Allen Premium Outlets reopens after deadly mass shooting
ALLEN, Texas - Security was tight as the Allen Premium Outlets reopened for the first time since a deadly mass shooting.
It’s a safe bet that every customer who visited the mall on Wednesday was thinking about what happened there on May 6. It was that way for employees too.
It was a strange feeling being back at the mall after a gunman opened fire, killing eight people and injuring seven others, on a busy Saturday afternoon earlier this month. An Allen police officer shot and killed the mass murderer.
CONTINUED COVERAGE: Allen, Texas Mall Shooting
Simon Property Group, the owner of Allen Premium Outlets, kept the large shopping center closed for more than three weeks until all the funerals took place and people had time to grieve.
SKY 4 captured images Tuesday of employees returning to work. They entered what appeared to be a checkpoint station just outside of the mall.
Retailers have the flexibility to set their own hours and resume operations at their own pace.
The goal is to make workers and customers feel safe and supported.
Victims of the mass shooting at Allen Premium Outlets included Cindy, Kyu and James Cho, Aishwarya Thatikonda, Elio Cumana-Rivas, Christian LaCour and Daniela and Sofia Mendoza.
FOX 4 spoke to one store manager who planned to reopen her store on Thursday instead of Wednesday.
She said her employees would be ready to go, but she knows some other businesses will not have all of their personnel back.
"So, I know that a lot of stores are going to lose a lot of people. But there’s a lot of us that are not going to be defeated by this. We have been in the community a long time. And this is home. And we’re ready to get back and show we’re not broken," Paige Arcangioli said.
Leading up to the re-opening, store owners and employees were allowed on site to clean up and accept deliveries.
But for some, it was the best choice not to return to the Allen location.
"There’s some apprehension about, hopefully, this will never happen again, but for some reason, I can’t stop those thoughts for coming into my head," store manager Andria Gaither said.
Gaither had been working behind the scenes at her store for the past week, preparing for the return of customers.
But she decided to take a different retail job elsewhere, unable to shake the deadly mass shooting.
"It’s just probably time for me to go. I think this just was a lot," she said. "For me, I mean, pulling up and parking the first day back directly in front of where I know someone got killed."
The memories were still fresh for employees, including 19-year-old Carringtyn Johnson.
"I was nervous. My parents were nervous because they were like, this could happen again," Johnson said.
There was an increase in security at the mall. Allen police officers will also be on-site as the shopping center moves back into normal operating hours.
Some of the 120 stores, restaurants, and shops may open late or close early in the beginning.
Retailers have the flexibility to set their own hours and resume operations at their own pace.
The goal is to make workers and customers feel safe and supported.
At first glance, it looked like an ordinary day at the Allen Premium Outlets Wednesday.
The sun was shining, delivery trucks were making the rounds, and families were gearing up to shop, but as people got closer to the stores, they noticed a difference.
There were therapy dogs, golden retrievers with big smiles, there to help calm people’s nerves.
"I felt uneasy walking around, but then the dogs came in, but then seeing the worker’s faces light up and everyone rushing to pet the dogs. Just the act of petting the dog lowers your blood pressure," Cyndy Spangrud said.
It no doubt helped to soothe a security guard who stopped for a moment.
He was one of several patrolling the property Wednesday.
Allen PD police officers were also visible in the parking lot.
"It is kind of strange, you know, coming in, Jaycee Carmichael said. "Shopping in the same area where something like that happened."
Allen Strong stickers were on proud display near the front entrances of many of the stores.
The community's support means a lot to employees coming back to work.
"It’s kind of exciting, kind of nerve-racking. I came up here before the mall opened and got chills. A shooting just happened people lost their lives families were affected so," Johnson said.
Johnson said it helped seeing her co-workers again, as well as the customers stopping by just to thank them for ushering people to safety that fateful day.
"I just love to say thank you and thank you for being there for people, thank you for going above and beyond because when you come to work you never expect to have to do anything like that," she explained.
"We thought we might as well stop and shop and support because, you know, the economy needs it workers need their paychecks and income," Paula Carmichael said.
Allen mall shooting memorial taken down Tuesday
The memorial that has grown outside Allen Premium Outlets was taken down on Tuesday.
What people will not see at the mall is the makeshift memorial that grew after the shooting.
Property management has already begun to create a permanent memorial to honor the victims and to commemorate the strength of the Allen community. It will take several months to complete.