Page 71 - BusinessWest February 19, 2024

The Holyoke Mall encompasses 1.6 million square feet of space and is in an almost constant state of change.
(Photo by Glenn Labay, Aerial Camera Services)
found new lives in non-retail-related uses. And malls have become even busier during Christmas break, February vacation, and other times when the weather is less conducive to out-
door fun.
“People are looking for something to do that week indoors,” she said. “During February break,
it will be pretty busy, especially if the weather is inclement. Then in April, it will be a little softer just because things are warming up a little, but it’s still a busy week for us; we staff up for it, and retailers and other tenants have a lot of specials.”
This trend is just one of the storylines at the mall, perhaps the largest commercial real-estate property in the region, and one that has become a topic of conversation and speculation in the wake
of a changing retail landscape, one that has seen many national chains downsize or even disappear from the landscape (Sears and Toys R Us, for exam- ple), ever-larger amounts of shopping conducted online, and some malls, including two locally (East- field and Enfield), being repurposed into mixed-use facilities or moving quickly in that direction.
Gray, who first worked at the mall when she was 15 selling gift certificates and has fashioned a career managing such facilities, said the facility has certainly been impacted by these trends, but, while some other malls are suffering, Holyoke continues to thrive, and for several reasons.
“While we were shut down during the pandemic, we were still concurrently trying to roll with the changes that were about to come over
the next couple of years. Some brands went away, and some remained relevant.”
She lists everything from its incredible location
— at the intersection (literally) of the Mass Pike and
I-91 (off which it has its own exit) to its still-healthy
mix of retailers, restaurants, and entertainment-based businesses, to some of that downsizing among many retail giants. Indeed, Holyoke now boasts the only locations for Best Buy, Apple Store, and Macy’s for at least 30 miles in any direction, and in some cases, it’s a much larger area.
And with those stores and that location ... people want to get to
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