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perfecting his beard butter
while in the hospital.
“I had colon cancer. And de-
cided I’m going to do what I
need to do in life – no regrets,
no looking back.”
He did his research and or-
dered supplies while still in the
hospital. When he got out, he
went to work, finding the con-
sistency he wanted. Now, Bar-
low’s Beard Butter comes in
multiple scents and has ex-
panded into multiple products,
and can be bought at the shop.
MARKLAND MALL
Hit in March 2017 by the
closing of its longtime Sears lo-
cation, which opened in 1968
as an original tenant, Markland
Mall has responded with an ex-
tensive redevelopment project,
replacing the famous depart-
ment store with a diverse col-
lection of incoming businesses.
Restaurants. Entertainment.
Retailers. And even a grocery
store.
Each has committed to mak-
ing Markland Mall their new
home – and in some cases have
already moved in.
But why does Kokomo’s mall
seem to be bucking the trend, a
shift that experts say could
leave one-quarter of American
malls closed by 2022?
And can it continue?
“I think the thing was, it was
so static for so long,” said Mar-
kland Mall and Plaza General
Manager James Radabaugh,
who also manages properties in
Muncie, Tippecanoe and Fort
Wayne for Washington Prime
Group.
“The status quo from the ‘80s
to the 2000s was: This is the
shoe. Everybody wear it. But as
things changed – you’ve got to
be willing to jump on that
change bandwagon.”
That adjustment, explained
Radabaugh, can be seen in the
new expectations customers
have for community malls. And
the ability, or inability of failing
malls, to give consumers what
they want.
Gone are the days of a sole
focus on clothing and accesso-
ries – although they still play a
prominent role in the future of
mall success, argued Rad-
abaugh – and here are the
times of a full-service offering.
“Would we have thought of
having Aldi in a shopping
mall? But that’s part of the evo-
lution – that’s part of the evolu-
tion of what shopping centers
need to be to people,” said Rad-
abaugh.
“Wouldn’t it be great to pick
up your groceries, do some
Christmas shopping and then
stop and eat and go home and
do it all in one place and not
have to move your car?” he
added later, also referencing
entertainment additions like
Gravity Trampoline Park.
Markland Mall will complete
its most dramatic shift yet in
that direction when its recent
additions open for business,
including: Prodigy Burger &
Bar; Aldi; Party City; PetSmart;
Ross Dress for Less; and Osh-
Kosh B’gosh, a children’s cloth-
ing store associated with Car-
ter’s.
That redevelopment project
will be fully operational by
2019, said Radabaugh.
“What you see being built
out there is everybody who is
bona fide, deals are sealed,
they’re moving in,” he noted.
“That takes up all the spaces
except for one. So there’s only
one blank space right now. A
lot of companies are coming to
us very interested and excited
because it’s a new develop-
ment, so we’re in discovery
with several undisclosed folks
right now that are just check-
ing it out.”
The mall still features two
open pads, or spaces available
for fast food or quick-service
restaurants, in front of the
mall and in between Arby’s
and McDonald’s.
One of those pads is likely to
be taken by Panda Express.
Company spokeswoman Ai-
leen Donovan said there “has
been approval for a free stand-
ing drive-thru location outside
of the Markland Mall that is
projected to open late summer
of 2019.”
A bigger deal, perhaps, is the
evolution underway inside the
former home of Carson’s, which
closed in late August after its
parent company, Bon-Ton, filed
for bankruptcy earlier this year.
While Halloween City will
temporarily fill the space until
early November, Radabaugh
said the mall is “all ears” when
it comes to another temporary
or possibly permanent solution.
He noted that Markland Mall
has been approached by both
national tenants interested in
the site and people who want
to divide the area and utilize
numerous, smaller spaces.
“The sky’s the limit,” said
Radabaugh. “We’ve got a can-
vas over there that we’re going
to paint on, and we’ve just got
to figure out what the art’s go-
ing to look like.”
Still, losing stores like Sears
and Carson’s has become a
plight experienced by malls
across the country, and many
haven’t been able to recover.
The loss of large attractions
can diminish foot traffic in a
mall and can consequently lead
to the elimination of other
stores. Sometimes stores even
sign co-tenancy agreements
with a mall, meaning their
lease is dependent on the exis-
tence of anchor stores.
“When anchor stores close, it
causes big problems for mall
owners and other retailers in
the mall,” Howard Davidowitz,
chairman of New York-based
retail consulting and invest-
ment banking firm Davidowitz
& Associates, told CNN.
“And I’d say this problem is
only in its second inning.”
But through increased enter-
tainment, food and even ser-
vices like Dr. Tavel Vision Cen-
ter, a grab-bag approach has
taken over Markland Mall – an
adaptation Radabaugh hopes
will mitigate the loss of stores
that were once the property’s
cornerstones.
“To invest in it and redevelop
it and keep changing it keeps
everybody’s attention. And
that’s just what we’re trying to
do – is keep everybody’s atten-
tion,” he explained.
Another tactic adopted by
Markland Mall is to increase
the residency of local busi-
nesses.
One example is Gravity
Trampoline Park, owned by
Shannon Anthony, leader of the
renowned skate group
Breaksk8.
“I’ve wanted to do something
for my hometown for a long
time,” said Anthony in a previ-
ous interview about replacing
American retail sporting goods
chain MC Sports.
Also coming to Markland
Mall is JBistro’s Pizza, a local
restaurant taking over the for-
mer home of Bella Pizzeria;
KnockerBall Kokomo, owner of
the inflatable bubbles that al-
low people to slam into each
other without injury; and Soul
Sisters boutique.
“What’s the success of the
mall? It’s local,” said Rad-
abaugh. “There are people here
who live in this community. …
All those folks know somebody.
Their families are here, their
friends are here. They’re out
here supporting it.”
One thing that isn’t going
away, however, is online shop-
ping and the numerous related
challenges faced by malls in to-
day’s business climate.
But Radabaugh believes
malls still offer something Am-
azon never will.
“At the end of the day, people
still want to shop,” he said, ar-
guing that malls are not, like
some experts believe, a format
of the past. “Yes, online is great,
and yes, it’s convenient, and,
yes, we have vendors and
stores out here that benefit
from online. And we know
that; that’s the reality of it.
“However, not everybody
does 100 percent of their shop-
ping online. They still want
choices, right? They still want
to impulse shop. They still want
to touch it, feel it, smell it, try it
on.”
LOCAL BUSINESSES ARE BOOMING ...
CHANGES:
Workers install exit
signs and lighting at the new
entrance to Markland Mall,
where Sears used to be
located.
(Tim Bath | Kokomo
Tribune)
IN THE BIG CHAIR:
9-year-old Brayden Johns gets his hair cut by
Kyle Ryan at Barlow’s on June 28, 2018.
(Kelly Lafferty Gerber | Kokomo
Tribune)
