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Reopen NY: Palisades Center Mall store owners push for reopening

ByLauren Glassberg and Eyewitness News WABC logo

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Palisades Center Mall store owners push for reopening

At the Palisades Center in West Nyack, only 10 stores are operating fully. Those with curbside entrances. Nearly 200 others are still off-limits to customers.

WEST NYACK, Rockland County (WABC) -- At the Palisades Center in West Nyack, only 10 stores are operating fully, those with curbside entrances. Nearly 200 others are still off-limits to customers.

"It would be nice if we could all open together," David Zarfati said.

Zarfati opened his Backstage clothing store here 14 years ago, but without customers being allowed to shop inside the store, he can't keep his business going.

"We'll owe $80,000, and we don't have a clue how we are going to pay the rent," he said.

It is the same story for Julene Finley, who has a Color Me Mine franchise at the mall.

"I can't pay any of my bills the rent, and I have a franchise and franchise fees to pay," Finley said.

Since the pandemic, she has been delivering art supplies to customers at their homes and more recently curbside at the mall, but that is not what drives her business.

With zero-foot traffic, her business will crack. She and other business owners, and the mall's owner, have sent Governor Cuomo letters of appeal asking him to phase in malls now and not wait until Phase 4.

"The Palisades Center is gigantic there is definitely enough space to have people," she said.

The mall says it is ready to enforce social distancing and crowd control, but the decision up to the state.