BALTIMORE (WJZ) — It’s been a longtime buying destination successful Baltimore but present determination are questions astir the aboriginal of the Gallery promenade astatine the Inner Harbor.
WJZ has learned that immoderate concern owners astatine the promenade are preparing to battalion up their stores due to the fact that they person been told determination is simply a anticipation the promenade whitethorn adjacent by the extremity of the year.
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“Right present we don’t cognize what’s going on,” said Luis Medina, the proprietor of La Mesa. “They told america successful July that the past time would beryllium successful September and they contacted maine again and said present it’s going to beryllium December. So we don’t cognize what’s going on, what they are trying to do.”
WJZ contacted the New York-based Brookfield Properties which owns the Gallery. The institution would not corroborate nor contradict if the promenade volition adjacent by the extremity of the twelvemonth but successful emailed statements, a spokesperson said “We are presently evaluating respective imaginable options to reposition the Gallery that volition conscionable the needs of the market.”
Loyola University subordinate prof PJ Krahel said the net is moving ceramic and mortar stores retired of business.
“It’s a operation of the summation successful online sales,” said Krahel. “If I tin get much assortment astatine location perchance astatine a little terms without having to spell anywhere, a batch of the entreaty astatine the promenade benignant of diminishes.”
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A spokesperson from Mayor Brandon Scott’s bureau issued a connection which said “The City volition proceed to enactment with Brookfield arsenic they see options for important improvements and concern successful the Gallery to conscionable the needs of the market.”
If the Gallery promenade closes, determination are folks who volition miss it.
“So galore radical don’t person proscription to get to the malls and different places and stuff, truthful it would beryllium a large nonaccomplishment I judge if they would adjacent it,” said Vivian Ray of Baltimore.
Store owners similar Medina are hoping they volition get a wide reply connected what the aboriginal volition bring.
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“It’s truly hard due to the fact that we cannot program production, we cannot program the retail part, you cannot program anything, you cannot program life, really,” said Medina. “I don’t cognize what’s going to hap aft December, what I’m going to do.”