Malls, outlets to reopen Saturday in the Valley
More retail stores opening doors as state continues to restart economy
Many metro Phoenix indoor shopping malls and outlet malls will reopen Saturday after Gov. Doug Ducey’s stay-at-home order expires.
Outdoor malls across the Valley reopened as Ducey’s executive orders let retail stores, salons and barbershops reopen May 8 and let restaurants reopen May 11.
Malls from Glendale to Mesa will continue to offer curbside pickup from some stores and restaurants even after they reopen Saturday.
Shopping and outlet malls reopening on Saturday are:
❚ Scottsdale Fashion Square, 7014 E. Camelback
Road, Scottsdale.
❚ Chandler Fashion Center, 3111 W. Chandler Blvd.,
Chandler.
❚ Arrowhead Towne Center, 7700 W. Arrowhead
Towne Center, Glendale.
❚ Desert Sky Mall, 7611 W. Thomas Road, Phoenix. ❚ Paradise Valley Mall, 4568 E. Cactus Road, Phoenix.
❚ Arizona Mills, 5000 S. Arizona Mills Circle, Tempe.
It’s too early to say which stores inside the malls will reopen on Saturday, said Karen Maurer, spokeswoman for Macerich, which owns several Phoenix-area malls. Each mall’s website will have hours and a list of which stores are reopened on Saturday.
The Metrocenter mall in Phoenix reopened on May 9.
Many outlet malls already reopened
Outlet malls from the Anthem community in north Phoenix, down to Tucson already have reopened, although not all their stores reopened.
Already reopened outlet malls include:
❚ Outlets at Anthem, 4250 W. Anthem Way, Phoenix.
❚ Tanger Outlets, 6800 N. 95th Ave., Glendale.
❚ Power Square, 2055 S. Power Road, Mesa
❚ Phoenix Premium Outlets, 4976 Premium Outlet Way, Chandler.
❚ Tucson Premium Outlets, 6401 W. Marana Center Blvd., Tucson.
Outdoor malls are open
Metro Phoenix’s outdoor shopping malls already have opened. Their websites lists which stores have reopened and their new hours.
Reopened outdoor shopping malls include:
❚ Kierland Commons, 15205 N. Kierland Blvd., Scottsdale.
❚ Westgate Entertainment District, 6751 N. Sunset Blvd., Glendale.
❚ SanTan Village, 2218 E. Williams Field Rd., Gilbert.
❚ Scottsdale Quarter, 15059 N. Scottsdale Rd.,
Scottsdale.
❚ Tempe Marketplace, 2000 E. Rio Salado Pkwy.,
Tempe.
❚ Mesa Riverview, 857 N. Dobson Rd., Mesa.
❚ Biltmore Fashion Park, 2502 E. Camelback Rd., Phoenix.
Many Valley malls have had a renaissance
Many malls in the Valley have undergone a renaissance in recent years.
As malls around the country have emptied and turned into reminders of the brick-and-mortar of yesteryear, many Arizona malls have reinvented themselves.
Arrowhead Towne Center in Glendale has been beating the odds for years. It’s been strong as one of the only traditional shopping mall in the West Valley suburbs.
It’s thrived as the surrounding area has grown, landing a BMW dealership and a Topgolf. It also focuses on experiences like “Instagrammable” murals, popup shops and special events.
Changes ahead at Chandler Fashion Center
Chandler Fashion Center, the last traditional indoor mall developed in the Valley, has weathered economic downturns before. It opened in the middle of one.
The indoor mall opened in October 2001 amid an economic recession spurred in part by the September 11 terrorist attacks.
Chandler city officials had been pushing the Governor’s Office to allow malls to reopen and advocating that property owners develop best practices to keep customers and store employees safe, Micah Miranda, Chandler’s economic development director, told the City Council earlier this week.
Despite a renovation and dozens of new higher end stores moving into the mall in 2012, the last few years have been marked by high profile closures of retailers and restaurants at the property.
Upscale retailer Nordstrom plans to permanently close several of its locations across the U.S., including the one in Chandler Fashion Center.
Nordstrom still has a store at Scottsdale Fashion Square, as well as eight Nordstrom Rack locations in the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas and one Last Chance Clearance Store in Phoenix.
Sushi restaurant Kona Grill and Tucson-based Sir Veza’s Taco Garage abruptly closed their locations at the mall last spring.
Sears closed its store in early 2019 after the retailer filed for bankruptcy.
City staff has been working with Macerich on what the future of the mall looks like, Miranda said.
“How Chandler Fashion was developed, how it is now, is not where it’s going to be in three to five years. The city understands that. Macerich understands that,” he said. “We’re looking at alternative site plans, different ways we can potentially reuse the mall space to be economically viable and continue to generate sales tax for the city.”
Miranda said he envisions that the mall will become more of an entertainment destination with a mix a of businesses and uses “as opposed to an 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. type of location.”
He said staff was not surprised by Nordstrom’s closure and has been working on an infill project for at least eight months in anticipation of that space becoming available. He did not provide details on what will go into the space once Nordstrom closes.