ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — Once a thriving mall, store owners say the Ponce De Leon Mall has almost become vacant looking.
Empty stores line the inside.
Susan Hartley Hooper, the owner of the Sears store, says she’s worried the worst is yet to come.
In fact, she says, she spoke with the landlords representatives from Hull Property Group, which is the group that owns the mall.
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She says they told her that the inside walking area of the mall, will be closing, and lights and the AC to that part would be shut off.
“It was almost like reading an obituary for my store because in February they told us the mall was going dark,” says Hartley Hooper.
She says that customers will only be able to get to stores that have doors connected to the outside.
She says it was devastating news, especially since she say she got the impression that the mall was going to be brought back to life.
“We didn't understand because a few months earlier they said it was going to be revised into a town center concept,” said Hartley Hooper.
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Harltey Hooper says she even signed a lease that would go through 2024 -- because she originally had high hopes for the property.
Shoppers Peggy and Jack Hanigan says they’re upset about the news, too.
“It was lovely to walk down one side and up the other but there were many interesting shops that one by one just left, and I'm very disappointed,” says Hanigan.
Hartley Hooper says she has seen business decline over the past year, and is worried that the inner walkway closing will bring more bad news for her business.
Action News contacted the Hull Property Group -- we have not heard back from them.