LAFAYETTE, La. — The Northgate Mall opened back in 1969 and since then, it has been home to many businesses in the Hub City.
It was listed for sale last year, and a local business owner purchased the property with plans to revitalize it.
Carla Schrimpf, who has worked at Home Sweet Home inside the mall for 17 years, expressed optimism about the mall's future.
"I absolutely think it’s going to benefit all the stores here," she said. "We really want to revitalize the mall and bring it back to life. We hear lots of encouraging things, and I really think it’s going to be a draw to get more people here to shop and bring their businesses here as well."
Local entrepreneur Jacoby Landry recently acquired the Northgate Mall property. His plans include converting it into a mixed-use business center featuring a fitness center, indoor pickleball courts, and a boutique medi-spa.
John Allen, manager of The Real Deal, is hopeful the new additions can bring back the popularity of the mall.
"I hope for a new start," Allen said. "The previous owners didn’t do anything with the mall. [The new owners] have a lot of vision. I’m excited about it and hoping it can grow again to be what it once was."
In recent years, shopping malls nationwide have faced declines in foot traffic due to the rise of online shopping and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Allen recalled that the mall last buzzed with customers more frequently in the 1990s and early 2000s, but said that "everything started slowing down when the pandemic hit."
According to Capital One Shopping research, up to 87 percent of large shopping malls are predicted to close over the next decade. However, the introduction of new stores might counter this trend and help keep malls operational.
KATC ask ed Schrimpf what she thinks the mall needs.
"I think we need more retailers; we need more stores here in the mall," she said.
With revitalization plans in progress, there is hope that the changes will bring more revenue and patrons back to Lafayette’s oldest shopping mall.
"Just from talking to consumers that shop here, people are hearing about what’s going on in the mall, and people are excited about it," she tells KATC. "I think it’s really a wonderful thing."
Landry and his team will finalize redevelopment plans in the coming months.
