Centurion

Issue date: 4/13/09 Section: Features

McTegue.
Another employee of Build-
A-Bear, student Esther Shon,
21, is finding a second job to
keep up with her basic needs.
Shon, like most college students,
finds that having
money is a necessity to pay
tuition.
"Because the
hours have
been cut back,
Build-A-Bear
doesn't really
need a whole lot of people,
and I wasn't getting the
scheduled hours. I love working
there, I just need the
money," she said.
The simplest answer as to
why the mall is closing earlier
is the fact that many people
are just not spending as much
as they had previously.
"It would be completely
unnecessary to keep the mall
open at dead hours," stated
stylist Joyce Robinson. "No
one is in the mall."
Shoppers who graze the
mall do not feel negatively
about it. Mall-walker
Maureen Healy of Levittown
said that as long as she gets to
walk before hours, she's fine.
She also said that people are
definitely watching what
they are spending and looking
for other, cheaper places
to shop.
As for the future of malls, a
report conducted by The
Moderate Voice editor Joe
Gandleman said, "As more
stores exit malls, vacancies in
regional malls could rise past
7 percent by year-end."
According to real estate
research firm Reis, this is a
level not hit since the first
quarter of 2001.
For now, the malls in the
area are staying open, but the
mass population is spending
less.

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