TEMPLE, Texas (KXXV) — Temple Business owner Robert Brandenburg says the recent meeting at the Chamber of Commerce was the first step in the right direction in regards to the closure of the Temple Mall.
- Business owners only are allowed inside the mall
- Temple Chamber of Commerce offering resources
- Still no word from mall owners
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The Temple Mall opened in 1976, and was purchased by Kohan Retail Investment Group in October 2021.
"It was more of a situation to be able to communicate to our customers through the live feed — let them ask those questions and give some answers," said owner of Peggy’s Coffee House, Robert Brandenburg.
In short, purchases are being made online and available for pickup when the mall reopens.
Peggy's Coffee House has been around for 10 years, but they've never seen anything like this before — the mall shut down last Friday due to several fire code violations.
After meeting collectively with the City of Temple at the local chamber of commerce meeting, Brandenburg is confident business owners inside the mall will bounce back.
"A lot of people give the mall a bad rap, with sometimes good reason — I know that I have found success in this mall, as have other small businesses," he said.
New signs are up on doors and tents outside in hopes of continuing to serve the community in different ways.
Cattleman's was supposed to celebrate its grand opening on Wednesday, and the owner is taking to Facebook — telling customers to be on the lookout for a new grand opening date.
The website and building remain shut down, and the ball is still in the mall owner's court.
Previous representative Bryant Ward said in a statement that it is sad to see the mall operating like this.
"Its had its tough times and I think a lot of people are having tough times, but this is where I wanted to be and I stayed because I want to be here," Brandenburg said.
25 News has reached out several times to the mall owners and still have heard no response.
The Temple Chamber of Commerce are offering business owners the opportunity to use their space to confine and make a game plan, offering small business development and grant funding resources to bridge gaps, use computers to apply for unemployment or even start looking for other locations to relocate too here in the area.
Business owners are also directed to watch Peggy's Coffee House Facebook page for business owner updates.
