KSHB 41 reporter Tod Palmer covers sports business and eastern Jackson County. Share your story idea with Tod.
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Shoppers can still do normal “mall” things at Independence Center, like buy a new outfit or grab a bite to eat at the food court.
But the mall is also trying to incorporate more businesses that offer services instead of strictly brick-and-mortar retail as a way to increase foot traffic.
“You have everyday use; is what it is,” said Independence Center Leasing Director Holly Solomon. “You’ll have customers here, where normally during a 9-to-5 work week everyone wouldn’t come here and shop. It’s not like a bustling demand. This will incorporate the day-to-day person.”
The decline in brick-and-mortar retail sales is well documented, but that gives places like Independence Center the chance for reinvention with things like medical services, spa and massage services, and educational spaces.
“It’s a creative way to keep these shopping centers alive,” Solomon said.
That includes a newly expanded Independence Police Department substation on the lower level.
The department has had a presence inside the mall for roughly 25 years, starting with an informational booth that later morphed into a small, two-officer substation with an external door on the north side of the mall.
Now, Independence police will have a robust presence on the lower level near the food court.
“This is going to house the Community Services Unit,” said IPD Public Information Officer Kelley Rupert. “They’re going to focus on having the information booth available with our volunteers and police. They will essentially be here and help engage with the public.”
Independence police are excited to — quite literally — get in on the ground floor as the mall pivots its leasing model.
The substation will allow officers dedicated to retail theft prevention and investigations to connect with the neighborhood, which is one of the most retail stretches in Independence.
“It’s a lot easier to have the officers that focus just on the shoplifts in their area of expertise just be here on site, easily accessible for anyone who needs them,” Rupert said.
The department’s Crisis Intervention Team also will be housed with the Community Services Unit at the new substation, which also will be used as a recruiting hub and for community presentations.
Independence police hope the new substation will allow them to better connect with the community.
“Come in and ask [questions],” Rupert said. “That’s the point of it. If you have any questions about what your police department can do for you or how you can help and volunteer, come on in and ask. That’s what this is for.”
Independence Center plans to announce some new tenants next week ahead of the holiday shopping season.
“Our target is to pivot to that mixed-use,” Solomon said. “We still have room for brick-and-mortar shops. ... It will definitely trickle off to retail and it’s such a large building — Independence Center is more than 1 million square feet — so we have more than enough room for it. You’re not going to see those big box stores really coming back.”
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