Three new stops at Eastridge Mall

Mall News | Jul 21, 2016

Original Article by Wade Tyler Millward wmillward@gastongazette.com
http://www.gastongazette.com/news/20160721/three-new-stops-at-eastridge-mall

Kristy Granados again warned her 3-year-old against riding his tricycle in the new store when customers visit.

Young Riker was still learning his boundaries among the clothes and trinkets marketed to teens inside Eastridge Mall.

But to have the freedom to bring him to work, a freedom she was not afforded during 17 years in commercial banking, makes owning her own business worth it.

“We stay very busy,” she said. “I call it very blessed.”

Granados’ boutique and embroidery shop, Woo’s Too, is one of three new stores to call Eastridge home.

On Aug. 1, a pizza restaurant and a downtown Gastonia hair salon are expected to open locations inside the mall.

Italian Village Pizza has signed a lease for five years, mall leasing manager Steve Stout said.

The salon, Running with Scissors, has signed a one-year lease for Eastridge, which is the salon’s second location.

Granados signed a three-year lease for Woo’s Too. The 37-year-old launched her business after Bank of America laid her off.

She opened in Eastridge near Belk earlier this month after about a year in a strip mall near the intersection of Ozark Avenue and New Hope Road.

The foot traffic at Eastridge prompted her move. She’s gotten free word-of-mouth advertising from teenagers who see the brands of clothes she offers.

Her challenge now is finding new areas to make money for the business. She’s started offering lip gloss and is even looking at adding men’s clothes.

The work of building a business for her family feels more rewarding than work she did in a corporate job, she said.

“Getting a title is great,” Granados said. “But without that sense of fulfillment, a title is just a title.”