Mrs. Santa reads to a group of youngsters at a holiday event in La Palmera Mall in Corpus Christi. Courtesy Photo
Youngsters looking for Santa Claus and harried parents looking for a moment to rest and rejoice amid the holiday shopping crush need look no further than La Palmera Mall in Corpus Christi. When the crunch of Christmas shopping begins to overwhelm family traditions, the mall could be just the place to find both, which is the goal mall owner Trademark Properties seeks to achieve.
"We want to offer a place where the community can come together and celebrate the holidays," said Fred Walters, vice president and general manager at La Palmera. "We want to provide a place for people to come and spend the day, shop, eat and enjoy lots of activities."
Building family memories and traditions around the mall might seem counterintuitive, but in the Coastal Bend, La Palmera has earned its place in the family photo albums with a plethora of well-planned holiday activities.
The newest attraction is the Holiday Spectacular, a one-of-a-kind light show that transforms La Palmera's center court into a winter wonderland.
“This is the kind of show you expect to see in Vegas, New York or L.A.,” Walters said.
The light show lasts four to five minutes and will run three times nightly through Dec. 12 at 6 p.m., 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. It incorporates 3D-projection mapping, which merges real and virtual worlds by using walls as canvases and aligning dazzling lights and animations with architectural features, all accompanied by soaring music.
Along with the traditional trappings and photos with Santa, the mall also has made a commitment to local charities with a Forest of Giving, a charity gift wrapping station, Pet Night with Santa and the Salvation Army Angel Tree, just to name a few.
"All this is very visible during the holidays, but it's also an extension of what we do year-round," said Sarona Winfrey of Winfrey Media Relations, a spokesperson for Trademark Properties. "When Trademark renovated the mall in 2008, and it emerged as the new mall, part of the goal was to engage the community. It's part of their mission statement."
It's also written into the mall's DNA in the form of the Make a Difference initiative, proving the mall's dedication to working with various nonprofits in the community. Even the coins thrown in the center court fountain are donated to charity.
"Not only do we work here, we live here," Walters said. "It's important to set a good example."
That commitment is paying off for both the mall and the community. One locally owned shop has seen a serious uptick in business since the 2008 renovations.
"In 2006, we had a dying mall," said Beth Mills, who has owned and operated Bourbon Street Candy Co. in La Palmera for 17 years. "We have survived. It was sketchy, but I'm a determined woman. We didn't know if it was going to survive, we really didn't."
During renovations, Bourbon Street Candy Co. was asked to relocate within the mall. Trademark Properties groups businesses to make shopping convenient and easily accessible to customers. Candy went on the upper level in the family entertainment area. Customers began to increase, Mills said.
"We now get 250,000 people through this store a year," she said. "I don't know if I'd say things are 100 percent better, but it's pretty close. They (Trademark) have done really well. They want to take care of the people who want to shop in the mall as well as to draw more people in."
The annual holiday party, which was held in mid-November this year, is one of many year-round events that accomplishes just that, Mills said.
"Before Trademark, Santa would arrive, no one knew about it, it was business as usual," she said. "Now, it's very festive, and everyone is involved. They do a lot to make sure the children all know Santa is in town. It's kind of like a party on the whole campus. It really draws people in."
The people of Corpus Christi make obtaining the goal of community involvement easy, Winfrey said, noting that Trademark has malls in Forth Work, Dallas and Houston.
"You don't get the focus and community involvement in those areas like you do in Corpus Christi," she told Corpus Christi Business News. "One really nice thing about Corpus Christi is that it still has a small-town feel despite its size."
As the only super-regional mall within 140 miles of the Coastal Bend, La Palmera and the newly opened Shops at La Palmera create an attraction that draws visitors from across South Texas and beyond.
"That’s great for La Palmera, but it's great for Corpus Christi as well," Winfrey said. "People are coming to La Palmera, they are coming to Corpus Christi, and they are spending their money in Corpus Christi. It's truly the heart of retail for the city.
La Palmera also seems to have a heart for the people of the city. Happy Holidays, Corpus Christi!
'TIS THE SEASON TO GIVE BACK
La Palmera Mall assisted in raising more than $2.9 million for a variety of charities in 2013 through direct donations, partnership events and allowing groups to use the mall as a fund raising venue. Direct donations totaled $60,000 from such events as:
Pet Night with Santa
Santa poses for pictures with pets. Proceeds go to local organizations that help animals.
Forest of Giving
A collection of uniquely decorated trees located just off center court. Each tree represents a local charity. Visitors to the mall vote on their favorite. The winning organizations gets $2,500.
Change for Charity
Money tossed into the central court fountain is donated to different charities throughout the year.Year-round charity events include a Red Cross blood drive, fundraisers for natural disasters, concerts, charity runs, firetruck pulls, sandcastle photo ops and more.
