What we know about the reopening of Valley malls

YOUNGSTOWN — Ohio retail establishments have been given the green light to reopen Tuesday, but details on how local malls are preparing to reopen are hard to come by.

Both Southern Park Mall, which is owned by Washington Prime Group, and Eastwood Mall Complex, which is owned by the Cafaro Co., announced plans to reopen on May 12, the first date allowed under Ohio's reopening plan.

Given the confusion around safety measures — like the state's policy on face masks — Ohio's shoppers have questions, but Washington Prime Group has not responded to many of our questions seeking details about the Boardman mall's reopening procedures, and the Cafaro Co. has decided not to comment further until the Niles mall reopens.

In light of that, here's what we know so far.

Safety measures

Based on news releases from mall owners, plans to safely reopen appear similar.

Officials from both facilities said they will maintain rigorous disinfecting.

A release from the Cafaro Co. said Eastwood Mall employees will wear face masks, in accordance with the state order. Additionally, signage and physical barriers will be posted to encourage social distancing and other safety protocols at the facility.

The plans for Southern Park Mall are less specific.

A release from Washington Prime Group encouraged visitors to do the following:

• Practice social distancing and stay at least six feet from other people
• Covering your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover is recommended
• Do not gather in groups
• Adhere to each individual tenant's COVID-19 policies
• Adhere to all federal, state and local regulations, recommendations and mandates regarding COVID-19

At Southern Park Mall, hand sanitizer will be available in highly-trafficked areas, officials said in a news release. In response to a follow-up question from Mahoning Matters about what customers should do if a store does not enforce the state's safety guidance, a spokesperson said, "Concerns can be communicated directly to the Southern Park Mall management team through the town center."

Actually, state guidance is that customer complaints be directed at store management or to the county health department.

Regarding all other questions, Washington Prime Group directed Mahoning Matters to the mall's code of conduct.

In a conversation with Mahoning Matters last week, Cafaro Co. spokesperson Bell said the state hasn’t suggested mall operators would be involved in enforcing the state’s safety guidelines, but that Cafaro Co. would “be sure to understand what our responsibilities are” once retail comes back online May 12.

“We’re anxious to get open — we most certainly are,” he said. “We are going to take this just methodically and carefully. … We’re reaching out to public health officials to make sure we’re doing this properly. We want to be responsible in the way we open up the mall.”

Bell said Eastwood operators are ramping up efforts to resanitize the mall’s interior ahead of re-opening, and have purchased new cleaning equipment.

“This is all based on taking the best advice we can and making sure we open in a way that makes people feel safe and secure,” he said.

Local Businesses

Owner of Youngstown Clothing Co. — and Southern Park Mall tenant — Matt McClure is still working out the kinks of his reopening plan.

The store employs six part-time workers McClure had to layoff at the beginning of the pandemic. After closing the store, McClure initially did not process online sales, but once the company created a shirt to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank, he started processing other online sales as well.

McClure has been focused on the logistics of reopening, such as putting plexiglass around the registers, figuring out contactless payments and determining the number of people who can be at the store at once.

"We're still weighing our options," said McClure. "I've even thought about us doing the shopping for people, so many people aren't coming in and touching lots of things."

He wants to ensure that employees and customers are as safe as possible, especially given the small size of the store. There's a chance he may require customers to wear masks in the store.

Regardless of the particulars, McClure plans to reopen slowly and cautiously.

"I might just open it with myself at first and maybe one other and operate like that for a while just to see how things are going in the beginning," said McClure. "The main priority always with us is the safety and well-being of our staff and customers ... but also keep in mind we want to keep our staff and their families' best interest at heart."

Financial troubles at WPG

Based on news out of New York Monday, Washington Prime Group has more on its plate than reopening malls in the midst of the pandemic.

The company is at risk of being delisted from the New York Stock Exchange.

The Southern Park Mall owner announced April 28 it received notice from the New York Stock Exchange that the company does not currently meet certain NYSE continued listing standards. These standards require the company to maintain a minimum average closing price of $1.00 per share over a period of 30 consecutive trading days.

Washington Prime's stock was last above that level April 9, reported Columbus Business Journal, and closed Tuesday at 72 cents a share.

Washington Prime Group has until Jan 1, 2021 to regain compliance.

On April 21, the New York Stock Exchange reached an agreement with the securities and exchange commission, extending the cure period for companies like WPG.

The financial development follows news of salary cuts for executives and layoffs and furloughs of 20 percent of the company’s staff.

This story was originally published May 6, 2020 at 3:52 AM with the headline "What we know about the reopening of Valley malls."