CLARENCE, N.Y. — This is the final week for the indoor area of the Eastern Hills Mall in Clarence. Signs posted across the building say the concourse will be closed starting Sunday, January 14.
It’s a ritual for Barbara Greis and Ellen Thielke.
The 81-year-old friends meet up with a group every Tuesday to walk the Eastern Hills Mall.
“We enjoy it, and we are going to miss it here,” Ellen said.
With the mall’s concourse closing Sunday, this was the final stroll for these two ladies.
A major topic of conversation, ‘where should we meet up next week?’
“We might go to the YMCA. We are talking about carpooling from the YMCA to the Walden Galleria,” Barabara said. “It’s not going be the same, because it’s not going to be conducive to this kind of walking we do.”
Uniland Development Company presented plans to the Clarence town board last February to turn the property into a mixed-use town center.
It's set to include retail, entertainment and office space, and hundreds of residential units.
Sunday will also mark the end of retail shopping for the few local stores left inside the building.
Najmus Saki owned Fix 4 Less, a phone repair store, for the past nine years.
“Moving is not always the best, but it was a great journey here anyways,” Najmus said.
Jackie Lovern operated Fetch! Gourmet Dog Treats at the mall for the past six years.
“I love my spot, this is my home. I’m here every single day,” Jackie said. “It’s a new chapter in our lives.”
Uniland Development Company told WKBW that after Sunday the 14th, merchants can only be accessed through exterior entrances.
This means any store with an entrance directly attached to the parking lot can continue to operate.
READ MORE: What stores will remain open at the Eastern Hills Mall?
Since neither Najmus nor Jackie had that entrance, they have decided to move their stores from inside the mall.
They’re both relocating not too far away.
Najmus is staying in the area right around the mall.
Jackie is moving her business to a new, wholesale-only, location in North Buffalo.
Both of them are excited for their new beginnings.
“Change is always good. I will see how things go here while I’m across the street,” Najmus said.
“It’ll be just production for us, no retail. Retail is quite expensive,” Jackie said. “I’m sure new doors will open for us. We will continue to do what we do and make dogs happy across Buffalo.”
Other stores are sticking around in some capacity.
Uniland Development Company confirmed that all stores with an exterior entrance will be part of the area long term, with a complete list of what stores will be part of the new development coming Wednesday.
Jeffrey Schumacher with Pure Integrity Soy Candles is moving his local storefront down the street.
However, he got permission to continue manufacturing and shipping his candles across the country from inside the mall.
“All of our shipping is from this space,” Jeffrey said. “We’ve seen a lot of changes over the years, and we knew this day was coming for a long long time.”
The few stores still open in the mall will operate through Saturday.
