BARUCH COLLEGE–Finding success through finding yourself are words Hala Maroc lives by. It is the slogan for her business, Badass Bootcamp. The wellness and lifestyle brand grew from an idea to a booth to a shop at Staten Island’s Empire Outlets. Yet now, Maroc’s business is one of only a handful of stores left in New York City’s first outlet mall.
The outlet, located in the St. George neighborhood, went into foreclosure in 2022, and the process continued into this year. On Sept. 21, Goldman Sachs bought it from urban development company BFC Partners for $10 million.
The shopping complex cost $350 million to build and opened in May 2019, according to Empire State Development, New York’s economic development agency. It attracted minimal tourists and locals despite being near the Staten Island Ferry Terminal and its accessibility from the Staten Island railroad and the Staten Island University Hospital Community Park.