Southgate Mall in Missoula reopens its doors – at least most of them

After an extended closure that left much of the Midtown district feeling abandoned, Southgate Mall on Monday reopened its doors – at least most of them.

Mall officials announced their plans to reopen in an afternoon press release, though the mall had actually opened hours earlier.

Patrons came and went, though the crowd remained relatively sparse.

“We are inspired by the resilience of our community and look forward to safely welcoming back our guests,” Tim Winger, the mall's general manager, said in a statement.

On Monday afternoon, roughly half of the stores inside the mall had opened, including several shoe stores, clothing shops and several food stores.

But some businesses remained closed and are expected to reopen in the coming days.

“We will continue to work with local, state and federal agencies to do all we can in order to contribute to the containment, treatment and prevention of COVID-19,” Winger said.

Guests on Monday found many doors to the mall closed, less those doors that open automatically. Other safety precautions included hand-sanitizing stations placed at high-traffic locations.

Winger said the mall also has established routine cleaning practices. Mall security was visible on Monday, and mall officials will enforce several new guidelines on social distancing, group sizes and other courtesies intended to keep customers safe.

New hours for the mall are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Winger encouraged guests to call ahead and to follow the mall on Facebook and Instagram for individual store hours and opening dates.