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The people's mall

University Mall attracts throngs of young minorities looking for bargains. So far it's holding its own, but can a "working-class mall" survive?

By JOSH ZIMMER
Published April 22, 2005

UNIVERSITY AREA - Karnesia Jones, two children in tow, combed the aisles at the Burlington Coat Factory, searching for clothing bargains.

At other area malls, that would be more of a challenge. But here at University Mall, affordability is a mainstay.

"They have good prices," said Jones, a repeat customer who travels here from her home in Town 'N Country.

Jones shops at University even though Westshore Mall, International Plaza, and Westfield Shoppingtown Citrus Park are just as close to her house. It's not just about dollars, she said. All one need do is look around. More shoppers are African-American, as is she.

Does she feel more comfortable at University?

"Yes, I do," she said.

What draws Jones to the northern Tampa shopping plaza keeps some customers away. Longtime manager Tom Locke calls University the "working-class mall," in a nod to the moderate- and low-income neighborhoods that surround it.

More than any other mall in Hillsborough County, it relies on loyalty from minority customers in search of reasonable prices and many shoe and jewelry stores.

But while University gains market share with value-oriented stores, such as Old Navy and Earthbound Trading Co., which sells Third World items, it also loses business because of its reputation as a weekend gathering spot for minority youth.

The mall is in one of the highest-crime areas in the county, though the neighborhood is showing signs of economic revival.

Jason Young, 20, of Temple Terrace said he generally avoids University on Friday and Saturday nights.

"Just don't want to get in any problems," said Young, who is white. "I see a lot of fights here."

But University is Matthew Francois' favorite mall. The 20-year-old black man, who lives in Temple Terrace, scoped out jewelry one recent Friday night. Comparing the mall to a local community center, he said he likes the variety of faces.

"It's a melting pot," he said.

Locke, the mall manager, recognizes that many people aren't comfortable visiting University because of the neighborhood and mix of people. The mall's owner, Glimcher Realty Trust of Columbus, Ohio, has invested heavily in increased security in hopes of raising people's comfort levels, he said.

"We have more diversity here than any other (local) mall," he said, describing a customer base that also includes hospital staffers, workers from surrounding businesses and nearly 40,000 University of South Florida students. "The fact of the matter is, where some people look at it as a weakness, we look upon it as a strength."

Patrice Duker, spokeswoman for the International Council of Shopping Centers, said ethnicity can be an issue with shoppers. But making people comfortable and providing the stores that people want are the most important elements to a successful mall, she said.

The University Mall reassesses - and changes - its retailers steadily, Locke said. More adaptations could be in store as the 30-year-old mall faces new competition from the north.

Just last week, JCPenney confirmed it will leave the mall for the growing Wesley Chapel market. If other anchors follow suit, University could move even more in the direction of a niche mall catering to urban tastes, Locke and others say.

He points to the community's exploding Latino population.

"Definitely, we are looking for merchants who can serve (those new residents)," he said.

But is the neighborhood enough to support the mall?

University Mall wakes up to maintenance workers, security guards and bike-riding sheriff's deputies.

But most of the noise comes from senior citizens who walk the halls every morning. Three days a week, a group stops in the atrium near the information desk to perform calisthenics. University Community Hospital used to provide an instructor. Now the seniors stretch and bend to a cassette tape.

Winnifred and Rhymer Wright just walk. They've been coming together since Rhymer Wright retired in 1995 and his wife convinced him to join her.

"This is a safe place for people to walk," he said. "Not only that, you develop friendships."

Soon the halls bustle with shoppers, setting a pace that ebbs and flows throughout the day. Youngsters start arriving midafternoon, raising the decibel levels with their conversation and laughter. Locke said University attracts more young people than other malls, and keeping them out of trouble is one of his biggest jobs.

A hot spot is the second-floor food court by the 16-screen movie theater, built in 1996.

"It's a good place to come and chill," said Hillsborough High School student Andrew Brown, 14, who lives about 10 minutes south of the mall. "Sometimes you just shop; sometimes you just walk around. It's like a big recreation center."

He appreciates the racial diversity here. But that's not all he likes.

"It's a lot more comfortable, seeing I'm not rich," he said.

University always has enjoyed close ties to the neighborhood, said mall walker Betty Woehlk, who lives just west of Interstate 275 on a middle-class street between Fowler and Fletcher avenues.

"I call it the family mall," she said. "There's no fancy, fancy stores in there. When Macy's (Federated Department Stores, which owns Macy's, bought out Burdines) came in, we were all surprised."

Years ago, Woehlk worked at University. So did her daughter and grandson. She took Christmas photos, arranged flowers and sold clothes at the former Maas Bros., which was where Macy's is now.

Roshonda Melton, 18, is working her way through Hillsborough Community College's nursing program by managing an Auntie Anne's Pretzels.

"This job was really flexible around my school schedule," said Melton, who walks to work.

John Toomer, a communications major at the University of South Florida, sells phones at the Alltel cell phone kiosk near Sears, one of the mall's original anchors.

On a recent morning, Toomer, 22, laid out five phones for an early customer. He had just come from the library. Later that day he would give a speech in his advanced public speaking course and work on a four-page paper.

"It's a perfect college job," said Toomer, who earns between $25,000 and $35,000 a year. "Some just want a little money to bring in. I need more money to support myself."

The neighborhood runs from modest to poor. That often means sketchy credit, Toomer said.

"Everybody has a prepay phone," he said.

As for the woman looking at phones, he had to turn her down because of bad credit.

Decades ago, Tampa Bay Center was the place to shop. But its anchor stores fled to newer malls, leaving Tampa Bay Center to limp along as a discount niche mall until it closed in 2002.

When the Citrus Park mall opened, it lopped off 10 to 15 percent of University Mall's business, said Lill Hanson, a senior retail analyst with Grubb and Ellis\Commercial Florida.

In addition to JCPenney, other chains are excited about the growing market in south Pasco. The Bombay Co. left University for a new mall, also in Wesley Chapel.

How much more market share can University stand to lose?

"I'm a little worried" about losing JCPenney, said Littman Jewelers manager Brad Smith. He said he fears that other anchor stores will follow suit, but adds that he is encouraged by mall owner Glimcher's efforts to fill the space.

Glimcher chief executive officer Bill Cornely said the multibillion-dollar company, which also owns Westshore Mall, is looking at a number of alternatives. They include ditching one major tenant for a mix of smaller stores selling anything from electronics and books to clothes and furniture.

So far, University is holding steady with value-oriented stores such as Old Navy and trendy shops like Aeropostale and Hot Topic.

University is "not the same mall it was five years ago; it's not the same mall it was 10 years ago," Cornely said.

Mr. Dunderback's is perhaps the ultimate niche business at University. Culturally speaking, the German-style restaurant is so out of step with most shoppers that James Ellis said he relies on customers who visit University just to eat at his restaurant.

But he said management has reacted well to its heavily young minority customer base by appealing to its fashion sense for jewelry and high-priced sneakers.

"There are about 110 shoe stores," he joked.

While Mr. Dunderback's survives despite the mall, Mr. Man owner Tony Lolly succeeds because he offers what many customers want. Although he sells conservative suits, most of his clothing is more colorful and brash. His clientele is largely African-American. Some drive in from Ocala, Lakeland and Sarasota for the look they want.

Some retail experts predict University's demise. But Hanson, the retail analyst, doesn't subscribe to the doomsday scenario. The opening of another mall, the Cypress Creek Town Center, will be a challenge. But if management can continue to provide what people want, from prices to merchandise, people will come, she said.

Cornley of Glimcher also sees a bright side as large stores depart.

"It allows us to do things we otherwise could not do," he said, adding that University continues to make money, despite the competition. "We will also look at busting it up, adding some more small space," which the company has done in other locations.

University Mall has a loyal customer base, Hanson said.

"People get used to a certain mall," she said. "They get to know the layout of the mall. They have their favorite stores. It gets to be a community center.

"I certainly don't think it's going to end up the same way as the Tampa Bay Center. It's going to survive. It will have to reidentify itself a little bit."

- Josh Zimmer covers the County Commission and the communities of Citrus Park, Keystone and Odessa. He can be reached at 269-5314 or zimmer@sptimes.com

[Last modified April 21, 2005, 08:33:10]