No Empty Stores at the Northland Mall

By Debra Tennison

January of 2022 there were thirteen empty stores in the Northland Mall, now every store is occupied. 

Over the last couple of years locals have watched their community mall slowly diminish to thirty percent capacity. 

With the advent of online options like Amazon and superstores like Walmart combined with an increasingly insular society, malls across America are slowly becoming a thing of the past. 

Business Insider Magazine predicts nearly one quarter of malls in America will close within the next three to five years. Despite that statistic the Northland Mall in Sterling has filled every empty store .

Starting with the resurfacing of the parking lot and upgraded HVAC units, followed by the promise of six months of free rent to new stores coming in, the mall quickly attracted a variety of new businesses.

Northland Mall manager Jama Ebenezer has been Director of Marketing at Northland Mall through four changes in ownership. She is excited at the direction the mall development has taken. The mall is currently sitting at a one hundred percent capacity with the final commitment of Hobby Lobby, projected to open in 2023. 

According to Ms. Ebenezer, Brookwood Capital saw the potential in this small community mall when they purchased it in January 2022. Although the mall has recently changed hands again, the mall remains at full capacity.

Jackie Payne, owner of The Bushel Basket Candle Company, a company located in the mall for the past fifteen years, took the offer of the free rent to open her second store, The Toy Store. Jackie says her new venture is a screen free toy store that features hands-on toys and games along with educational toys and books. Jackie’s daughter Jessica (an SVCC student) helps run the new store.

Lynn Berge, a local hair stylist and now owner of Out of the Box Vintage Resale said she is using the six months free rent as an opportunity to establish a new business. Her shop features an eclectic mix of vintage items that she comes across. She has built her inventory through online ads, garage sales and word of mouth.

Bridget at the CBD Store says she has definitely seen an increase in traffic in the mall with the addition of the new stores. The already established stores are benefiting from the renewed interest and patronage attracted by new stores.

Gary and Angie Minor own Schnappin Deals, a business that was already established in the mall. They recently opened their second store that features higher ticket items at greatly discounted prices. The owners liken Schnappin Deals to a “Dutch Auction”. Prices for everything in the store bins start at seven dollars on Friday and Saturday and each day thereafter the prices decrease until Wednesday when everything in the bins sells for one dollar. The Minors host a “Facebook Live” every night featuring items from their store.

Along with the new businesses in the mall and the well-established businesses already operating, Northland Mall has added several activities over the next year. Craft shows, concerts, sidewalk sales and multiple Christmas activities are on their schedule.