Palm Beach Mall; West Palm Beach, Florida

2004 photo of Burdine's at Palm Beach Mall in West Palm Beach, FL When the Palm Beach Mall opened in 1967, it was billed as the largest enclosed mall in the Southeast. Located in West Palm Beach, FL, the mall helped serve a community who didn’t necessarily need the opulence of Palm Beach’s Worth Avenue shopping area. It opened amidst spectacular gardens and fountains and was anchored by the Miami-based Jordan Marsh, JCPenney and the number three of the three Miami stores, Richards.

2004 photo of Burdine's at Palm Beach Mall in West Palm Beach, FL 2004 photo of Burdine's at Palm Beach Mall in West Palm Beach, FL

I don’t get many chances to travel by plane nowadays, so I’m thankful for people like Michael Lisicky, who have contributed a lot of great photos and information to Labelscar. This package of photos and history on the Palm Beach Mall in West Palm Beach, Florida, comes from Mr. Lisicky. I know I drove past this place in 2000 but I wasn’t able to stop (I had to catch a flight!) so I’m glad that some of the pieces have been put together–it seems it’s a fascinating case of a large, once-dominant mall losing its grip on the market in this South Florida city:

Palm Beach Mall in West Palm Beach, FL, 2007 (photo by Michael Lisicky)“When the Palm Beach Mall opened in 1967, it was billed as the largest enclosed mall in the Southeast. Located in West Palm Beach, FL, the mall helped serve a community who didn’t necessarily need the opulence of Palm Beach’s Worth Avenue shopping area. It opened amidst spectacular gardens and fountains and was anchored by the Miami-based Jordan Marsh, JCPenney and the number three of the three Miami stores, Richards. Palm Beach Mall thrived in the 1970s and beyond. So much so that the other Miami store, Burdines, left its downtown West Palm Beach location to join the Palm Beach Mall in 1980.

“But 1980 also meant more change to the mall. Richards, a unit of the troubled holding company City Stores, was forced to close all 8 Florida stores. This included not only the flagship in downtown Miami
but also the Palm Beach Mall location. Richards helped serve the more moderate end of the department store field in South Florida and therefore it found itself in less desirable shopping centers. However it was located in a couple of malls like Cutler Ridge and Palm Beach Mall where mall owners were threatening the company with eviction do to the lower quality of their merchandise. After Richards left, their anchor spot was quickly snatched up by Sears.

“The 1980s saw the infiltration of outside stores heading to Florida. Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, and Lord & Taylor joined Saks and Bonwit Teller to make the shopping environment more competitive. Burdines quickly defined itself as “The Florida Store” and solidified its place as the destination for loyal local and visiting shoppers. Jordan Marsh, which started Florida operations in 1956, was once the store for higher fashion. With newcomers heading into the state, the store lost focus and decided to downgrade in order to compete. It was a devastating decision for the company.

Lord & Taylor chose to come into the flourishing Palm Beach Mall during its massive invation into South Florida in the 1980s. Both Lord & Taylor and Jordan Marsh enjoyed high visibility from drivers on I-95. (Palm Beach Mall is actually the only mall visible from I-95 in all of South Florida.) But then things began to change. Jordan Marsh, floundering in bankruptcy, closed its stores in 1991. Lord & Taylor would end up retrenching years down the road eventually leaving Florida altogether. As the mall’s demographics changed the wonderful interior would be blandified over the years.

Jordan Marsh at Palm Beach Mall in West Palm Beach, FL, 7/91
“In the late 90s one of the biggest changes to happen to Palm Beach Mall was the razing of the Jordan Marsh store in order for Dillard’s to try to make its stand in South Florida. Shut out by Burdines and sister stores, Dillard’s had limited choices on where to locate. This dramatically changed the center court. Though the high ceiling remains to this day, gone is the exotic drama of its former interior self. And with a vacant and visible Lord & Taylor building, the mall decided to raze the store and leave the site ready for future development, development that has never materialized.

Palm Beach Mall in West Palm Beach, FL, 2007 (photo by Michael Lisicky)

“Burdines also suffered as the Macy influence gradually gained control. The store, even to this day, has a dramatic open feeling to its interior. This “Florida feeling” helped define to the public what
Burdines was all about. But in 2005 the store became a Macy’s. Up to the changeover, 2 of the 4 exterior entrances were sealed off. The parking garage leading into the upper floor of the store has even been closed off. Large portion of the store are walled off. Though the store has that great turquoise seashore feel, its merchandise no longer reflects the South Florida lifestyle. It has a true feeling of doom.

“Palm Beach Mall received a blow in 1999 when a young manager of the Chick-Fil-A store was murdered. Though it was deemed an inside job, few malls really can survive a high profile murder incident. (May I cite the Cloverleaf Mall in Richmond, VA?) More and more national merchants began to leave the mall in droves. The mall still is somewhat active but most stores seem to be on short term leases. Its current owner, Simon, seems to be in the mode to just fill the spaces, with anything. There is talk about the mall being ‘de-malled’. It’s fair to say its future is uncertain. There is too much competition in the immediate area to support this center. Time will tell.

“The pictures below were taken in late July, 2007. The interior store shots at the end are of the inside of the former Burdines, now Macy’s. The picture of the vacant lot next to the mall is where the Lord & Taylor was razed.”

The Burdine’s shots here are obviously not from 2007, they are 3 years older–from 2004. And the shot with the Jordan Marsh was from July of 1991; I know that it certainly takes me back, since Jordan Marsh’s New England stores (many of which are now being demolished, as they were abandoned by Macy’s) looked just like this. Michael also notes that the below Richards ad was from 1980, and was the last advertisement they ever ran in the Miami Herald. It also lists locations of their other stores at the time:

Richards Advertisement from the Miami Herald in 1980.

2004 photo of Burdine's at Palm Beach Mall in West Palm Beach, FL Palm Beach Mall in West Palm Beach, FL, 2007 (photo by Michael Lisicky) Palm Beach Mall in West Palm Beach, FL, 2007 (photo by Michael Lisicky)

Palm Beach Mall in West Palm Beach, FL, 2007 (photo by Michael Lisicky) Palm Beach Mall in West Palm Beach, FL, 2007 (photo by Michael Lisicky) Palm Beach Mall in West Palm Beach, FL, 2007 (photo by Michael Lisicky)

Palm Beach Mall in West Palm Beach, FL, 2007 (photo by Michael Lisicky) Palm Beach Mall in West Palm Beach, FL, 2007 (photo by Michael Lisicky) Palm Beach Mall in West Palm Beach, FL, 2007 (photo by Michael Lisicky)

Palm Beach Mall in West Palm Beach, FL, 2007 (photo by Michael Lisicky) Palm Beach Mall in West Palm Beach, FL, 2007 (photo by Michael Lisicky) Palm Beach Mall in West Palm Beach, FL, 2007 (photo by Michael Lisicky)

Palm Beach Mall in West Palm Beach, FL, 2007 (photo by Michael Lisicky) Palm Beach Mall in West Palm Beach, FL, 2007 (photo by Michael Lisicky) Palm Beach Mall in West Palm Beach, FL, 2007 (photo by Michael Lisicky)

Palm Beach Mall in West Palm Beach, FL, 2007 (photo by Michael Lisicky) Palm Beach Mall in West Palm Beach, FL, 2007 (photo by Michael Lisicky) Palm Beach Mall in West Palm Beach, FL, 2007 (photo by Michael Lisicky)

Palm Beach Mall in West Palm Beach, FL, 2007 (photo by Michael Lisicky) Palm Beach Mall in West Palm Beach, FL, 2007 (photo by Michael Lisicky) Palm Beach Mall in West Palm Beach, FL, 2007 (photo by Michael Lisicky)

Palm Beach Mall in West Palm Beach, FL, 2007 (photo by Michael Lisicky) Palm Beach Mall in West Palm Beach, FL, 2007 (photo by Michael Lisicky) Palm Beach Mall in West Palm Beach, FL, 2007 (photo by Michael Lisicky)

Palm Beach Mall in West Palm Beach, FL, 2007 (photo by Michael Lisicky)

Update: The Palm Beach Mall is nearing the end of its life and will likely be closing soon. Reader Evan from Florida sent us a few photos of the current state of the mall in fall of 2008:

2008 Photo of Palm Beach Mall 2008 Photo of Palm Beach Mall 2008 Photo of Palm Beach Mall

Blue Hen Mall; Dover, Delaware

Former Woolworth's and center court area at Blue Hen Mall in Dover, Delaware

About a year ago, Labelscar friend CCMoore alerted us to a time capsule of a mall located in Dover, Delaware, called the Blue Hen Mall. We almost completely forgot about this on our recent trip to the area. By the time we remembered, we already found ourselves toodling around Dover, and by then it was hard to do much research (plus I mistakenly thought the place was downtown, for some reason). I assumed it had just been completely converted to offices anyway and would be shut on the Sunday we were in town, and this may have even been true.

CCMoore was kind enough to send along some pictures to fill in the blanks and give us some history on this strange little relic. He also was responsible for our pretty fantastic feature on the Salisbury Mall last fall, too, so if you’re itching for more malls of the Delmarva, check it out.

“The Blue Hen Mall opened in 1969, I believe. It sits just north of the Dover Air Force Base. It opened with JCPenney, Woolco, Woolworth’s and Braunstein’s as the main draws and was probably the first mall south of the canal (not counting the Salisbury Mall in Maryland 2 hrs south). I know the newer Dover Mall opened in the early 80s with Sears, Leggett’s (Belk) and Boscov’s. Penney’s left in the early 90s and after that the mall basically died. It’s never been the most exciting mall in the world but it’s a serious time warp in some spots.

“Because this is an office complex of sorts, the grounds are pristinely maintained. The plants in the planters in the mall are still there and are maintained by some botony/garden association and they exactly like they did when I was kid.”

CCMoore offers us some commentary along with each of the pictures. In case you are wondering about the above photo, he says that it’s of “the left side off center court. This always seemed like the busier side. At one point Woolworths(the brick store w/ huge windows), Danneman’s (fabric, crafts, bullshit), GNC, Braunstein’s, Buster Brown, some wig shop, Hess Apparel and Waldenbooks were all on this end, with a HUGE Penney’s store connecting to it. When I was a kid in the mid-80s this was the best place to go because you could wander around and just look at everything and it was SO big, even though it’s not really big at all now.”

Former wig shop near JCPenney at Blue Hen Mall in Dover, Delaware

“The wig shop which looks like it might have been a Parklane Hosery store, this was on the left (north) end toward Penney’s, the small store to the right was part of Danneman’s that wrapped around the wig shop. The main store front was to the left further down.”

Former Woolworth's restaurant at Blue Hen Mall in Dover, Delaware

“The old Woolworth’s restaurant. This is at center court, toward the back parking lot.”

Former movie theatres at Blue Hen Mall in Dover, Delaware

“The old movie theater. I saw a shitty concert here in the mid-90s and the theater itself is pretty cool, the lobby is intact too.”

Former Woolco/Roses wing at Blue Hen Mall in Dover, Delaware

“To the right (south) of center court. The two arched doors on the
right with the display windows was a beautiful women’s clothing store
called Benjamin’s. At one point, DELDOT (Dept. of Trans.) had offices
upstairs while the main DelDOT campus was being enlarged in the early
90s. I have no clue what is there now, or what was there when the mall
was thriving. At the end of this wing was Woolco and then Roses.”

Randall Park Mall; North Randall, Ohio

Randall Park Mall in North Randall, OHRandall Park Mall is the largest mall in metropolitan Cleveland, Ohio. Commonly considered a “dead mall,” the center is almost completely vacant.

Randall Park Mall in North Randall, OH

The year was 1976 and the retail boom of building enclosed malls was near its peak.  Cleveland was no exception; even during a period of economic despair they joined the rest of America’s retail building boom, and embarked upon building behemoth retail centers across the metropolitan area.  The largest of these ever to be built, even as of 2007, was the Randall Park Mall in the tiny southeast suburban village of North Randall.

Randall Park Mall’s location in the village was strategically planned.  The mall is located on Route 8/Northfield Rd but also adjacent to the intersection of two interstates: I-271 and I-471, which together make a rough southern belt around the city of Cleveland.  Its location is also one of the most centrally located malls in northeast Ohio, between Cleveland, Youngstown, and Akron.

Randall Park Mall in North Randall, OHWhen it opened, Randall Park Mall’s anchors included  Sears, JC Penney, May Company, Higbee’s of Cleveland, and Horne’s from Pittsburgh.  Another Cleveland-based department store chain called Halle’s had an option to build at the mall but went broke before they got a chance to exercise it in the early 1980s.  No matter, though, because Randall Park Mall’s fortunes fell flat during the same time period.  In 1978, only two years after Randall Park opened, an upscale mall called Beachwood Place opened nearby which stole many upscale shoppers from Randall Park.  Beachwood Place is successful even today.  Also, a few high profile crimes in the late 1970s and early 1980s including a murder and a well-publicized race riot kept shoppers away.  The mall continued to spiral downward and by the late 1980s most of the original top-tier retailers had egressed the mall for warmer economic climes in nearby centers.  Higbee’s became Kaufmann’s (Now Macy’s as of 2006) and Horne’s closed up shop.

By the late 1990s, Randall Park Mall was in perilous decline.  JCPenney’s 200,000 square-foot mammoth of a store converted to a JCPenney Outlet, and closed just three years later in 2001.  Dillard’s also closed, and many of the mall’s in-line stores changed from national chains to mom-and-pop stores, or worse yet became completely vacant.  The north end of the mall, where JCPenney and Dillards once sat, became especially vacant, and looks and sounds more like a cave than a shopping center.  The Horne’s location eventually became a Burlington Coat Factory on the upper level and a local furniture store flavor-of-the-year on the bottom level.  Also, a Magic Johnson theatres opened in the mall. Other nonstandard mall tenants such as a Church and a Jeepers entertainment-based restaurant for children opened in vacant store slots as well.

Randall Park Mall in North Randall, OH Randall Park Mall in North Randall, OH

But why did Randall Park, Cleveland’s largest mall, fail?  It is strategically located in northeast Ohio at the intersection of two major interstates, and has five anchor spaces as well as spots for many national retailers.  The answers are most likely in the changing demographics of the area immediately surrounding the mall, and also in the normal evolutionary cycle of retail.  As urban sprawl extended away from the core of Cleveland, it brought new retail with it farther and farther out.  Because metro Cleveland’s population on the whole is relatively stagnant, the inner-core retail like Randall Park and Euclid Square Malls suffer while newer retail lifestyle centers like Legacy Village and Crocker Park.

So what’s next for Randall Park Mall?  I predict a slow, protracted continuation of its demise, followed by an attempt at mixed-use, and then either complete renovation and repurposing or blight.  It’s rather sad to see it fallen from its glory and in such a state as it is today, but such is the nature of retail.  In 2007 the Ohio Technical College announced plans to tenant the entirety of the 200,000 square-foot vacant former Penney’s space.

The pictures here were taken in June 2005.  Bonus points to anyone who can tell me what the largely abandoned huge building is near the entrance to the mall; it’s really scary.

Randall Park Mall outlot in North Randall, OH Randall Park Mall outlot in North Randall, OH Randall Park Mall in North Randall, OH

Randall Park Mall in North Randall, OH Randall Park Mall in North Randall, OH Randall Park Mall in North Randall, OH

Randall Park Mall in North Randall, OH Randall Park Mall in North Randall, OH Randall Park Mall in North Randall, OH

Randall Park Mall in North Randall, OH Randall Park Mall in North Randall, OH Randall Park Mall in North Randall, OH

Randall Park Mall directory in North Randall, OH Randall Park Mall in North Randall, OH Randall Park Mall in North Randall, OH

Randall Park Mall in North Randall, OH Randall Park Mall in North Randall, OH Randall Park Mall pylon in North Randall, OH

Tri-State Mall; Claymont, Delaware

Tri-State Mall in Claymont, DE

With a name like the “Tri-State Mall,” you might expect a major, regional mall out of this Claymont, Delaware center. Of course, you’d also be completely wrong.

The tiny Tri-State Mall on Naaman’s Road in Claymont, Delaware, located right along the Pennsylvania state line, is easily one of the bleakest and most unappealing malls that we’ve visited. While we at Labelscar love the idea of the enclosed mall and find that it’s a rare occasion that we don’t enjoy one of these centers, Tri-State Mall is one of those rare cases where the place feels so forbidding that we’re in a bit of a rush to leave. These pictures, all taken in early August 2007 of the forty-year-old mall, should illustrate why.

Set between some middle class suburban areas to the west and an expanse of oil fields and other industrial areas to the east, the Tri-State Mall is organized in a relatively simple “+” pattern, with one hallway leading straight from the parking lot to a comedy club in the mall’s rear, and a cross hallway leading between Kmart and Value City, the mall’s two anchors. There is also a rather sad little strip mall in the parking lot that’s built into the lot’s grade.

Tri-State Mall in Claymont, DE

Apart from the mall’s downright hilarious website–which includes a bunch of small photos that were very obviously NOT taken here–we can’t find very much about the Tri-State Mall on the web. Did the mall ever do any better? What were the original anchors–was something here before Value City?

EDIT 8/13/07: Ask and you shall receive. Michael Lisicky always comes through for us–he had this 1987 photo of the Wilmington Dry Goods store, which occupied the Value City space. He also says the mall was a much bigger draw at that time than it is today. Value City took over the space in 1990. Also, Lisicky says he’s pretty sure that the Kmart was a Grant City store originally.

Wilmington Dry Goods at Tri-State Mall in Claymont, Delaware 1987

Strip mall at Tri-State Mall in Claymont, DE Value City at Tri-State Mall in Claymont, DE Kmart at Tri-State Mall in Claymont, DE

Tri-State Mall in Claymont, DE Tri-State Mall in Claymont, DE Tri-State Mall in Claymont, DE Tri-State Mall in Claymont, DE

Tri-State Mall in Claymont, DE

Westland Mall; Columbus, Ohio

Westland Mall Lazarus in Columbus, OH

Tucked away on the west side of Columbus on the corner of Broad Street/U.S. 40 and the I-270 belt, Westland Mall has without a doubt seen better days.  Opened in 1969 as an outdoor mall, Westland was enclosed in 1982 and has not been renovated since.  As such, it has fallen victim to the flight of many-a-store in recent years, especially considering the tight retail competition in the Columbus market.

When it opened, Westland was anchored by Sears, Columbus-based Lazarus, and JCPenney.  Only Sears has held its ground; JCPenney closed in 1997 for new digs several miles up the road at The Mall at Tuttle Crossing and Lazarus, which became Macy’s recently, closed earlier this year citing underperforming sales.  Other national chain stores have departed in recent years as well, such as The Limited and Express.  In addition, the Woolworth’s mini-anchor which closed in 1997 with the rest of the chain was replaced by a Staples which denied mall access.  Whoops.  Since 2000, many more stores have departed, and on a Columbus Dispatch reporter’s recent visit to the mall the Dollar store was the busiest retailer in the whole place.  Whoops again. 

Westland Mall in Columbus, OH Westland Mall Lazarus in Columbus, OH

So what really happened at Westland?  Several sources suggest that tight competition was a major factor in Westland’s demise.  Between 1997 and 2001, Columbus saw more large retail destinations open than in any other market, with the opening of two large enclosed malls, The Mall at Tuttle Crossing and Polaris Fashion Place, and one large outdoor center, Easton Town Center.  Malls like Westland, and others which have recently failed like Columbus City Center and Northland Mall, all fell victim to this shiny new competition at an alarming rate. 

The opening of all three of these new centers also signified a greater shift geographically in the economic prosperity of Columbus, pressing greater emphasis on the large sprawling swath of suburbia north of downtown and leaving the other parts of town struggling.  Just by looking at a map of Columbus, it’s easy to see the recent growth has pressed northward at a rate two to three times the rate of other directions.  This is where much of the money is in Columbus, and also has much to do with the location of OSU in this direction.

Westland Mall in Columbus, OHToday, Westland Mall is a ghost town, a retail relic and a living history museum to the ‘dead mall’ phenomenon visible across the entire country.  The Broad Street retail strip around it is dated and functional, but the mall has definitely outlived its original stay as the anchor for this side of the trade area.  A massive renovation and repurposing will have to take place before it is viable again.  The mall’s website indicates they are courting ‘value’ tenants to make Westland into a ‘value-oriented’ mall, and while this may solve the immediate vacancy issue it is really only a stopgap solution as the center continues to age rather ungracefully. 

But for now, enjoy the photos and if you’re in the area take a visit to one of the area’s best-preserved dead mall museums while it lasts.  It won’t be long before they give up the ghost and try again.  The pictures here were taken in March 2004.

Westland Mall Broad Street in Columbus, OH Westland Mall in Columbus, OH Westland Mall in Columbus, OH 

Westland Mall in Columbus, OH Westland Mall in Columbus, OH Westland Mall in Columbus, OH

Westland Mall in Columbus, OH Westland Mall in Columbus, OH Westland Mall in Columbus, OH

Westland Mall in Columbus, OH Westland Mall Staples in Columbus, OH Westland Mall Broad Street in Columbus, OH

 

Indian Mall; Jonesboro, Arkansas

Indian Mall pylon in Jonesboro, AR

Over the years we’ve spent a great deal of time investigating why malls die.  We’ve found a great number of reasons, and one of the most popular of these has been competition.  We hate to sound general, but it’s happened all over the place, and probably close to you too.  The newer, shinier mall (replace ‘mall’ with ‘Lifestyle Center’ or ‘Big Box Power Center’ or whatever, same difference) becomes instantly popular and leaves the smaller, older center by the wayside.  However, this process usually takes a while, typically at least several years if not longer before total dominance is shifted from one retail center/area to another, and the losing mall finally gives up and meets Mr. Bulldozer.  However, that’s not necessarily the case here. What we’re about to investigate is rather unique, in that the dominance of one center shifted to another instantaneously; as one shiny new mall opened, the older, smaller mall was immediately abandoned, seemingly overnight.

Indian Mall in Jonesboro, ARFirst, a bit about the area.  With just about 60,000 residents and over 150,000 in the metropolitan area, Jonesboro, Arkansas is the regional anchor city for the northeast part of the state.  Jonesboro is, however, culturally and economically linked to the larger metropolis of Memphis, Tennessee, about 70 miles to the south.  That said, Jonesboro does enjoy a degree of autonomy, being the seat of local government as well as for having Arkansas State University, and being a regional center for agriculture and trade.

Most of the typical Big Box strip malls, chain restaurants, and businesses in general in Jonesboro are located in the southeast part of town along Highland Dr, S. Caraway Rd., and Stadium Blvd.  Indian Mall, named after the University mascot, is located in this area, and opened here in the late 1960s featuring Blass, TG&Y, Sears, and a supermarket.  Blass became Dillards, TG&Y closed in the 1980s and Dillards used its mall-fronting space for an expansion, and the supermarket closed and was converted to a food court.  Also, in 1976, JCPenney attached itself to the small 300,000 square-foot center, adding a stub wing onto the north end.  Indian Mall’s decor was relatively unchanged throughout its four-decade lifespan, which is neat for us mall historians, but don’t look for it being around too much longer. 

Indian Mall in Jonesboro, ARBy the mid-1990s, Jonesboro’s population had doubled since the 1960s debut of Indian Mall and, as the commercial center of all of Northeast Arkansas, could definitely support a larger and more modern mall.  The small Indian Mall chugged along into the 1990s, when its owner, Warmack & Company, proposed building a new mall just to the east of Indian Mall along Highland Dr. at Stadium Blvd.  Under the plans, Indian Mall was to have been changed into a Big Box or mixed-use retail center.  The new mall even got a name, Southern Hills Mall, and land was set aside for the development.  Unfortunately, though, due to a myriad of reasons it never materialized, and a competing mall developer stepped in to take the reigns and build Jonesboro a new center. 

David Hocker & Associates was the competing developer’s name, and offered up plans which did materialize in 2006 in the form of The Mall at Turtle Creek.  The new 750,000 square-foot center opened, and took with it most of Indian Mall’s stores.  JCPenney and Dillards had brand new digs there, and almost overnight many of Indian Mall’s remaining in-line stores seemingly packed up and moved down the street.  Almost immediately, Indian Mall was left completely vacant, except for Sears and Dillard’s Clearance Center. So, after nearly four decades in operation, the Indian Mall was felled in one swoop.  And, because its owner’s development wasn’t selected to become the new mall, Indian Mall sits there like a deer in headlights.  As of Summer 2007 the mall is technically open, but only functions as a corridor for mall walking and to get between the two remaining anchors.  Nothing else remains at Indian Mall and it’s only a matter of time before the property is redeveloped, and the mall’s website recently went down forever. 

The photos here were taken in June 2007.  Feel free to add your own thoughts or anecdotes and be sure to check out the Mall at Turtle Creek posting as well.  We felt they stood better together chronologically yet as separate posts.   

Indian Mall in Jonesboro, AR Indian Mall in Jonesboro, AR Indian Mall in Jonesboro, AR

Indian Mall in Jonesboro, AR Indian Mall in Jonesboro, AR Indian Mall in Jonesboro, AR

Indian Mall in Jonesboro, AR Indian Mall in Jonesboro, AR Indian Mall in Jonesboro, AR

Indian Mall in Jonesboro, AR Indian Mall in Jonesboro, AR Indian Mall in Jonesboro, AR

Indian Mall in Jonesboro, AR Indian Mall in Jonesboro, AR Indian Mall in Jonesboro, AR

Indian Mall in Jonesboro, AR Indian Mall Food Court in Jonesboro, AR Indian Mall in Jonesboro, AR

Indian Mall Food Court in Jonesboro, AR Indian Mall Food Court in Jonesboro, AR Indian Mall Food Court in Jonesboro, AR

Indian Mall in Jonesboro, AR Indian Mall in Jonesboro, AR

Rio Mall; Rio Grande, New Jersey

Historic view of Rio Mall in Rio Grande, New Jersey

A few months back, I proudly proclaimed that I thought I’d seen all of the malls in New Jersey. Of course I hadn’t; New Jersey has tons of hidden malls, including this (sort of) departed gem, Cape May’s Rio Mall. Michael Lisicky sent us a great set of old photos from when the mall still had a smidge of glamour, as well as a sad set that shows what’s become of her. Check it out:

Historic Rio Mall advertisement“With all of the attention on Labelscar that the mega-mall Mall of America has created I decided to pay homage to one of the smaller malls that I have ever known. Arguably New Jersey, for a state its size, is the King of Shopping Malls. Besides its hundreds of shopping centers everywhere New Jersey is home to such showplaces as the Garden State Plaza and the Cherry Hill Mall. However southern New Jersey was also home to many “mini-malls”, malls that were anchored by a junior department or discount store and/or a supermarket. These malls contained about a dozen stores located between the anchors where shoppers could support these businesses where “every day is like Springtime” (from an old Cherry Hill Mall advertisement). Centers like the Cinnaminson Mall, the Tri-Towne Mall in Marlton, and the Village Mall in Willingboro are now a distant memory for many as the novelty quickly wore off. But nobody pulled off the “mini-mall” better than the Rio Mall.

The Rio Mall is (was) located in the southern tip of New Jersey four miles north of Cape May. Cape May County in the early 1970s was still quite seasonal and, besides a few small centers, serious shopping was still a half hour north near Atlantic City. In came the Rio Mall. The Rio Mall was built in 1973 in Rio Grande, NJ. It was a novelty for its time. The closest indoor mall, the Shore Mall 30 miles north, would actually not complete its final construction with its new glitzy Steinbach store until 1974. The Rio Mall had no big department store. It was anchored by a Grant City, an A&P, a movie theatre, and about 15 other stores. Each store in the mall basically served one of every type of need. From the start, the Rio Mall was a success. It was constantly occupied but not just by local fly-by-night storefronts. The mall, unlike most “mini-malls,” had a full Deb Shop, JS Raub shoe store, Thrift Drug and the upper-end branch of Atlantic City’s famous Palley’s Jewellers. With little competition and the fascination of indoor shopping Cape May County was happy.

Historic photo of Rio Mall in Rio Grande, NJ

The Rio Mall wasn’t necessarily a mall where you could browse all day. But if you wanted a new pair of shoes, wanted to fix your watch, needed to buy some cards and catch a movie it was “one stop shopping”. Even when Grants closed their doors with the rest of the chain in 1976 the anchor store did not stay dark for long. In came K-mart. Even Atlantic City didn’t have a K-mart until after Woolco closed its store in 1982. For years the Rio Mall served the county well. Along the way it lost some stores but they were quickly replaced by such chains as Rafters, a NJ woman’s clothing store and a (small) Reynolds junior department store.

Historic Grant City AdvertisementBut then the area became more year-round. Demand for shopping grew. Soon some of the earliest power centers would invade its territory. JCPenney built a new store down the street along with Peebles. Thrift Drug merged with Eckerd and left to a store next to Starn’s Shop-Rite. Reynolds moved into a “real” storefront across the street. Palley’s closed all of their stores. By the mid 90s the exodus was in full swing. Slowly the mall began to die. It tried to survive but for many it was time to move on.

So what’s left of Rio Mall? Not much anymore. Kmart still is going strong but the mall was “removed”. Kmart took over much of the mall’s space as it braced for a hit from the area’s first Wal-Mart down the road. The theaters are there but they’ve moved. (Actually the theater company, Frank’s, had purchased the mall not long ago from mall owner PREIT but is now looking to unload it.) There is a strange corrider that is still left from the old mall. It’s almost like a hurricane came through; part of the mall is still there, but now it’s open to the elements. The ceiling tiles are still there. The framework to Thrift Drug is still there. But it’s all filled with trash. But what does remain is perhaps one of the perfect “labelscar”s of all malls. The Rio Mall sign still peeks from its bricks hoping that someone still remembers the role it once played in the growth of Cape May County.”

From the look of Michael’s photos, I really didn’t miss anything–at least not nowadays, anyway. I’m am, however, glad for the chance to see what it was like–thanks Michael!

Rio Mall exterior photo, in Rio Grande, NJ Kmart at Rio Mall exterior photo, in Rio Grande, NJ Rio Mall exterior photo, in Rio Grande, NJ Rio Mall exterior photo, in Rio Grande, NJ

Rio Mall exterior photo, in Rio Grande, NJ Rio Mall exterior photo, in Rio Grande, NJ Rio Mall exterior photo, in Rio Grande, NJ

Rio Mall exterior photo, in Rio Grande, NJ

Southglenn Mall; Centennial, Colorado

Southglenn Mall Foley's in Centennial, CO

Centennial, Colorado is a suburb of Denver located south of downtown roughly along Interstate 25.  With just over 100,000 residents, Centennial is one of the largest cities in Colorado and has a relatively recent history as a city, being incorporated in 2001. It is surrounded by other large suburbs in an area of urban sprawl stretching to the south of Denver, such as Littleton and Englewood, and more recently spilling into Douglas County and former Ranch country.

Southglenn Mall, opened in 1974, was a large, two-story enclosed mall in Centennial located along University Blvd near Arapahoe. It was developed by Jordan Perlmutter, the same company which built Northglenn Mall and also nearby competitor Southwest Plaza in Littleton. The anchors when the mall opened were Sears, May D&F, and Denver Dry Goods. In 1987, Denver Dry Goods was sold to JCPenney and the following year in 1988 the mall was renovated. Then, in 1993, May D&F became Texas-based Foley’s, and in 1994 Joslin’s built a large flagship anchor on the east side of the mall.

Southglenn Mall in Centennial, COUnfortunately, the middle of the 1990s were the apex of success for Southglenn, as intense competition mounted nearby. In 1996, Park Meadows Mall opened about 5 miles away in nearby Lone Tree. Park Meadows immediately established itself as a destination mall for the entire Denver area, not only drawing from a larger base than Southglenn but also positioning itself at the busy freeway junction of I-25 and CO 470. Park Meadows started draining stores away from Southglenn, at first slowly, but soon the exodus picked up an alarming pace. Then, in 1998, another blow hit Southglenn as the Joslins flagship became less important as the Joslins chain was absorbed into Dillards. In 1999, the mall was sold, and the JCPenney became a Home Store, only to close entirely in 2002. In 2001 some minor last-ditch efforts were made to renovate the center, but they were too little and too late. All this time Park Meadows had been dominant in south Denver and meanwhile Southwest Plaza in nearby Littleton had held its ground over there, increasing the number of top-tier mall stores. Finally, by 2005, Southglenn’s owners and the City of Centennial announced the ever-popular lifestyle center conversion, ending the mall’s over three-decade run. And finally, in 2006, Foley’s became Macy’s.

The new mall will be called Streets at Southglenn, and demolition began on the old mall in 2006. Nearly complete in 2007, the master development plan indicates a faux-old-tyme “Main Street” type decor Southglenn Mall in Centennial, COwith outdoor greenspace and almost 1 million square feet of retail, combined with residences and 100,000 square feet of office space. If the pictures indicate what will actually take place as a result of construction, the new center should actually be somewhat impressive and more useful to the nearby citizens than the rather crusty old mall structure which was there. At any rate, this one’s another one which has gone into the retail history books (read: our website) for archival preservation.

We visited Southglenn in January 2005 and took the pictures featured here. For some neat demolition photos and a liveblog of what’s going on with the site, go to the redevelopment website. From memory, I can recall the most interesting feature of the mall was the second level which sort of randomly appeared in the middle of the mall, which was pretty much a straight shot between anchors. If you have anything to add, feel free to pipe up in the comments section.

Southglenn Mall in Centennial, CO Southglenn Mall in Centennial, CO Southglenn Mall in Centennial, CO

Southglenn Mall in Centennial, CO Southglenn Mall in Centennial, CO Southglenn Mall in Centennial, CO

Southglenn Mall Vintage Abercrombie in Centennial, CO Southglenn Mall Vintage Abercrombie in Centennial, CO Southglenn Mall Vintage Abercrombie in Centennial, CO

Southglenn Mall in Centennial, CO Southglenn Mall in Centennial, CO Southglenn Mall in Centennial, CO

Southglenn Mall in Centennial, CO Southglenn Mall in Centennial, CO Southglenn Mall in Centennial, CO

Azalea Mall; Richmond, Virginia

Azalea Mall in Richmond, VA, 1991

Hey kids,

Some of you may have noticed (and if you haven’t, I must question the value of our friendship) that I’ve been a bit absent lately. I noticed that my house was looking a bit too much like a 1970s-vintage dead mall, with its wood-paneled conversation pits and bubbly light fixtures. I decided it was time to renovate it. Unfortunately “renovating your house” and “updating your blog about malls” don’t go terribly hand-in-hand; in fact, having internet access or a computer not covered in an inch of drywall dust aren’t part of the bargain either.

To atone for this, I’m going to fill in a bit with a submission sent by reader Michael Lisicky. Michael has sent us quite a few things before, but this post about Richmond, Virginia’s departed Azalea Mall should be read in tandem with the pictures (and history) he sent of Petersburg, Virginia’s Walnut Mall awhile back.

Azalea Mall in Richmond, VA, 1991

“The Azalea Mall was located in Richmond, Virginia in the city’s North side. It was located on Brook Road and was opened in 1963, according to company records. Its two anchors were a 50,000 foot Thalhimers and one of the first Woolco stores in the country. Azalea Mall was Richmond’s first enclosed shopping mall. In addition to Thalhimers and Woolco it also contained such stores as Peoples Drug, Woolworth’s, Food Fair, Hofheimer’s Shoes and many other ‘standard’ mall stores. It was never a large mall but it definitely served its local residents. Things changed over the years, Food Fair became Pantry Pride, which became (a rather low end) Super Fresh. Woolco became Ames but many stores such as Rees Jewelers remained. The kiss of death for Azalea Mall occurred in Spring of 1991. Thalhimers new parent company, May Department Stores, announced that it was going to close the Azalea Mall store. “We don’t operate 50,000 square foot stores,” said May at the time. Yes, the store was a little dowdy, but it had a loyal following and still operated a large beauty salon as well as a full candy counter and bakery. (By year’s end. May would announce that it was retiring the Thalhimers name and was also closing many of its smaller stores along with the downtown Richmond store.) When Thalhimers announced its closure, mall officials said “Losing Thalhimers will actually help Azalea, which has shifted to more of an off-price shopping center.” With Thalhimers gone in July 1991, Azalea Mall started to fall. Along with losing the Super Fresh its next big hit (or hits) would be in 1993, when Ames announced it was closing its Virginia stores due to bankruptcy. Next, Woolworth announced its first major round of store closings, which included all Richmond stores. Then Azalea Mall fell. Peoples Drug, which never remodeled–ever–and had a wonderfully glum and abandoned lunch counter, left to become CVS in another center. By 1995 the mall was shut. By 1998 the mall was gone. Except for a strange old sign and the remnants of the Woolworth Garden Center the mall was nothing but asphalt and weeds. Plans have come and gone but right now it is a true retail graveyard. These pictures are from May 1991. Thalhimers didn’t have much of an exterior entrance but the one photo shows it as well as possible.”

Azalea Mall in Richmond, VA, 1991 Azalea Mall in Richmond, VA, 1991 Azalea Mall in Richmond, VA, 1991

Pierre Moran Mall; Elkhart, Indiana

Pierre Moran Mall in Elkhart, IN

Elkhart, Indiana is a cozy medium-sized city of about 50,000 people located all the way at the top of Indiana, right in the middle of the state.  It’s literally right next to South Bend and a little over 100 miles east of Chicago on the Indiana Toll Road (I-80/90).  If you ever played a musical instrument in school, like I did, chances are you have run across the Selmer name.  It’s from here, and so are numerous Recreational Vehicle manufacturers.  So much so, that Elkhart is known as the RV capital of the world. 

If you aren’t yet impressed by now with rows of brass piled side by side with rows of campers, Elkhart probably has something more up your alley.  Pierre Moran Mall was not only weirdly named, but one of the most dated relics of a shopping center in the whole area.  That is, until it failed, closed and was demolished last year (Spring 2006).   

Pierre Moran Mall in Elkhart, INOpened in 1958 as a strip mall, Pierre Moran Mall was enclosed in the 1970s and became Elkhart’s first real mall.  In early days, the mall featured a W.T. Grant, then later on Chicago-based Carson Pirie Scott and Indianapolis-based Ayr-Way (Discount store of L.S. Ayres), and most recently it had Kroger, Big Lots, CVS, Target, and a Sears.  But by the turn of the century the mall’s age and lack of renovation took its toll, and Target took off for greener pastures south of Elkhart along U.S. 33.  Kroger and Sears agreed to stay, but the 416,000 square foot mall had to go.  In 2004, this new project got a name: Woodland Crossing.  I think The NecroKonicon, which appears to be a lexicon of inside jokes and information relating to this area, says it best: “…as if that will magically make new shoppers flock to the complex to shop with the added convenience of having to walk outside more.”  Apparently by demolishing what was there and renaming it, they’ll trick woo shoppers into coming back.  Though, according to the developer’s site plan, the stores aren’t coming in droves.  Hmm.

So what really killed this mall?  I would argue both competition and lack of support from its management put the nails in the coffin here at Pierre Moran Mall.  South Bend, which is the center of the entire Michiana region, is a mere 15 miles away, and there is a huge concentration of every Big Box store imaginable centered around the University Park Mall in Mishawaka.  Even though Elkhart and Goshen residents complain and would rather have these stores open locally, the stores’ bottom lines don’t support this.  In addition, even local competition aided in sealing Pierre Moran’s fate.  Throughout the past decade or so, many of the newer and more popular chain stores have gravitated south along U.S. 33 between Elkhart and Goshen, which is today a huge strip.  Elkhart’s Concord Mall, which is a great deal more successful than Pierre Moran ever was, is along this corridor, though it too is very dated and in need of some love.  Also, Concord Mall is not far from Pierre Moran; both were on the south side on opposing sides of the U.S. 20 Bypass.  Finally, management is somewhat to blame for allowing Pierre Moran to go fallow, with absolutely no renovation or repositioning efforts from when the mall was enclosed in the 1970s to when it was torn down in 2006.

Pierre Moran Mall in Elkhart, INCaldor and I first visited Pierre Moran Mall punchdrunk at the end of a long trip through western Michigan in Fall 1998, though we weren’t able to go in due to the lateness of the hour.  I finally returned with digital camera in hand during the Summer of 2001, and snapped these pictures.  I did also manage to make it back at least once since, and as soon as I find those pictures I’ll post them as well.  I also have a few specific questions for the comments.  Who was (is?) Pierre Moran?  What was the specific chronology of the anchor roster?  And, how do locals feel about the new development?  The Internets suggest that people aren’t warming up too quickly. 

Pierre Moran Mall in Elkhart, IN Pierre Moran Mall in Elkhart, IN Pierre Moran Mall in Elkhart, IN

Pierre Moran Mall in Elkhart, IN Pierre Moran Mall in Elkhart, IN