Many stores close amid coronavirus concerns, but Crabtree mall stays open — for now
One day after Gov. Roy Cooper closed bars and restaurant dining rooms in North Carolina, the state of the local retail landscape is fluid.
Raleigh’s Crabtree Valley Mall was mostly empty on Wednesday, with most of the stores closed and the holdouts working reduced hours. A few people wandered around the mall at noon, when most of the stores that were going to open had opened. Most restaurants in the food court were open, but food court seating was cordoned off with caution tape, so patrons have to get their meals to go.
Anchor stores Macy’s and Charlotte-based Belk have closed temporarily (Belk made the announcement Tuesday evening, saying it would reassess on March 30) and many other chains have also closed. Apple closed its stores days ago, while saying it will continue to pay employees. Other closings include Nordstrom, J.Crew, Crate & Barrel, Urban Outfitters, Foot Locker and others.
Belk CEO Lisa Harper said in a statement that store associates will be paid for scheduled hours during the temporary two-week closure. “We understand this temporary closure can greatly impact our store associates, and we’ve taken steps to support them and their families during this time.”
Earlier this week, the Durham mall Streets at Southpoint cut its hours, now closing early at 7 p.m. The decision to close was left to the individual stores, with many deciding to suspend operations. The mall’s online directory has an updated list of stores that have closed or that remain open.
Crabtree announced new shopping hours for the mall effective Wednesday: noon to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday; noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays.
One of the stores remaining open at Crabtree is the locally owned Paisley’s Boutique. Owner Lauren King, working by herself at the store on Wednesday, said she plans to stay open as long as the mall stays open, but with reduced hours.
“A lot of stores are closed now, but the lady who just left? She just bought a top,” King said. “I don’t want to just sit in my apartment all day. I can come here and do inventory, and if I’m here, I’m going to open the doors.”
Even if she just sells a couple of items each day and does that for a month, she said, that helps pay a chunk of the rent. King is working toward opening a second location at Mayfair in Wilmington on April 1.
[These stores offer special shopping hours for seniors because of coronavirus].
Shoppers prep for home projects
The scene at the Lowe’s Home Improvement store on Grove Barton Road in Raleigh Wednesday morning was also quiet, but that’s a big change from the past few days, said a millwork sales specialist who only wanted to use his first name, Derek.
“Saturday and Sunday it was like Black Friday all over again,” Derek said. The store was also very busy Monday and Tuesday, he said, with contractors saying clients were calling and wanting to start projects while they have more down-time. Gardening and paint departments have been especially busy, he said, but traffic had slowed down significantly by Wednesday.
Mall walkers are still walking — for now
The mall walkers — a group that tends to skew a little older, demographically — are still showing up at Crabtree, though in fewer numbers, even with cautions about avoiding crowds.
The mall opens at 5 a.m. every day for walkers, said Wayne McFayden, the senior supervisor at Crabtree, and he confirms that not as many people are showing up. (The mall will continue to open early for walkers, for now.)
“It’s not my all of my normal people I see everyday,” he said early Wednesday.
McFayden said they removed 150 tables from the food court this week to allow more space between tables (before having to rope them off entirely), and they’ve added hand sanitizing stations around the court.
Mary Peay, 75, said she and her husband walk at the mall every day during the winter or when weather is bad.
“There are a lot fewer people here than usual,” she said Wednesday morning. “Most of us are older and retired and we tend to take things more seriously.”
Peay said she is avoiding crowded places, but since there aren’t that many people walking at the mall, she feels very safe. “The risk is less than going to the grocery store,” she said.
If the mall closes, Peay said she and her husband will walk outside, but she enjoys the sense of community at the mall.
“You meet and see people and get to know them, even if you don’t know their names,” she said. “If they don’t see you for a few days, they ask about you.”
Peay’s friend — a breast cancer survivor — who usually walks with her and her husband, texted early Wednesday to say she was “sheltering down” and wouldn’t be joining them for awhile.
Peay, a retired nurse, said she is careful not to touch things when she’s out in public, and she has hand sanitizer in her car. “The things we are doing now are things we should have been doing all along,” she said: washing our hands and cleaning high-touch surfaces.
A walker named Mickey, 78, told us Wednesday morning that he thinks the number of walkers has shrunk by half, but he’s planning to keep coming as long as the mall stays open.
“I’m keeping my distance from others, observing all the rules — I even change clothes when I get home,” he said.
He likes the overhead music and the company at the mall. “You make friends and meet people out here,” he said. “Selfishly, I’d hate to see it close. It’s one of the few walking places for older people.”
But if the mall does close, Mickey said he’ll walk outside.
His friend Sam, who is 82, walks at the mall every day, and loves that it has security and it’s always clean and you can walk in any kind of weather. And he loves the people. “You build up a camaraderie with others out here,” he said.
But if it closes, Sam said he won’t walk outside.
“In the mall, if I fall, or worse, someone will see me,” he said.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREWhat you should know about the coronavirus
The coronavirus is spreading in the United States. Officials are urging people to take precautions to avoid getting sick, and to avoid spreading the disease if they do contract it.
Click the drop-down icon on this card for more on the virus and what you should do to keep yourself and those around you healthy.
What is coronavirus?
Coronavirus is an infection of the respiratory system similar to the flu. Coronaviruses are a class of viruses that regularly cause illnesses among adults and children, but this outbreak has spawned a new disease called COVID-19, a particularly harsh respiratory condition that can lead to death.
Health officials believe COVID-19 spread from animals to humans somewhere in China. It spreads among humans by physical person-to-person contact, including via coughs. That’s why health officials urge sick individuals to avoid contact with other people.
For more information, visit the website for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms are similar to the flu and include fever, coughing and shortness of breath.
How can I stop the spread of the coronavirus?
Wash your hands regularly with soap and water, and cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze.
If you develop symptoms similar to the coronavirus, you should seek medical attention. Stay home from work or school and avoid contact with others. It can take up to 14 days after coming into contact with the virus to develop symptoms.
COVID-19 is a new condition and there’s much about the disease we still don’t understand. For now, taking precautions is the best way to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
This story was originally published March 18, 2020 at 2:57 PM.
