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The vacant building that once housed Sears at Desert Sky Mall has a new owner and a new future: It will become a club and events center for the Latino community.
The owners of El Capri — a popular Latin nightclub near downtown Phoenix that has been delighting the Latino community with music in Spanish for decades — purchased the Sears building for $7.13 million and plan to transform it into a concert and event venue to host great musical acts.
Pedro Marques, one of the owners of El Capri and the new location, said he wanted a space to host larger events and wanted to have a location in the west Valley. Desert Sky Mall is located in the Maryvale neighborhood near 75th Avenue and Thomas Road.
Along with El Capri, Marques and his family also own Radio Fiesta, Inc., which tunes to Spanish-language radio stations KSUN La Mejor 106.5 FM and 1400 AM in Phoenix.
Jeffrey Garza Walker, executive vice president of NAI Horizon, who is acting as broker for the buyer, said the deal allows for a creative reuse of a big-box store that had been empty for years.
Bring space to life to create ‘community impact’
“I think that’s how a lot of these big boxes are going to be reused,” Garza Walker said. “Retail is becoming entertainment.”
Other offers presented to Sears’ former owner included plans to demolish the store and redevelop the site as apartments. While that has been a popular way to deal with vacant mall sites, Garza Walker said he was glad the seller decided to take him up on his offer and creatively repurpose the space.
“The owners really loved the idea of turning it into a place that would have an impact for the community,” Garza Walker said. “This can really be an anchor for the community in a way that hasn’t been done as well in the past.”
The store has two floors, with floors of approximately 60,000 square feet each. The redesign will not alter the exterior structure of the building, but will create stage space on the lower level and an area for performers to enter where trucks used to deliver merchandise to the store. The upper floor could be used as a profitable space for events, such as quinceañeras or weddings, Garza Walker said.
Garza Walker said he and the Marques family traveled to see other locations and were drawn to one in San Antonio that they are using as inspiration for the new space.
A central bar will be built and smaller bars will be added throughout the venue.
The proposal to add a concert venue that would draw large crowds to the mall has been exciting for other businesses in Desert Sky, Garza Walker said.
“People can spend more time, if they want to come to a concert, they can come early and walk around the mall, shop and hang out with their friends,” he said. “This gives the mall a space that will have weekly programming, that will bring in big acts from out of town and Mexico, and people will come from all over to attend the events.”
Shopping centers around the Valley remodeled and reused
Across the Valley, vacant shopping centers and vacant anchor stores within shopping centers have become major redevelopment projects. In Phoenix, the firmer Paradise Valley Mall, now called PV, has been demolished and is being rebuilt with a variety of uses, including apartments, gyms, restaurants and other developments. The former Metrocenter Mall is closed and is also scheduled to be remodeled, with a focus on adding housing.
Fiesta Mall in Mesa no longer exists: What plans are there for that land?
In Mesa, the old Fiesta Mall is being demolished and will also be redeveloped as a mixed-use project with a heavy emphasis on housing.
In Tempe, Picklemall, an indoor pickleball operator, took over a vacant department store space to use as pickleball courts.
Even thriving Arizona shopping centers have had to find creative ways to fill vacant anchor space. In Scottsdale Fashion Square, Industrious, a coworking space where people can pay a membership fee to use the amenities of its office, took over an empty department store space.
Translation by Joanna Jacobo Rivera
2023-11-09 18:20:49
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