The Mall at Whitney Field (Searstown Mall); Leominster, Massachusetts
The Mall at Whitney Field is the only major enclosed shopping center in North-Central Massachusetts, serving the twin cities of Leominster and Fitchburg just off Massachusetts route 2 about 45 miles northwest of Boston. One of the oldest malls in Massachusetts, The Mall at Whitney Field opened in 1967 as the “Searstown Mall,” but it was extensively renovated and renamed in 2004. Like many malls of its vintage, it has had many changes over the years.
Initially, the Searstown Mall was a smaller center anchored by Sears (obviously!), a rare Massachusetts outpost of Hartford-based Sage-Allen Department Store, and Bradlees, but in a very different configuration than today. In the late 1980s, the Searstown Mall was expanded substantially at its southeastern end, adding a long bright wing leading to a brand new JCPenney store. In 1992, Sage-Allen closed their store at the end of the “T” side wing and were replaced by a Service Merchandise store. At about the same time, Toys R Us built a store that was attached to the mall, but was located on the outside of the Bradlees store and only had an exterior entrance.
Another big wave of changes began in 1999. Service Merchandise closed their store, and the long side wing leading to their old store emptied out. Instead of replacing the stores, the wing was big-boxed in 2000, replacing Service Merchandise with Circuit City and turning much of the side wing into an Old Navy store. Bafflingly, both of these stores (not just the Circuit City!) have exterior entrances only.
Changes accellerated with the 2001 loss of Bradlees, leaving a very large vacancy at Searstown. Bizarrely, the store was demolished in 2002, although the Toys R Us store attached to the Bradlees was left standing, leaving it as an “orphan” standalone building no longer attached to the main mall building. The former Bradlees mall entrance was then converted to an outdoor mall entrance, and Filene’s built a large new two-level store one entrance down–at a door that used to lead directly outside (isn’t that strange?) Obviously it’s a Macy’s now. By looking at the older Google satellite photo of the mall and comparing to the modern-day directory, you can see how it’s changed in the past few years. In 2004, the remainder of the tired-looking yet successful mall received a much-needed make-over, dressing it up in soft hues and retiring the quaint Searstown Mall moniker in favor of the more affected “Mall at Whitney Field” name, likely in an attempt to help endear the mall to shoppers who live in affluent northwestern I-495 belt suburbs rather than just the immediate, more blue-collar population of Leominster and Fitchburg.
This ramshackle mid-sized mall isn’t terribly exciting, but I’ve always been somewhat fond of it. It may be that even despite renovations, its age is showing, and it may be that ancient Sears store at the northwestern end of the mall.
Steven Swain
November 2nd, 2006 at 2:54 am
As a group, this mall’s department stores have successfully bridged all the major design eras
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XISMZERO
November 2nd, 2006 at 3:19 pm
Ooof. I visited this mall around last year’s time. If you’re around Rindge, New Hampshire and you’re looking for malls, you might drive 45 to Leominster to get to The Mall at Whitney Field. What can I say? Lame. This mall felt very dry, not dead by any means, but very lackluster.
The food court was so limited, and unsettling, I decided to find something else around the mall which there is a goog amount of. Mall at Whitney Field ought to thank the surroundings for the success of the mall – namely a nearby Newbury Comics, Market Basket, and plenty of other strip mall stores and restaurants.
Never knew there was a Bradlees here and the Toys R Us is so close to the mall it almost seems odd not to be annexed with it.
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dan fife
November 8th, 2006 at 6:14 am
I read that the Toys r us was the old Market Basket that relocated outside the mall in 1991 and toys r us opened october 1992.
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john
November 23rd, 2006 at 3:37 am
I visited the Searstown mall for the first time in the 1970’s It was a very small mall anchored by Sears and the RH White’s Department store. It had a Woolworth’s and about 12-15 Stores. RH Whites also had an older store in Worcester’s Lincoln Plaza. White also had a downtown Boston store which closed in 1954.
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Marci
December 11th, 2006 at 8:14 pm
This mall also had a Cherry & Web Store that was once located next to the Friendly’s Ice Cream it is and is now a Victoria’s Secret and KB toys. The store also had an exterior entrance. Cherry and Web relocated across the Mall where there is now a Steve & Barry’s store. Prior to Steve and Barry’s it was Anderson Little Mens clothing store.
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james
December 23rd, 2006 at 6:53 pm
The mall opened in 1967 with a sears Rh Whites and a Bradlees/stop n shop with a door open in the middle to walk between the two. They were not connected to the mall. The MAin mall anchors Were R.H. Whites and Sears plus wollworth with a full service restaurant and Tourannes later cwt there were also smaller store such as anderson little brooks action were, kinney shoes, thom mcann, fanny farmer and a bank. In the early 1970’s the terrazzo floor was covered with loinleium and the mall was sold to kimco of new england. In the late 1970’s the rh whites was closed and the mall was expanded into it leaving the mall with sears for nearly a decade then in the late 90 they added the wing with sage allen. Never remodling the mall as a whole leaving it stuck in the 60’s. They then added the wing to bradlees but it two 4 years before pennys was even built the mall never had four solid anchors at once when pennys opened
sage alllen closed and the service merchandise came in for about 4 years then kimco sold the mall and it was remodled and made into what it is today. The mall was never
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james
December 23rd, 2006 at 6:55 pm
never owened buy sage allen at all.
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james gravallese
February 13th, 2007 at 8:33 pm
mall was remodled only 2 years ago i was really 1960 mixed with 80’s and 70’s before lanoilem floor trees and pine benched. Under the lionloem the mall had terrazio floors they looked like marble making realize the mall was nicer then Kimco the owners before the remodle made the mall look dated. By cover the mall with a ugly linoleum.
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Lisa
June 13th, 2007 at 8:29 pm
I heard that they just opened up a CJ Banks there! Is that true? I have been to the one in Auburn, ME and that store is fantastic. Conservative but fashionable. I am a 3rd grade teacher and the kids love the bright colors and patterns that they sell. I haven’t been to the mall but it is a lot closer than Auburn.
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deedee
July 12th, 2007 at 2:43 pm
Yest – there is a CJ Banks at the mall, great store!
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Bill
August 15th, 2007 at 2:48 pm
I grew up in Leominster, and the Searstown Mall was a HUGE part of my childhood. I lived within walking distance of the mall. Actually, my paper route (delivering the Fitchburg-Leominster Sentinel newspaper) included several of the mall stores. There was an arcade in the wing that now leads to Circuit City. I could blow my weeks delivery earnings in just a few hours!!
The transformaton of this mall over the years is barely touched by this documentary. Market Basket never resided in the now Toy’s-R-Us. That building was constructed new for Toy’s-R-Us, attached to the then Bradlees. Even those two stores had only exterior entrances (although Bradlees HAD an internal walkway to the mall which had been boarded up and closed). Back then, Bradlees and Toy’s-R-Us were the end of the mall… stretching only from Bradlees to Sears with only the short wing down to the arcade. It was very compact with a LOT of parking space.
After the mall closed, and security went home, that parking lot became “street-racing central”. Dozens of cars would turn out each night and run oval-track racing around the mall. There was a serious drop in the blacktop, just in front of Market Basket. Drivers unfamiliar with the lot would often hit that drop, sending their car airborn for some distance. The landing almost always resulted with broken suspensions. That drop is still there, only it is built into the landscaping between the Market Basket parking and the access road leading to the Circuit City parking.
There is so much history in that place. So many stores come and gone. So much change. It may be lame to some, but it holds so many memories for me. Heck, I met my (later to become) wife in that mall!!
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Nancy
August 23rd, 2007 at 8:29 pm
Does anyone know the name of the store that recently closed. It was down towards the Macy’s end of the mall and it sold leather goods and motorcycle type accessories. I was thinking it may have been called “Hot Leathers”. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
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Kris
November 4th, 2007 at 10:51 pm
the store was called “we got whats hot” im pretty shure that is what you are talking about
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J
November 25th, 2007 at 9:51 pm
According to this website http://suburbanelec.com/project.htm, the Bradlees site was to become a Kohls Department store. Also, Market Basket existed as a DeMoulas store next to Bradlees prior to it moving across the parking lot from Sears and changing to the Market Basket format.
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Shannon
January 30th, 2008 at 1:39 am
I remember going to Searstown when I was a kid. There was Bradlees, Demoulas (now Toys R Us), Sears, Fannie Farmer, a store that sold dance wear, Cherry Webb, Woolworths (and a restaurant next door), Friendly’s, Pearle Vision….probaby more that I can’t remember. Bradlees did have a mall enterance that was closed when Bradlees closed. I can remember the arcade, and when they added the new wing. Sage Allen was expensive, that’s all I remember about that store! Does anyone have pictures of the old Searstown?
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Shannon
January 30th, 2008 at 1:40 am
Oh I forgot to mention the 2-screen movie theater that was just outside the mall. That lasted through the larger theater being built. The 2-screen is now Newberry Comics.
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Anthony
April 26th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Hi..I just came upon this page while searching all things Leominster. I grew up there but moved to Florida in 1991 just 1 year before graduating from LHS. Needless to say my memories of Leominster still hold dear. The Searstown Mall was still a great meeting place for friends during the weekends as well as the movie theater (which I had no idea it is no longer in existence). I plan on finally visiting for the first time since leaving but know that most everything has changed as I remember it. Don’t know if anyone here remembers the album/cassette/CD store “Strawberries?” Is it still there? The Sbarro’s, the arcade, Papa GIno’s outside the mall, D’angelo’s, on and on…..I agree with Bill and Shannon in that great memories were made….old pictures anyone?
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Lisa
August 12th, 2008 at 11:10 am
I have heard a lot of great stories of memories of this mall. But they are apparently not good enough to bring people back. There are many days that the mall is empty. The stores are, for the most part, doing poorly. All you need to do is read articles on aol of all the retailers closing and realize that half of that mall will have empty store fronts. If this particular mall has such great memories for you, then why don’t you shop there?
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cheryl
January 1st, 2009 at 4:01 pm
any body remember the name of the resterant that was attached to woolworths? its been gone for years but it came up in conversation the other day and we cant remember!!!!!!!!!
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marco
March 4th, 2009 at 9:52 pm
BIll, correction the Toy R Us was the original Demoulas. If you drive behind the building you can see the origianal “diamond” Style blocks that were used to build the structure. Also, my son used to work at the Demoulas and helped with the move to the new Market Basket location.
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james
October 25th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
the oringnal name of the woolworth restaurant was harvest house and the arcade was tjs then dream machine also there was a video rental store in the mall call miners next to miscellas in the 1980s
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