NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Two Lowcountry malls reopened to shoppers on Friday in another step towards reopening the local economy.
Both Northwoods Mall and Citadel Mall opened their doors at 11:00 a.m. for the first time since closing because of COVID-19.
But the shopping process isn’t quite the same.
“It’s totally different. I was hoping stores would be open and they’re very different,” said shopper Leslie Aragon. “You have to be six feet apart, people wearing a mask in there and they don’t know when the stores are gonna be open.”
Social distancing and masks are being used by many, but not all stores in the mall are open. Your best bet would be to call stores you are interested in ahead of time to confirm they are open.
“There were a few that were open, a few of them had lines, you know allowing so many in at a time. We went into simply Southern and they were friendly, welcoming and glad to be back,” said shopper Lisa Bokern. “Then we could smell the popcorn all through the mall, so we stopped at Doc Popcorn.”
Belk stores in the Charleston area also opened Friday at noon. They well be open from 12:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. daily for the time being.
While it’s not the same as it used to be, Bokern said she is just glad to see one more step towards normalcy.
“Just happy. Happy that, you know, we’re all coming through this,” she said.
Both malls will be open Monday through Saturday from 11:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. and on Sundays from noon until 6:00 p.m.
