UPDATE 2/16/22 — Great Northern Mall reopened Wednesday after being closed for a month.
UPDATE 02/15/22 — Great Northern Mall did not open on Tuesday. The doors remain locked, and the “closed” signs are still hanging. NewsChannel 9 tried calling the mall and a gymnastics studio located inside but they did not pick up. According to the website, the mall normally opens at 11 a.m. weekdays.
TOWN OF CLAY, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — In a phone call with NewsChannel 9, an out-of-area owner says Great Northern Mall could “hopefully” reopen Tuesday after busted water pipes shut the building down nearly one month ago.
Tenants and customers of the mall worry the claim will be another false promise. At first, repairs were supposed to take one week.
“You have to fix it. You have to inspect it,” owner Mike Kohan said in explaining the delay.
When asked if tenants will be reimbursed for already paid rent, Kohan said, “Obviously, we have to. Case by case basis, yes we have to.”
There are virtually no signs of life at the mall. Workers for Dunk & Bright Furniture’s new location on the front side of the mall were busy setting up the store.
The most visual upgrades to the building are on the backside where the old BonTon was converted into an indoor storage unit facility.
The rest of the property doesn’t look ready for customers. Some of the sidewalk near the old Macy’s has been covered by sliding landscaping soil, underneath snow. Snow also covers large areas of the parking lot.
The Town of Clay planning commissioner confirms code violations by the mall, related to a leaking roof and uncleared parking lot.
Kohan said, “We have a big plan to do the roof and parking and everything else.” He said work will begin at the end of March, citing a break in the winter weather.
Kohan bought the struggling mall exactly five years ago. At the time, he told NewsChannel 9, “The mall is located in a great place. It just needs more attention, more effort and more money into it.”
