Palladio in Folsom reopens for pickup; GM says mall ‘uniquely positioned’ for next phase
The Palladio outdoor mall in Folsom has reopened a number of stores for curbside pickup only, after the state and Sacramento County permitted retailers to do so starting last Friday.
The mall had for weeks kept its Whole Foods Market grocery store and a number of eateries open for takeout only. Now, non-essential businesses like clothing and mobile phone stores have been allowed to open back up as well.
Chico’s, Kirkland’s, Bag King, Soma, ATT, T-Mobile, White House Black Market and Serenity Spa’s retail sales have resumed business, mall management said in a news release. Other store openings will be posted to the Palladio website as they happen. Iron House Tavern will open for takeout this Friday, the news release said.
Gov. Gavin Newsom last week announced that a number of retailers would be able to reopen for curbside service as part of Phase 2 of his four-phase, gradual reopening plan for California’s economy. Businesses deemed nonessential across a broad spectrum of industries have been shuttered since March 19, when Newsom issued a stay-at-home order to slow the spread of the still-ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Dine-in restaurant service and office spaces are among types of Phase 2 businesses that have not yet been permitted to reopen.
Shopping malls have been more of a gray area, but curbside service seems to present less of a logistical nightmare for outdoor malls like the Palladio compared with indoor malls like Arden Fair in Sacramento, which got off to a very slow start Friday, or the Westfield Galleria mall in Roseville. The main interiors of those two malls remain closed to the public, with just two restaurants at the latter — Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse and the Cheesecake Factory — remaining open for takeout as of Monday afternoon, according to the Galleria’s website.
“The Palladio is also looking forward to expanding wining and dining, and shopping opportunities as social distancing protocols ease,” Gloria Wright, general manager of Palladio, said in an emailed statement.
Wright added that the Palladio mall is “uniquely positioned to allow restaurants and dessert shops to expand their seating areas to interior streets and open spaces,” which she said could allow for reopening without restricting those businesses’ capacity.
If the mall’s layout is an advantage, the calendar is a disadvantage. Within weeks, the sit-down wining and dining experience may also have to contend with summer heat to earn customers’ business.
The Palladio is located on one of Folsom’s main thoroughfares, East Bidwell Street, near Highway 50.
This story was originally published May 11, 2020 at 2:03 PM with the headline "Palladio in Folsom reopens for pickup; GM says mall ‘uniquely positioned’ for next phase."
