Staten Island Mall Merchants Association: Celebrating 50 Years with the Chamber

By MICHAEL ANDERSON
Content Development Specialist

When a new business opens, it’s not uncommon for them to join the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce. However, the Staten Island Mall Merchants Association took a slightly different route. The group joined the Chamber in 1970, three years before they welcomed shoppers on Aug. 9, 1973. 

“The Chamber is a long term play. If you’re a business within this community, to not be a member of the Chamber is just silly,” said Jim Easley, the Staten Island Mall’s general manager for the last 24 years. “We joined the Chamber because the Chamber is a huge part of Staten Island, and the Mall Merchants Association can’t really function well without being a member in something like that.”  

Staten Island historians may recall that the Mall’s New Springville property was the former home to the Staten Island Airport, which opened in 1941 as a commercial airport. When the operator lost his lease in 1964, the property owner proceeded to sell the land, paving the way for the Staten Island Mall.

The Mall opened among great fanfare and became a valued resource for Islanders’ one-stop shopping needs. The center’s first significant change was in 1981 when the small shops in the center court known as the "Honeycomb" were eliminated to make room for additional escalators, skylights, live trees, and fountains. The Mall saw its first expansion in 1993 with the addition of its JCPenney wing.

“The retail business is somewhat fickle, so we have to keep changing. You always have to keep building a bigger and better mousetrap to capture the customers,” said Easley.

The Mall’s next major expansion five years ago certainly echoes that statement. The 2015 project added a three-story parking garage for 732 spaces. It attracted new retailers, dining, and entertainment such as Chick-fil-A, Dave & Buster’s, Lidl supermarket, and an IMAX movie theater. The project included a centrally located, 11,000-square-foot exterior plaza for community gatherings and seasonal events -- adding 242,000 square feet of retail space to the nearly 1.3 million-square-foot mall. 

“Now, these days, we’re competing with online retailers. So, we have to do something different. So, we make the Mall more of an entertainment complex and added more places to eat in the Food District. It’s those things that will keep us different,” said Easley. “It was a monumental difference and a huge change. I think the strength of the Staten Island market is really what drove the whole process.”

Despite recent rule and regulation changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Easley remains optimistic about the Mall’s future.

“The face of retail has changed. We have invested in this Mall. This Mall has a great market. We’re not going away. We think over the years we’ve made some great moves, and we know we need to take a pause and see what’s next,” said Easley.

Despite its long history, there have only been four operators of the Staten Island Mall. Original developers Feist and Feist Realty Corp. sold to the Rouse Company in 1980 before General Growth Properties made its purchase in 2004. Brookfield Property Partners LP then acquired GGP in 2018. 

“To the general public and the average eye, nothing has changed. To the internal folks, everything is different,” said Easley. “The way we do business is different. The way our retailers treat us is different. We have relationships now with not only the community but with our retailers and partners. It changes all the time with new ownership, but so far, it’s been for the better. 

As the Staten Island Mall Merchants Association celebrates 50 years with the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce, Easley says the connections forged with other local businesses through the Chamber have been invaluable.  

“The Chamber puts you in touch with the right people. They give you guidance,” he said. “They help you get in touch with people who may be struggling sometimes with the same kind of problems that you have -- even if it’s just the ability to say, ‘I’m not crazy, and we’re all in this boat together.’ It’s almost like a support group.”