ALLEN — Almost one month after it became the site of deadly mass shooting, the Allen Premium Outlets mall began reopening Wednesday.
The shopping center has been closed since a gunman opened fire May 6, killing eight people and wounding at least seven others before an Allen police officer shot and killed him.
Simon Property Group, the mall’s owner, is giving its 120 stores and restaurants the flexibility to resume operations at their own pace. The shopping center said it will increase security for customers and the thousands of employees who work there.
A permanent memorial “to honor the victims and to commemorate the enduring strength of the Allen community” is in the works, the mall said.
Journalists from The Dallas Morning News will be on site Wednesday to provide live updates. If you would like to share your experience, please reach out to sarah.bahari@dallasnews.com.
2:08 p.m. ‘But we must’
Nancy Barrera, 47, returned to the mall with her children Wednesday to support the employees and community. Barrera lives eight minutes from the mall, which is her usual place to buy clothes and shoes.
”It’s hard to come back here today, but we must. We have to support all the employees because if we don’t come, they could lose their job and it’s not their fault what happened here that day,” said Barrera, who bought two T-shirts at Gap.
On their way to the mall, Barrera said she talked with her son, 19, and daughter, 16, about how an incident like a shooting can happen anywhere and that they should always be alert.
”I just told them that when something like this happens, they should get on the ground and try not to run,” Barrera said. “But I know we didn’t think about what to do then.”
1:36 p.m.: Act of kindness
Karla Escobar, 28, was one of hundreds of volunteers who brought gift baskets to Allen Outlets employees to help ease their return to work.
Escobar, who frequently shops at the outlets, delivered baskets to two stores she visits most often: Victoria’s Secret and Forever 21. Inside the baskets were bottled water, cheddar popcorn, pretzels, soda, crackers and other goodies.
”I put myself in the place of the workers and I imagine that it must be a difficult day,” said Escobar, who lives in McKinney.
After dropping off a basket at Forever 21, Escobar said employees hugged her and thanked her for her kindness. ”They did not expect this at all. They were very thankful,” she said.
Katelyn Reed, 34, teacher at Allen High School, organized the gift basket giveaway, recruiting fellow teachers, families and churches to help.
”I think it is really important to think about how others are feeling right now and to be mindful of that.”
1:10 p.m.: A normal Wednesday
Most stores were open and several were installing Allen Strong decals that mall owner Simon made. It looked like a normal Wednesday at the outlet mall, with a number of Oklahoma license plates in the parking lot.
McKinney couple Dan and Ruby Scott arrived Wednesday morning and bought a new Coach purse. They said they wanted to see the mall in a better place.
“It’s Texas. If you’re going to give everyone a gun, someone is going to get shot,” said Dan Scott, 73. “I feel that way and I’m born and raised in Texas. It’s insanity. More guns don’t make the world safer.”
1:09 p.m.: Pizza delivery
Benbrook resident Lee Garcia came to the shopping center Wednesday with coworkers from Oakley, a sunglasses store at Fort Worth’s Hulen Mall. Instead of calling staff to ask how they are doing, Garcia decided to bring pizza to Allen employees.
“It can be traumatizing for people, so we wanted to just stop by and show our support,” he said.
Any change in gun violence does not seem likely, Garcia added.
“It’s just the world we live in,” he said. “But what are we supposed to do? We’ve still got to work, get groceries, shop. … We just have to keep living life.”
12 p.m.: Returning to work
Brothers Maxwell and Jerry Gum, 16 and 17, returned to work Wednesday at Wetzel’s Pretzels. The Allen High School students were working at the pretzel shop the day of the shooting, and Maxwell returned later to retrieve their car.
“I felt a little shaken up,” he said. “There was trash everywhere, writing on the walls, one said ‘7 dead.’”
The brothers said they were glad to come to work, both for the sense of normalcy and paycheck. The family moved to Texas from Boise, Idaho, a few years ago, and they thought this would be a safe place to live.
“We didn’t have many shootings in Idaho,” Jerry said. “We weren’t ready for this.”
11:11 a.m. ‘Somber today’
Erik Hernandez, 16, a student at McKinney High School, was shopping with his mom, Luz Reyna, and said the mall seems different now. Mass shootings have become a reality, but having one so close to home is heartbreaking, he said.
“We came to shop but also came to see where everything happened,” Hernandez said. “It’s super somber today.”
His mother added: “It’s so sad what happened here.”
11 a.m.: Entering the mall
Leading up to the mall’s opening at 10 a.m., drivers were all directed to use the north entrance — roughly half a mile away from the mall’s south entrance. All other entrances were blocked with orange barricades.
As cars lined up to enter through the north entrance, the line spilled back to Allen Commerce Parkway and stretched about a quarter-mile. By 10:30, all barricades had been removed and visitors were allowed to enter at entrances from all four directions.
10:35 a.m.: A quiet reopening
Shortly after 10 a.m., a handful of families and couples roamed the shopping center, while additional police officers guarded the center on foot and by patrol car.
Most of the center’s stores and restaurants appeared to be open. At least one, H&M, posted a sign to its door that it would delay opening until June 12.
“We look forward to seeing you soon,” the sign read.
A number of stores displayed “Allen Strong” decals on their doors, with a heart marking the city on a map of Texas.
