The Subway sandwich shop in Holiday Village Mall closed last week.

The last day at that location was Tuesday.

For now, there are no plans to relocate, according to franchise owner David Weissman.

There are six other Subway locations in town and a seventh on Malmstrom Air Force Base.

Weissman said their lease in the mall ended in June, but they hung on in the mall to see if traffic would pick up after the PetSmart and Hobby Lobby stores opened.

But, traffic didn’t increase.

Chocolate, eye care stores close in Holiday Village Mall

Weissman said traffic started to drop after Sears closed and hasn’t regained traction in the years since.

He said that the way people use malls has changed, but that he believes there’s still value to malls, especially in places with harsh winters like Great Falls.

The local mall management was good to work with, Weissman said, but the national management wouldn’t allow for a different lease structure.  

Rents was higher in the mall than for any of their other locations around town, he said.

“Nobody likes to close a location, but you gotta be smart,” Weissman said.

Weissman’s franchise also includes four Helena locations and one in Conrad.

The downtown Subway location closed in March and reopened in the new eastside Walmart.