SWANSEA – Husbands Andre and Shaun Gadbois spent roughly $100,000 in the last two years converting a former American Eagle store into a gym.
The money paid for the space’s physical transformation, as well as the heating and electrical upgrades needed to run a business built around fitness. They opened Salt Fitness Yoga Café in January 2017, gradually building the business out to 400 active customers. Plans were made to open a second location in Fall River.
The Gadboises were told last week their business would have to close by the end of March.
“I think the mall’s management and leasing people didn’t even know this was going to happen,” said Shaun Gadbois. “We just had a meeting with them last week about extending our license for another year and they were on board … They told us they had leases in here through 2022.”
Small business owners like Andre and Shaun Gadbois had suspected the Swansea Mall would close eventually. A steady stream of corporate retailers announced in the last year that they wouldn’t be renewing leases and the expense of maintaining the mall was beginning to exceed revenues. Despite this, last week’s abrupt announcement that the mall would close by March 31 caught many tenants off guard.
As a result, local entrepreneurs have less than two months to rebuild the businesses that took them years to create.
“We can’t invest in another physical space right now but I see us looking into something fairly soon,” said Krysten Callina, who owns Mastermind Adventures with her husband, Jason.
Focusing on fun and educational activities and events for children, Mastermind Adventures opened at the mall in 2016. They had previously operated as a “pop-up” location at area libraries and community centers, which is the business model Callina said they will temporarily return to after the mall’s closure.
“When we opened, we were aware at the time that business (in the mall) was declining. It’s declined further since we have been there,” she said. “But we’ve continued to grow and have never been more busy than we are now.”
According to Callina, she and her husband decided to open in a space at the mall because it would require minimum renovation and already had built-out facilities like parking and bathrooms. She also said the mall’s managers were supportive of businesses that offered experiences instead of retail sales, listing Salt Fitness Yoga Café and the non-profit WiggleKids as examples.
Like Mastermind Adventures, WiggleKids, which runs children’s fitness programs, first opened without a brick-and-mortar location and is now considering going back to that model following the mall’s closure.
“I truly believe the mall gave WiggleKids the time and opportunity to build an amazing brand for inclusive movement and fitness for all ages, all abilities. As the energy at the mall diminished, we were called to work in the community more,” said WiggleKids Founder Kim Ferrara. “The requests for (our) programs out in the community has skyrocketed.”
Until they can find a new home for their primary location, the Gadboises said their plans to open a second location are temporarily on hold. They are now looking for a new site no further than a five-minute drive away from the Swansea Mall, which they hope will prevent clients from dropping their memberships.
“We’ve been really trying to focus on the positives of this even though your work and all the money you invested in a space is about to wither away,” said Andre Gadbois. “We have a positive outlook, though. We’re entrepreneurs. We have to work hard and put in blood, sweat, and tears to be successful.”