Fresh look helps Winston-Salem, N.C.-area mall attract many new tenants.

Byline: Fran Daniel

Apr. 2--Marketplace Mall on Peters Creek Parkway has a fresh look and a lot more tenants.

Samco Properties Inc. in Deerfield Beach, Fla., bought the struggling 21-year-old mall in December 2002 and has spent about $500,000 in improvements, including new signs, bright paint on the outside, roof repairs and upgrades to the heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.

That's helped improve occupancy over the past two years -- the mall has been steadily landing tenants and they have renovated their own spaces.

The momentum started with the creation of a discount-movie theater called Marketplace $2 Cinemas after the old Carmike Cinemas theater closed. Then in November 2003, The …