Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, April 9, 1994 TAG: 9404110168
SECTION: NATL/INTL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By MICHAEL STOWE STAFF WRITER NOTE: below
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The region's four largest shoppings malls, in an unprecedented joint decision, announced Friday that they will ban smoking effective June 1.
Shoppers at the Valley View and Tanglewood malls in Roanoke, the New River Valley Mall in Christiansburg and the River Ridge Mall in Lynchburg no longer will be able to light up in common areas of the buildings.
Smoking still will be permitted in designated sections of some restaurants.
Mike Thornton, general manager at Valley View Mall, said the decision was made after the malls began receiving an increasing number of customer requests for a smoke-free environment.
``The public is concerned about secondhand smoke,'' he said.
The malls also were influenced by the Environmental Protection Agency's finding that secondhand smoke is harmful to children and pregnant women, said Judy Tullius, general manager at Tanglewood Mall.
The malls are following state and national trends toward smoking bans at shopping centers. A smoking ban at Regency Square Mall in Richmond starts Monday and several malls in Northern Virginia and Tidewater already are smoke-free.
``It's the snowball effect,'' Thornton said.
Many smokers shopping at area malls Friday said they won't mind the new policy, and some even praised it. But at least one merchant is fired up about it.
Todd Fleishman, owner of Treasures tobacco shop in Valley View, became livid when told of the ban.
``That's ridiculous. That blows my mind,'' Fleishman said, throwing his hands in the air. ``That burns me up.''
Treasures is the only store in the mall that allows smoking. Fleishman said he will continue that policy.
``It's still going to affect business - definitely,'' he said.
Carolyn Schneider, co-owner of Schneider Smoke Shoppe in Tanglewood Mall, wasn't angry about the change, but she didn't like it very much.
``I'm not going to say it's good for us, but I'm hoping it won't do too much damage,'' she said.
Schneider's shop also will continue to let customers to smoke after the ban goes into effect.
``I have a feeling I'm going to have a lot of mall employees in here on smoke breaks,'' she said.
Evelyn Rudisill, a smoker who works at Hickory Farms in Valley View Mall, applauded the change.
``I think it's wonderful,'' she said while puffing on a cigarette. ``I really do think it's a good idea."
Rudisill said she gets upset when she sees mall shoppers smoking around babies. ``I really think that's dangerous.''
Monica Moses, who was shopping at Valley View on Friday, was another smoker who said the ban is a good idea.
``I'm in the process of quitting,'' she said. ``Maybe this will help me. Probably not, though.''
Others, however, were more than displeased.
``We [highly] disagree with it,'' said Jeanine Marshall and Leatrice Surface in unison. The two work at the New River Valley Mall and were sitting on a bench enjoying a smoke Friday afternoon.
``I'll be grouchy.''' Surface said.
``Some people lie, some people cheat; we just smoke. That's all,'' said Marshall, somewhat in jest.
The no-smoking policy is the first time the four competing malls have worked together. Thornton said all the mall managers had been considering smoking bans for several months, but were afraid to implement one individually.
``None of us wanted to send our customers to the other mall,'' he said.
Tammy Poston, marketing manager at the New River Valley Mall, said she's confident that the no-smoking policy won't hurt business.
``I don't think people come to the mall to smoke,'' she said. ``They come because of the stores.''
Roanoke native Lisa Rowland, however, said she'll try to avoid the malls once smoking is prohibited.
``I've lived in this town forever and I hate it,'' the 17-year-old said. ``There's nothing to do except go the mall, and now you can't even smoke there.''
Of course, state law prohibits minors under 18 from smoking anyway.
Staff Writer Stephen Foster contributed to this story.
by CNB