Everything old is new again. This is the attitude embodied by Cody Foster and David Callanan of financial service company Advisors Excel, which acquired the indoor West Ridge Mall in Topeka, Kan., last September. The firm will embrace this theme as they promote the mall’s redevelopment to the local community through a free concert this month featuring the 1980s pop singer Tiffany.
Tiffany will be performing in the mall’s food court and will kick off the annual meeting hosted by Greater Topeka Partnership and its sub-agency, GO Topeka, both of which are geared toward fostering economic development in the city. The meeting will include a panel consisting of Foster as well as the city’s mayor and a representative from The Greater Topeka Partnership. Utilizing Tiffany as a performer is a strategic choice, as she rose to fame in 1987 by touring U.S. malls and is therefore synonymous with the whole retro mall culture vibe.
The mall was originally built in 1988, and its redevelopment efforts will be overseen by Dallas-based Russell Glen, a real estate development and investment company. The overall redevelopment plan, which will be finalized by this summer, will include space within the mall for the corporate headquarters of Advisors Excel and its 1,000 employees. Russell Glen will also continue to determine retail and restaurant tenants that will help reinvigorate the indoor mall.
“We will be targeting the national and regional retail tenants you see in traditional Class A malls across the county, while including local retailers that will create a unique experience for visitors,” said Terrence Maiden, CEO, Russell Glen. He added, “Additionally, we will focus our efforts on attracting entertainment concepts and exciting new restaurants.”
Already this year there have been quite a few new tenants added. The food court saw the opening of Ta Co. in March, a Mexican restaurant with one other location in downtown Topeka, as well as Boxer Q BBQ in January, which had been a local popular food truck. March also saw the opening of the 3,900-s.f. Shockwave Fitness, which overtook a former Justice store, and will primarily feature bungee and trampoline workouts. In addition, March had the opening of T&K Clothing, a local apparel store for both men and women. Plus, in February, Absolute Tattoo, which already has a location in downtown Topeka, opened its second studio in the mall. Later this spring, Summit Health will be partnering with Luxe Wellness Studio to open a joint clinic in the mall, offering both holistic health therapies and traditional medical services.
Since the executives at Advisors Excel took ownership of West Ridge Mall, minor but necessary improvements have already taken place, such as light fixture replacements, new carpets, fixed escalators and roof repairs. Although the mall has seen the departure of such anchor tenants as Macy’s and Sears over the years, it appears as if the West Ridge Mall is now well on its way toward once again becoming a new, trendy gathering space that may even harken back to its heyday in the 1980s. Like, totally!
