Have you noticed the turnaround at Skyline Plaza? A few years ago, it felt vacant. Heck, it nearly was vacant.

It is now an Albert Lea success story.

To be sure, the place isn’t geared up to be a retail mall anymore. It’s not trying to be the place is was in its heyday of the 1980s and 1990s. It no longer uses the name Skyline Mall.

The owners have sought different types of tenant. It’s an office plaza that also has retail outlets and social draws.

The two clear social draws are the Moose Lodge and the Senior Center.

Offices go from restaurant management to insurance and retail goes from a fabrics store to massage therapy. There’s even an orthodontist and a credit union.

And it seems Skyline Plaza drawn a greater number of events, from job fairs to concert fundraisers.

When the KATE Radio Home & Recreation Show no longer could use the City Arena because the ice was still in use, the event needed a new home. We were glad to hear the annual attraction found a new location and one that made sense: Skyline Plaza.

The place remains a vital part of the Albert Lea economy and crucial to the vibrancy of the west side of the city, which happens to the most densely populated part of Freeborn County.

In a time with doom and gloom about the economy, take a look at Skyline’s success. It will pick your spirits up.