All Charged Up : Shoppers Expected to Cram Malls This Weekend

Every year, as the summer draws to a close, shopping malls across the San Fernando Valley gear up for the Labor Day weekend onslaught of bargain hunters in search of back-to-school deals.

But this year, because the Northridge earthquake knocked several malls temporarily out of business, the surviving malls are expecting the traditionally hectic weekend to be even busier than usual.

“Absolutely, without a doubt, we are gearing up for a very big weekend,” said Cindy Chong, a spokeswoman for the Glendale Galleria. “We expect to have many more shoppers shopping than last year.”

Valley malls that opened their doors just days after the Jan. 17 quake, as well as those that have reopened after completing repairs, report that the consolidation of shoppers into fewer operating malls has boosted sales dramatically.

At the Panorama Mall in Panorama City, for example, sales are 40% higher than before the earthquake.

“The mall has been packed,” said manager Mary Callahan. “Every weekend has been big here since Northridge (Fashion Center) and Laurel Plaza closed.”

The 210-store Northridge Fashion Center, which has been closed since the quake, is not expected to reopen until next March. The Laurel Plaza Mall in North Hollywood also remains closed and does not have a target reopening date.

At Topanga Plaza in Canoga Park, which reopened 11 days after the quake, most stores report that sales have increased between 15% and 20% over last year.

“This is a very good year,” said Topanga marketing director Annette Bethers. “A lot of our stores were the only stores available in the area because of the closures in other malls.”

Bethers said the mall is getting ready for the weekend by asking employees not to park in mall parking lots as well as beefing up security and housekeeping services.

The Media City Center in Burbank is also expecting the weekend to continue its 10% to 15% increase in sales since the earthquake.

“A lot more people are familiar with Media City as a result of the other closures,” said general manager Daniel Millman.

Although individual stores have launched back-to-school sales, managers of some Valley malls say the increased shopping traffic has made mall promotions unnecessary. But others, such as the Sherman Oaks Galleria and the Sherman Oaks Fashion Square, both of which suffered damage in the quake, have launched campaigns to remind shoppers that they are up and running.

The Galleria reopened 11 days after the quake, but its Robinson’s-May department store did not resume business until the end of July. Last weekend, the mall launched a program to reward frequent shoppers with coupons good for merchandise at its stores.

The Sherman Oaks Fashion Square suffered about $5 million in quake damage, which closed the entire mall for about two months after the quake. Most of the shopping center has reopened, but a parking structure was demolished and a new one is under construction. Even with construction in progress, managers report that sales have increased 10% since the quake.

“People had a pent-up anxiety to shop or something after the quake,” said mall vice president Brian Pickering. “They went on a bit of a spending spree.”

To continue to attract shoppers, even those wary of limited parking, the Fashion Square began offering free valet parking for the back-to-school season.

On Wednesday, as malls prepared for the throngs of weekend bargain shoppers, the crowd-wary took care of business a few days early.

Shut out by earthquake damage at the Northridge Fashion Center, where they usually shop, Gina Barnetta and daughter Rhiannon , 17, of Santa Clarita made their back-to-school trip to Topanga Plaza early to avoid the weekend rush.

“I can’t stand crowds,” said Gina. “I took my other girls in the middle of the week, too.”