LAFAYETTE, La. — Business owners at the Northgate Mall are holding on to hope that the mall will rise again.
"It really was the place to be," said Christopher Rubin a licensed cosmetologist at the mall.
Once a staple for the north side community of Lafayette, the Northgate Mall has seen its share of woes over the years as businesses have migrated to the more modern South side of town.
Rubin says he has watched the store change over the years. “It just took a turn in the mid 2000’s to what it is now but I know this place has major potential."
Potential that business owners like Cristal Henry of the Glam House bank on. Cristal opened her shop at the Northgate Mall this past Monday, a move she hopes will encourage more local shoppers and other businesses to consider the north side.
“I met a few owners in here, they've been very pleasant and welcoming and they just tell me to keep going.”
Ebony Roberts left her teaching j ob to open her skincare business at the mall- she has been there for six years.
“People often think that there’s no stores in the mall but it’s not true, the north gate mall is growing and there are a lot of businesses that people don’t know about."
Today the Northgate Mall has 35 shops, mostly local businesses owners who say they want to continue to provide services to this side of town.
For residents they say- it’s about preserving the legacy of this community and keeping the Northgate Mall open for future generations of business owners and locals who say the north side can rise again.
“There’s a lot of pride in this community and there’s a lot of money in this community that can stay here and build it, with the interest and the stuff that’s going on, you have more businesses returning back here and the potential and the money in this area can help build this area up.”
