STERLING, Ill. — Could it be the start of a new era for the Northland Mall? These small business owners are banking on it.
The new owners of Sterling's mall, Nashville-based Brookwood Capital Advisors, said nearly all of the facility's empty storefronts should be filled and open to customers within the next few weeks, thanks to a free rent program.
Depending on the business, Brookwood is offering up to six months of rent-free leasing. So far, eight businesses have signed on, including a café, toy store, two boutiques, a tattoo parlor and more, leaving only four open storefronts, according to the owners.
"Our goal is really to have you get started as soon as possible so you can start making profits for yourself as soon as possible," said Lydia Chernitsky Hamd, leasing director for Brookwood. "Definitely by the summer they should all be up and going."
Chernitsky Hamd said most of the new businesses will be locally owned and operated. Having a community of mom and pop shops all in the same location, she argues, will have a big public draw, especially in an era of struggling malls filled with vacant storefronts.
"One might consider the mall to be maybe not really a space that businesses would be interested in kind of coming back into, but I found that the sense of community that the mall brings can often be comforting for small businesses," Chernitsky Hamd said. "You're joining this space together and you're joining a space that you have known and loved."
Flip Side Coffee & Espresso Bar is one of the stores to soon open in Northland. The Rock Falls-based café will be opening up its second location within the former Diamond Dave's spot. Owner Valerie Howes said she might not have considered leasing with the mall, up until recently.
"What they are offering us as small businesses, to help us get ahead, is wonderful. I couldn't pass it up," Howes said.
Her café, filled with plants, posters and plenty of tunes, has been open since 2016. Before that, she operated a coffee trailer known as Higher Grounds for two and a half years. Even now, she says taking the plunge and simply starting the process of opening a new business is the hardest part. But the free rent was too good of an opportunity to ignore.
"It seems very attainable compared to other malls," Howes said. "I'm taking advantage of it because I can actually build and not have to pay any rent until that part of that agreement is over."
She said knowing that most of her neighbors will be locals like her sweetened the deal.
"I hope that's what attracts people to our mall because it's going to be different. Everybody can go to the big stores, but this is all mom and pop shops," Howes said. "I like that and I want to be a part of it."
As a child, she remembered going to Northland to hang out and be with friends. Now, she's hoping that same community atmosphere can be rediscovered.
"It's given a lot of hope to see the mall get revived," she said. "It's nostalgia, you know, and hopefully that brings people out to support. I hope to gather people!"
It's a sentiment Jackie Payne, owner of Bushel Basket Candle Co., couldn't agree more with.
Payne's store has been a fixture at Northland for the past 14 years. Now, her family is gearing up to start a new adventure and also open up "The Toy Store" in the mall.
"I think it's almost a renewal of retail," Payne said. "Everything goes in cycles. People still want to get out, especially after COVID-19. My generation remembers when this mall was full and now my daughter loves the idea of being able to come and shop at multiple stores."
She said having a vibrant, thriving mall scene is vital to not only the businesses within but the entire community's success.
"We have a great base here in Sterling-Rock Falls, but we also have probably 40% of our customer base that travels an hour or so to get here," Payne said. "So the more there is here for them, the more people will travel and spend the day here and possibly downtown."
It's precisely why she said she's so thrilled to see so many other businesses signing leases as well.
"Anywhere you can get a group of businesses together and pool foot traffic, the more fun you have. The more you can pool resources, the more events you can have," Payne said. "It's just a lot of opportunity."