Karen St. Hilaire, who is one of the leaders of the RIOT (Re-imagining Our Tomorrow) group shared her vision for local investors to purchase the mall and then recruit local businesses to locate at the mall and work to make it a venue that is an attractive shopping option and a tourist destination
Ms. St. Hilaire said stores could be recruited that make products like soap, wine, candies, candles, baskets, cider, furniture on site. Visitors could make a day of watching the industry of these businesses as well as purchase the products made. Businesses already operating throughout the county could open a smaller storefront, offering their goods and services to a captive traffic, referring them to the home store for a larger purchase.
Activities could be hosted every weekend and throughout the summer to include dance, live theatre, home shows, concerts, fairs, circuses, and athletic competitions, she added.
Ms. St. Hilaire said large vacant spaces at the west and east ends of the mall, the former home of Sear's and Hill's stores, would make ideal locations for two other proposals.
She said the former Sear's store site could house a Northern New York Regional Outlet, where you could buy anything made in the North Country ranging from maple syrup, Amish furniture, Mohawk baskets, Adirondack chairs and canoes to Cabot cheese, Croghan bologna and Glazier hot dogs. jewelry, and clothing.
Assemblywoman Russell told the group that she sponsors a one-day North Country Department Store following that same concept each year Indian River Central School in Philadelphia that attracts approximately 90 vendors.
The other large space at the end of the mall could be re-purposed for an indoor greenhouse to produce fresh vegetables for use by restaurants in the mall and for sale locally or to export throughout the region, according to Ms. St. Hilaire.
The group's leader said at the end of the more than hour-long session that she was encouraged by the group's support to back an effort to purchase the mall, currently on the market with a sale price of $1.8 million.
"Next week I will meet with an attorney, CPA, contractor, businessman and project manager to assess what costs might be associated with the needed repairs to infrastructure, what structure we would form to make the purchase, whether the financials can support a partial mortgage and what offer might be fair. I will also meet with a local financial institution to discuss a possible mortgage," Ms. St. Hilaire said in a Facebook posting after the meeting.
"Once that is done, we will gauge the interest by community investors and see if we have enough commitment to make an offer," she said.
"We've got a lot of due diligence to do," Ms. St. Hilaire said, noting there were parking lot, water and roof issues.
Mall manager Sylvia Marion said it is her belief the facility still has great potential. "We are no longer a retail mall. It's more of an entertainment center. Twenty-eight of our 45 units are for family entertainment," she said, noting the mall currently has a 45 percent occupancy rate.
She cautioned other entities are also looking at the 135-acre facility. "The owner is going to sell it, and there has been activity," Ms. Marion stressed.
A second local investor is reportedly interested in purchasing the St. Lawrence Centre mall's arena. The mall arena's compressor has failed and the facility no longer has the capability to make ice. The arena, which is priced at $400,000, had previously had ice year round.
Assemblywoman Russell shared several ideas with the group's organizers that she suggested could make the project more economically viable and attract additional funding for the effort.
IN THE PHOTOS:
TOP:
Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell discusses a proposal for a local group to purchase the St. Lawrence Centre mall with Karen St. Hilaire.
BOTTOM:
Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell, third from right, back row) listens Tuesday night during an information session on the future of the St. Lawrence Centre mall.
