From the onset, Westcor had considered the outdoor component as the riskiest part of the hybrid indoor-outdoor mall venture. The mall, one of the first of its kind nationwide, represents a new breed of malls that could be built across the country.
The village, which opened in August 2000, now has a marketing manager, Judy Bigger. She plans to organize farmer's market, singles event and an Octoberfest in the village portion of the $220-million mall.
The problem has been a lack of awareness, according to some tenants. The village's entrance is the food court, where many people end their shopping trips. Also, the past winter in the Denver area hasn't been as mild as it has been in past years, which may have turned some people away from venturing outside once they are inside the warm mall. And Brad Weiman, a commercial real estate appraiser with Denver-based Integra Joseph Farber & Co., says mall signs don't make shoppers aware of the entirely different shopping area outdoors.
In addition, two of the village's three anchor tenants, the Il Fornaio restaurant and the Village Tavern, had opened several months after the first tenants set up shop. And perhaps the most important anchor on a separate pad near the village isn't scheduled to open until November.
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