LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas — With the auction of Park Plaza it makes us wonder if in-person shopping is out of style. It turns out some malls are seeing success, like The Promenade in Little Rock.
The outdoor shopping center in west Little Rock is growing despite the down period for traditional malls across America.
Steven Cathey likes that it is a convenient location in proximity to where he lives.
YaYa's Euro Bistro was there when The Promenade first opened. We asked what changes they've seen since then.
"The outside malls seem to do a little bit better, especially before sales or before school," said Jaime Williams with YaYa's Euro Bistro. "It is booming. People are walking around. We got a lot of foot traffic."
Even stores that are newer to the area are seeing a positive turnout. Blu Spero opened a couple years ago.
"On a good day, it's just steady traffic in and out which is really fun. A lot of faces," said Lannie Allen, an employee at Blu Spero.
The boutique has seen a lot of shoppers especially after the pandemic. Allen noticed the increased need for customer service.
"We see a lot of the same people which is really cool and we get really familiar with the customer, kind of like a little family here," said Allen.
But, all is not lost for Park Plaza. Elizabeth Small, UA Little Rock Director of Real Estate said there's a big opportunity here for Park Plaza to learn from the Promenades' success.
"There's some malls that have actually been repurposed and that the ceilings have come off and they've become more of an outdoor space," said Small.
For those of you wondering what will happen to Dillard's at Park Plaza-- nothing at all. The local company owns both ends of the building, so this auction does not impact their stores.