This summer, new attractions at the Santa Maria Town Center are bringing more people to the mall.
On Friday, we spoke with people ranging from families with kids on summer break, to one longtime Santa Maria couple that goes on daily walks at the Town Center to beat the heat.
“We do two and a half complete laps. That means first and second floor, and then we do a half of a lap,” said Susan Melendez of Santa Maria.
Melendez says she and her husband, Bob, are no strangers to the Santa Maria Town Center. Every morning, they stroll hand-in-hand while getting their steps in and observing the summer crowds.
"One of the things I have enjoyed is watching all the little kids with their little cars, motorcycles, and gizmos that they are driving around," Melendez added.
On Friday, Danna Sorio and her siblings were doing just that.
"It is pretty good, just spending quality time with family. We like to walk around and enjoy the food," Sorio said.
Following the Great Recession, the mall lost several tenants, and in 2020, anchor store Sears closed its doors.
But in recent years, the mall has added more family-friendly attractions like a trampoline park, batting cage and a gymnastics studio, and more shops have moved back in.
Late last year, a new arcade opened its doors at the Town Center.
“It was really cool! We got really excited when we saw it,” said Elizabeth Herrera, who was visiting from Texas.
“There are a lot of games, like 150 games, so it is pretty cool,” added her cousin, Emiliano Rodriguez.
Brayden Ruiz, who runs the Town Center’s arcade and video game store, says since the Skee-Ball lanes, racing simulators and retro arcade favorites were wheeled into the mall last September, families have kept coming back.
“I feel like a lot of people in Santa Maria constantly feel like there is not much to do,” Ruiz said. “There are a couple things here and there, but I feel like most people tend to leave the town to find something to do either in SLO or Santa Barbara. But I feel like the plethora and sheer amount of arcade machines gives everybody something to do.”
Melendez adds that this summer, she has seen a noticeable increase in families bringing their kids to the mall.
“One time, we saw 150-something kids… on one walk,” Melendez said.
And if you are planning on bringing the family to the Town Center this summer, you may just see Susan and Bob making their rounds at their hometown mall.
“Tomorrow morning or afternoon, we will be back,” she said.
Two months ago, Battle Axes in San Luis Obispo opened a second location at the Santa Maria Town Center, and mall management tells us more new tenants are in the works.
