was relieved to see that the Mall has not yet become a series of discount and dollar stores, but I was alarmed to see how many stores were closed especially considering we are entering the Christmas season.
It doesn’t appear that many of those Coming Soon stores will be ready for Black Friday, but they are coming. Delaware’s first Nordstrom is coming next year, and the recent additions of William Sonoma, Mac Store and Lucky Brand Jeans show promise for the quality and style of the other many new stores getting ready to open.
As I walked past the currently closed Lord and Taylor, I found that beyond these needs being addressed, the Mall is going through a major facelift and expansion as well. The architecture firm GGP has posted their sketches and blueprints of the plans and the stages and timetables for the construction. Highlights include:
- The Nordstrom, replacing the old Strawbridges, will be pushed back, allowing for the addition of nine more smaller stores.
- All across the mall, floors are being resurfaced, upgrading the dark bricks to brighter marble.
- The Food Court is getting completely overhauled in a newer fashion with an extended entrance and a new walkway over to the Lord and Taylor courtyard.
- The mall is building exterior shops to resemble a main street / town center effect. This will bring in some new restaurants with exterior access as well as a major bookstore.
As I left the Mall, it occurred to me that I have been going to this mall for at least 25 years, and, it is clearly making wise choices including curbing teen violence, attracting high-end stores, and expanding and updating so that it will remain a shopping destination for 25 years to come
