Malls ready to reopen to shoppers, but many say 'this is going to be a new world'

WAUWATOSA -- For some, the shopping mall is a magical place to be -- and as it turns out, many malls are set to reopen across southeast Wisconsin.

Mayfair Mall will open on Wednesday morning, May 20. As with other malls, changes have been put in place to ensure safety for customers.

The operators of Brookfield Square Mall opened to customers on Monday -- and shoppers are returning to their routines.

"I really wanted to get out of the house," said Rachel Hart, shopper.

"We walked the mall like we did every day for years. We've been walking the mall here," said Judy Maresca, mall walker.

Maresca and others have noticed, however, that not all retailers have opened their doors.

"I would say still, maybe 25 percent are open," Maresca said.

Signs of the times are present at Brookfield Square -- a closed food court seating area, every other sink in the restroom taped off, and sanitizing stations scattered across the mall.

"There's so few people there that social distancing was an automatic because there weren't many people there," said Kate Stearns, shopper.

Again, Mayfair plans to reopen Wednesday. Mall operators said in a statement:

"This is going to be a new world that we're living in. Everybody is going to have to be a little more careful in the future," Stearns said.

Not all Mayfair stores will open Wednesday. Like with Brookfield Square, it will be a slow process. In the meantime, restaurants can continue curbside or delivery.