Tampa man helps malls across the world increase foot traffic

TAMPA, Fla. – When shopping mall traffic slows down, Michele “Mik” Oca is brought in to rev up revenue. 

“Shopping malls need to offer something more,” said Oca.

Through his company US Design Lab, the Tampa man and Italian native is building entertainment facilities at shopping centers similar to Elev8, which took over the old Sears store at Citrus Park Town Center.

“Arcades, more or less 200 arcade games. We have bowling, a bar, a nice bar and restaurant, and then a mini-golf. We usually take empty buildings and that spot into shopping malls, and we start to put entertainment inside of it,” Oca explained.

The Bay Area is seeing a renaissance of the shopping mall, from outdoor concepts like Midtown to the redevelopment of West Shore Plaza. 

RELATED: Westshore Plaza renovation gets green light from Tampa City Council

“Shopping malls are dying a little bit. They need fresh,” Oca shared. 

It’s not just in the U.S.

“We just finished two projects in Spain. One in Valencia. One in Barcelona. They are expanding an existing old shopping mall, adding new shops, and they asked us to design one floor full of entertainment. So they are trying to attract different ages,” Oca said.

READ: Midtown East to add to Tampa’s first-of-its-kind, billion-dollar, self-contained community

It’s bringing new ideas to get malls back on track with customers. 

“They start to come here, and they say it’s a nice mall and they walk around the facility,” Oca stated. “And so, it brings some energy also.”

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