Growth trend continues at Westmoreland Mall with the opening of a sneaker and clothing store

Westmoreland Mall will soon welcome two new stores as the Hempfield facility continues to see an influx of business.

Kadiskicks, a locally owned sneaker store, and Daily Thread, a women’s clothing store, will open in the mall, according to the mall’s website.

The announcement comes at a time when the mall has apparently been successful in attracting new business – which officials attribute to the opening of Live! Casino Pittsburgh — after several years of store closures.

At the end of 2021, the mall had a 94% occupancy rate, said Stacey Keating, spokeswoman for Chattanooga, Tennessee-based CBL Properties, the entity that owns the Westmoreland and Monroeville malls. .

According to data provided by Keating, the number of mall businesses has fluctuated over the past decade, with a decline recorded in 2018.

That year, the occupancy rate was around 91%. In April 2018, Bon-Ton announced its closure.

Another flagship store, Sears, closed in 2019, prompting a wave of closures or relocations that plagued the mall for most of that year. These included Payless Shoes, Gymboree, Helzberg Diamonds, Verizon Wireless, Sleep Number, New York & Company, PacSun and Kitchen Collection.

Malls across the country have begun to feel similar impacts.

The vacancy rate for regional shopping centers in the United States hit a record 11% during the first quarter of 2021, according to Moody’s Analytics commercial real estate division.

Green Street, a real estate analytics firm, said last year that of the 1,000 U.S. malls it tracks, there are about 750 vacant anchor spaces that once housed big chains.

At Westmoreland Mall, however, the turning point apparently came after the casino opened in November 2020 at Bon-Ton’s former location.

The following year, the announcement of new stores became commonplace, beginning with SpectroDolce Confectionery, Western Edge Seafood and Joseph Jacob Jewelers. Charlotte Russe, Lids and Christopher & Banks have all reopened at the mall after its previous closure.

“The casino was definitely a…contributing factor,” Keating said.

Last year, traffic recorded at the mall increased by 30% compared to 2019. Data was not provided for 2020, when the establishment closed for several months due to the covid-19 pandemic .

Traffic increases have continued throughout this year, up 14% in April, Keating said.

Now, Kadiskicks is set to open this weekend on the second floor of the Macy’s wing. The resale store, owned by Jake Kadagishvili, will carry high-end sneakers.

Kadagishvili, 23, of Greensburg started reselling sneakers online about two and a half years ago. About a year later, he decided he wanted to own a store.

“I was going to school and I didn’t know what to do. … I just picked it up and it snowballed from there,” Kadagishvili said.

He hopes opening a store at the mall will allow him to gain exposure while educating people about his brand.

Kadagishvili is hosting a grand opening from noon to 7 p.m. Saturday.

“Honestly, it’s like a dream come true,” he said. “It’s surreal.”

Minnesota-based Daily Thread, whose parent company is NYC Alliance, will open on the first floor of the former Sears wing.

The women’s clothing store, which opened its first location last year, now has multiple storefronts across the country. According to the company’s Instagram page, Daily Thread will soon be opening in Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indianapolis, Nebraska and North Dakota, in addition to the Westmoreland Mall location.

The company plans to open 67 stores by the end of the year. 200 additional locations will be open by the end of 2023, the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal reported.

It was not immediately clear when the Hempfield location would open.

The new stores will join Charlotte Russe and Lids, which opened in March. The two storefronts previously occupied at the mall. Last year, the mall welcomed a slew of new businesses, including Rock Bottom Jewellery, SpectroDolce Confectionery, Western Edge Seafood and Joseph Jacob Jewelers.