Specialty retailers and department stores were feeling the heat from online options like Amazon long before COVID. However, the pandemic has accelerated matters with some industry experts predicting more than half of department stores in malls will close by the end of the year. There seem to be five major ways the vacant space can be utilized: 1. medical spaces for coronavirus vaccinations and other uses, 2. corporate campus style facilities for large companies, 3. churches, 4. office space, and 5. fulfillment warehouses.