November, 2006 - Labelscar: The Retail History Blog

Willowbrook Mall; Wayne, New Jersey

No trip to New Jersey would be complete without at least a few stops in the jungle of freeways and dense suburbia that forms Northern New Jersey. A sprawling, faux-city stretching 50 miles east to west and twice as long north to south, the area is one of the most massive swaths of American suburbia, complete with many large, vintage shopping malls.

We’ve discussed a few of the malls in Paramus–New Jersey’s undisputed shopping hub–before. Not far to the west, however, lies Wayne, a major retail center of its own. Wayne is home to three enclosed shopping centers, the largest of which is the super-regional Willowbrook Mall, a General Growth Property located at the intersection of US 46, route 23, and interstate 80, just west of Paterson. The mall is the lynchpin of a major retail district that includes, among other things, a lawn ornament store made famous when a power-pop band–Fountains of Wayne–decided to name themselves after it. The 1.5 million square-foot Willowbrook, which is the second-largest mall in New Jersey, is so large that it even spawned its own mini-me in the Wayne Towne Center, a smaller enclosed mall located in its parking lot. Weird!

Willowbrook opened as a smaller mall anchored by Ohrbach’s and Sears in 1969, and was renovated and expanded in 1970 and 1988. The massive, grand Macy’s store seen here–which was originally constructed as a Bamberger’s–is an especially fine example of 1970s mall architecture, with its dramatic stone-walled facade (it’s too bad I had to photograph it at night). The 200+ store mall is a “T”-shaped, primarily one-level center, but one wing of the “T” (stretching between the center court and Bloomingdale’s) is two levels, and the mall’s grand center court, expansive fountain, and outdoor plazas are gorgeous remnants of another era. For some photos of what the Willowbrook Mall used to look like, check out these great shots (especially this one) at Malls of America.

The Willowbrook Mall today is anchored by Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Sears, and Lord & Taylor. Some of the mall’s extreme success hinges off of blue laws in neighboring Bergen County (home of Paramus) that prohibit retail stores from opening on Sundays.

We’ll post about Wayne Towne Center, Willowbrook’s struggling mini-me, ~~shortly~~ Sunday, December 3. These photos were all taken last Monday.

The Kids Are Alright

My love for all things retail goes back as far as I can remember, to when I was a kid. Much of my love of vintage mall accoutrements extends to fond memories of being a kid, going to those big, exciting malls packed with great stuff. Just being out in the world, in what were then the biggest and most exciting places around, seemed great.

Those of us who felt this way (and from what I’ve experienced, amongst retail history geeks, it’s common) are not part of a dying breed. Check out what was posted today on Universal Hub:

The other day, Greta and I had just ended an expedition to one of Dedham’s many fine Big Box Retail Outlets when she tripped and scraped her knee. Ow, ow, ow! I helped her hobble over to the car, and as we drove home, of course she cried and yelled about how much it hurt, poor thing. But she’s one of these kids that, once she gets on a roll, she just can’t stop, so soon she was complaining about everything else that was bothering her:

I’m hungry! I’m thirsty! Why’d they have to close Filene’s, anyway? Why does Macy’s buy all the good stores and close them down?

Um, what? She’s upset about Filene’s closing? What?

That’s right, even the children of the 2000s are caught up in retail nostalgia. But it gets even better–if you read the comments, others weigh in by reminiscing on such long-forgotten mall wonders as penny fountains and conversation pits, and people pine over long-departed chains like Almacs and Ann & Hope.

Oh, and for what it’s worth, they’re talking about Newton’s Mall at Chestnut Hill, which we’ve covered ’round here before.

Woodville Mall; Northwood, Ohio

The only mall on the east side of the Toledo area, the 800,000 square-foot Woodville Mall opened in 1969 as a result of a population boom in the area. Located about a mile east of I-280 off Woodville Road in Northville, Woodville Mall is anchored by The Andersons, Elder Beerman and Sears. In addition to the anchors, there is space for about 100 stores; however, presently less than 20 stores are open for business.

What went wrong? Just as with Southwyck Mall across town, Woodville fell victim to poor management, changing demographics, and competition. The main retail area in the Toledo area is currently clustered across town surrounding Franklin Park Mall on the northwest side. In addition, two outdoor centers with retail space totalling over 1.5 million square-feet are emerging in southwest suburban Perrysburg and Maumee. The area surrounding Woodville mall is holding its own, but is not currently experiencing major growth. Many of the retail areas surrounding the mall are over 20 years old and are not aging gracefully. This includes Woodville Mall itself.

Considering Woodville’s last renovation was in 1987 by then-owner and mall giant Simon Property Group, the mall is almost 20 years out of date and it shows. The floor throughout the mall consists of relatively well-kept yet out of date tiles in the center of each relatively wide hallway. However, along the edges of each hallway on either side of the tile is a horrendously tattered, faded dark green carpet. In many areas, the carpet is worn completely bare or ripped. This can’t be enticing shoppers, and is probably indicative of the current owners lack of commitment to keep the enclosed mall viable. Other design features of the mall including dead storefronts of wildly varying conditions (including a very old wooden facade with a Orange Julius labelscar!) and sparsely decorated interior spaces. There are a few planters and palm trees, but much of the open area of the mall feels too empty and almost deserted, especially with the lack of kiosks that most malls seem to have in spades these days. Toward the west end of the mall, the Food Court is also interesting with its bright 80s decor, yet it too is sadly mostly empty these days. In many ways the condition of Woodville could be considered comparable with that of Southwyck; however, Woodville has retained all 3 of its anchors while space in the mall has suffered, and somewhat of the opposite is true for Southwyck.

The absolute best design feature of Woodville Mall is its center court. The walls surrounding the warehouse-style high ceilings have been painted in shades of periwinkle and light blue with a stippling technique to mimic the sky. Furthering the sky illusion, several large “clouds” hang from the ceiling suspended in mid air. Back on the ground, there are all these rows of inappropriate-looking, tall, purple bars with white latticework on top. I have no idea what they are. There is also an elevated gazebo made with the same purple bars and it has a white latticework roof. At least I could figure out what that was. In addition to all that, there are all these random white tables and chairs strewn about on the ground that don’t seem to be used, but I suppose it’s better than having nothing there at all.

As with many enclosed malls which have rapidly gone downhill, it wasn’t this bad until recently. In September 2005, Simon Property Group of Indianapolis sold the failing mall to two California businessmen, Jack Kashani and Sammy Kahen for $2.5 million. The pair also purchased the beleagured, large North Towne Square/Lakeside Center on Toledo’s north side, which was, if you can even imagine, the worst of them all in terms of occupancy with only a few stores open. Not surprisingly, they shuttered that mall in February 2005.

So, what’s next for Woodville Mall? In October 2005, the Toledo Blade reported the new owners hired Krone Group LLC, a retail consultant from Cleveland, to hammer out plans for revitalization. The plans initially included some lofty goals, and a long-range plan to retenant the existing mall while bringing in additional new office space, an indoor ice rink, a new movie theatre, residential units, and even constructing new access roads to the north. Not surprisingly, none of this materialized, and in June 2006 the owners released a more vague, scaled-back plan to the Northwood town council. They said they were studying several options, but most likely would be tearing down the nearly empty mall except for the three anchor spaces which remain economically viable. As of November 2006, several months have gone by with more stagnant inaction on the project, leaving us to wonder what – if anything – will actually take place on the site.

When the annoucement was made that the owners were likely razing the mall, many locals expressed their opposition. Most of the people interviewed by both the Toledo Blade and on the blog Toledotalk.com preferred the enclosed mall to an outdoor development, especially considering 2 outdoor centers are emerging in Maumee and Perrysburg as well as the eventual redevelopment of Southwyck. Holy Toledo, what a mess. I took all the pictures featured here in July 2006. As usual, comments are appreciated.

Southwyck Mall; Toledo, Ohio

There are many reasons enclosed malls fail. Competition, changing demographics, poor management, anchor woes, and strategic location are all reasons for a downward swing. Southwyck Mall in Toledo, Ohio is a rather unique tale of failure in that all of these devices contributed to its eventual demise, one after another. What began as a popular hub of retail activity eventually became, through these devices of failure, a dead mall museum. Still open for business as of the date of this article (November 2006), Southwyck’s days as a viable enclosed mall have definitely passed and its days of being open for business at all are numbered as well.

Opening in 1972 to immediate success, Southwyck was one of four major enclosed malls in Toledo. Once a thriving mecca for shoppers from the surrounding areas of Toledo and beyond, Southwyck has lately fallen into disrepair. The decor of the center is very dated, yet it seems at least one renovation has taken place since the 1972 opening; however, it was not recent. The grand center court is flanked by a beautiful carousel, under a very 1970s looking bubble ceiling which extends very high, yet has several dirty or discolored tiles. Decorative light fixtures throughout the center are an attempt to recreate an old English, perhaps Victorian, feel to Southwyck. Many of the storefronts, including the closed ones, are extremely dated. Beautiful fountains are still in operation throughout the mall but repairs seem necessary. The Montgomery Ward anchor, which was abandoned in 2001 with the chain’s closure, remains fully signed on the inside and out. Another interesting decor element of Southwyck was the haphazard, somewhat random placement of very colorful kites, some with very long streamers, placed throughout the mall along the ceiling. However, the most interesting feature of Southwyck to me were the directories. Each directory is a kiosk made up of at least one television, displaying one of two things. Some displayed early 1980s-looking computer graphics listing the store directory and mall happenings directly on the TV, while other televisions were broadcasting CNN live or Channel 24, the local NBC affiliate for Toledo.

There were originally three anchors to Southwyck. From the south to north, they were: Montgomery Ward, LaSalle, and Lion. LaSalle and Lion were Toledo-area department stores and as was the case for many malls across America, they made the trek from downtown to the enclosed malls when they opened to try to get a piece of the action. LaSalle folded in the early 1980s and Southwyck’s middle anchor became Lion’s Store for the Home. Lion, Southwyck’s northern anchor, held on under the helm of Mercantile Stores until 1998 when it was sold and converted to Dillard’s along with the middle anchor Home Store. In 2001, Southwyck experienced its first anchor closure as the Montgomery Ward chain folded. In 2003, the middle anchor space also became empty as Dillard’s closed the Home Store. Dillard’s does, however, continue to operate as the south anchor at Southwyck and owns a great deal of the mall itself; however, in 2007 Dillard’s plans to open a new location in a 1 million square-foot lifestyle center called Fallen Timbers only a few miles from their current location at Southwyck. What will become of the embattled, beleagured Southwyck in the near future is anyone’s guess as the mall’s owners, developers, and the city of Toledo evolve their decisions.

But it wasn’t always this way. From when it opened until at least through the 1990s, Southwyck was a viable retail center with three full-sized anchors and one mllion square feet of retail space that was mostly full. Within this decade, however, the bottom fell out as several devices of failure worked on Southwyck and hollowed it out to a shell of its former self. First, the closure of Montgomery Ward in 2001 left a gaping hole at the south end of the mall. This wasn’t the mall’s fault, per se, as Montgomery Ward closed all their stores at that time. Although the mall initially held its own after the closure, just two years later in 2003 the middle anchor, Dillard’s for the Home, closed. This left only Dillard’s, the north anchor, remaining. In addition to suddenly losing anchors, the mall’s vacancy rate also increased rapidly since 2000. Prior to 2000, the mall was basically holding its own and hopeful for a revival.

Such a revival was proposed in 2002. As Montgomery Ward shut its doors in 2001 and stores started leaving with it, Toledo Councilman Rob Ludeman proposed giving Southwyck enterprise zone status in order to lure stores with loans and tax abatements. In addition, Toledo mayor Jack Ford attempted to woo anchors and retailers away from the proposed Fallen Timbers development, specifically Sears in 2002. Also, in 2003 Westfield America expressed interest in purchasing the mall and redeveloping it. Unfortunately, as with all efforts to redevelop Southwyck, nothing came to fruition.

What else went wrong? Poor management has plagued a successful revival for the struggling Southwyck for at least the past several years and the owners can’t be spared some of the fault. Southwyck is currently owned partly by Sherman Dreiseszun, a curious Kansas City businessman who currently owns stake in several beleagured shopping malls across the country, and partly by Dillard’s, the lone anchor left in the mall. Both entities have allowed Southwyck to falter and have failed to provide updates or renovations of any kind to the mall in the past several years, causing shoppers and therefore stores to flee. In early 2005, the city of Toledo set a deadline of March 1, 2005 for the owners of Southwyck to get their act together and secure a path to renovation or they would take further steps to intervene and do whatever it takes to make Southwyck viable, somehow.

In July 2005 the owners of Southwyck announced they had hired local developer Larry Dillin, responsible for opening nearby lifestyle center Levis Commons, to head up the redevelopment for Southwyck. By November, Dillin announced his plans. In a massive renovation, the current enclosed mall would be demolished and in its place, a lifestyle center would essentially be put in place with 2 anchor stores, 4 box stores, a number of smaller retail pads and restaurants, office space, and luxury apartments. In September of 2006, Dillin held a town meeting outlining progress since he announced his plans. He essentially said nothing had happened in terms of progress, but did reveal that Dillard’s is committed to retaining a full-service store at Southwyck and will not leave for the new Fallen Timbers development.

As of November 2006, another roadblock has presented itself in terms of funding from the city of Toledo, which is necessary for redevelopment to occur. The mayor of Toledo has redirected the funds marked for Southwyck redevelopment toward a different redevelopment in downtown Toledo. However, current mayor Carty Finkbeiner promised the money would be back in the budget in 2007.

Now that we’re up to date, let’s bring it all together. Southwyck’s failure was originally caused by anchor woes and poor management. Despite being in a strategic location amid other successful retail along a popular retail corridor in south Toledo, Southwyck has never renovated or repositioned itself to become attractive to shoppers as Toledo’s only successful mall Franklin Park has. In addition, several failed attempts at renovation in the past few years were thwarted by competition from a nearby 1 million square foot outdoor mall opening next year, and a large lifestyle center which opened last year and continues to expand. In 2005, the city of Toledo stepped in on official terms and demanded that redevelopment of the near-blighted property commence as soon as possible, coercing the owners to hire a local developer. In an ironic twist, the developer is also the developer responsible for one of the lifestyle centers and part of Southwyck’s competition. The developer drafted extensive plans for renovation, but the stimulus seems to be lacking for getting started on the project. Some questions to consider: Why are 2 new developments totalling 1.5 million square feet of retail space being built when Southwyck and 2 other Toledo-area malls have failed? Why did the city step in to aid redevelopment, only to abandon ship and redistribute the funds for redevelopment to another project? And lastly, will redevelopment ever occur, or will Southwyck simply die off and close up like so many other malls?

Below are some photos of Southwyck taken during Summer 2005. As usual, feel free to add your own thoughts on this complicated and contentious story.

UPDATE 11/28/07: Last month, the final anchor at Southwyck, Dillards, packed up and moved to newer digs in a “Lifestyle Center” called the Shops at Fallen Timbers in nearby Maumee. Meanwhile, the city of Toledo is still attempting to purchase the entirety of Southwyck for re-development. According to the Toledo Blade, the lag time for re-development is due to the odd way in which the mall is owned. The city recently negotiated a purchase price for the recently vacated Dillards store, which is owned by a Texas firm, but because the rest of the mall is owned 50/50 by Dillards (ironically) and a Kansas City partnership, the city must negotiate with each party separately. And, it seems Dillards, which never owned its original store at the mall to begin with, has been unwilling to agree on a purchase price with would-be redeveloper Larry Dillin. Interesting stuff, and we’ll keep an eye on it. But for now, without an anchor the mall will fast become a sinking ship. How many stores are even operating inside?

UPDATE 2/8/08: The following editorial appeared in the Toledo Blade, and I couldn’t agree more:

Article published Thursday, January 24, 2008Be involved in future of Southwyck On a recent outing to the Shops at Fallen Timbers, I conducted an unofficial poll of the “unique shopping experience” offered by this mall.

I approached a number of people to ask for their opinion of the new shopping mall, and received pretty much the same response from all those I questioned: “I hate it, I prefer indoor malls, it’s too cold and windy to have to go from store to store outdoors, put on my coat, take it off, etc.”

A while back, I attended a neighborhood meeting at which developer Larry Dillin gave a presentation on the future of Southwyck Shopping Center. Mr. Dillin brought with him the artist’s rendition of what Southwyck would look like once he gets his hands on the property. I asked how he came up with his statistics about outdoor malls, why we need them, and why he eagerly promotes them. I recall Mr. Dillin responding that “indoor malls are a thing of the past.” Where did Mr. Dillin get his information? Has anyone taken the time to conduct a survey of the residents of Toledo?

I believe it to be in the best interest of Southwyck-area residents to be involved in Southwyck’s future and not leave it up to some developer who has a distorted vision of what he thinks is best for the area. Southwyck could once again draw shoppers if anchor tenants could be enticed by lower rent, promoting the conveniences of indoor shopping vs. outdoor malls.

If indoor malls are a thing of the past as Mr. Dillin claimed, why is Westfield Franklin Park expanding again? Are we going to sit idle and allow Southwyck to fall under the wrecking ball?

James H. Marshall

UPDATE 5/13/2008: On May 8, the city of Toledo issued a notice to Southwyck owners that they had 72 hours to clean up toxic black mold and potential asbestos contamination, or the city would close the mall on May 12. As a response, the owners stepped up and replaced the mold tiles, and put up a fire wall to seal off the asbestos in the former Montgomery Ward store. Mesothelioma anyone? It was also revealed that Southwyck currently has only 6 stores open, and that persistent developer Larry Dillin is still trying to buy the mall and will be marketing it at the International Council of Shopping Centers convention this year.

UPDATE 8/26/2008: Southwyck Mall officially closed June 30, 2008. The owners took care of the mold issues which kept the mall open for business a bit longer. According to Toledo’s mayor, both owners are on board and with the aid of an EPA loan for asbestos removal, the mall should be demolished by December 31, 2008. Developer Larry Dillin was also quoted recently as saying the development to replace Southwyck should be complete by 2010. Let’s not hold our breath.

UPDATE 1/4/2009: The three owners of Southwyck have finally agreed upon a demolition timetable. Demolition will start during the first quarter of this year (2009) and be complete by midsummer 2009. As of now, no plans for redevelopment have been solidified.

Dillards at Southwyck Mall in Toledo, OH

Center Court Coney Island Restaurant at Southwyck Mall in Toledo, OH

Center Court Bubble at Southwyck Mall in Toledo, OH

Center Court Carousel at Southwyck Mall in Toledo, OH

Former Montgomery Ward at Southwyck Mall in Toledo, OH

Dillard's and Former Dillard's Home Store at Southwyck Mall in Toledo, OH

Former Dillard's/Lion Home Store at Southwyck Mall in Toledo, OH

Former Dillard's Home Store and Former Montgomery Ward

Center Court at Southwyck Mall in Toledo, OH

Former Montgomery Ward Wing at Southwyck Mall in Toledo, OH

Former Restaurant at Southwyck Mall in Toledo, OH

Carousel at Southwyck Mall in Toledo, OH

Sophisticuts and Dillard's at Southwyck Mall in Toledo, OH

Former Wicks 'n Sticks at Southwyck Mall in Toledo, OH

Shore Mall; Egg Harbor Township (Atlantic City), New Jersey

This past weekend, I accomplished something semi-remarkable: With a swing through Southern New Jersey, I visited every mall in New Jersey–a state known for its malls, and a project that took six years to complete. Of course, I’m not kidding myself: New Jersey is truly the land of malls, and given how densely populated and suburban the state is, there has got to be some small enclosed malls hidden amongst the state’s thick nest of freeways. If you know of some particularly obscure malls anywhere in the state, then let me know.

On Sunday night, I spent the night on the boardwalk in exciting Atlantic City, New Jersey, meaning that I got an early Monday morning jump on the southernmost part of the state, including the Shore Mall, located in Egg Harbor Township just on the mainland side of Atlantic City. Unlike most malls in New Jersey, Shore Mall is worn out and showing its age. I was unable to find a concrete date for when the mall opened, but judging by the architecture I would lean towards the early 1970s (or possibly the late 1960s), and it clearly hasn’t received any major upgrades since. It was visibly built to serve the then-already-poor Atlantic City area, and in the intervening years has been bypassed by the middle class who has moved further out from the blighted, high-crime inner city in favor of suburbs like Hamilton, home of the larger and more modern Hamilton Mall. The Shore Mall’s current anchor stores are Boscov’s (purportedly the highest-grossing outlet in the chain!), Value City, and Burlington Coat Factory, the latter two of which tend to be signs of a dying mall. The Value City store was originally one of many locations of Asbury Park-based department store chain Steinbach (who has long fascinated me–I’d love to know more about them) and the Burlington Coat Factory was, until 2000 or so, a Clover location. There was also a KG Mens Wearhouse store attached to the outside of the Burlington Coat Factory, but their building was clearly a former Circuit City.

Architecturally, the building isn’t terribly distinct: there are three anchor stores lined up along the side closest to the Black Horse Turnpike, with a long, straight hallway leading back from between the Burlington Coat Factory and Boscov’s stores to the Value City store in the rear. The massive parking lot is pock-marked and trash-strewn. Large swaths of the space seem disused.

Steinbach, 1994:

The same space, occupied in 2006 by Value City:

The Shore Mall was sold in January of 2006–I’m not able to find who sold it to whom, strangely–and the new owners announced that their plan was to disenclose the mall within three years. Given the nearby, prosperous Hamilton Mall–located in a safer area and in far better physical condition–this may be an unavoidable conclusion. The demographics of the immediate surrounding area are not strong, and many have concerns about safety in the area. We may be saying goodbye to this graying, crumbling relic before long, so if you find that you’re in the area, take the time to spin by.

Historic 1986 shots of former Sears and JCPenney stores, currently occupied by Boscov’s and Burlington Coat Factory/KG Men’s Wearhouse:

November 2006:

Holyoke Mall at Ingleside; Holyoke, Massachusetts

For all intents and purposes, the Holyoke Mall at Ingleside is–at least for the moment–the largest mall in New England. It will soon be eclipsed by the Natick Mall, which is nearly doubling in size, and technically, the Northshore Mall in Peabody, Massachusetts is the largest shopping center in sheer square footage. However, Northshore’s floorspace is tucked into its five massive anchor stores, two of which are currently dark, while Holyoke Mall is a true giant.

It’s also pretty cool.

Developed by the Pyramid Companies of Syracuse and opened in 1979, the Holyoke Mall was designed as a dominant mall to serve not only the metropolitan Springfield region of Massachusetts, but also to serve as a major regional draw bringing customers from all of Central and Western Massachusetts, Connecticut, and many parts of New Hampshire and Vermont. The 1.6 million-square-foot, 200-store, three-level mall is strategically located near the junction of interstate 90 and interstate 91, just northwest of Springfield.

Despite that the mall received a minor renovation in 1995, it mostly stands as a monument to 1979, in all the best ways. The grand, three level center court, complete with wood paneling and concrete stairwells, is a charmingly gauche relic of another era. Also, the mall sports some unusual anchor stores, including Christmas Tree Shops, Target, AC Moore, Best Buy, Babies ‘R Us, and DSW Shoe Warehouse along with more typical mall anchor tenants such as Macy’s, Sears, JCPenney, and H&M. The Holyoke Mall has one major anchor vacancy in the form of a vacant Lord & Taylor which closed in 2004, and some past anchor tenants include Lechmere, Nobody Beats the Wiz (a rarity for Massachusetts), G. Fox, Filene’s, Steiger’s, Service Merchandise, Filene’s Basement, and Kids R Us.

Metropolitan Springfield is home to approximately 600,000 residents, though the Holyoke Mall pulls from many rural areas for hours around. Still, it’s inevitable that a mall this large would wreak serious havoc in a mid-sized metropolitan area, and it did: The Fairfield Mall in nearby Chicopee shut in 2001 after years of decline; the Baystate West/Tower Square Mall in downtown Springfield has been reduced to little more than a food court; the Hampshire Mall in Hadley (which serves the Amherst/Northampton area) succeeds mainly on the strenth of its anchors, but its interior is lagging; and the Eastfield Mall in Springfield has had major ups and downs over the years, even if it’s on relatively solid ground at the moment. The Enfield Square Mall, just over the border in Connecticut, also suffers from a relatively uninspired tenant roster despite anchoring one of the most successful retail districts in the Springfield area.

All photos taken in 2001 by Prangeway. Find a more recent set at The Caldor Rainbow!

Meriden Square Mall (Westfield Meriden); Meriden, Connecticut

Long-time Labelscar readers may be curious to learn that one of the most popular malls in terms of search referral traffic to our site is the Meriden Mall, an abandoned and forlorn center located near downtown Meriden, Connecticut. I meant to post awhile back about its bigger neighbor, Meriden Square Mall–later re-christened “Westfield Meriden,” a regional mall that gave it a good beating, but I put it off. Why? Well, truth be told… we got a bit upstaged. You see, if you haven’t checked out The Caldor Rainbow, you should–it’s quite good. Not only did Nick, the site’s author (who is known to lurk around here and comment on our posts), have the good sense to name his site after the greatest dead discounter in history, but he also takes great photos and talks in depth about retail history goings-on in Connecticut. If that’s your bag, give him a click. Needless to say, he beat me to this one with a post about Westfield Meriden.

The Westfield Meriden Square Mall (which is not its proper name, but is rather a synthesis of its official name now and before Westfield stripped it away) serves a gap inbetween the New Haven and Hartford trade areas. The aging mill city of Meriden, located near the geographical center of the state of Connecticut, is near the crossroads of a handful of freeways about halfway between Hartford and New Haven. As both cities are comparatively undermalled and neither boasts an enclosed mall on the side closest to Meriden, it fills the void for a rather expansive and populous region.

Meriden Square originally opened in 1971 as a rather simple and short two level mall connecting JCPenney and Hartford-based G. Fox department store. A large expansion in 1993 added a long, two-level wing ending at a Sears store and also included a brand new food court, creating a “T” shaped floorplan. In the mid-1990s, the entire G. Fox chain was converted to the Filene’s nameplate as a result of a merger, and in 2006 this store became a Macy’s. The mall was expanded again in an ambitious renovation announced in 1997 and completed in 1999. This expansion extended the second level (but not the first) out one side, so that the second level was shaped like a long cross and the first level remained a “T”. The new anchor, built opposite Sears, was Lord & Taylor, and opened as part of that chain’s over-ambitious late 1990s expansion. As part of this mall renovation, some changes were made inside and out, including the addition of a new parking deck outside of Sears. In an unusual twist, the mall’s new wing included a parking lot on the roof which is accessible via stairways leading down into the mall.

The Lord & Taylor store at Meriden Square was short-lived. Like many of the stores built by the poorly-branded chain in the late 1990s, it was somewhat ill-conceived from the start. Meriden Square isn’t located in a particularly upmarket area, and the mall itself is decidedly mid-range; Lord & Taylor drew the kind of shopper more commonly found at the nearby Westfarms Mall in West Hartford. The store closed in a wave of consolidations in 2003(ish), and has since been replaced by several big box stores including Dick’s Sporting Goods, Best Buy, and Borders. The mall concourse literally blasts into the original Lord & Taylor store, with the boxes falling to the sides of the expanded corridor. Note in the photos that the Dick’s Sporting Goods store has mostly retained the Lord & Taylor storefront!

Since Westfield Meriden Square was built piecemeal in many different eras, it doesn’t have much of a unified theme… which is what makes it cool. Note that the short cross-wing between JCPenney and Filene’s is the oldest portion, and note also that each of those anchors shares a very strangely-designed mall facade. Also, give special attention of the exterior of the JCPenney store, which has some great old spaceship-looking architecture! These photos were all taken in July 2006, hence the continued presence of Filene’s signage.

Case Study: Toledo, Ohio

Toledo, Ohio, is the largest metropolitan area in northwest Ohio and the fourth largest city in the state of Ohio, with a 2005 estimated population at just over 300,000 residents. However, the extended metropolitan Toledo area has about 620,000 residents, drawing from nearby suburbs, Bowling Green, and the northern suburbs of Toledo up to Monroe, Michigan.

What moves Toledo? The manufacturing industry in Toledo has always been the driving focus of the economy and creates a blue-collar economic base for the region. Glass production has always been the most important industry in Toledo, so much so that Toledo has always been called the Glass City. In addition to glass, the other major industry is auto production. With close proximity to the world’s motor capital, Detroit, the three major automakers have a major manufacturing presence in the Toledo area.

Like other American manufacturing centers, Toledo has fallen on difficult times over the past few decades. The manufacturing base has been depleted as the global economy has taken these jobs out of Toledo and out of the country. Many people have left the Toledo area, evidenced by the stagnant population growth since the 1970s. Many who have stayed have moved outward from the older parts of the city and into suburbs, creating newer, sprawling developments farther and farther away from downtown while the areas around downtown become mired in decay. This is not unique to Toledo or an uncommon practice in America’s cities at all, but it helps set the stage for why the retail climate is the way it is.

Poised for significant change in the near future, Toledo’s retail landscape is worth a closer look. One large, enclosed regional mall located on Toledo’s northeast side has already bit the bullet, closing in early 2005 after years of rapid decline. Two beleagured, older malls in the east and southwest of the Toledo area are in a similar rapid decline while plans for redevelopment are sketchy at best. Meanwhile, two lifestyle centers, one of them over one million square feet, are opening in southwest suburban Maumee and Perrysburg. And to top it all off, a large, but very successful enclosed mall anchors the big-box melee of retail on the city’s northwest side. Further afield, there are also two retail centers in fringe areas of metro Toledo. The first is a small center in Bowling Green, about 20 miles south of downtown Toledo, and the other is in Monroe, Michigan, about 20 minutes northeast.

Here’s a bit more detail about the major shopping centers in Toledo. Look for more detailed articles about each individual mall to come. Each number below refers to the corresponding location with that number on the map above:

1. Westfield Franklin Park Mall – Opened in the mid-1970s, this is currently Toledo’s only successful enclosed mall. Franklin Park was recently acquired by Westfield America and is anchored by JCPenney, Macy’s, and Dillard’s. It is the ‘destination mall’ for the metropolitan area, and of many upmarket and trendy stores this is their only Toledo location. It was expanded and renovated in May 2005 to increase the total square-footage of the mall by 40% to over 1.2 million square feet of selling space. Franklin Park also has a new 16-screen Cinema De Lux movie theatre, Borders, and several destination chain restaurants.

2. North Towne Square/Lakeside Centre – This is the one that bit the dust in February 2005, after years of declining sales. North Towne Square opened in 1980 and was Toledo’s newest enclosed mall. Located in northeast Toledo, its trade area was usurped by the dominant and nearby Franklin Park and the declining economy of the immediate area. Near the end, the moribund mall only had about 20 retailers, most of them local, and no anchors because the last one fled in 2002. During its final year, North Towne Square was renamed Lakeside Centre in a last-ditch effort to promote its proximity to Lake Erie, but it had no positive result.

3. Woodville Mall – The only mall on the east side of the Toledo area, this is one of the enclosed centers that is currently open yet failing. Opening in 1969, it was successful until at least the 1990s when its age began to show and it received very little updates or renovations. However, unlike North Towne Square, the anchors have remained open at Woodville Mall and are vital to its continued success. Despite them, though, stores have emptied out of Woodville Mall at an alarming rate and as of 2006 there were sketchy plans for renovation which would demolish some or all of the mall.

4. Southwyck Mall – Deadmalls.com calls Southwyck a “dead mall museum” and I think that’s an appropriate summation of this one. Its current lone anchor is Dillard’s, who also interestingly owns a majority stake in the mall itself. The dated decor of this beleagured center hasn’t been fashionable for years, but some local stores and a few national chains have held on. Recently, plans call for the remaking of Southwyck into an open air urban village with a residential component, a college campus, and some retail. This would, of course, require demolishing the dead mall museum that’s currently there, and is supposed to take place sometime in 2007.

5. The Shops at Fallen Timbers – Holy Toledo, this has been a contentious project from the start. Originally planned to be built as a gigantic enclosed mall around 2000 or 2001, this contentious and hotly debated development has stalled multiple times and changed architectural forms several times. It will, however, finally open in 2007 as a 1-million-square-foot open-air lifestyle center anchored by Dillard’s and other destination chains and restaurants.

6. The Town Center at Levis Commons – Just across the river from the Fallen Timbers site in Perrysburg, this 350,000 square-foot lifestyle center also contains upscale destination stores, but intentionally markets to women. Think AnnTaylor, Coldwater Creek, and J. Jill, for starters. It is opening in phases, and the first one opened in 2004. The next phase will expand the retail and add residential units to the center and double its size.

There are also two malls in the Toledo area off the map above. They are:

7. Woodland Mall – Located in Bowling Green, about 10 minutes south of Perrysburg along I-75, this little enclosed mall is anchored by Elder Beerman, Dunhams Sports, and Sears. It opened in 1987 and has space for 60 mall stores, most of which are local, with 270,000 total square feet of retail space.

8. Frenchtown Square – This enclosed mall is located about 20 minutes northeast of downtown Toledo along I-75 in Monroe, Michigan. It opened in 1989 and is currently anchored by Elder Beerman, Sears, Steve & Barry’s, and Target and has about 75 smaller stores.

As you can see, metro Toledo is a victim of unchecked growth in the form of urban sprawl fueled by a poor economy. But why did this happen? The beleagured or closed malls fell victim to poor management decisions and shoddy upkeep. They aged to the point where they were no longer attractive to the average shopper, who decided to drive a little farther to spend his or her dollars. This is evident in the continued success of Franklin Park Mall, and the decisions to build two new lifestyle centers, totalling over 1.5 million square feet of new construction, before focusing on fixing the existing suffering enclosed malls. Why is Toledo choosing to build extensive new retail developments when one large enclosed mall is sitting shuttered and two more are on their way? This is especially relevant given light that Toledo is not experiencing any population growth. There are plans to redevelop two of the three malls that have failed as enclosed centers, but these plans came only after two new lifestyle centers were being constructed. Can an area with mostly stagnant growth support all of this new development while refurbishing the retail that has already failed? Time will tell.

Arnot Mall; Horseheads (Elmira), New York

Elmira’s Arnot Mall was perhaps my favorite of the malls I visited on my recent jaunt through upstate New York. The long, twisty center had several distinctly different areas built in separate eras, including some rather irregularly-shaped courts, surprise corridors, and even a few oddly-justified anchor frontages.

The Arnot Mall is located just west of Elmira, New York in the town of Horseheads, along NY-17 (future I-86) in the central portion of New York State’s “Southern Tier” region. Chris, one of our readers, graciously offered some history on the Arnot Mall: The mall opened in 1967 as “The Mall” and originally included Iszard’s, a local department store chain with stores in Downtown Elmira and Downtown Ithaca, along with JCPenney and 40 small stores. MallsofAmerica has an excellent vintage photo of the mall in its original state, complete with the classic JCPenney logo. In 1980, the mall underwent a very significant expansion that more than doubled the center’s size, added a new wing that was longer than the original mall, a second level food court, and Sears, Bradlees, and Hess as new anchors while renaming the center as the “Arnot Mall.” There was also an indoor mini golf course! The new Arnot Mall held 120 stores spread across 1,050,000 square feet.

Iszard’s eventually became McCurdy’s, who were ultimately bought out by The Bon Ton. The Bon Ton also bought out Hess in 1994, but the mall today has only one Bon Ton: the former Hess became a Kaufmann’s and ultimately a Macy’s. Take a look at the mall directory:

Arnot Mall Directory

I got the clear sense that the western portion of the mall, the strange “T” wing with JCPenney and the Bon Ton, was much older than the remainder of the mall (this section also held a strangely-oriented Olympia Sports with an external entrance–possibly a former Woolworth or McCrory’s?). The remainder of the mall represents the 1980 expansion. Bradlees left in early 2001, and their space today is occupied by Burlington Coat Factory.

Bradlees Logo

Arnot Mall seems to do relatively well (despite some vacancies, mostly on the Sears wing) by virtue of being the only major enclosed shopping center for miles around, but I enjoyed it for its architecture. The mall’s large, airy center court features a second level food court and movie theatre, along with a Friendly’s restaurant whose dining room overlooks directly into the mall’s first level. The center court includes a stately old-fashioned clock (like the ones that used to be so common in classic malls) set on the side of a fountain, and the planters and conversation pits set in front of anchor stores only add to the ambiance. In addition, the strange orientation of Olympia Sports against the mall (Look at the floorplan and note how, when walking down the main corridor, it ends at Olympia Sports. Their dramatic interior facade makes them look like an anchor store; a truly unusual design element).

It was a cool little mall. I’m glad I went out of my way for it.

I’ve organized the photos below into three groups so they make the most sense. The first group is of the mall’s exterior, moving from the 1980 expansion backward towards the original 1967 portion:

The next group is of the interior of the 1980 expansion:

And the last group is of the original, 1967 portion of the mall that spanned between JCPenney and Iszard’s:

Eaton Centre; Toronto, Ontario

Depending on the outcomes of the upcoming elections, it’s quite possible that many of us will find on Wednesday that some of our friends are Canadaphiles, or people who have an extreme fondness for (and in many cases, harbor empty threats to move to) Canada. Truth be told, there’s plenty to love about our great neighbor to the north, especially if you have an interest in malls and retail. Sure, they call Kmart “Zellers” (though they’re no longer the same company), and instead of TJMaxx, they have Winners. But in Canada, practically every major shopping center is enclosed (as a sweeping generalization!) and one of the largest malls in the world (The West Edmonton Mall) is up in the great white north.

Downtown Toronto’s Eaton Centre is perhaps Canada’s second-most famous shopping mall. Located in the center of the city between Yonge, Queen, Dundas, and Bay Streets, the 330-store center is the most popular tourist attraction in Toronto, Canada’s largest city. The mall stands on the site of the original flagship Eaton’s store, which was once one of Canada’s premier department store chains. The mall itself, along with the modern 1,000,000 square-foot Eaton’s flagship store, opened in 1977, with a second phase following in 1979. The mall immediately became one of the most successful in North America, and (as required by the city of Toronto), the mall’s interior remains open 24 hours a day since its construction userped several public streets.

The mall’s greatest feature is perhaps its vaulted glass ceiling, which stands an astonishing 127 feet above the first level. It’s easily one of the tallest and grandest malls that I’ve seen, and its busy, active Yonge Street frontage (which is the closest that Canada has to a “Times Square” district) is a sight to behold at night.

The mall today includes Sears (who purchased the bankrupt Eaton’s in 1999, and rebranded them 2001 or 2002ish), H&M, Canadian Tire, and Best Buy spread across 1,600,000 square feet. The Eaton Centre is also connected via skywalk to the nearby flagship of The Bay (or, in Quebec, La Baie), also known as The Hudson’s Bay Company, one of Canada’s largest remaining department store chains.

All of these photos were taken by Prangeway in 2001. Note the presence of Eaton’s rather than Sears!