SALINAS, Calif. -- Take a walk through Northridge Mall, it looks like your typical kind of mall. But now add the live mariachi, pinatas, and catholic services and it's a whole different place. And for Quincenera store owner, Andrew Sandoval, its working.
"All the changes have really helped our business," said Sandoval.
Sandoval said his niche business has struggled at the mall, since it targets the Hispanic market. But after Northridge Mall began their initiative to embrace the Latino population of Salinas, sales have gone up.
"We saw, as an opportunity, to create a new court of customers that were loyal to the mall itself and the proof of it has been foot traffic increase," said Jose Legaspi.
Legaspi said Latinos make up 75% of Salinas' population, so it just makes sense. He said the Hispanic community tends to be loyal shoppers in a place they feel welcome.
"A lot of non-Hispanics tend to be more mobile where they shop," said Legaspi.
That's why the mall will now host events catered toward the Hispanic community. Legaspi said compared to other malls in California, Northridge has been thriving in sales. Something the Quincenera store is taking advantage of.
"We get more people who just hang out, and the more time they are here in the mall, the more they spend," said Sandoval.
Rumors of the mall changing their name to "La Fiesta," or "Fiesta" is not true said the mall's marketing team.
