Planet Fitness receives complete remodel and expansion at Aviation Mall

The facility is now a total of 16,523 square feet thanks to the 2,000-square-foot expansion by gym franchisee Ignite Fitness Holdings, according to a news release from the mall.

Mall General Manager James Griffith said the expansion is a step in the right direction for the business. 

New features to Planet Fitness includes updated cardio equipment, a HydroMassage bed, and a PF 360, a functional training machine packed with kettlebells, resistance bands and more, the news release said.

“Seeing the investors putting $1 million back to the business is a positive for the shopping center. It shows success,” Griffith said. 

Something of high priority for the mall is foot traffic, and Planet Fitness is adding to that outside of the mall’s normal hours of operation. 

“The expansion, for one, adds another use to the business that was needed and wanted by the customers. By doing that, it helps expand our customer base, and being a 24-hour center, there’s massive foot traffic outside of normal hours and then Target opening at 8 a.m., that helps us,” he said. 

According to Griffith, Target completed minor renovations last year, and there aren’t plans at this time for any new stores to be arriving soon. 

“We don’t have anything in the near future that can be commented on yet. We are always looking at redevelopment options for the old Sears and Bon-Ton spaces. We are looking to fill stores either with residential or retail,” he said.

Beyond big box stores, local businesses have started moving to the mall to run their operations. Three different Adirondack businesses have opened their doors in last few years, and Griffith said it’s great to add local business into the mix. 

“There have been local tenants taking national store spots coming out of pandemic. We lost a lot of national tenants during the pandemic and some open spaces have been filled with tenants like Adirondack Axe Throwing, Adirondack Zombie Hunters, and 2 Strains CBD,” he said. 

Two other stores that have brought life to the mall are Ollie’s Bargain Outlet and Peter Harris. The two stores rely solely on foot traffic for clientele, he said. 

“Ollie’s and Peter Harris have no web base clientele with being discount merchandise and they have also driven foot traffic,” he said. “Since Ollie’s opening in July 2019, that was when we saw the foot traffic increase immensely. We actually call it the Ollie’s effect.”   

The number of people shopping at Aviation Mall has been on the rise post-pandemic. Griffith added that some of the mall’s tenants are one-of-a-kind for the area.  

“Just before the pandemic in 2019, we had 3 million visitors a year and we had 3.5 million in 2021. The Glens Falls Farmers Market is a great influence in foot traffic. Regal Cinema, being the only indoor movie theater north of Exit 15 up to Champlain (Centre mall), all of those aspects bring people in,” he said. 

Small growth is still growth in Griffith’s opinion.

“The world of retail in 2021 was unbelievable. Revenues across the country showed great numbers with having 10% to 30% above what they would have done normally. In 2022 it wasn’t quite the same, we saw a small increase, but it’s still growth,” he said. 

Aviation Mall is owned by Pyramid Management Group and provides the Warren County sales tax base with over $755 million in taxable sales from major box stores. 

“We just keep plugging at it,” Griffith said. “It’s a decent amount of revenue and is strong driver for the region. We are an economic back for the region and we need to keep it going.”