For many in the Tri-State, a trip to the Huntington Mall isn’t just about crossing items off a shopping list. It’s where grandparents spend Tuesday mornings reading stories with their grandchildren, teenagers gather with friends on a Saturday afternoon, families celebrate holidays together and local entrepreneurs open the doors to their first storefront.

According to Marketing Director Margi Valdez, that’s exactly what the mall was designed to be.

“I kind of think of the mall almost like a town square,” she said. “Our focus is being a place for families and friends to gather.”

While the Huntington Mall is home to many nationally recognized retailers, Margi said one of the center’s greatest strengths is something many shoppers don’t realize.

“We probably have close to 20 or more locally owned businesses here,” she said. “People know our national tenants, but we’re also home to a lot of local businesses, and that number just keeps growing.”

From locally owned boutiques and artisan markets to restaurants like longtime favorite Big Loafer, the mall has intentionally built a tenant mix that blends national brands with hometown businesses. Even businesses like Chick-fil-A are locally owned franchises, reinforcing the mall’s connection to community, Valdez said. 

That community extends far beyond shopping, she added.

Throughout the year, the mall hosts programs that bring people together regardless of age, including story time during Toddler Tuesday, the Mindful Mile Walker Program, and a teen Fashion Advisory Board that helps model clothes while acting as ambassadors for community events.

Most recently, the Woody Williams Center for Advanced Learning and Careers joined the group of tenants, creating new educational opportunities alongside shopping, dining and entertainment.

“We just keep growing,” Valdez said. “It used to be shop, play, dine, stay. Now, it’s shop, play, dine, stay, learn.”

While many malls across the country have struggled over the past decade, the Huntington Mall has continued to thrive. Valdez credits that success to ownership that never stops looking ahead.

“The key to our success is that we never stop,” she said. “It’s always, ‘We’re doing great, but what are we doing next?’”

Rather than scaling back during economic downturns, the mall continued investing in marketing and improvements, Valdez said. 

“The first thing a lot of businesses cut is marketing,” she said. “We didn’t. We stayed top of mind with our customers and let people know we are still here.”

That mindset has helped the Huntington Mall attract more than eight million visitors annually while continually adapting to what today’s shoppers want. 

Experience has become one of the mall’s biggest competitive advantages, Valdez said.

Visitors can catch a movie, spend an afternoon at Dave & Buster’s, let their children explore the indoor play area, ride the mall train, enjoy local dining options or simply spend time together in a safe, welcoming environment.

Valdez said she has even noticed an unexpected trend.

“I like to call them the new mall rats,” she said, referring to Gen Z shoppers. “They’re coming back to the mall because it’s a place where they can hang out, make TikToks, shop and just be together.”

For many younger visitors, the mall has once again become a social destination, something that’s difficult to replicate through online shopping.

As the holidays approach each year, that sense of community only grows stronger, Valdez said.

Santa’s arrival marks the beginning of a season filled with free family events, sensory-friendly visits, pet photos, community performances, holiday gift wrapping hosted by local nonprofits, and partnerships with organizations like the Salvation Army and local schools.

Christmas Eve ends with one final tradition as Santa visits Hoops Family Children’s Hospital to deliver gifts to children unable to spend the holiday at home.

“We try to make Christmas at the mall about giving as well as receiving,” Valdez said.

After more than two decades with the Huntington Mall, Valdez said from organizing Survivor casting calls and continuously reinventing Santa’s arrival each holiday season, every event has become another opportunity to learn, grow and create lasting experiences for families.

Looking ahead, she said she believes people are craving something that can’t be delivered to a front porch.

“People need people,” Valdez said. “Experience is the big thing right now, and you can’t get that online.”

For the Huntington Mall, experience is what the future is all about. The Huntington Mall is not simply a place to shop, but remains a place where the community comes together, no matter the occasion.

Check out the Huntington Mall on the web here, follow them on Instagram, and check out the full photo gallery from our day at the mall!