The Indiana Medical Licensing Board on Thursday lifted the emergency suspension of a Fort Wayne oncologist who in January was charged with leading police on a high-speed chase while having illegal drugs in his system. Dr.Situated in Jefferson Pointe’s western courtyard, Joe Gomorri’s hot dog stand seems to see all: It’s within a dozen yards of the outdoor mall’s central fountain, its Bed Bath & Beyond store and its row of clothing shops, which include Old Navy and American Eagle.
But as smoke billowed out from under his umbrella about 3 p.m. Monday – historically regarded as one of the busiest days for American retailers – Gomorri described his usual surroundings as unusually calm for the holiday season.
“It’s been very destination-focused,” said the owner of Joe’s Dogs, which sets up just outside Bath & Body Works on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. “It’s, ‘We hit the Buckle, we’re out of here.’ ”
Staff members at the city’s two largest malls begged to differ that “Mega Monday” crowds were restraining themselves.
By late Monday afternoon, Glenbrook Square marketing manager Chris Ford said the mall’s retailers had “indeed met and possibly exceeded” expectations for day-after-Christmas turnout.
Jefferson Pointe general manager Mike Brooks was similarly optimistic, describing foot traffic as “really strong” and perhaps partly driven by an unexpected spike in sales of mall gift cards, which he pinned at about 20 percent this year.
“The times are a little stronger, and I think people are more willing to spend money,” he said. “If that’s an indication of the economy, then I think the economy’s doing pretty good.”
Ford chalked up his mall’s predicted success to the timeworn appeal of bargain hunting, plain and simple.
“There’s some incredible deals at our retailers, and our customers are taking full advantage of them,” he said, noting he believes consumer confidence is slowly recovering and contributing to the shopping frenzy.
However, Mega Monday customers were more likely to echo Gomorri’s view, remaining skeptical of predictions suggesting post-holiday customers would be out in full force as some stores opened as early as 5 a.m. Monday.
According to its website, consumer-counting firm ShopperTrak on Monday expected foot traffic at stores nationwide to leap 60 percent over last year’s figure.
La Fontaine resident Gina Miller raised her eyebrows at that projection while waiting for her daughter to finish up shopping at Glenbrook on Monday morning.
She said she does not believe the economy “has made a comeback at all” and would be surprised if day-after-Christmas shoppers were spending more this year than they did during the same time last year.
“Crazy. People everywhere,” Miller said of how she imagined Monday’s environment at the indoor mall. “But it hasn’t been as bad as I expected it to be.”
Fort Wayne resident Kristen Fey agreed Glenbrook’s crowds were milder than anticipated as her children took a break in the mall’s play area Monday afternoon.
“I was kind of unsure about coming today because I thought all the things I wanted would already be gone,” she said. “I thought they’d be wiped out right after Christmas.”
But Fey was able to take advantage of a Victoria’s Secret sale she had been eyeing without much hassle, she said.
Several Glenbrook vendors said the mall was relatively “dead” until late morning, when shoppers started consistently pouring in.
Even if foot traffic met mall staff’s expectations, Gomorri said there was something different in the air Monday in between flipping franks.
“The atmosphere is different,” he said. “I can’t describe it. It seemed a lot more fun before Christmas. Maybe the people of Fort Wayne would rather give than receive.”
