ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Saturday marks the first official day of summer, but one hub for Albuquerque businesses isn’t feeling the summer joy. Ongoing air conditioning issues at Cottonwood Mall are forcing stores to close early this weekend.
“It’s been about two weeks, and it’s just been insane,” a worker at the mall said.
On a typical Saturday, every parking spot outside the entrance of Cottonwood Mall would be taken. But on Saturday, just a few cars, those belong to shoppers who don’t know they’re about to be turned away, and workers are closing up. Cottonwood Mall is shutting down, at least temporarily, because of ongoing air conditioning issues that some shops say have been a problem for a while.
“They’ve provided us with a portable air conditioning unit, but it does some for parts of the store, but it’s definitely not going to cool off an entire several thousand square foot store by itself. I know they’re, from what I’m hearing, they’re working on trying to get it fixed, and we’re just hoping it’s sooner rather than later,” Christopher Schmitz from CJ Sports.
For the owner of Potato Corner and the Paleta Bar, the heat has made it impossible to stay open. “We have to throw away a lot of our products, some of the places getting shut down because, you know, it’s entering the danger zone. The moment that we take the fresh fruit, or anything like Aqua Fresca, from 40 degrees inside the fridge, straight up to 90, 100 degrees inside the mall,” Dipo Alam, owner of Potato Corner, said.
Mall property managers have contacted businesses, saying they’re aware of the AC issues and are working to fix them. “We’re trying to get it done. I think the part will be here on Monday and then they’re going to by next weekend, but you’re already talking about parts, right, instead of replacing the whole unit,” Alam said.
As for when the mall will reopen, shop owners are hoping that happens by Monday. “If we’re not open, they really can’t buy from us at this time. They can’t support us, they can’t help us with any of the stuff we have going on,” Schmitz said.
News 13 has reached out to Cottonwood Mall’s property owners for comment on the closure, but has not heard back.
