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The handmade knickknacks shop Ginger Lewis runs on the first floor of Charlestowne Mall is a lonely place these days.
Like many of the other stores in the shopping center, it's surrounded on nearly all sides by vacant storefronts. The corridor in front is often quiet, devoid of shoppers passing or looking in.
It hasn't always been like this for the independent store, Ginger's, which opened about four years ago, Lewis said. And she's hoping it won't be for long.
With more than a third of the St. Charles mall empty, Lewis and others remain optimistic the possibility of new owners could turn things around.
They also hope the new managers who took over the declining mall in December will start making a difference soon.
The Chicago-based agency, Urban Retail Properties Co., boasts a long history of managing successful properties, including the 900 North Michigan Shops mall in Chicago, which houses 464,000 square feet of retail space on six levels and a Four Seasons Hotel.
The company also has retail outlets and offices in more than a dozen states. It came to Charlestowne through Midland Loan Services, which acquired the mall from the former owner and operator, Rochester, N.Y.-based Wilmorite Inc.
Midland officials say the mall is being marketed for sale by Eastdil Secured, a bank investment firm. Stephen Livaditis, its managing director, declined to comment.
Lewis, the shopkeeper, said: "We haven't seen much happen yet. But the wheels turn slowly, and I know that."
Retail analysts agree it's going to be an uphill battle to bring Charlestowne back to life, especially as shopping trends drift toward "lifestyle centers," such as the newer, commons-style outlets on Randall Road in Geneva and Algonquin.
But it isn't entirely impossible,...