Warwick Mall takes a step to normalcy

The city of Warwick Friday will clear a major physiological hurdle after nightmare floods in March ravaged hundreds of businesses and homes. On Aug. 20, the Warwick Mall plans to reopen its main concourse and food court, almost five months after the building closed following massive flooding.
“Psychologically having the mall reopen is like putting the worst part of the flood behind us,” Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian said.
The Pawtuxet River forms a U-shape around the mall, and when it overflowed, it sent 2 feet of water into the mall, said co-owner Aram Garabedian. The Warwick Fire Department sent in a boat to rescue a security guard. Photos and video of cars in the parking lot submerged underwater plastered television screens across the country.
Soon after the floods receded, hundreds of workers swarmed the 40-year-old shopping center to undertake repairs. By August, Firestone, LongHorn Steakhouse, Old Navy, Showcase Cinemas, Sports Authority and Target had all reopened.
But the main concourse of the mall remained closed as workers installed 63,000 square feet of new tile, built a new wooden floor for the carousel in the food court, overhauled the bathrooms and replaced the entire electrical system. Mall visitors will also find new “comfort stations” throughout the mall with soft seats and carpeting, new hand-washing stations in the food court, new giant plants shaped like animals and a massive video screen. Garabedian said the renovations created, in essence, an entirely new facility. The work constituted the first major renovation of the mall in 20 years, Garabedian said.
Renovations did not include additional flood protection work. Garabedian said the storm delivered an unprecedented amount of flooding because of a confluence of events unlikely to occur again. And Garabedian said there was little the mall could do and that the government needed to undertake flood prevention work for it to have a meaningful effect. So instead the mall owners have focused on the inside. The opening of the common areas will coincide with the opening of some of the interior stores, though not all. Garabedian declined to say which interior stores will open Friday. Messages left with spokespeople for the existing stores were generally not returned. At least three – Chelo’s Hometown Bar & Grill, the Disney Store and the Warwick Mall Hair Salon – will never reopen, company representatives confirmed. Others, including the Panda Express and Wet Seal, will open later this year after extensive renovations. The anchor stores that remain closed – J.C. Penny and Macy’s – are scheduled to open in October and next spring, respectively, according to Garabedian.
A Disney Store spokeswoman said the decision to close the store fit with a broader shift in the company’s business plan. The salon, without flood insurance, could not overcome the expense of rebuilding. Chelo’s, also without flood insurance, decided that the estimated cost of $500,000 to reconstruct the restaurant would not be financially prudent, said Bob Crowley, vice president of operations.
One shop that will return Friday is Dunkin’ Donuts, a franchise owned by Batista Amaral. Company partner Rob Batista said the company felt the effects of the mall closure on its balance sheet.
“Of course any time you have a business closed for four-plus months, you’re taking some kind of a hit,” Batista said. “We’re fortunate in a way that we have an umbrella organization.”
Batista said he estimates a $100,000 bill to repair the 450-square-foot shop. All told, rebuilding the mall will cost millions of dollars, Garabedian said. A total price is difficult to estimate, he said, because each store is responsible for its own costs. As for the common areas of the mall, Garabedian declined to discuss how much renovations have cost, other than to say the mall’s flood insurance will cover most of the cost. Also unknown, and perhaps never known, will be the economic toll on the mall’s employees. The mall and its 70 shops employ about 1,200 people, according to the most widely accepted estimates. Some chain stores offered their mall employees temporary positions at other locations while workers cleaned the mall. Chelo’s, which will not reopen, found permanent positions at its other restaurants for all of its 30 or so employees from the Warwick Mall, Crowley said.
Garabedian said he is confident the mall will return to its former self in the coming months. He’s planning a birthday bash for the mall in October to celebrate its 40th year. He said he expects shoppers to return, having not forgotten about the center.
“I think the curiosity of the mall will be a big factor,” Garabedian said.
Avedisian said there is “this little bit of fear” that people changed shopping habits or discovered new locations while the mall sat closed. But he said a better-than-expected opening of Target and strong management by Garabedian and his team left him optimistic. Avedisian said that the city also worked with the mall to expedite permits required for renovations.
And Karen Jedson, the city’s director of tourism, culture and development, said the mall is such a fixture in the community it would bounce back.
“I do believe that people are loyal to the mall, and they’re going to frequent the mall,” Jedson said. •