The New Horizon Mall is working to find safe ways for families to shop, have fun, and be able to social distance as retail shopping changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic
“Like a majority of local businesses, we are struggling through the relaunch, but our focus is not on how we are going to get through this, but rather on how we will change and work together as a community to come through on the other side,” said the New Horizon Mall Marketing Manager Alexandra Winn.
After the New Horizon Mall reopened in May, Winn began to find new activities for families to do while following COVID-19 regulations, such as scavenger hunts, and a virtual Lego convention, BuildCon.
“It’s a really safe way for families to come in, have fun, social distance, and check out the mall,” Winn said.
“I’m definitely having to think outside the box a bit more these days when it comes to events and drawing traffic in the traditional ways. I’m still able to find creative ways in entertaining the visitors,” she added.
“There isn’t a handbook that you can pick up related on how to come out of a pandemic, or recover during a pandemic,” said the New Horizon Mall General Manager Bob Parsons.
Parsons has noticed a change in visitors’ shopping patterns, as visitors are not shopping Saturday or Sunday, but are shopping throughout the week during off-peak times.
“People are working from home, they have more flexibility with working from home, so we are often seeing people who we wouldn’t see Monday through Friday,” Parsons said.
He added, “It’s a new world, retail has shifted, and a lot more people discovered online retailing.”
Going forward, Parsons and Winn will continue to look for ways to involve visitors that follow public health orders, while giving families an opportunity to spend time together outside of the house.
“It’s the daily grind of ensuring people are adhering to what we need to do to make sure not only our owners and operators are safe, but our customers are safe,” Parsons said.
“It’s a new world, every day brings unique challenges, and with that comes opportunities,” he added. “It’s people trying to find how they can best serve their marketplace, how they can best serve their customers, and it’s constantly a moving target right now.”
