Cafaro Company installs Cabell Huntington Hospital-sponsored play area to meet shopper requests

October 14, 2009

“We’ve installed them in several malls and found them to be wildly popular,” says Joe Bell, Director of Corporate Communications. “Last year, we opened a play area and it was a near riot! This amenity makes our mall that much more appealing to shoppers.”

Cafaro Company’s newest play area opened October 1 at Huntington Mall in Barboursville, WV. The center never had a play area before and Bell says parents had been requesting one.

“Play areas are one of those amenities that a lot of our customers clamor for,” says Bell. “In virtually all the malls where we have not installed play areas, people ask for it. We’re trying our best to oblige.”

The Huntington Mall play area is sponsored by Cabell Huntington Hospital and features elements that inspire healthy lifestyles, such as fruit and vegetables, along with images related to the sponsor, namely an ambulance and medical helicopter. There are also portrayals of Troo the Traumaroo and Cubby, the mascot of Cabell Huntington Hospital. Additionally, the area showcases a buffalo, which is the famous mascot of nearby Marshall University.

“This is a great partnership,” Bell says. “The play area gives the hospital great exposure to families and shows how much they care about the well-being of kids. It really is a great goodwill gesture on the part of Cabell Huntington Hospital.”

Bell believes that play areas do help malls attract more traffic, but says this particular mall has always had a strong customer base.

“In a normal situation, we would rely heavily on this play area as one more thing to pump up holiday traffic, but Huntington Mall is a bit of an anomaly in that it does terrific business already,” he explains. “It serves a very wide area and is the largest mall in West Virginia, also serving people in Ohio and Kentucky.”

Bell adds that he thinks play areas will be a lasting, popular amenity to help draw traffic to shopping centers.

“I’ve seen amenities come and go like trends over the years but I think this is one that will be enduring,” he says. “It does provide another dimension of comfort and entertainment for families. It’s hard to deny that this is something that parents will always enjoy.”