Neighborhood shopping centers battered by store vacancies are finding solace in churches.<\/p>\n
As retailers\u00a0consolidate and shrink<\/a>\u00a0the number and sizes of their stores, retail center landlords, especially in weaker markets, are being forced to consider a\u00a0wider range of prospective tenants<\/a>\u00a0that might not fit the conventional retail mold. Among them: houses of worship.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving a church becomes an asset because it creates a mixed-use space,\u201d said Rodney Arnold, pastor at OneLife Church, based in Powell, Tenn. The church leases space both in Powell Place Shopping Center and at a building near Knoxville Center Mall in Knoxville.<\/p>\n Until recently, property owners have turned mainly to theaters, restaurants,\u00a0medical and wellness clinics<\/a>, and bowling alleys to fill space formerly occupied by retailers that have been plagued by the shift to online shopping and changing consumer tastes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n