Duluth’s Miller Hill Mall Announces Phased Reopening After Roof Collapse
Over the weekend, the Miller Hill Mall started its phased reopening process following the roof collapse on March 14 that closed the facility. The partial collapse, which occurred in the area behind the Applebees and between the Caribou Coffee kiosk and Old Navy, forced an evacuation Tuesday morning and closed the entire mall for the remainder of the week.
Crews have been working to remove snow from the roof and have been working in response to the roof collapse to get the facility back open. As of Monday morning, multiple cranes were on the scene (as pictured above), helping with the snow removal and related processes to get the mall back open
The process of opening the mall again will happen in a series of phases, the first of which occurred over the weekend.
The mall's website currently has a banner saying "Our reopening process is underway. We appreciate your patience as not all retailers are able to be open at this time. We encourage shoppers to visit retailer websites and social media accounts for information on their reopening status." The mall's management did, however, share details on their plans for a phased reopening with some local media outlets.
It is important to note that the following dates are when the mall plans to provide notification store workers can return. There may be a period of time before stores can reopen where cleaning or other preparations may need to occur. Stores are supposed to discuss a reopening schedule, and shoppers should check with a store to see when they are open once again.
Phase 1
The first piece to the reopening puzzle occurred on Saturday, March 18, as Essentia Health's Miller Hill Fitness Center reopened. On Sunday, the first full phase of the mall reopening occurred, with a handful of additional businesses being given the green light to return to their stores. According to the phased reopening plan provided to FOX 21, some of the businesses along the northern exterior of the mall were allowed to return on Sunday the 19th.
In a map provided, the northern exterior stores including Men's Wearhouse, Jimmy John's, AT&T, Five Guys, Sport Clips, Chipotle, Noodles & Company, Ulta, Pizza Ranch, and Applebees were included in the initial phase of reopening.
A check of the websites and social media accounts doesn't provide any indication that any of these stores are open as of the time of this article, but they have reportedly been given the go-ahead to return to their stores.
You can see zone 1 highlighted in blue in the map below.
Phase 2
Tenants in the second reopening zone are expected to get a notification they can return to their business between Tuesday, March 21 and Thursday, March 23.
The businesses in this zone include most of the rest of the west wing of the mall. Stores from Aribella’s Boutique, Glik's, Glik's Men's, Art in the Alley, T-Mobile, Helzberg Diamonds, and stores down the corridor to the west are included in this zone. This area also includes stores like maurices, Rue 21, Champs Sports, Claire's, GameOn, and VisionWorks.
You can see zone 2 highlighted in green in the map below.
Phase 3
Tenants in the third reopening zone are expected to receive notification they can return between Tuesday, March 21 and Wednesday, March 22
This zone includes DSW, Old Navy, and Barnes & Noble.
Nearby Dick's Sporting Goods is on a slightly different schedule, with anticipated notification they can return Thursday, March 23 or Friday, March 24.
The stores in tan in the map below are in Phase 3, with Dick's highlighted in purple.
Phase 4
Tenants in the fourth reopening zone are expected to receive notification they can return Thursday, March 23 or Friday, March 24.
This zone is the south arm of the mall, which includes Victoria's Secret, Inka Soul, Francesca's Collections, Gentleman's Choice Barber Shop, Schmitt Music, and stores along that corridor toward the food court.
This also includes stores like Finish Line, Hollister, Bristows, Famous Footwear, and the food court.
You can see phase 4 highlighted in orange in the map below.
Phase 5
Tenants in the fifth reopening zone are expected to receive notification they can return Sunday, March 26 and Monday, March 27.
This is the area immediately west and south of where the collapse occurred, which includes stores like Hot Topic, Spencer's, Caribou Coffee, American Eagle, Custom World, Bath & Body Works, and Tradehome Shoes.
You can see phase 5 highlighted in yellow in the map below.
Phase 6
The final phase of reopening is for the area immediately impacted by the roof collapse. This zone includes stores like Express, GNC, Journey's, Build-A-Bear, Bath Planet, Apricot Lane, and The Gold Guys.
This zone does not have an announced date, with mall management stating they will be contacting each store to discuss a reopening schedule.
You can see this area highlighted in red in the map below.
Mall management notes that these dates could change if they encounter any unforeseen circumstances or weather challenges in their efforts to reopen the mall following this plan.