GREENSBORO — It happened rather quickly.
Canadian businessman Mark Gold bought Golden Gate Shopping Center in March and, in six weeks time, subtle changes were visible. The storefronts looked cleaner and “coming soon” signs began to appear in the windows of buildings that had long been vacant.
And then there were the not-so-subtle changes. Like the traveling zoo that set up in the shopping center parking lot last week, complete with a white tiger named Sierra and a camel called Mr. Adair.
Welcome to the new Golden Gate Shopping Center.
Is Greensboro ready for it? Those with a stake in its future sure hope so.
“We would love to see local entrepreneurs (and) business owners give Golden Gate a try,” said Callie Wendt with Essa Commercial Real Estate, the company that handles leasing at the center. “It’s something that is changing a lot right now, so it will look a lot different in the next couple of months. Certainly, we hope to get as much interest as possible.”
The change will include a new name — The Village at Golden Gate. The term village is appropriate, perhaps, because Gold wants to make the center a family destination.
Thus, the traveling zoo and a host of “good surprises” Gold said he has in store for Golden Gate.
“I’m going to make this busy again,” Gold proclaimed last week during a visit to the shopping center.
Busy is something those familiar with Golden Gate say it hasn’t been in years. Wendt, who grew up near the shopping center, said it became a different place over the last several years.
“Definitely, the shopping center had more tenants, particularly when Harris Teeter was around,” Wendt said. “It was somewhere that you would go and see several people from your neighborhood.”
Harris Teeter closed in 2011. Food Lion is leasing that space to keep out competition.
Starbucks also left the center, as did a Hallmark shop, Wendt said.
But she pointed out that several of the remaining tenants — such as Vito’s Italian restaurant, Staples and VIP Nails — have withstood Golden Gate’s challenges.
“Many of the tenants that are currently there have been there for several years or more,” Wendt said.
There’s a reason for that, she said. Golden Gate is a shopping center that accommodates everyone.
By that, she means the shopping center caters to a mix of consumers. Golden Gate is surrounded by affluent Old Irving Park, middle-class neighborhoods and lower-income housing.
The diversity surrounding Golden Gate is one of the things Gold said he liked about the shopping center. He bought it in March from Beachwood, Ohio-based DDR Corp. for $7.1 million.
“It’s in the middle of the action,” Gold said.
Wendt said Golden Gate historically has been home to smaller businesses, as opposed to national retailers, and Gold said he wants to continue that tradition by filling the center with mom-and-pop tenants to complement the anchor stores, Staples and Food Lion.
“I welcome local tenants,” he said.
The Green Bean coffee shop is moving into the old Starbucks location and an antiques shop will open soon.
A hair salon, dollar store and restaurant will also join the shopping center, although Gold would not provide specifics on those businesses.
And while customers are shopping, they might want to swing by the adventure park Gold is planning — or pet an animal or two at the traveling zoo.
The Jungle Safari was at Golden Gate last week and attracted several visitors.
“I do this all over the United States and Canada,” Gold said of his redevelopment style.
Think it’s crazy? Think again.
Shopping centers are getting creative with how they attract customers. The idea that they are solely a place to buy goods “has kind of gone by the wayside,” said Jesse Tron, a spokesman with the International Council of Shopping Centers. Instead, what shopping centers are now trying to do is to give customers an experience.
It all stems from the hit the retail industry took during the recession, Tron said. Not only did people cut back on spending, but some retailers were forced to close their doors altogether.
As a result, Tron said landlords were faced with filling empty stores.
Do they wait for another retailer to occupy that space — or break tradition and go with a different type of tenant?
They broke with tradition.
For example, the Eden Mall in Rockingham County is now part flea market. Burlington’s indoor mall, Holly Hill, also operates as a community center of sorts, hosting events such as car shows.
Wendt said Gold has brought a new perspective to retail’s changing face. Essa Real Estate has gotten positive response from some of his ideas, such as the adventure park, although she acknowledges not everybody will like it.
Wendt said these new concepts are a risk but one she believes is worth taking.
As for Gold, well, he’s just excited. He drove through the center last week pointing out recent upgrades and those yet to come, such as new plants to adorn the outside of the buildings.
“It’s going to be really cool,” he said.
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