Playgrounds are so last year.
New Denver-area shopping centers are instead adding permanent exhibits intended to teach the kids a thing or two – and keep Mom and Dad coming back to shop.
In what industry experts say is the most extensive such project to date, Phoenix-based Westcor has teamed with a host of local scientists to create interactive exhibits throughout the Twenty Ninth Street center in Boulder, which opens in October.
But Westcor, a division of the Macerich Co., isn’t the only developer jumping on the learning bandwagon.
Lakewood’s Belmar shopping district featured a pair of listening tubes that taught children how sound travels when the center opened in 2004. And when Northfield at Stapleton opens in October, shoppers will be able to learn about environmental conservation.
Marketing experts point to a variety of factors, including a growing interest in conservation to fears that American schoolchildren are falling behind in science and math, as driving the move.
Nearly all agree that the biggest motivator is the need for new centers to set themselves apart from so many competitors.
“Part of it is that the old playgrounds in the mall – which were once very unique – are now very passé,” said Jon Schallert, president of the Schallert Group Inc., a Sorrento, Fla.-based retail consulting firm.
“One of the things very evident with shopping centers is that (developers) are scratching their heads trying to figure out how to generate traffic,” he said.
Scientific exhibits are just one of the angles companies are using to differentiate themselves. Chicago-based shopping center developer Urban Retail Properties recently announced a deal with MGM to build movie- themed shopping centers. Similarly, fast-food giant McDonald’s is revamping its indoor playgrounds to include age-appropriate zones that stress physical fitness.
But for those that predict the passing of the mall playground, others believe it remains a viable option.
“All you have to do is walk by (our playground) any time of day, any day of the week, and it’s packed,” said Cherry Creek mall general manager Nick Lemasters. The breakfast-themed soft playground draws parents who drive past other shopping centers to bring their kids to Cherry Creek, he said.
Westcor is investing $500,000 in its “The Wonder of Science at Twenty Ninth Street” project. It will feature interactive educational displays by the National Center for Atmospheric Research; the University of Colorado’s JILA, a physical sciences institute; the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration; the National Institute of Standards and Technology; the Space Science Institute; the National Renewable Energy Lab; and the University of Colorado’s Laboratory of Astronomical Space Physics.
Exhibits will include a relative-scale “planet playground,” a solar- and wind-powered exhibit and a 35-foot-tall rocket that was previously used for atmospheric studies.
Lain Adams, senior property manager for Twenty Ninth Street, said the project is intended to foster a connection with the community. He acknowledges that there’s a business benefit as well. “It will drive visitors and differentiate us from some of our peers,” he said.
While the project is the most extensive educational collaboration so far, youth marketing expert Irma Zandl said customers can expect to see more such projects.
“It will be a trend in more progressive markets” where shoppers exhibit higher income and increased environmental awareness, she said in an e-mail interview. “It’s an excellent way for shopping centers/retailers to be more relevant to specific consumers.”
Continuum Partners emerged as one of the first metro-area developers to begin experimenting with interactive educational exhibits when it opened in 2004.
“Parents spend a lot of time shopping with their kids, and we are really trying to create a neighborhood that provides quality experiences for children while their parents shop and dine,” said Eliza Prall, Continuum’s director of marketing and community development.
Belmar’s listening tubes were removed because their initial design didn’t please Continuum officials, but children visiting the center can still move a giant granite ball with one hand to learn some principles of physics. The granite ball rests on a thin sheet of water, and Continuum is in the process of adding signs that explain just how the system works, Prall said.
It is also creating a display that will educate adults and children alike on the operations of its wind-powered parking lot lighting.
“As a mom, I look for quality experiences for my children,” Prall said. “I know that kids enjoy these types of experiences, and that drives parents as well.”
Staff writer Kristi Arellano can be reached at 303-820-1902 or karellano@denverpost.com.
