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Arrowhead Mall is the very heart of our city’s retail economy — and we all can’t afford to let it suffer.
And that is why we applaud three neighbor banks — Citizens Security, First National and BancFirst — for putting together today’s “Bankers Back-to-School Block Party.”
The banks, one inside the mall and two neighboring it, have the right idea.
Let’s be up front about this — the Phoenix makes money from advertisers at the mall. However, the paper is but one entity that relies on the mall.
Arrowhead Mall generates $50 million in sales annually, according to mall officials.
That amounts to approximately $2 million in sales tax revenue for the city.
That sales tax revenue helps pay for the city’s police and fire departments and many other essential services.
The mall’s 60 businesses employ about 300 workers for a total annual payroll of around $10 million.
A great deal of that salary is spent in Muskogee on other Muskogee businesses. That helps keep others gainfully employed and creates additional sales tax revenue, too.
The mall is a regional employer and shopping hub.
People from surrounding cities come to Muskogee to shop at the mall, and many spend additional money at restaurants and convenience stores.
Additionally, the mall adds to the quality of life here.
The mall has movies, arcades, restaurants. The mall holds events that are not just about shopping.
There are obvious concerns regarding the mall following the April 10 shooting that left one person dead and five injured.
People are naturally reluctant to return to a place where they feel a little less safe.
But, we point out that in the history of the mall, this is off-the-charts for tragedy.
There have been other instances of violence.
But, considering how long the mall has been around — since the 1980s — there have been relatively few major concerns.
The mall operators have more security in response.
Hopefully, today’s event will give people a reason to support the mall, the businesses and the employees there.
Hopefully, we can continue to heal and help the mall thrive.
The success of the mall is important to all of us, and that success also is dependent on all of us.
