This morning I was invited to a media event to tour the renovations at Briarwood Mall. There are a lot of improvements at the mall for families, especially those with small children. When you arrive at the mall, the first thing you will notice is the new entrances. With automated sliding doors, they are much easier for families with small children. The entrances also feature new LED lights that can be varied to special colors seasonally or for special events.
In the main mall corridor, they removed some of the ceiling soffits to allow more natural light. They have also added energy efficient LED lighting throughout the mall. Between the addition of more natural light and the inclusion of energy efficient lighting, the mall expects significant savings in energy costs.
The new play area opened several months ago. The play area is now in the Von Maur corridor and while it is smaller than the old play area, provides a number of upgrades. There are still a number of climbing activities as well as slides, the carpet has built in activities like hopscotch, and there are interactive elements on some walls. The entrance is also smaller to deter little escape artists. They have incorporated cubby holes under the seating for shoe or bag storage. This is a huge improvement to not have shoes all over the seats. There are now trash and recycling bins in the seating area. Even more importantly (for the parents), there are two charging stations for electronics in the area. Now that the play area is closer to the center of the mall, I hope the WiFi is improved. I found it somewhat spotty at the old play area.
The Center Court has been reconfigured and Guest Services has been replaced with Mrs. Fields. There is also a Sushi restaurant preparing to open. With the existing Starbucks, Wetzel Pretzel, and Pinkberry Yogurt, the Center Court has become a gathering/eating area. They have expanded the seating with numerous tables and bar seating. There are now 194 seats in the center court area alone. But they didn’t stop there. They have also added high chairs to this area. There are a total of 6 high chairs available in the Center Court area.
One big change that I noticed is that there are now 2 nursing rooms and 2 family restrooms. The nursing rooms include 2 arm chairs, a changing table, and sink area. One station is located in the Macy’s wing with the bathrooms and the other is located in the Von Maur wing. The Von Maur wing family area includes a sofa and they will be adding a television and play table for older siblings.
I think it is great that they are providing this option. I used to use the nursing room in Von Maur since my daughter would get too distracted in the main mall area.
In addition to the nursing rooms, both locations also include a family restroom. The family restroom is huge and provides both an adult and a child sized toilet and a changing area. There should be plenty of room to wheel a stroller in as well. I love that they have provided the child-sized toilet which will be great for toddlers who are just potty training.
