{"id":99114,"date":"2026-01-13T19:45:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T19:45:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/99114\/"},"modified":"2026-01-13T19:45:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T19:45:09","slug":"why-bay-plaza-still-feels-like-a-community-hub-in-the-bronx-bronx-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/99114\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Bay Plaza still feels like a community hub in the Bronx \u2013 Bronx Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t Search our comprehensive guide to things to do in the Bronx<\/a> for more local events \u2014 or submit your own<\/a>!<\/p>\n

In a borough where storefronts have started to empty out and \u201cfor lease\u201d signs have become all too common, Bay Plaza in Co-op City is still drawing crowds. It\u2019s turning Bronx shopping into a rare retail spotlight for families and small-business owners.<\/p>\n

Bay Plaza, a mall in Co-op City, has been around for 38 years. It welcomes more than 16 million shoppers every year, making it one of the busiest retail districts in the Bronx, according to the mall\u2019s owner, Prestige Properties<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Sharon Brown, 42, who lives near the Bronx Zoo, said she shops at Bay Plaza frequently for the variety of stores Bay Plaza has to offer.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI shop here too often. I came here today for Victoria\u2019s Secret, Pink and JCPenny,\u201d Brown said. \u201cI shop all over.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI come here regularly. For sneakers [and] when the change of the seasons come, for clothing,\u201d she added.
\n\"\"Bay Plaza Mall\u2019s variety of stores from the second floor. Photo by LaMont Jackson\n<\/p>\n

The Bay Plaza complex spans more than two million square feet, which includes more than 150 stores. The enclosed mall within the complex spans 780,000 square feet.<\/p>\n

Anthony Madouty, 39, who lives in Wakefield, said he visits the mall at least once a month because he lives close by.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have a multiple variety of stores. I just come to shop around and see what\u2019s on sale. Parking and everything is a great experience overall,\u201d Madouty said.\n<\/p>\n

Madouty said the mall\u2019s look and atmosphere keeps him coming back.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI shop here on a regular basis,\u201d he said. \u201cBay Plaza is great.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can bring your family and have an enjoyable shopping experience,\u201d Madouty added.\n<\/p>\n

When the Mall at Bay Plaza opened in Aug. 2014, it became New York City\u2019s first enclosed fashion mall since Queens Center opened in 1973<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"Caryn Salomon and her store ily, welcoming shoppers. Photo by LaMont Jackson<\/p>\n

Caryn Salomon, a store owner at Bay Plaza runs a women\u2019s wear store called Ily. The store sells premiere Colombian shapewear and jeans. She spoke highly of the mall as one of its residents.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that the mall has done a really great job with the stores, the layout of the mall and the whole landscape of the shopping experience here,\u201d Salomon said.\n<\/p>\n

Ily is a retail chain that sells premiere Colombian shapewear and jeans with additional stores in Queens and West Nyack.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t seen any other shopping centers that compare to what Bay Plaza has done,\u201d she added.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI am a faja store and we cater mostly to a Latina and more urban crowd. We\u2019ve done very well in the short five months that we\u2019ve been in the mall. We fit in perfectly with the demographic of shoppers that come into the mall,\u201d Salomon said.<\/p>\n

Salomon\u2019s Ily store is located on the first floor of the mall for all shoppers to see when they visit.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s a great space for people to walk around and there\u2019s a lot of variety. Both high-end, low-end and everything in between. The mall has done a really great job at catering to all shoppers,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

More than a mall:<\/p>\n

Karla Medina, 25, who lives in Manhattan, said she visited Bay Plaza Mall to do Christmas shopping for her mother who lives in the Bronx.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is my very first time inside this mall,\u201d Medina said. \u201cI just like to walk around and wherever the shopping spirit moves me that\u2019s where I go.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Medina said she was drawn to Bay Plaza because of its store selection without mentioning any specifically. She has noticed retail closures across the city<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cAside from it being really close to where my mom lives, I know the malls all around the city and the country have sort of been dwindling but they have a pretty good selection here,\u201d she said.\n<\/p>\n

According to amNY<\/a>, retailers in New York have been closing at a rapid pace due to e-commerce that COVID-19 accelerated since the beginning of the decade.<\/p>\n

The Bronx suffered the second largest rate of chain stores declining in the city at 13.8%<\/a>. Manhattan has the biggest retail decline at 18.3%<\/a>.<\/p>\n

When the mall opened in Aug. 2014, it generated 1,800 new permanent jobs due to the multitude of stores that hired many Bronxites, according to the Bronx Borough President Office<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe stores are really nice, it\u2019s pretty clean and I feel pretty safe to shop around here,\u201d Medina said. \u201cI can see why it\u2019s probably one of the most popular ones in the city.\u201d
\n\"\"Jody Senior, 30, posed in front of Lush at Bay Plaza where she\u2019s the manager. Photo by LaMont Jackson\n<\/p>\n

Jody Senior, 30, is the manager of Lush, a retail chain that sells fresh handmade cosmetics at the mall, founded in the UK. She noted how attractive Bay Plaza is.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the Bronx, there\u2019s definitely a sense of community in this mall which is really cool. A lot of people that come into our shop specifically are people who shop all year round. It\u2019s a prime place to shop,\u201d Senior said.<\/p>\n

Bronxite shoppers, Adara Simon, 37, and Calvin Webb, 29, also described the mall as a main shopping spot for the Bronx.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI come here whenever I need something. It\u2019s a pretty clean mall,\u201d said Simon, who lives in Throggs Neck. \u201cI think they have a lot of stores. So, there\u2019s variety, especially if you\u2019re looking for clothes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Webb, who lives in Baychester, claims Bay Plaza draws a wide mix of shoppers.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cBay Plaza is its own little city,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s really big. No matter what age you are, you can see all walks of life through this mall.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Waco Realty, an agency that owns the mall, said Bay Plaza is the premiere district in the Bronx for holiday shopping because of its diverse services.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Mall at Bay Plaza is the largest shopping destination in NYC with over 150 stores, services & restaurants,\u201d Etan Shalem, a representative from Prestige Properties who runs the realty firm, said in a statement to the Bronx Times.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe love the Bronx and feel so fortunate to call this borough our home for more than four decades,\u201d Shalem said.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cAbove all else, we strive to be the best community partner and neighbor that we can be.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

For shoppers, Bay Plaza is a mix of big-name anchors and neighborhood favorites. For retailers, it\u2019s a customer base that still shows up in person. For the Bronx, it\u2019s a reminder that despite the rise of e-commerce, the quality and convenience can keep a mall feeling more like a community hub.<\/p>\n

LaMont Jackson is a contributing writer at the Bronx Times and a journalism student at Hunter College. He can be reached at Lamontjackson2323@gmail.com<\/a> or (718) 501-8011. For more coverage, subscribe to our\u00a0newsletter<\/a>\u00a0and follow us on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Instagram<\/a>!<\/p>\n

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