“They are putting in the type of stores consumers want,” said Kert Radel, president and chief executive of the Fairfield Chamber of Commerce. “There’s an element of convenience that you can pull right up to that store; time becomes critical.”
Bridgewater Falls, which has 46 shops, restaurants and other businesses, will soon include Lady Jane Boutique and Gifts, Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar, Smashburger and Aspen Dental, said Bridgewater officials. L&T Nails also signed an expansion agreement to double the size of its nail salon in 2012, said Lan Le, salon owner.
Malachy Kavanagh, spokesman for International Council of Shopping Centers, said development of any kind has slowed due to the economy, but lifestyle centers also have become more prominent because of how easy they are to build.
“You don’t need a large anchor or department store unlike malls,” Kavanagh said. “They will be around a while because a lot of places are already served by malls and this can carve out a niche.”
Pat Elliott of Fairfield said Bridgewater Falls is appealing to her because it’s easy to navigate. It also has her favorite shops and good food, she said.
“The population is getting old and the ease of parking is wonderful,” Elliott said.
Kavanagh said businesses like moving into lifestyle centers because visibility increases due to large signs facing the road, and that customers can drive right up to the desired store. Also, he said consumers enjoy lifestyle malls because of the aesthetics of unique architecture and fountains.
The expansion and addition of tenants brings the total number to 50 at Bridgewater Falls. Mall operators would not disclose its square footage or by how much it will grow. Fairfield Twp. Administrator Mike Rahall said for the township, Bridgewater Falls as a whole is the largest employer.
Ashley Martin, director of marketing and special events for Bridgewater Falls, said Buffalo Wild Wings on Princeton Road in Fairfield Twp. is closing to move to its new location, which will seat just more than 300 patrons, an increase from 170.
Mike Juengling, director of Butler County Department of Development, said lifestyle malls are more pedestrian-friendly than a strip mall with stores spread out in a linear fashion, and that their appeal also comes from the retro, or nostaglic, feeling it can evoke of an old-style town and neighborhood.
“People like that feel more than the sterile type mall,” he said.
And businesses do, too.
Locally, traditional malls such as the Cincinnati Mall, Tri-County Mall and Towne Mall in Middletown — which in 2009 was named in the Wall Street Journal online edition as one of 84 “dead malls” in the U.S. — have vacancies and struggle to keep tenants and anchors.
The JCPenney department store at Tri-County Mall closed its doors in Springdale to move to Bridgewater Falls due to slipping sales, according to Rahall.
“The numbers are going out of the roof now,” Rahall said. “Before strip malls were what everyone wanted, then malls, and now there’s more interest in outdoors.”
John Bekemeier of Hamilton said he travels to Bridgewater Falls for service at Cincinnati Bell, bill payment at JCPenney, and cake supplies at Michael’s.
“I haven’t been down to Tri-County in a long time,” said Bekemeier, who added the Bridgewater Falls location is convenient because it’s close to his work.
Staff Writer Denise Wilson contributed to this report.
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