Page 8 - BusinessWest April 14, 2021

deflating in some ways — the mall still maintains a broad mix of 80 local and national retail outlets ranging from Old Navy to Hannoush Jewelers
to Milan Menswear — but somewhat encourag- ing, at least from the perspective that people are learning, becoming more aware, and coming back to the mall for shopping visits.
“We’ve seen a good upward swing in foot traf- fic,” he explained. “I think we have a lot of return patrons who have gotten vaccinated and now realize there are stores here, so they’re coming back.”
That’s just one of a number of developments that have come about, somewhat unexpectedly, and that bode well for the mall, for both the pres- ent and the future. The COVID vaccine facility
is bringing large numbers of people to the site every day and, as noted, giving them a chance to update themselves on all things Eastfield Mall. The courts moving into the old theaters, mean- while, will bring in much-needed revenue from a site that was abandoned and trashed by theater operators Cinemark and in need of major renova- tions if it was to be leased out again.
Meanwhile, the Diem Cannabis operation, now winding its way through the licensing pro- cess, will fill a building that has been mostly vacant for some time now, bringing new energy and vibrancy to what has been a tired retail site.
As noted earlier, some of this has been good luck, circumstance, and having the right space at the right time, while much of it has also been hard work and creativity.
Indeed, Thompson says he isn’t exactly sure how the state found the Eastfield Mall and started pursuing it as a vaccination site. “I don’t know, and sometimes it’s better if you don’t ask a lot of
questions,” he said with a laugh, adding that he took the phone call roughly three months ago (he doesn’t remember from whom) that set things in motion.
Recalling that conversation and those that followed, he said the state was impressed by the ample amounts of parking and a location that, while not ideal, is close to
Mass Pike exit 7 and eas-
ily accessible to a number
of communities, including
Springfield, Ludlow, Wilbra-
ham, Longmeadow, and East
Longmeadow.
The state isn’t paying rent for use of the property — something Thompson cer- tainly laments — but it has brought exposure and a boost for many of the retailers as some getting vaccines have stopped to shop or get a bite to eat.
And this new life, as tem-
porary as it is likely to be, rep-
resents just one of a number of positive steps for- ward at the mall. The relocation of court trials to several of the old movie theaters is another. That was another call that seemed to come from out of the blue — and a desire to move along many of the trials that have been delayed by COVID.
The state will use three of the 16 theaters for courtrooms and several of the others for other purposes, said Thompson, adding that the initial lease is for a year, but the hope is that the state, as it looks for permanent solutions to a host of prob- lems at the Roderick Ireland Courthouse down-
town, will give serious consideration to the mall and its theaters.
“Talking with the individuals that have been here from the state, they believe that if the powers that be decide to land here on a more permanent basis, that would be fine,” he told BusinessWest. “They love the way it’s set up.”
“Everyone just dug in their heels when it came to thinking about the future. It’s been a tough development climate, especially with retail because so many retailers were closing — for good or with a certain number of stores. Or they were trying to downsize their footprints. A lot of that was going on before COVID hit, but COVID really accelerated that process exponentially.”
What’s in Store?
As for some of those other spaces ... a long- term lease with Friendly Ice Cream, headquar- tered just down the street, to use the former JCPenney location as warehouse space, recently expired, said Thompson, adding that there have already been discussions with many parties about using that space for the same purpose, which represents one of the more logical future uses for that site.
Breidenbach concurred. “We’d like to find
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8 APRIL 14, 2021
FEATURE
BusinessWest