Kyle Arnold:

Mall wants to make parking easier.

Orlando’s malls are upgrading with new retail, food and technology.

Taking a cue from local smartparking pioneers such as Disney Springs, Florida Mall is upgrading its busy parking lots to show customers where open spots are.

The sensors, placed on new LED light posts, will show customers the aisles with open spots, as will a new smart-phone app.

Disney did it at its parking garage at Disney Springs, placing light signals on the ceiling to indicate open spots. Florida Mall will only be able to do it by aisle, since there are no ceilings in the open-air lot.

“It’s a busy mall and helping people find a spot will get more people into the mall and make that part of the process easier,” said Tim Earnest, executive vice president of Simon Management Group, the company that owns the mall.

The new parking technology comes as the mall on Orange Blossom Trail also adds a new restaurant, part of its ongoing food-court revamp.

Sushigami opened last week, serving Japanese-inspired dishes on color coated plates that indicate the price as they are carried around the dining section.

And at The Mall at Millenia, high-end shoe and boot maker Sam Edelman just opened its first brick-and-mortar store in Orlando.

The shoe maker brought in designer Dagnall Folger to craft the 2,800-square-foot space with reclaimed woods and concrete, hoping to complement the men’s and women’s shoes carried by Sam Edelman.

“Premier shopping at one of the world’s top entertainment destinations makes the Mall at Millenia the perfect home for our newest Florida store,” said Sam Edelman, founder of the brand, in a statement.

It’s the retailer’s eighth store in the United States.