TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) – Mall officials say Haute City Center brings a new name and vision for the facility.
Rachel Scott of Quincy, Indiana says growing up she always had a special nickname for the city of Terre Haute.
“Any time we were at school and we wanted to go to the mall we were like “Well do you want to go to Indy or would you rather go to Haute City?”, Scott said.
In September, Out of the Box Ventures, the new owners of Honey Creek Mall, launched a contest where a community member’s idea would be chosen as the new name for the facility.
What was once just a nickname used by Scott and her friends was picked as the name for the area’s largest mall.
“How weird is it that some place I used to come is now being called something that I used to call it?” Scott said.
The CEO of Out of the Box Ventures says the name isn’t the only change he hopes to make at the mall.
This includes possibly adding a medical facility to the soon to be Haute City Center.
“I’m very hopeful that the medical aspect will come here because it’s one of the best and highest uses and ends up performing an important function for the community,” said Trevor Barran, CEO of Out of the Box Ventures.
Barran says as the retail industry continues to make a shift his focus will be not only the stores the mall provides, but also other services.
“These are more the entertainment, food and beverage types of sectors, as opposed to department stores and apparel,” Barran said.
Barran hopes the renaming of the mall on Monday shows a shift in where the facility is headed.
“It is a signal that we are undertaking a transformative project for this community,” Barran said.
Officials say the rebranding process will happen over the next six months.
