Wilton Mall reopens with a ‘safety first’ mindset
Wilton Mall officially reopened for business on Friday morning. While the mall space itself is open, not all stores are open for business yet, but they will be soon. It’s expected that every store in the mall will eventually be up and running.
“We’re seeing our retailers opening gradually,” explained mall property manager Mike
Shaffer. “We had several that were able to reopen on two days’ notice, and we hope to have more over the weekend.”
The mall’s reopening was allowed because it successfully met guidelines specified by the CDC and Gov. Andrew Cuomo. This includes having the proper type of air filter in place.
“We’re meeting all the guidelines,” said Shaffer. “We have hand sanitizer stations, we’ve removed seating that would allow for congregation, we have wide-open spaces, designated entrances, and exits, and we’ve reduced our hours of operation to allow for additional cleaning.”
Shaffer continued, “We did a filter change, upgrading to the model the governor recommended, which is higher than the minimum requirement.”
Mall guests are also expected to adhere to safety guidelines while they are on mall property. Signs posted throughout the mall outline these guidelines, including maintaining a distance of six feet between one another and wearing masks.
“Masks are required to enter the mall, including the outdoor farmers’ market,” Shaffer stated.
During the first few hours of the mall’s reopening, foot traffic was light - not too surprising, given that Friday was still a workday for many people. But the shoppers who were there
were happy to be back.
“I have just one word YAY!” exclaimed Judy Moy. “I’m looking forward to shopping.”
“I think it’s really nice that we can all get back out there,” commented Nina Gerardi.
“It’s super exciting,” added Natalie Gerardi. “I love the mall. It’s one of my favorite places.”
Over at Old Navy, store manager Taylor Regels was keeping close track of who entered and exited the store, to make sure the headcount did not go over the limit of 92 shoppers at a time.
“I think this is good,” she commented. “We’ve all been in quarantine now for months, so it gives people something to do.”
Regels described the months-long process her store had to go through to get ready for reopening, including training all staff on the new proper procedures. The store has floor markers indicating six feet of space, employees who are specifically responsible for circulating through the store and cleaning, and a hand sanitation station at the store’s entrance.
“It’s been a super crazy couple of months,” she said. “We all learned how to clean, how to interact with customers, getting used to working with masks on all day, and getting all the new inventory ready so customers can shop for fashions that are in season.”
Regels added with a laugh, “we thought we knew how to run things, and then COVID came along and was like, ‘psych! Now you have to learn everything all over again’!”
Wilton Mall’s new operating hours are Monday-Saturday 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. and Sunday 12-6 p.m. To see which stores are open, visit the mall’s website at https://www.wiltonmall.com/Events/Openings_2020.
“We’re very happy to be back and doing it right, with all safety protocols in place,” Shaffer said.