By Jeremy Fugleberg, Rapid City Journal
Target shut down its Rushmore Mall location last week and moved away. It was a dark day for stores strung along the mall wing anchored by the former occupant. “We could bowl down that wing and not hit any customers,” said Sharon Neva, owner of The Bear Factory. “It’s a scary feeling I have right now.” Her store’s custom-made teddy bears were a big hit for kids walking with their parents out of the Target store, which also served as a mall entrance for a lot of shoppers. Now, with that stream of possible customers gone, sales are taking a hit. Some store owners saw half of their customers vanish. Tyler Huynh, manager and owner of Paris Nails, said the loss of business is a familiar tale of woe he has heard from numerous businesses in the wing. With sales between 30 percent to 50 percent lower than normal, he said, he’ll be forced to face some difficult decisions if business stays slow. “That’s why we chose the location where we’re at, because of Target,” he said. Foot traffic critical to survival The foot traffic is what keeps businesses like Pretzelmaker alive, owner Terina Schieffer said. Without families and kids walking by and getting a sniff of fresh pretzels, the business takes a hit. “It has affected us drastically. A lot less people,” she said. Target, which moved to the Rushmore Crossing shopping center, owns the building it just vacated in the mall. The inside doorway of the former store is blocked off with black curtains. Losing Target’s outside entrance hurt, said Robin Douglas, store manager at Hallmark Coach House Gifts, especially for customers who can’t walk very far. “We have a little bit more a niche because we’re the only Hallmark for a few miles,” she said. “But I’ve still had people who have asked, ‘Do I have to walk across the whole mall to get to you?” Businesses want help from mall Some business owners in the wing wish the Rushmore Mall managers would step up and help the stores in that wing. Mall representatives might move a TV and some seating into the wing, Neva said. But she has her doubts about whether that will do the trick. “I just don’t see that drawing families,” she said. She knows she can market her business more aggressively but worries that won’t be enough. “Marketing can only do so much,” and it might not make up for the loss of foot traffic, she said. “As a small business, that puts pressure on me. What’s going to happen to my employees? How can I manage to stay in business?” The loss of business isn’t entirely the mall’s fault, and mall representatives have done their best to keep store owners updated, Douglas said. “In their defense, it’s pretty much under Target’s control,” she said. “I’m kind of thinking they’re between a rock and a hard place, too.” Tracy Eichers, manager of The Gold Company, said Target’s closure certainly chopped down the number of customers at the gold and jewelry kiosk. But she said mall traffic seems down overall, possibly drained by the grand openings of many stores in the Rushmore Crossing shopping center. Despite that, she is confident the mall will pull through. “I’m going to say if push comes to shove, they’re going to come back to a mall,” she said. “They’re always going to come back to the mall.” Karen Waltman, senior property manager at Rushmore Mall, did not return a phone call seeking comment. Target wants to sell, lease building A Target spokeswoman said the company, which owns the building, wants to sell or lease as soon as possible. “They’re actively marketing the location for us for sale or lease,” Katie Benscoter said, referring to Staubach Retail, Target’s selling agent. Perhaps a new store would be the answer. But it might not come soon. “I hope we get a good anchor,” Douglas of Coach House Gifts said. “Unfortunately in the corporate world, wheels don’t grind fast enough to get it this winter.” That time delay could deal a death blow to some stores in the wing, or at least force them to move if the sales numbers don’t come back. “If that continues, what can I say, except we can’t survive on 50 percent of what it was,” Neva said. “How do we survive for that month until Christmas starts?” Stores in the former Target court are: The Bear Factory, Pretzelmaker, Paris Nails, MasterCuts, Hallmark-Coach House Gifts, The Gold Company, Select Comfort, Waldenbooks, M&K Knifeworx, Pro Image