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Boone Mall Awarded 2008 Business of the Year

Story by Corinne Saunders

The addition of new stores and its physical transformation, both inside and out, contributed to the Boone Mall receiving the 2008 Business of the Year Award from the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce.

“I think it’s wonderful,” said Meredith Golden, Boone Mall manager, of the award. “I thought they were well deserving of it.”

Boone Chamber of Commerce President Dan Meyer presented the award at the April Business After Hours, hosted by University Nissan.

Adding Old Navy and Panera Bread to the mall has dramatically increased sales, and T.J. Maxx will provide a further revenue boost when it opens in the fall, Golden said. The Italian restaurant Mangia Buona, formerly located in Valle Crucis where it was known as Good Eats (the English translation of its current name), relocated to the mall in December. The business additions provide another reason for shoppers to go to the Boone Mall.

“They’ve made huge investments there and we’re the beneficiaries,” Meyer said of Boone Mall’s owners Jim and Rob Libby. “They brought the mall out of the ‘70s and ‘80s into the 21st century in look and functionality.”
Meyer pointed out the raised pagoda outside and “the wonderful open pedestrian area where people can walk more freely inside” as great physical improvements to the mall.

The fountain area and small bridge that used to occupy the center area of the mall under the skylight was taken out and the floor was retiled, Golden said.
“[The fountain] was charming, but it took up a lot of prime pedestrian space,” Golden said. “It’s so much nicer now.”

The fountain’s removal also made room for more community activities, she added.

“They’re extremely generous with the use of the mall,” Meyer said, adding that the mall has donated its space to community nonprofits, displays of community artwork, a library book sale and plenty of other community activities.

Boone Mall will receive a place of honor at the upcoming Boone Business Expo and designation at future expos, Meyer said.

The seven criteria for the Business of the Year award include the business’ staying power, its growth and number of employees as a benchmark for its impact on the economy, the increase in sales and unit volume, the innovativeness of products and services, its response to adversity, contributions to community and its use of local resources to accomplish its goals.

Golden has managed the mall for a year; before that she worked as the manager of Walden Books for six years.

“I saw the mall at its absolute worst,” Golden said. “It was basically dying maybe four years ago.”

She did an occupancy survey for Walden Books at that time and found that the mall was 30 percent empty; it had nine empty store spaces. Currently, only two empty store spaces exist, but the mall has also added Old Navy and Panera, she said.

“We’d like to get 100 percent occupancy; we’re working on that,” Golden said. “Having these national stores here makes [the mall] much more attractive to people, especially if they’re successful, which they are.”

Boone Business Expo May 15

The 21st annual Boone Business Expo is scheduled for Thursday, May 15, at the Boone Mall, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

“We already have over 70 booths registered [and] we’ll probably have 80 businesses [at the Boone Business Expo],” Meyer said.

The annual event is not geared toward product sales, but simply for people to learn about the businesses in the community.

“It’s not a selling show; there’s nothing to buy,” Meyer said.

The event allows the public to see exactly what types of services local business have to offer, as well as encouraging people to see and shop at the mall.
Each time he attends the expo, Meyer finds that “businesses will have added a new service or a new twist to what they do that might be just what I’m looking for,” he said.

The event encourages people to shop locally and “take advantage of local business people [because] they in turn employ our neighbors and us,” Meyer said.
The expo also works to the business owners’ advantage.

“When you put a face on a business, you’re more likely to call them, so it’s a good marketing tool for businesses as well,” Meyer said.

For more information about the Boone Business Expo, call 828-264-2225.