How one South Dakota mall continues to thrive

Its Macy’s and J.C. Penney’s continue to do business. In-line stores close, but new tenants quickly assume their spaces. Shoppers continue to arrive from as far as 75 miles away.



The Empire Mall in Sioux Falls isn’t exactly bucking trends. It’s merely an example of a core precept of retail which states that malls will survive where jobs and rooftops are rising, according to a report in the local Argus Leader.



A growing healthcare industry is bringing new professionals into the Sioux Falls area. The four-county region surrounding South Dakota’s largest city is adding thousands of new residents a year and population passed the quarter-million mark in 2016.



Though Limited, Deb Shops, and Wet Seal have recently closed shop at Empire, other troubled retailers including Aeropostale, Eddie Bauer, Caribou, GameStop and Rue21 remain.



Simon’s acquisition of Empire in 2012 helped keep it relevant, according to Shawn Lyons, executive director of the South Dakota Retailers Association. Simon immediately invested in renovations that brought the mall up to modern standards.



“Even if there are struggles of changing of [retailers’] business models elsewhere, for the time being, Sioux Falls is important to their continued success and growth,” Lyons said.



One such is Amy Stockberger, who moved her growing escape room business, Escape 605, to Empire Mall and saw immediate payback.



“We knew that trend of malls dying across the United States,” Stockberger said. “Sioux Falls is just the complete opposite.”



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