Gravity Vault climbing gym to open at Samanea New York in Westbury
Efforts to transform Samanea New York into a “lifestyle destination” with more tenants than vacancies will include an indoor climbing gym occupying more than 18,000 square feet in the Westbury Mall.
A franchisee of The Gravity Vault has signed a 10-year lease in the mall and will open the facility in 2023, Samanea announced Wednesday.
The gymnasium will join other entertainment tenants that represent large spaces in the mall formerly known as The Mall at the Source, whose tenant mix is being redesigned to include more leisure activities, restaurants and home furnishing companies – all of which face less online retail competition than shoe and clothing stores.
The entertainment slate now includes the 46,660-square-foot Dave & Buster’s, which is the mall’s largest tenant, and incoming ventures X-Golf, a combination indoor golf simulator, restaurant and bar that will open at second quarter of this year, and Empire Adventure Park, a family entertainment center slated to open in the fourth quarter, said Samanea New York director of leasing and development Dominic Coluccio.
“So when visitors come to Samanea New York, they can have it all, from retail, to entertainment, and to enjoy our international cuisine along Restaurant Row,” he said.
The Gravity Vault planned for Samanea New York will be owned by franchisee Mark Davidson, who also owns the other two franchises in New York State – one opened in 2017 in Long Island, in Melville, and the other opened in 2016 in Poughkeepsie. .
“We’re packed in Melville, so we’re really looking to be closer to the city. It’s a unique location to the mall, so it’s really exciting for us,” said Davidson, 50, a resident of Poughkeepsie.
The Westbury Gym will occupy 18,119 square feet on the second floor of Samanea New York, moving into the mall’s former food court and two other former retail spaces.
The gym will have 20,000 square feet of climbing terrain and climbing walls up to 45 feet, Davidson said.
Founded in 2005, The Gravity Vault is headquartered in New Jersey and has 12 locations, eight of which are franchises, in California, New Jersey and Pennsylvania as well as New York, Davidson said.
Real estate firm Colliers International, which represented both tenant and landlord in Westbury’s lease, “was able to reclaim the common space and utilize exceptional ceiling height, making the site a perfect fit for Gravity Vault”, said said Matthew Kucker, CEO of Colliers. ‘ Jericho office, said in a statement Wednesday.
Located at 1500 Old Country Road, the mall was built in 1996.
After years of high vacancy rates, the 750,000-square-foot mall underwent a $28 million renovation that was completed in March as mall owner Lesso Mall Development Long Island Inc., a subsidiary of Lesso Group Holdings Ltd., based in Hong Kong – tried to improve its fortunes by focusing on bringing in a different mix of tenants. (Lesso bought the struggling mall for $92 million in 2017.)
The mall is now 67% leased, but several tenants have yet to move in, Coluccio said.
Mall tenants opening this year include Asian American grocer 99 Ranch Market, kitchen retailer MyPlanet Living Center and Arteco Cabinetry, all of which are expected to open in the first quarter of this year, he said. .
The Let’s Craft craft center and three restaurants — MoCa Asian Bistro, Szechuan Cuisine and K-Pot, a Korean hot pot and barbecue restaurant — are scheduled to open in the second quarter, he said.
The mall has seven existing tenants, including The Cheesecake Factory, Fortunoff Backyard Store, Leon Banilivi Rugs, Bloomingdale’s Furniture Outlet, Kawai Piano Outlet and Leonardo Furniture.
