TEMPLE, Texas — After over a week of closure, the City of Temple announced that the Temple Mall was cleared to reopen Saturday, Oct. 5.
On Sunday, dozens of people visited the mall and were grateful for it being open once again.
"For small towns like this small town, economies tend to die as soon as big businesses start to leave," Mall goer Daniel Putnam explained. "The mall is a good place for them to congregate."
The mall was previously closed on Sept. 27 following multiple code violations, but repairs have been made to the fire suppression and alarm systems, the city says.
The city says there are some outstanding code violations that still need to be resolved, but the issues don't pose an immediate risk that requires closure of the building.
For business owners in the mall, those nine days of no business was not at all easy. Azucna Zapata, owner of the LA Boutique, had customers blowing up her phone when they found out the mall was back open.
"It was tough, it was really tough," Zapata explained. "[It was] difficult because a week without sales, you know, we can't meet our financial obligations. So we're happy to be back."
The LA Boutique was packed with soon-to-be brides and girls preparing for their quinceañera. They chose the boutique because of the stores quality and affordability.
"I grew up coming to this mall," future bride Marisela Valerio told 6 News. "It's not the best right now but these small businesses that are here need our support and our help."
If the suppression system or fire alarm fail to work again in the future, the Temple Mall may be subject to redtagging and closure, according to the city.
Temple Mall spokesperson Robert Brandenburg provided a list of the status of Temple Mall businesses as of Sunday, Oct. 6.
- Peggy’s Coffee House - Open
- Under My Skin - Open
- Candy & More - Open
- Journeys - Open
- Cattleman’s - Opening in two weeks
- Bath & Body Works - Opening Tuesday
- Nature Connection World - Open
- Rainbow - Open
- Planet Fitness - Opening Monday
- Claire’s - Open
- EnFu Express - Open
- Henna Browz - Open
- Perfume Palace - Open
- VisionWorks - Open
- AK Style Jewelry - Open
- Marty’s Corner - Open
- Mega Furniture - Open
- Cell Zone - Open
- Casa Ole - TBD
- Cotton Patch - Opening Monday
- FX Games - Open
- VIP Nails - TBD
- Tao Spa - Open
- Bell Tokyo - TBD
- VIP Nails - TBD
- Taste of Texas - TBD
- Cosmo Nails - Opening Monday
- Peek A Boo World -Open
- Nikki Roma Pizza - Open
- LA Boutique - Open
Awaiting Official Confirmation
- Nikki Roma Pizza
- Pro Image