Salt Lake City Finds Happiness in the Mall

You might expect to occasionally find jugglers in a shopping mall for a special event, but in Salt Lake City they're a regular feature of "mall life." 

Every Sunday afternoon from 3-6 p.m. the Watsach Front Jugglers, an IJA affiliate, meets at the fountain in Trolley Square Mall with the blessings of the management. It wasn't always that way, but club member Shan Ingleby spearheaded an effort that has proved beneficial to everyone involved. 

Ingleby learned to juggle in 1982 at age 12, and soon thereafter was meeting with older jugglers who gathered occasionally on Sunday afternoons in Liberty Park. The group attracted a few regulars through the years, and met in Trolley Square Mall during the winter. But in 1986 new management there told them they were not welcome. That hurt attendance, leaving them without a winter meeting site. Ingleby continued to juggle there occasionally on his own, however, despite the personal peril. He recalled, "Several times I was escorted to the door with the threat of calling the police if I continued!" 

Eventually his persistence paid off. About four years ago the mall's new general manager noticed him juggling and teaching others. The manager introduced himself, and Ingleby explained that the club needed indoor space for the winter. The manager agreed to let the club meet there on Sundays, provided members signed a release and in return would perform at special events in the mall. 

Watsach Front Jugglers now have a free space for juggling in a very public, warm, indoor, high-ceilinged space with plenty of room for an audience. The mall management believes the jugglers help draw shoppers on Sundays, and has helped them create an annual festival that is promoted as a major mall event. 

Club participation has been constantly large since the move to the mall, with jugglers from all over northern Utah attending regularly. Many shoppers end up as regular attendees after stumbling on the gathering during their visits to the mall. 

The management doesn't allow torches or knives, but does let members ride 6-foot unicycles and practice with free-standing ladders. Club members can even put out a hat for donations if they want, though they rarely do. 

The group also enjoys a win-win relationship with "Hijinks," a store in the mall. An employee of a Hijinks, which began as a kite store, became a regular at juggling meetings and convinced the store owner to begin carrying quality juggling equipment as well. 

The store now stocks equipment from Renegade, Todd Smith, Dub6 and Jugglebug, and references from club members has become a significant source of profit. To reciprocate, the store gives jugglers essentially free drinks on Sunday, and a 10% discount, on all props bought on as Sunday afternoon.