Quail Springs Mall continues to evolve to give shoppers unique experience

Want to get a quick workout in, pet a stingray, throw some strikes on the bowling lane, shop and then get your hair cut by an up-and-coming hairstylist? Did you know you can do all that and more at Quail Springs Mall?

In the face of the recent pandemic and an ever-changing landscape for retailers, Quail Springs Mall took an aggressive approach to lure non-traditional mall tenants to create a retail environment that is a lot more than shopping.

Several tenants have opened in the past couple of years that one might not expect to find at a traditional mall, like Lifetime Fitness, Blue Zoo Aquarium, Round1 Bowling & Amusement and Academy of Hair Design.

“We’re constantly looking for new and unique offerings to bring to our shoppers. Consumers now expect more than just traditional retail experiences when visiting the mall,” said Kelly Waswo, senior general manager of Quail Springs Mall. “They want things like dining, entertainment and fitness options as well. By adding diverse tenants like Blue Zoo and Round1 to our roster of tenants, we hope to not only satisfy our current customers, but attract new ones as well.”

When it comes to surviving in today’s retail climate, offering diverse options and a unique experience for your customers is essential according to Tammy Fate, senior manager of retail development for the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber.

“To entice people to get offline and shop at your shopping center, you have to create an experience that is unique and special,” said Fate. “It has been really exciting to see Quail Springs lean into that approach and attract tenants that have given the mall a sense of place. You can only pet a stingray in person. We are grateful to have Blue Zoo in our community and all the interactive exhibits.”

A perfect example of this is Blue Zoo, an interactive aquarium that opened at Quail Springs Mall in July 2020. Boasting aquatic life like sharks, eels, jellyfish, seahorses and an octopus, Blue Zoo has more than 200 species of marine life.

The interactive part of “interactive aquarium” is the key. Instead of just watching fish swim behind glass, visitors can feed and touch aquatic life like stingrays, starfish and sea urchins.

Blue Zoo took over eight spaces and two floors at the mall.

Blue zoo provides one-of-a-kind experience at Quail Springs Mall. 

“The Blue Zoo at Quail Springs was the company’s second location in the country. The first location opened at another Brookfield Properties shopping center with similar demographics to Quail Springs, including a high volume of families,” said Waswo. “Blue Zoo gives these families an entertainment option that is rarely offered in this area, much less in a shopping mall.”

One of the newest additions to Quail Springs Mall is Round1 Bowling & Amusement.

Round1 Bowling & Amusement occupies an 18,058-square-foot space that features seven bowling lanes, five professional-grade billiard tables, two private party rooms equipped with karaoke machines and more than 250 arcade games, including exclusive games imported straight from Japan.

“Quail Springs Mall was the first location in the state for Round1 Bowling & Amusement,” said Fate. “This is another great example of Quail Springs Mall continuing to enhance its appeal as a must-visit destination that goes far beyond shopping.”

Waswo said Round1 hit the ground running and hasn’t stopped since opening.

Learn more about Round1 Bowling & Amusement. 

“Since opening business, Round1 has brought in a steady increase in traffic, which we’re of course thrilled about. Round1 offers entertainment for customers of all ages and interests, including bowling, billiards, karaoke and over 250 arcade games,” said Waswo. “We’re proud to be the home of Round1’s first location in Oklahoma and expect its success to continue into the future.”

One of the biggest additions, literally, to Quail Springs Mall was the opening of Life Time Fitness. The 177,000-square-foot facility offers everything you could need from a fitness center including indoor and outdoor tennis facilities. Like with everything else, the hope is that visitors to the Life Time will end up spending more time at the mall.

“Again, we’re always looking for new and exciting tenants to bring to our centers. By adding a fitness component to Quail Springs, especially one as highly regarded as Life Time Fitness, we hope to draw more and more customers to the mall,” said Waswo. “Ideally, a shopper would attend a workout class in the morning, stop by the center for a few errands, and grab a bite to eat on the way out. The ultimate goal is to entice our shoppers to spend as much time as possible at the mall – offering a diverse mix of tenants helps make that possible.”

Quail Springs Mall is also home to the Academy of Hair Design. Waswo said it is a win-win of offering something unique for their shoppers while providing a home for professionals learning a craft.

“The Academy of Hair Design has been a great addition to the center. Not only does it serve as an educational resource for aspiring stylists, but offers reasonably priced salon services to those looking to update their look,” said Waswo.

Quail Springs Mall continues to turn the expectations of traditional retail on its head to offer its shoppers an experience they can’t find anywhere else. According to Waswo, Quail Springs Mall will continue to explore every opportunity to make their customers’ shopping experience as diverse and unique as possible.

“Diversifying our offerings is one of our highest priorities. Quail Springs Mall is always open to making changes to satisfy the changing wants and needs of our customers, and I think we’ve done a great job doing so,” said Waswo. “We look forward to continuing to bring in new varieties of tenants in the future.”