HAMPTON, Va. — At All-Star Sports at the Peninsula Town Center in Hampton, the product is unique and the business is good. But the employees know what's happening around the store has a lot to do with what happens in the store.
Vacancies are not an attraction.
"I definitely feel like we need more attractions, more entertainment," said employee Kimani Battle.
The store keeps adding promotions to lure in customers at a center that's seen several stores close in recent months. New York and Co., Victoria's Secret, and Lane Bryant are just three of the businesses that have recently closed after filing for bankruptcy.
It's pandemic fallout meets a growing desire for consumers to buy online, leaving brick and mortars lonely and looking for the next best thing.
Hampton Mayor Donnie Tuck has his eye on PTC and his mind on new ideas.
"The whole concept now is trying to provide that experience that you can't get online. We recognize that the whole brick and mortar has changed," he said.
PTC's owners paint an optimistic picture. Commercial real estate developer, Zaf Tabani expects the property to be 95 percent occupied by November 1. He says his active leasing team is in contact with 200 prospective tenants on a regular basis.
About 70,000 square feet of empty space will be converted into 53 new luxury apartments.
At the Tech Center, a few miles west off of I-64 in Newport News, the still kind-of- new shopping center is now dotted with empty storefronts. SteinMart is gone. So is Cafe Rio and Zoe's Kitchen.
As the owner pursues more tenants, currently negotiating five leases, the city is focused on giving grants to keep small businesses afloat citywide.
443 grants were awarded in the last year totaling $1,863,516.95. The money is from the CARES Act.
Retail Alliance Corporate Communication Vice President, Kylie Ross Sibert said 28 of the organization's 500 members shut down last year and eight have closed so far in 2021.
Retailers have to get creative and provide an online presence to survive.
"They are such positive people, business owners, and entrepreneurs. They've been through so much. I just hope that they don't give up," Sibert said.