There is a lot to be excited about at the Flint Hills Mall, with a new tenant set to open soon and mall leadership actively pursuing others.
During an interview with KVOE News on Friday, Mall Manager Clarence Frye stated that Ollie’s, the newest tenant at the mall, announced earlier this year, should be up and running within the next 1-2 months.
The update on Ollie’s comes as the mall is in the process of losing one of its longtime tenants, PetSense, which is in the midst of a closing sale after signage indicating the business’s closure went up at the location earlier this month. Frye had stated previously he was in active conversations with PetSense’s agent to try and keep the company at the mall; however, those efforts appear to have ended, as Frye stated Friday that the mall is “Actively” pursuing a future tenant.
Frye did not say what businesses they have explored thus far, but did note that they want to keep a retailer of some kind in that space.
Frye’s update to KVOE News comes just two days after Emporia City Commissioners voted to extend a one percent Community Incentive District (CID) sales tax for the mall. According to documents from the city and comment from Frye, the purpose of the extended CID will be, in part, to help fund improvements to the property which includes, but is not limited to, the addition of Ollie’s and renovations to the movie theater which was recently taken over by Golden Ticket.
Frye could not specify exactly what improvements or updates would be occurring with CID dollars, but did note moviegoers will see some renovation work to the theatre’s cinemas in the next month or so, which will be funded through the company itself.
The mall’s original CID was enacted back in 2015 and is expected to be fulfilled by the end of 2026. The recent extension will remain in effect until “all eligible project costs have been reimbursed or for a maximum of 22 years, whichever occurs first.”
Despite the upcoming loss of PetSense, in addition to other businesses in recent months, Frye says the mall is still at roughly 89 percent occupancy at this time.
