Student shopaholics will notice some improvements at Lane County’s largest shopping center this spring.
Valley River Center in Eugene will be undergoing a food court remodel, and mall officials say they will likely continue to update the shopping center in the coming years. Mall tenants new and old are also updating their spaces to serve visitors in time for the Olympic Trials in June.
Crews will level the raised seating area in the mall’s food court, said mall marketing manager Diana Bray. The court’s flooring and overhead fixtures will be removed, and new furniture and lighting elements will be added.
The idea is to make the food court more open and free-flowing, Bray said.
The remodel may also help fill some food court spaces, some of which are vacant.
“Part of that is because we are discovering under its current design, there are a few spaces you can’t even see,” Bray said. Tenants may be hesitant to lease those spaces because signs could be blocked.
Mall officials decided to remodel the food court because of increased traffic since the opening of Regal Cinemas last year. This has added more demand for food.
“We need to turn tables faster so the traffic flow will be better,” Bray said. “We need to service people more efficiently.”
The mall plans to keep the food court open during the remodel, but some seating areas will be closed, Bray said. The food court should be completed by June.
The food court could be the first of many upgrades in the coming years, Bray said, though no concrete remodel plans are currently in place.
Mall maintenance crews have had trouble making repairs on the mall because some construction materials are no longer available, Bray said. The mall was built in 1969.
When a tile breaks, for example, mall staff doesn’t have any extra tiling available to replace it.
“We’ve used up all the surplus we used to have over the past few years,” Bray said.
Mall tenants are also making upgrades to their storefronts.
Since Santa Monica, Calif.-based Macerich bought the 835,694-square-foot mall two years ago, Valley River has seen new anchor stores, including Gottschalks department store, The Sports Authority and Regal Cinemas. Meier and Frank and Emporium have closed in recent years.
Grand Slam USA also opened batting cages recently in the mall, Bray said, and JCPenney plans to complete a $3 million remodel this summer.
Bray said she hopes vacant smaller spaces in the mall fill soon.
“We have a little bit of vacancy here and there,” Bray said. “There’s quite a bit of interest in the smaller spaces. It’s just a matter of plugging in some holes.”
The Duck Store, which has sold University apparel and merchandise in the mall since 2001, is expanding and remodeling its store. The shop is temporarily housed near Macy’s.
Store manager Liz Horvath said The Duck Store has seen more customers in recent years.
“I think that has to do with being more accessible to our students and whatnot here,” Horvath said.
The mall location also serves game day customers, Horvath said. Fans often park near the mall and take Lane Transit District shuttles to McArthur Court or Autzen Stadium during basketball and football games. LTD’s Breeze route also connects the mall to campus and downtown.
Horvath said she is happy that mall managers are making much-needed improvements that will better serve customers.
“The mall hasn’t really seen a whole lot of upgrades since it was built,” Horvath said.
The Duck Store could open its remodeled location as early as late April.
“I’m looking more toward being open the first or second week of May,” Horvath said. “We’ll have a grand reopening celebration and a sale then, and we’ll be in our new upgraded facility ready for the Olympic Trials.”
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