Employees at Rodizio Grill were preparing food and getting ready to open for lunch. Valentine's Day shoppers arrived early at Harolds. Outside Casa Bella, a sign said, "Our sincere condolences to all those who suffered or lost a loved one on Monday night."

On the second level of the mall, the manager of Rocky Mountain Chocolate was preparing Wednesday for what was traditionally his busiest day of the year. But Travis Murphy said what was most important was to try and get back to some sense of normalcy.

"Even if it's just one person that comes in (today) ... we're here. It's good to be back working," he said.

Mall owners gave the building a final walk-through prior to opening, checking everything from the parking terrace to the facade of the stores. The last bit of yellow police tape that remained was torn off as the owners tried to make everything look as normal as possible.

Mall owners, however, who had invited the media to attend a press conference in the atrium, initially did not allow anything within the mall, including balloons and flowers left in the atrium as a tribute to the victims, to be photographed, even if the store owners allowed their stores to be photographed. The mall owners initially forbade reporters from talking to store owners but later said it was fine if the interviews were conducted inside that owner's store or outside the mall.

Reporters also were not allowed to talk to people walking through the mall even if they agreed to be interviewed outside.

Bard said the mall wanted to respect business owners in their time of mourning and help them heal without intrusion.

"We are trying to respond in the right way," said Jerry Hunt, part of the mall's development company.

Not all stores opened Wednesday. Cabin Fever, where four people were shot, three fatally, will not open for another week. Store owners, however, were busy Wednesday morning arranging merchandise in their store and preparing for their customers to return.

"We really felt we needed a little more time for ourselves. It's a very small way of showing of our condolences to the families," said Cabin Fever co-owner David Dean.

A candle and a flower were placed at the store's entrance, as well as a sign posted on the door saying, "Our hearts and thoughts are with the victims and their families." The note concluded by saying, "Life is precious."

"I believe in lighting candles. It's been a source of consolation since I was a boy," Dean said.

His store was mostly cleaned up before he came back. "All of the crime-scene evidence was completely gone," he said.