Big changes are coming to the corner of 72nd and Dodge as the Crossroads Mall is slated to be torn down.
Tenants tell 6 News that the mall will be demolished and redeveloped. They say they’ve known this day would come eventually but it’s even more difficult because the coronavirus has been impacting businesses too. They have until the end of April to pack up their stores.
Paul Gaskins owns Diverse Cutz says, “This is...this is kind of emotional.”
Of the handful of stores left in Crossroads, all of them have felt the financial strain of the virus. Whether it’s the dress and tux store missing this year’s prom season or Gaskins' Barbershop that was ordered to close for the month of April.
“No matter how much you prepare yourself once that day comes you feel it,” said Gaskins.
On top of the business stress, they will all have to relocate by the end of the month after the mall manager told them the mall was to be demolished. The mall's owners, Century Development, didn’t have a comment.
Terry Smieja owns Cinderella’s Outlet. She moved from a smaller location in the mall to this larger one just a few months ago, draining her savings to expand. “Oh my god I got chills just hearing that I can’t even talk about it."
She can’t afford to move or store her inventory. Smieja says it’s a very scary situation and with a lot of her store depending on prom customers, she has no idea how she’ll recover the money she just invested.
Lisa Solberg runs Gentleman’s Choice Formal Wear. She lost out after buying the latest spring line and having no one to sell it to.“Heartbreaking, devastating."
She also just moved from a smaller location in the mall to this larger space a few months ago. And with so few property owners wanting to expose themselves to others during the pandemic it’s been hard to find a new place. “It’s hard to find places within a budget that because of prom season is now nonexistent. So you just have to have.... you hope you have God’s fingers and everything so that it’ll all work out in the end."
Gaskins is packing up after ten years, Smieja and Solberg after a few months. All of them with a few short weeks to decide their futures.