TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) - Stores at The Mall at Barnes Crossing have been prosperous and the pandemic has not dampened Christmas shopping.

In years past, thousands of shoppers could be seen inside the mall during the holiday period.

With the pandemic here, mall manager Jeff Snyder said the mall has been taking a lot of safety measures.

Larry Hughes of Tupelo brought his family to the mall Tuesday for holiday shopping.

"I feel safe, man,” Hughes said. “Everybody I see is wearing a mask, man. Everyone is standing far apart. If you want to come shop, come on up."

"If you go out and look on a busy, busy day like Black Friday, 95% of our customers were wearing masks, and we want to offer awareness that encourages them to do so,” Snyder said.

Snyder says the mall’s security has been giving away free masks to anyone who wants one.

The mall’s food court is only seating 75% capacity.

Shoppers can find hand sanitizer stations throughout the mall, and special air sanitizing filters have been installed in the mall’s ventilation system.

"I feel very safe over here,” store owner Raj Ranjan said. “And the security has done a great job of supplying everybody who does not have a mask."

Snyder said some of the mall's retailers are currently ahead of last year's sales.

He believes people simply want to get out and shop and said customers are having plenty of opportunities to sanitize.

He said the mall supports all state and local mandates.