http://www.labelscar.com News and Views of Malls, Shopping Centers, and Retail Chains Past and Present Thu, 18 Mar 2010 20:36:30 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Baltimore's busy, urban Mondawmin Mall opened in 1956 as Mondawmin Center, an open-air mall located just three miles from downtown, at the intersection of Gwynns Falls Parkway and Liberty Heights Avenue. Mondawmin Center was the very first development by Maryland mall magnate James Rouse, who would later build an empire of shopping centers, planned suburbs and festival marketplaces around the country - before his company was ultimately sold to General Growth in 2004.]]> http://www.labelscar.com/maryland/mondawmin-mall http://www.labelscar.com/california/westfield-oakridge http://www.labelscar.com/indiana/eastgate-consumer-mall In the mall-crazy late 1970s, a developer decided that one mall wasn't enough for little Bloomington-Normal, and made plans to build a second enclosed mall on the same strip. Located just a mile north of Eastland Mall along Veterans Parkway/Old Route 66, the College Hills Mall opened in August 1980 with anchor Carson Pirie Scott and a single-level T-shaped corridor of stores. The second anchor, Montgomery Ward, opened about a month later, also in 1980, and a third anchor, Target, opened in 1982. ]]> http://www.labelscar.com/illinois/college-hills-mall With the probable distinction of being the only mall in the world named after underwear, Hanes Mall is the largest mall in the Piedmont Triad and one of the largest in the state of North Carolina. Hanes Mall has five anchor stores and nearly 1.5 million square feet of retail space on two levels, and is the anchor to a large retail district on Winston-Salem's west side. ]]> http://www.labelscar.com/north-carolina/hanes-mall If you've ever visited the Orlando area as a tourist, odds are you've been very close to Florida Mall. Located just minutes from Sea World, Disney, and Universal, Florida Mall is the largest mall in the Orlando area and one of the closest malls to all these attractions. In fact, from 1986-2002, it was the only major mall in south Orlando. Since its grand opening, the massive Florida Mall has enjoyed immense success serving not only locals, but tourists from around the country and across the globe.]]> http://www.labelscar.com/florida/florida-mall The single level University Mall, which opened 1973, was the first mall in the Provo area. The mall is actually located in Orem, a planned suburban city immediately north of Provo. Orem, much like Provo and the rest of the Wasatch Front, has grown from a population of 18,000 in 1960 to a population of nearly 100,000 today. ]]> http://www.labelscar.com/utah/university-mall-orem Located in Brooklyn Center, an inner-ring suburb 10 miles northwest of Minneapolis, Brookdale Center is a behemoth of a mall living on borrowed time. Opened in 1962, Brookdale debuted to a new, sprawling post-war building boom which eventually levelled off as the area became built out. Over time, many original residents serving the mall's purpose moved up and out to newer and better suburbs, and were slowly replaced by those with a different socioeconomic status. Today, Brookdale is in serious decline, existing as as an ever-dwindling collection of stores inside the husk of a super-regional mall on the precipice of closure. ]]> http://www.labelscar.com/minnesota/brookdale-center http://www.labelscar.com/retail-news/simon-bids-for-general-growth Sunland Park Mall is a large, two-level, 'L'-shaped mall, with five anchors and almost 1 million square feet of retail space. The mall itself is anchor to a larger retail district serving El Paso's west side, located mostly along TX 20 stretching from downtown to the northwest. Sunland Park is fairly well-tenanted with popular national chains, despite its lone, inaccurate Yelp review indicating otherwise. However, Cielo Vista across town probably has a slightly better mix of stores. ]]> http://www.labelscar.com/texas/sunland-park-mall