Brookfield Square now open; Mayfair set to reopen soon
Limited number of stores welcoming customers
Shopping is returning to the area. Two months after Brookfield Square and Mayfair mall — two of the area’s main shopping malls — closed in response to the coronavirus pandemic, they are opening their doors once again to shoppers.
A limited number of stores and restaurants opened at Brookfield Square at 11 a.m. Monday, while Mayfair is reopening Wednesday.
A spokesperson for Bayshore in Glendale said as its retailers resume operations, individual guidelines are set by each store or restaurant.
Southridge mall in Greendale, meanwhile, remain closed as of Tuesday, but a spokesperson said their websites will be updated with reopening plans.
The malls had been closed since March 17 when Gov. Tony Evers’ administration ordered statewide closures for places like churches, malls, bars, restaurants and gyms as a measure to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
That day a ban on gatherings of 10 or more people also went into effect. At that time, there were 72 cases of the virus in Wisconsin. Two months later, there are nearly 12,700 cases in the state and 459 deaths, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
Brookfield Square’s hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.
As of Tuesday afternoon, 25 retail stores and 12 restaurants are open, according to the mall’s website. The mall is encouraging shoppers to call stores ahead of time.
Stacey Keating, director of public relations for CBL Properties, which manages the mall, expected other retailers to gradually open in the coming days.
There will also be many safety restrictions set in place by the mall, which are outlined on the mall’s website.
Brookfield Square’s reopening comes after The Corners of Brookfield opened Friday, after the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s ruling ended the state’s saferat-home order, leaving it up to local officials to come up with their own restrictions — if any — on business openings.
The town and city of Brookfield, where The Corners and Brookfield
Square are located, respectively, have not put any such restrictions in place.
Shoppers and owners respond
Mary Lewis, owner of Learning Express Toys at Brookfield Square, said she saw around 20 customers in her store on Monday. That number grew a little on Tuesday, but not by much.
Before the mall closed in March, she’d see hundreds of customers in her store on any given day.
Lewis has been doing curbside pickup for several days at her store, as she has an entrance that faces the parking lot. However, she hadn’t planned on opening her doors to shoppers Monday. But after several shoppers came to the
mall entrance of her store, she decided to go for it.
She’s happy to be open to a wider base of customers, but will remain extra cautious she said.
“I guess apprehensive is the word,” Lewis said.
She’s requiring all of her employees to wear protective facemasks. She’s also cleaning her store for several hours everyday as well, as customers can essentially touch almost everything in the store.
A majority of employees at businesses that were open Tuesday were wearing masks. However, not every shopper was.
Samuel Neefe came to the mall from Waukesha. He was using his mask strategically. He’d put it on when people were nearby, but left it off the majority of time he was walking around the mall, as there were portions of the mall with hardly any stores open, and therefore no shoppers nearby.
He came to the mall to get a cup of coffee and walk around Tuesday. However, he said there was only one spot he could grab coffee at. Normally, there’d be several.
The food court tenants at the mall were able to reopen on Monday, but the seating area remains closed for the time being.
“I’m not too worried about safety, as there’s not too many people here to be worried about,” Neefe said. “I think everyone is smart enough to wear a mask if they feel the need to.”
The large majority of shoppers on Tuesday were in small groups. New safety guidelines at the mall says groups of 10 people or more are prohibited from congregating in the mall.
Some stores that were open also had their own safety guidelines as well. Buckle had a sign on their front entrance that said every employee must pass a wellness screening prior to starting their shift.
The sign also said they’re limiting the number of people in their store to 20 at a time.
Cody Holt came to the mall from Milwaukee. This was his first visit to a shopping mall since they shut down in mid-March. He was surprised at how quiet the once bustling shopping mall was.
“Yeah, it’s kind of a weird feeling,” Holt said.
Safety restrictions
There are a number of safety restrictions at Brookfield Square.
❚ Groups of 10 or more are prohibited from congregating in the mall.
❚ The children’s play area, soft seating areas, common area gathering spaces and drinking fountains will be closed.
❚ Mall management staff, vendors and contractors will be required to wear face masks in common areas, public spaces or when other individuals are present.
❚ Temperature checks will be conducted on all mall management, security and janitorial staff upon the start of each shift.
❚ They’re also encouraging, but not requiring, retailers to provide face masks to their employees.
Mayfair mall reopening
Hours for Mayfair mall in Wauwatosa will be 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.
The mall indicated there will be “plentiful” hand-sanitizing stations, “frequent and intense” cleanings of the facility, touch-free interactions and encouragement of social distancing.
For the last few weeks, the mall has been offering curbside pickup from many of its restaurants and retailers.
It’s unclear how many stores will be open immediately.