Remodel to begin in March
DOWNTOWN Good-byes are never easy.
The window decorations and business signs are coming down inside Santa Monica Place as the remaining few retailers begin boxing up unsold inventory and packing it away in trucks, preparing to bid adieu to the aging mall that will soon undergo a multi-million dollar makeover that will literally raise the roof.
On Thursday evening, the 28-year-old shopping center that was designed by Frank Gehry will close for more than a year for a renovation that will transform the mall into an open-aired, three-level destination, taking advantage of the ocean breezes and better connecting the complex with the area’s other main attractions — the Santa Monica Pier and Third Street Promenade.
“It’s sad when something closes but it’s an investment into the rebirth of a project that the community has told us they would like to see,” said Randy Brant, the executive vice president of real estate for Santa Monica-based Macerich Co., the developer that owns the mall and operates 71 shopping centers across the country. The scene was peaceful at the mall on Monday afternoon, the atmosphere subdued as the Avril Lavigne hit, “Keep Holding On,” played softly in the background along with the sounds of the escalators and the chatters of shoppers.
Only a few businesses remained in the mall, the majority of which are concentrated on the ground floor, stores like Leather Expo, a Santa Monica Place resident for 15 years, and Shoe Care, a shoe repair store that joined the mall family in 2000. Signs of price reductions have been advertised in the handful of businesses that have decided to stick around until Jan. 31, with discounts ranging from about 20 percent to 80 percent.
Santa Monica resident Michael Tarbet, who has frequented the mall since its opening, spent a few hours and a few dollars on Monday at some of his favorite stores, purchasing a ring at Indian Art and a jacket at Leather Expo.
Tarbet said he originally came to downtown Santa Monica to shop at Sears that day and decided to head to Santa Monica Place, unaware that there were sales.
After about three hours at the mall, Tarbet said he was far from done with his shopping excursion.
“I’m working on it,” he said jokingly. Tarbet said he liked the mall but wasn’t sad about it closing. He’s looking forward to the new design.
Leather Expo has been buzzing with business since the slashed price advertisement went up earlier this month and Monday was no exception, shoppers roaming racks holding leather jackets that were discounted at around 80 percent.
“People are always excited about deals,” said Charlie Salmo, who co-owns Leather Expo with Michael Asfahan.
The business partners also own Leather Expo stores in Canoga Park and Woodland Hills and have shuffled some of the merchandise in the Santa Monica location to the two other shops.
“We try to sell what we have,” Salmo said. It’s been a slightly different story at Deena Hahn, a clothing boutique on the second floor.
Store employee Kim Choi said while it seems that traffic into the shop has increased since the 75 percent markdown signs went up, there doesn’t seem to be much of a difference in terms of actual transactions.
“It’s been pretty busy, but they don’t want to spend their money,” Choi said.
Though there have been talks about redevelopment since 2004, some of the remaining store owners say they have yet to find another home for their businesses and are hopeful they can return once Santa Monica Place reopens in fall 2009.
Macerich officials said they have yet to receive construction permits from the city and hope to get a hold of them sometime in March.
Many of the retailers that have conducted their businesses out of the mall were on short-term leases, arranged by Macerich in order to keep the mall alive while it formed the blueprints for the redevelopment, according to Macerich representative Robin Young.
The company is working on posting information on its Web site updating shoppers on where they can find their favorite Santa Monica Place business after the mall closes, Young added.
One of the businesses still seeking a home is Perfumeria, a fragrance shop that has been in the mall for six years.
The store officially closed on Sunday and employees are spending the next few days packing up, said manager Yani Elazary, who was busy filling stacking boxes on Monday afternoon. The owners of the perfume store, which runs a second location in the San Fernando Valley as well as a Web site, are looking at several spaces in Santa Monica, including a vacant spot off the corner of Fourth Street and Broadway.
“We love Santa Monica,” Elazary said. “We love the customers here.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 29, 2008. Read the original PDF.