Great Northern Mall in Clay could be getting a new tenant that would reshape the property and its future.
Dunk & Bright Furniture is looking to open their second showroom at the former Macy's site in the spring of 2022.
Owner Joe Bright says the size and location of the property are what attracted them to it. The new showroom is 90,000 square feet. Located right off route 31, it offers easy access to customers coming from all over the region.
"We feel like our format here is successful and we want to duplicate it," Bright said. "In 2020 alone, we had 45,000 visitors to our store so that is just a testament to our staff, the wide selection that we have, always being competitive on pricing and we think it’s a winning formula."
One of the last anchor stores at Great Northern, Dick's Sporting Goods, relocated down the street from the mall within the past year. The former Macy's is occupied by a seasonal Spirit Halloween. Onondaga County Legislator Jim Rowley said it's no secret the mall is struggling. He hopes this move will pick Great Northern back up.
"As foot traffic starts going into that piece of the mall, I think people would be interested in seeing what else is there," he said. "It’s sort of the first piece you see as you enter the grounds there. My understanding is they want to clean it up, make it look good and I think, if that’s the first thing you see when you go onto the mall property, it’s going to be awesome."
The legislator, who represents the portion of Clay the mall is located in, said other businesses could look at this as an opportunity to make a footprint there as well. He hopes this is the spark the mall needs.
"Yes that mall has a lot of vacancies which are concerning to all businesses, but I believe our business is unique in that we draw traffic to an area," Bright said.
Traveling south on Route 481 from Clay, Shoppingtown Mall in DeWitt is set to get a makeover. The property will be transformed into a retail and residential campus for shopping, entertainment, and much more called 'District East.'
This new move into Great Northern could change the face of another mall in Central New York. While some tenants do remain like a shoe store, Bright said their move could attract other businesses to move in as well.
"You love to see a successful business employing individuals," he said.
Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon said Great Northern hasn't been immune to struggles facing malls across the country.
"I applaud their continued efforts to think differently and attract unconventional tenants such as Dunk & Bright and hope that this is a sign of better days to come for the property," the county executive said in a statement to CNYCentral.
Dunk & Bright is currently hiring for the new store. They're hoping to close on the property by the end of 2021.