Jamie of Baton Rouge, Louisiana has contributed the following very detailed write-up and photos to us, outlining not only the history of Lakeside Shopping Center but its position in relation to other malls in metro New Orleans and also the effects from Hurricane Katrina. If you’d like to contribute to our ephemera of data relating to retail history, shopping centers, news and more, feel free to E-Mail us and we’ll consider it for a future posting. The photos featured with this particular article were taken in October 2007.
Lakeside Shopping Center, also known as Lakeside Mall or just simply Lakeside, is the most successful mall in Louisiana and one of the highest grossing malls in the United States. It is located in Metairie, Louisiana, an unincorporated area of Jefferson Parish, and is also New Orleans’ largest suburb. Metairie is located almost exactly in the middle of the New Orleans Metropolitan area (1.2 million people) and is just a 15 to 30 minute drive from most of the immediate four-parish area. The mall is near the intersection of Veterans Memorial Highway and Causeway Boulevard, on the south shore of the 26 mile Causeway bridge over Lake Pontchartrain, one of the busiest intersections in all of the New Orleans Metropolitan area. The mall is also located adjacent to I-10, the major east-west thoroughfare throughout the metro area.
Because of the concentrated trade, restaurant and nightclub district at this intersection it has been given the name “Fat City”. Fat City was planned as Metairie’s commercial district and downtown according to Metairie.com. The Causeway Boulevard Interstate 10 exit sign designates this area as Metairie’s central business district and for the most part is considered downtown Metairie. The big oil bust of the late 1980’s, which caused urban decay of other neighborhoods in New Orleans and eventually led to the downfall of some other area malls in those neighborhoods (Lake Forest Plaza and Belle Promenade), did not have the same affect on Fat City, though there have been some widely publicized problems with crime. Fat City continues to be a thriving area of commerce with auto dealerships, office towers, restaurants, strip centers, nightclubs/bars, hotels, banks and of course Lakeside Shopping Center.
Lakeside originally opened in 1960 as an open air shopping center, which is something you would never guess by visiting the mall today. However, over the last 47 years it has been enclosed, renovated and expanded and has emerged as a top tier retail center for the New Orleans area. It is now a 1.1 million square feet, enclosed, single level, 2 anchor super-regional mall. Lakeside is anchored by a 2 level JCPenney and a 300,000 square foot 3 level Dillard’s. And, Macy’s has just announced plans to be build a 228,000 square foot 3 level anchor, as well as reopening their Esplanade Mall store in Kenner that has been closed since Hurricane Katrina hit in Summer 2005.
I don’t know a lot about the history of the mall. Was JCPenney always the only other anchor? I know the Dillard’s was a former D.H. Holmes, as all Dillard’s in the New Orleans area once were. I think that it was enclosed in the late 70’s or early 80’s, as it was playing second fiddle to some other long-gone but once very successful malls: The Plaza in Lake Forest in New Orleans East which was the top retail center in New Orleans throughout 70’s and early 80s; and Belle Promenade Mall that opened 1983, as an upscale mall, in the Westbank community of Marrero.
Lakeside’s biggest competition, however, finally came in 1985. The first 2 level mall in the state of Louisiana, called “The Esplanade”, opened in the nearby East Jefferson Parish city of Kenner. The Esplanade was a new kind of mall for the New Orleans area, at over 900,000 square feet, with its modern 2 level galleria styled architecture, and the first Macy’s Department Store in Louisiana as one of its 3 anchors. The new Esplanade Mall was the number one mall in the years following its opening. Due to the Esplanade’s opening, Lakeside decided to modernize itself significantly in order to compete, implementing upgrades on the mall by modernizing the interior and adding new stores. This is when the Plaza started its decline in the late 80s and was just recently demolished because of so much damage from sitting in 4 feet of water for several weeks after the hurricane as mentioned in it’s own Labelscar post.
In addition, Oakwood Center Mall (first opened in 1966) in the westbank city of Gretna began to take advantage of its excellent location on the Westbank Expressway at the foot of the newly opened 2nd bridge over the Mississippi River, the Crescent City Connection, in the late 80’s. And in the early 90’s, Oakwood, which was then managed by The Rouse Company, began upgrading itself with better stores, and adding another anchor store, Maison Blanche. These improvements to Oakwood helped accelerate the already falling Belle Promenade Mall which finally closed in 1999. It was at this point the competition began between Esplanade and Lakeside to see who would be the top mall in the market on the east bank, and the whole metro area as well. Over the years the 2 malls have co-existed with some overlap in stores and both shared Dillard’s as anchor. Esplanade has been with only Dillard’s since the storm, and Mervyn’s closed all Louisiana stores in early 2006 and Macy’s has been closed since Katrina, but just announced reopening plans. But there are some stores that are in one mall that are not in the other mall, and each mall has stores unique to the New Orleans area. But starting in the early 90’s, little by little, the transformation begin with more upscale retailers choosing Lakeside over Esplanade, giving Lakeside the edge over Esplanade and all other malls in the market. Although there are still many major chains in Esplanade, it has seen better days, and has not seen much renovation; its early 80’s design and colors are starting to look dated. And for the last several years, starting in the late 90s, there was a very catchy, splashy jingle featured on local radio station ads touting that Lakeside is “The center of fun, the center of excitement.” By the early 00’s Lakeside had taken the reigns as the top mall in the New Orleans area.
There is another much smaller mall in Metairie that needs to be mentioned, about 2 1/2 miles from Lakeside on Veterans Boulevard at Clearview Parkway called Clearview Mall. It is an old mall first built in 1968, and is locally owned. It had fallen for awhile, especially when Dillard’s bought the Maison Blanche anchor in 1998, converted the store to Dillard’s, and then closed the store in 2001. Target took over the vacant spot not long after, and then The Palace movie theatre opened, joining existing anchors Sears and Bed, Bath and Beyond. Clearview Mall really does not fit into the picture with Lakeside and Esplanade, and Oakwood as well, because it is very small, and except for the one time 3 story Maison Blanche/Dillard’s anchor, has no major upscale chains, only a few middle end stores like Shoe Dept, Bath And Body Works, Dollar Tree (stores you would find in any small or dead mall), but mostly local stores. However, since the theater opened, the food court has upgraded and 2 very nice sit down restaurants, Semolina’s and Serrano’s Salsa Co, are inside the mall, showing Clearview is doing great now. And although it is competition, it is a totally different kind of mall than Lakeside, Esplanade and Oakwood.
Many upscale stores such as J.Crew, Guess, Restoration Hardware, Crabtree & Evelyn, and recently just opened Fossil, have their only Louisiana locations in Lakeside. The only P.F. Changs in New Orleans is actually inside the mall. Other upper end stores such as Build-A-Bear Workshop, Eddie Bauer, Steve Madden and just recently added Coldwater Creek have their only New Orleans area locations at Lakeside. Abercrombie & Fitch and Sharper Image have the only New Orleans area stores at Lakeside since both retailers closed their Riverwalk Marketplace locations after the storm with no plans to reopen there. Lakeside also has such retailers as L’Occitane, Coach, Georgiou, and Solstice that also have locations in the very upscale, Saks Fifth Avenue anchored, Shops at Canal Place, in downtown New Orleans. On the other end, there is Esplanade, with the only Spencer Gifts, Rack Room Shoes, Select Comfort, and Man Alive in the New Orleans market, chain stores on the middle end of the retail spectrum, and the mall also has some, but not a lot, of local and urban stores now, making it start to look like an “old” mall now. It lost some major in line tenants like Banana Republic, Express, a Mervyn’s anchor, and Macy’s (only temporarily) after the storm. Corporate restructuring has caused the loss longtime major chain tenants like KB Toys, Eddie Bauer, Easy Spirit (these 3 stores are still at Lakeside), Waldenbooks, and Fredericks Of Hollywood. Lakeside had the only southshore JCPenney for over 2 years since the temporary closure of Oakwood Center’s store and the last southshore KB toys in New Orleans.
On the northshore of Lake Pontchartrain there is another mall in St. Tammany Parish, Northshore Square, that has both JCPenney and KB Toys, and a lifestyle center, the Premier Centre. Both these centers have many of the same stores that are in Lakeside, Esplanade and Oakwood, but not many people from the southshore go to the northshore for shopping, but you would not want to count these shopping centers out of the picture totally since St. Tammany is part of the New Orleans metro area.
Behind the main mall at Lakeside is an open air center anchored by Linens ‘N Things with six small shops, and in the front of the mall is a small center anchored by Bravo Cucina Italiana restaurant, the only Louisiana location, along with Starbucks and New Orleans Daiquiris. These 2 “sattelite centers” are considered part of center and are listed on the in mall directory. At the intersection of Causeway and Veterans are many big box stores and restaurants such as Borders, Barnes & Noble, Toys R Us, Lowes, Whole Foods, Stein Mart, Kmart, Petco, Chevy’s Tex Mex, Bennigans, Red Lobster and many long time, popular local New Orleans area stores and restaurants.
The mall suffered very little damage from hurricane Katrina despite the fact it is just 3 miles from the 17th street canal which was one of the worst levee breaches. But Metairie, along with Lakeside, was spared because the levee broke on the New Orleans/Orleans Parish side. If the levee had broken on the Jefferson Parish side, I would be writing about what a great shopping center this “was” because the water would have washed away all of this part of Metairie and the mall with it. And Lakeside would be a pile of rubble just like The Plaza Mall in New Orleans East. Even in post Katrina New Orleans, Lakeside has maintained its position as the leading retail destination; it reopened about 2 months after the storm with about half the stores and with shorter business hours. However, within a few months and right before the holiday shopping season, almost all the tenants had reopened and normal business hours resumed. Lakeside lost no major tenants as a result of the storm, unlike The Esplanade. Business actually increased right after the storm. One reason for this was the the temporary closure of Oakwood Center in Gretna (only the Sears and Dillard’s reopened a few months after the storm). In the days after the storm, looters damaged the main concourse by fire so badly, that huge sections of the mall had to be demolished and rebuilt. Oakwood Mall finally reopened on October 19, 2007 after over 2 years since closing and a complete rebuild/remodeling of the 360,000 square feet of in line space. And in addition to fewer shopping options available, a second reason for increased business was that people were replacing items lost in the storm. All this increase in business arose the need for more parking, and construction began earlier this year on a 2 level parking garage facing Veterans Boulevard in front of JCPenney; there is already a small 1 level parking garage behind the mall. Now Lakeside is the most successful mall in Louisiana right after Mall Of Louisiana in Baton Rouge. Lakeside is owned by The Feil Organization, who also own 2 more shopping centers in New Orleans, Carrolton Shopping Center and East Lake Shopping Center. Both these properties received so much damaged from the storm, that they are completely demolished and a redevelopment is in progress, to possibly get big box and department store, on the vacant land where the buildings used to stand.
The first time I visited the mall in the early 90’s there was a Winn Dixie Supermarket somewhere near the perimeter of the mall and K&B drugs was inside the mall. Drug stores are not something you see at all in an class A mall anymore. I also remember seeing a Record Bar and a TG&Y five and dime store too. They had a Circuit City Express there just a few years ago, but it is now gone. There is a pet store inside the mall called Lakeside Pets. Lakeside is a very different kind of top tier center than what is usually the norm in most big cities. It is just one level, instead of the usual 2 or 3 level mega structure with a big galleria glass covered center court. However, there is an open center court type area, with a giant skylight above, that has an octagon shaped staging area near Cafe Du Monde. A train is set up for the kids to ride here, but only for the Halloween, Christmas and Easter; it is not there all year long. There is also another large open area near the front entrance facing Veterans Boulevard, that has a big skylight called the “Veterans Skylight” where they sometimes set up a stage for events. And there is a very, very small 2nd floor on the front west end near the P.F. Changs that has a dental office and some service businesses, but no retail. And also there are only 2 anchor stores, instead of the usual 4 or 5 in most super regional malls, but that will change with the future addition of Macy’s. There are no bookstores or video/music stores like FYE, Sam Goody or Suncoast Motion Pictures. In fact, their last music store was Blockbuster Music, after the Record Bar/Tracks chain was purchased by Blockbuster in the mid 90’s, but Wherehouse Music did not keep the store open when they acquired the music stores from Blockbuster in the early 00’s. There was a B. Dalton Bookseller at one time but it probably closed not too long after Barnes & Noble opened on Veterans Boulevard down the street in the late 90’s. Pottery Barn has an entrance from the outside so you don’t have to enter the mall to enter the store, kind of making it look like a junior anchor. I read on a blog that Lakeside did not renew its lease with just recently vacated Old Navy because they want to position themselves as an “upscale” mall. Old Navy had an excellent location facing the corner of Veterans and Causeway, and even signage on the outside of the mall and a window to display merchandise making it look like a junior anchor store too. A new free standing Old Navy is under construction to replace the former Lakeside store at Elmwood Shopping Center, a big power center across town in Harahan. Not renewing Old Navy’s lease was probably part of the plan to add the Macy’s, because the renderings of the expansion of Lakeside on nola.com show that Macy’s is being connected where Old Navy was, and show a parking garage next to the future Macy’s.
The main corridor of the mall is very, very wide with many kiosks set up, mixed in with pine trees, potted plants and benches all over a marble floor. There are some small skylights littered throughout the mall and big skylights above the mall entrances to the anchors. Silver topped, beige pillars are scattered throughout the mall. There are marble fountains set up in the front side entrances facing Veterans Boulevard. The mall probably could easily be opened up and become a lifestyle center because of how wide this main corridor is, but that is something that is not likely to happen anytime in the near or distant future judging by its current success as an enclosed mall. The mall is always bursting with activity and plenty of shoppers. The train in the center court attracts the families and kids like a magnet during the holidays. They even have a guy dressed like a pumpkin for Halloween. They are always having events with local radio stations broadcasting remotes from these events. They actually made it snow in the mall last year on some days during the holiday shopping season.
Thanks for the informative and interesting post on this mall and the others that are in the New Orleans area. Though IM not a big fan of “upscale” malls I do think Lakeside Shopping Center looks really nice; interesting to see because it’s not the typical Galleria looking place with it’s low-ceilings.
The little marble fountains are also neat too.
This mall used to be more middle-tier in nature when I was young (early 1980s-middle 1990s)….as the poster mentioned there used to be K&B, TG&Y, Winn-Dixie, and similar retailers on the premises. Also the mall used to have a four screen freestanding theatre that was torn down for the strip center which contains the Ann Taylor Loft and Linen n’Things. I also vividly remember the McCrory’s located where the food court is now, and the A&W Cafeteria which was adjacent to DH Holmes (now Dillards). The place has become much, much more upscale over the years, to the point that the only reason I would ever go there anymore is to shop at Penney’s. The word is LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION….that is the key to its continued success. I hardly recognize it from the days when it still existed in all its 1960s era glory. The only thing left from that time period are the aqua green floor tiles.
As you mentioned the Clearview Mall is located about a mile to the west, and is a smaller mall dating from the late 60s. I remember the time before it was renovated…a small center filled with lower-tier offerings (K&B, Ben Franklin Crafts, a Christmas store, some shoe stores, Clearview Pets, Waldenbooks, Dollar Tree, A&W Cafeteria), but sporting vintage 1970s decor and definitely looking its age. I remember vividly the old Maison Blanche here…my grandparents used to take me there all the time on their shopping trips. Even today I think there are still a few unrenovated storefronts there. Managment did an incredible job restoring life to the mall by adding the theatre, Target, the restaurants, and the category killers. Though I will admit it has made the mall behave far more like a strip shopping center than anything else.
Ever since the late storm events Esplanade has struggled. The loss of the major anchors was a great blow. I, for one, would shop at the former Mervyns there all the time.
I think at one time many moons ago (before I was born), there was a second anchor at the Veterans Blvd. end of the Lakeside Mall and may have been a Gus Mayer. It is likely that JC Penney was added onto the mall later. And now there will soon be a Macy’s. Soon Lakeside will actually start to look like a traditional superregional mall instead of an older neighborhood mall which had greatness thrust upon it.
Interesting that significant status has been thrust on the mall, rather than sought in the usual way. My recollection of Meterie is that it’s a very middle of the road ‘burb in the Eastward edge of a sea of middle of the road ‘burbs and not far from both low-end and high end sections of New Orleans. I wonder if it can sustain its current status and pull upscale customers over the long haul.
I remember going to Lakeside in the mid 60s when it was an open air mall. We lived just across Causeway in an apartment and did not have laundry facilities,there was however,a Philco-Bendix equipped washateria at Lakeside. There also was Jim’s Lounge and a US Post Office and a Walgreens complete with lunch counter. A local New Orleans chain called Godchaux’s was in the area where Old Navy was Penny’s was about where Lakeside Pets and PF Chang’s is now ,a very spartan store,bordering on the austere. We welcomed the new Penny’s when it opened in the early 70’s.
Once at the laundromat,my mother would give me a quarter and I was off on my rounds. 10 cents was for a soda out of the machine at the laundromat (usually a 7 UP or Deleware Punch) and then 10 cents for a bag of popcorn from either TG&Y or SS Kresge. The TG&Y was where the food court is. An alleyway next to TG&Y provided access to a barber shop,and the Winn Dixie (which relocated to the corner of Severn and 17th in the late 70’s). The Kresge store was down by DH Holmes (Dillard’s) and featured a lunch counter named “The Dinette”. DH Holmes added to their store about 1972-73 and ironically the “new” section has been closed since Katrina. Where the trains operate today there was a large fountain and pond basin which remained even after they enclosed the mall in 1968 in response to Oakwood across the river. Also adjacant to the fountain were Lakeside Toys(where I purchased my Matchbox cars) a Western Auto,and Halpren’s fabrics. There was also a fun arcade that had a few of the gambling type pinball machines and was occasionally raided by the police,for us 7 year olds they had the regular pinball machines,a photo booth,and the usual horse and flying saucer rides. On the perimeter they had a super slide which was later razed for a DH Holmes car care center. On the north side was a Mr Robo self service car wash!
Whenver I visit New Orleans and take a walk through Lakeside today I always am amazed how very little traces of the past can be detected!
Less-than-stellar fountain arrangements and ceiling grooves look like home kits from a Taubman collection; very cookie-cutter, somewhat tacky and shamelessly ripped off I say.
And a stunning Dillard’s photo there!
I used to go to college about 90 minutes north of New Orleans (GO GOLDEN EAGLES!) and I would often drive down there for shopping, and I was never really impressed with Lakeside, I always liked Esplanade better because it’s 2 stories and it sort of reminded me of my hometown mall (Northpark Mall in Ridgeland, MS). Too bad I’m reading about it’s demise since Katrina.
Also, Lakeside may be the top-tier center by default, but I always thought portions of the mall looked aged, and not in a good way. It’s as if they threw several architectural styles together and figured something good would come of it. Nope, try again.
But yes, the mall is thriving due to its great location in Metairie right off I-10 and Causeway Blvd. And in response to the previous poster, Metairie runs the gamut from middle-class to upper-middle class. However, a lot of the upper-class has moved across the lake to St. Tammany Parish.
The entrance to Dillard’s actually has a mirror below the skylight. It made for a very striking visual effect in the photo.
The Gouchaux’s store must have been the former Baton Rouge based department store. I guess at one time Gouchaux’s was trying to expand out of Baton Rouge, but obviously was not very successful. I read on another vintage mall blog that they had a small store at Edgewater Plaza(now the Edgewater Mall) in Biloxi, MS in the 60s, but it closed in the early 70s. I think Gouchaux’s had 3 stores left, 2 in Baton Rouge and 1 in Lafayette, when they merged with New Orleans based Maison Blanche in 1982. Does anyone know for sure if there was a Gus Mayer here once? That is a strong posibbility due to the store was founded in New Orleans. A laundromat in Lakeside?, hard to imagine that now. But I could have seen the lunch counters at Kressge and Walgreens in the 60’s and 70’s, that was in every mall back then. I can remember as recently in the early 80’s that Sears and Gouchauxs had cafeteria’s in there Cortana Mall stores in Baton Rouge and eating there once or twice instead of the usual favorite, Picadilly. And if the TG&Y was where the food court is now, the food court must have been added in the mid 90’s, because it was late 1993 the first time I ever shopped at Lakeside, and the TG&Y was there.
At least one mall of this caliber is always going to be sustainable on the southshore of New Orleans, despite the exodus of so many people to the northshore parish of St Tammany. Even post Katrina population still has the seven parish New Orleans metropolitan area at over 1 million people. According to 2000 census figures, the CDP(census designated place) of Metairie had a population of 146,136 and Jefferson Parish which had a population of 455,466. Also, approximately 97% of the poplulation of Jefferson Parish has returned since hurricane Katrina, and the latest post-Katrina population estimate for New Orleans is 283,000, about 60% of the pre-Katrina population of 460,000. And as stated by previous posters, the intersection of Veterans and Causeway, right off of interstate 10, it is such an EXCELLENT location to WHOLE metro area. Just check a google or yahoo map and see exactly where Lakeside is and you can see how this location is prime. And don’t forget, Lakeside is coexisting, and sharing stores, with the upscale Shops at Canal Place Mall at the foot of Canal Street in downtown New Orleans.
The Esplanade is not on a demise, it has just stumbled a little, but not totally fallen, and I believe it will come back, just like what happened to Clearview Mall. The loss of the 2 anchors after the storm was a bad blow, but Mervyn’s announced their intention to close there 6 Louisiana stores before hurricane Katrina and now Macy’s is coming back. It mostly suffered from neglect by The Mills Corp over the years, something that is going to change now that Simon Property Group acquired The Mills Corp. And although it has lost some stores, it has just recently gained 2 new stores BCBGMAZRIA and Torrid. Also, Simon announced more new stores are coming along with some much needed renovations to the mall. And I believe they have purchased the former Mervyn’s anchor, where Target is rumored to be filling the space. The Hollywood Cinema on the perimeter of the mall has reopened after being closed for years and is being completely renovated to modern state of the art cineplex. And there are still long time mall stores like Fye, Gap, Disney Store, Kirklands, Victoria’s Secret, Bakers; stores for children: Limited Too, Gymboree, Children’s Place, Jouney’s Kids; and stores for teens and young adults: American Eagle, Hollister Co, Aerospstale, PacSun, Gadzooks, DEMO, Hot Topic, as well as a full food court, and a Zea Rotisserie restaurant. It may never be the top mall like it was once, but it is still a viable shopping center.
The marble fountains are one of my favorite features of the mall, notice the silver fountain is sunken in the floor. The ceiling grooves might be there to make the ceiling look a little higher because the mall has such a low ceiling. And the shiny groups of pyramid clusters and the silver top beige pillars might seem a little gaudy in the photos, but I think it gives it a classic look. It has a more cohesive look in person than the group of photos might suggest. All of this may not necessarily be a rip off of classic mall architecture, but maybe an attempt to make the mall look as if it was built from the ground up as a super regional, which I think it does pull off. You really cannot tell that this mall started from such small, humble beginnings, and that is why I like this place so much.
It’s easy to confuse the department store chains Goudchaux’s and Godchaux’s in terms of their spelling among other things. The former, spelled with “GOUD-, was based in Baton Rouge and was the retailer that merged with New Orleans-based Maison Blanche c. 1986. The latter, spelled “GOD-“, was based in New Orleans on Canal Street, and was a prime competitor with Holmes and Maison Blanche in their heydays. It was seperate from the Baton Rouge chain and went out of business in 1986. The original full name was “Leon Godchaux Clothing Co.”, but I’m quite certain it was a full-line department store like Holmes and Maison Blanche, for they carried hard-line goods such as furniture, electronics and the likes. The Canal Street Godchaux’s was used in the filming of the 1982 movie, “The Toy”, with Richard Pryor and Jackie Gleason.
It looks like the orange area on top was once an anchor. What is it now, apparently?
Thanks Randy for clearing that up for me. I now remember that I had read on wikipedia a while back, and just checked there again, and sure enough, they did say there were 2 stores; Goudchaux’s in Baton Rouge, owned by the Sternbergs brothers. I remember seeing the Sternbergs at the Cortana Mall store one time when I was a kid. And Godchaux’s in New Orleans, that they described as a specialty store. And also found that the current Macy’s at Mall of Acadiana in Lafayette was originally a Goudchaux’s when the mall opened in 1979 under its original name of Acadiana Mall . And I checked that other website and the store in Biloxi was listed as Godchaux’s. The store in Lakeside in the 60’s must have been the Godchaux’s from New Orleans. I grew up near Baton Rouge so always knew of the Goudchaux’s in Baton Rouge, but had never heard of the New Orleans store of the same name until just recently when I started reading about all this retail history.
I thought “The Toy” was filmed at the Goudchaux’s flagship store on Main Street near downtown Baton Rouge. I know the movie was filmed in Baton Rouge because several scenes were shot with what is clearly downtown Baton Rouge in them. Have not seen the movie in awhile, but I seem to remember a big scene shot between Richard Pryor and the little kid right in front of the state capitol building.
What orange area are you talking about? I am not sure which picture you are asking about.
It is this picture:
http://www.labelscar.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/lakeside-center-16.jpg
See that orange area on top, with Pottery Barn…?
I think the red area at the top right used to be an anchor , seeing as the stores there are numbered 54-A through 54-J, which would indicate that it all used to be one space. Was that the TG&Y?
That orange area on the mall directory is the former Old Navy store. It was a very large store. The Old Navy logo was on the outside of this part of the building, just like the way the sign of a large anchor store is placed. And the logo was placed on the part of the building facing both Veterans Boulevard and Causeway Boulevard. This made it look kind of like a junior anchor store. I think this might have been the first Old Navy store in Louisiana. This is the picture of the store from the inside of the mall:
http://www.labelscar.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/lakeside-center-17.jpg
The Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware also have the logo on the outside of the mall making them look like junior anchors too. The Pottery Barn has an entrance from the outside so you don’t have to enter the mall access the store, but the Restoration Hardware does not have an outside entrance. See it in this picture:
http://www.labelscar.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/lakeside-center-36.jpg
Old Navy was 54F on this map:
http://www.lakesideshopping.com/storesmap.htm
As I said, since they’re all #54 followed by a letter, that would indicate that it used to be just one big store.
Now I understand what you mean Bobby. This whole wing of the mall directory has each store numbered with 54 followed by a letter. And yes, more than likely that would indicate it used to be one big store. See the previous comment from Jim that was posted on Nov 18. He said the Godchaux’s anchor was in the area of were the Old Navy was . That must have been what this part of the mall used to be.
Check this link out from an article on nola.com announcing Macy’s plans to open at Lakeside. There is a a sitemap rendering of the mall and looks like the new Macy’s will be added to the mall at this wing. There is also a rendering of the exterior of what the new store is going to look like.
http://blog.nola.com/times-picayune/2007/09/macys_to_open_stores_at_esplan.html
Here is a short movie from youtube featuring pictures of The Esplanade Mall in Kenner. There are a lot of really good shots of the mall and shots of a few other businesses near the the area of the mall. There are a some good shots of the skylights in the mall too. Some colors are kind of remind me of Cloverleaf Mall.
Great input by everyone, especially Jim for telling us about what Lakeside Mall was like in the early 1960s… As for me, my most memorable times at Lakeside were the late 70s- early 80s, when I was a little kid and it seemed like we were there at least twice a week. Back then, my favorite store was ‘Toys By Roy’, which was located at the end of the side wing nearest the intersection of Causeway and Veterans. I guess the most recent ocupants of that area are/were Pearle Vision/Old Navy/Restoration Hardware?? I also really liked a restaurant called ‘Maxine’s Stage Deli’, which had a Hollywood theme, and you would sit and eat your meal in green director’s chairs. My favorite item on the menu was their BBQ Beef Sandwich, which was the spiciest thing I’d ever had in my life- and that means something when you grow up in New Orleans… ‘Ad Lib’ gifts was a local shop that was my mother’s favorite store in the mall- I’d buy all of her birthday and Christmas gifts there; at some point they moved from the ‘Veterans’ end of the mall further down to the ‘lake’ end… And I can’t count how many movies I saw at the old Lakeside Cinemas that were adjacent to the mall- not to be confused with Lakeside Theaters down the street. My first memory of seeing a movie in a theater was “Grease” as a 5 yr old at Lakeside Cinemas… Thanks for letting me take this stroll down memory lane.
To Jaime,
(from Nov. 22)
Sorry I took so long to clarify the info about “The Toy”. But I googled the information about it, and it was indeed filmed at the Baton Rouge store, Goudchaux’s. Any information weather either Godchaux’s of New Orleans ever carried hard-line goods like Holmes and Maison Blanche?
I worked for New Orleans-based Godchaux’s from 1977 until its closing in 1987. It was primarily an apparel store (women’s, men’s and children). There was a fine linens and gift department at both Lakeside and the flagship Canal Street store as well as a Godiva chocolates counter. The Lakeside store was the largest volume store in the 8-store Godchaux’s chain. It was in a highly visible location…right at the corner of Veterans and Causeway (where the former Old Navy store was located). It was approximately 46,000 square feet.
I grew up in Lakeside Mall starting back in 1960 when it first opened. My mother worked for Godchaux’s on Canal Street and transferred out to Lakeside to help get the new store up and running. It was supposed to be a temporary transfer, but she ended up working in that store until she retired in 1980. During those 20 years I grew from a toddler into an adult and I have many fond memories of Lakeside that I am happy to share.
I constantly search the internet for historically significant photos and events related to Lakeside during the early days. Here are a few links to photos which show what Lakeside looked like in the early 1960’s.
http://www.jeffersonhistoricalsociety.com/images/JeffYearlyRev/1960s/1960sPics/1961Lakeside.jpg
This first link is an aerial photo taken from the southeast quadrant of Causeway and Veterans and shows the intersection and an overview of Lakeside as it was in 1961. Notice that both streets were only 2 lanes in each direction at that time – there was no bridge and not even traffic signals at the intersection. The areas along the left side and in the back where Severn and 17th street are today were still completely undeveloped. There were 3 anchors when Lakeside opened – J. C. Penney in the front on the left, Godchaux in the front on the right and D H Holmes – the tall building at the back end of the Mall. The following two links are great photos of the front corners of the Mall from April 1962
http://louisdl.louislibraries.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=%2FCLF&CISOPTR=6146&DMSCALE=12.5&DMWIDTH=600&DMHEIGHT=600&DMMODE=viewer&DMFULL=0&DMX=54&DMY=0&DMTEXT=%2520C&DMTHUMB=1&REC=11&DMROTATE=0&x=392&y=102
http://louisdl.louislibraries.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/CLF&CISOPTR=6177&CISOBOX=1&REC=12
During the 1960’s Lakeside was not only about shopping but was more like a city in itself. Remember at that time much of Jefferson Parish was still undeveloped and services were few and far between. Lakside became the catalyst for rapid development in that part of the parish by providing many services in one place that people were going into New Orleans for. By the early 1960’s you could go to Lakeside for just about everything. There was a bank, a post office, a Texaco service station (which can be seen in the aerial photo in the parking lot along Causeway), an A & G Cafeteria (in the back on the right side of D H Holmes), a barber shop, a Winn Dixie grocery store (not far behind Penney’s and right across from T G & Y), a Walgreen’s drug store (with soda fountain and restaurant), a Western Auto, a fun arcade for both the kids and the adults, a staging area by the fountain where bands used to play (where center court is now), a Werleins music store, a record store that changed names several times (it was Smith’s for quite a while), good old Ad Lib Gifts which was the last original store to finally disappear, Danny’s men’s wear, Kresgees, and at least a couple of dozen more that I now fail to remember.
Christmas used to be great at the mall when Santa came every year in his rocket sled and gave kids a ride around the perimeter. I think they closed the mall in around 1967-1968 because shortly before that I bought a super ball from T G & Y when they first came out and I lost it before I left the mall that night when I bounced it too high and it ended up on the roof. I spent a lot of time in that fun arcade which eventually moved out of the mall and down Veterans next to Dorignac’s in the 1970’s. That place is still there today. I still have some of the 45’s I bought for 59 cents back in the mid 60’s. It’s just too bad I no longer have anything to play them on. I think my fondest memory of Lakeside is when my Dad taught me how to drive in the parking lot on Sunday morning. Hard to believe but that was back when a customer didn’t have to ride around for half an hour to find a place to park. Now I’m just glad Christmas is over.
Glad you were unable to unearth those pictures LW. I remembered having seen them on line but was unable to drag them up when I had made my posting! I had completely forgotten about that big “L” painted on the corner of JC Penny’s. Also do you remember the four HUGE light towers at each quardant in the parking lot? I hope you missed hitting them when learning to drive (one Sunday when cutting across the lot on my bicycle I remember a bright red 66 Impala Super Sport with a gouged fender and a bright red blotch of paint on the base of the light tower,along with an irate Dad and hysterical teen). Some of the other stores that I have remembered were Kreeger’s,Dolpin Books,The Magi,and The Turntable(this place and Smith’s actually swapped locations,the Turntable going down Vets to where Hurricane’s Sports bar is now,(and the original Smith’s location). I used to get my haircuts in the barber shop followed by another trip to TG&Y for popcorn or if I had been really good over to Cinema 1&2. ( remember the VW parked in the lobby as a promotion for THE LOVE BUG?)
It was 1968 when they enclosed the mall,I remember them bringing in the roof top airconditioning units with a helicpoter. Also the Orange Julus stand by TG&Y was a welcome addition. It was about that time when the ad slogan “Lakeside is Main Street Metairie” was being used. The other big thing was when the new Penny’s opened in 1973. It had a candy counter (complete with nut cooking machine just like the Sears at Clearview) and a real toy department.
My how time flies!!!!!
Here’s a few more links to photos of Lakeside from 1962. The first two shots show views from the back end corners of the shopping center and the third photo is a great shot taken from inside between Godchaux’s and Penney’s looking down the interior walkway toward Holmes at the back end of the mall.
http://louisdl.louislibraries.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/CLF&CISOPTR=6192&CISOBOX=1&REC=10
http://louisdl.louislibraries.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/CLF&CISOPTR=6174&CISOBOX=1&REC=7
http://louisdl.louislibraries.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/CLF&CISOPTR=6190&CISOBOX=1&REC=9
Please note that physical rights to all of these photos are retained by The Historic New Orleans Collection. Copyright is retained in accordance with U. S. copyright laws.
I also just discovered something else about the pictures that I provided links to above. Each of these photos has a built-in item viewer that allows you to zoom in to any particular part of the photo with up to 12 x magnification. Just keep left clicking on the large photo and you’ll see what I mean. This will give you an up close look and make you feel like you’re right there back in 1962. Not only can you read the signs for most of the stores, but you can actually see what’s in some of the windows. What a piece of history!
WOW!!! Thanks L W for finding the links to these old photos of Lakeside. When I was preparing the story of Lakeside to submit, I was unsuccessful at finding any old photos like this on the internet. I did not know a lot about the history of the mall, not being from the New Orleans area. I only knew what I had remember reading in the Times Picayune over the years and what I could find on nola.com and other places on the internet like findarticles.com and wikipedia. And thanks to everyone else who added there input on the stores and memories of the mall, I have really enjoyed reading it all, and has been a real education for me. Never knew about the third anchor Godchauxs.
I find it interesting that LW called the early Lakeside SC “a city within itself”. I did not realize how undeveloped Jefferson Parish was in the early 60’s and how few services and stores were available there. That might explain why Jim said in a previous post that there was once a laundromat there. Talk about one stop everything! That one aerial shot showing the intersection of Causeway Blvd and Veterans Blvd made me gasp, without any traffic light and the big overpass that is there now! It looks like it is out in the country rather than a growing suburb of a big city, you would never know that was the Causeway Blvd of today lined with the office towers leading to the 4 lane Causeway bridge over Lake Ponchartrain. But you can see the basic shape of the mall in the photo, just now there is a few additional wings. See the difference in these aerial photos I found on the The Feil Organizations’ website:
http://www.storetrax.com/uploadExtra/7653/7653_Aerial.jpg
http://www.storetrax.com/uploadExtra/7653/7653_Brochure.pdf
These pictures really do show the dramatic transformation that the mall went through. That was what sparked my interest in doing a story about Lakeside, and what still astounds me is how a mall can start from such humble beginnings. I guess in many ways it had more soul and disctinction way back then, because nowadays it pretty much looks just like any other super regional mall with all the look alike chain stores, which is not all bad. Seeing Lakeside in it’s current form is helping to keep alive some of the spirit of the indoor regional mall. Something that has constantly been changing, and unfortunetly dying too, since the first malls opened in the late 50’s, and one of the reasons we are reading this website. The way Lakeside has changed and evolved over the years is proof that if done correctly, a mall can prosper no matter how old it is, or how small it started out.
Another interesting thing about this mall was the choice of name. It has always been called Lakeside Shopping Center, and never officially changed to Lakeside Mall, or dropped the word shopping and just call it Lakeside Center, or the word center with the spelling CENTRE like many big upscale malls have. Most people just call it Lakeside Mall or just Lakeside, something I stated in initial post. Does the name of a mall would have anything to do with it’s success or failure?, I wonder. Because when I see the word shopping center, I don’t think of an indoor mall. I think of a big store like a supermarket or discount store anchoring a big open air shopping center. And usually the shopping center had a few other chain stores like a drugstore or shoe store, or something like that, but nothing really nice like what you would find at “the mall”. The kind of shopping centers that have a big presence in small towns like where I grew up, or the outer edges of big cities. This kind of shopping center is really not that much different then what the big box center, or even the lifestyle center is today, except that they have better stores or the “mall” stores now. But when the word “mall” was spoken, that meant fancy, upscale, big department stores, and when I was a kid, that meant going to a toy store. It just had a whole other meaning than the words shopping center. The first time I ever visited Lakeside, I thought that I was going to an open air center just from the name. I was surprised to see that it was an indoor mall(just like my mall Cortana in Baton Rouge), but called a shopping center. So does the name mean anything, it is hard to say. Or maybe the name was kept to avoid confusion with other centers with similiar names. There is a mall called Lakeside Mall in Sterling Heights, Michigan and another place called Lakeside Shopping Centre in England, a big entertainment/shopping complex similiar to Mall Of America. But Lakeside in Metairie pre dates these 2 places by many years, the Michigan mall opened in 1976 and British complex opened in 1990 according to wikipedia.
Lakeside Shopping Center was one of the seeds planted to help transform this whole area of Metairie and Jefferson Parish into the thriving place that New Orleanian’s know today as Fat City. Justin stated it perfectly in describing Lakeside, it had greatness thrust upon it.
I am so glad I found this website. Lakeside is my second home. I love this mall. I have so many fond memories as a child going to Lakeside, so much so, that when I attended a summer english course at UNO in 1979 I wrote a thesis on the development of Lakeside. To my surprise, I found out that the official opening of Lakeside was March 22, 1960. That happens to be my birthday. I have worked at several stores in the shopping center. I worked at a gift shop called Finese in the late 70’s early 80’s. I worked at Godchaux’s in the Liz Claiborne department. I worked at D.H. Holmes in the decorating department. This was a lot of fun as I got to put together many of the store displays for Christmas. Lakeside holds so many memories for me. I can clearly remember going to a fair in the parking lot on the Causeway side of the mall. I think the fair was to introduce some new stores to the mall. The fair had a petting zoo with an anteater. It also had rides. I remember my mom had to spank me because I would not get off the motorcycle ride. I remember shopping as a preteen by myself and eating at the Walgreens in the window. I felt so grown up. I remember falling in love with a stereo called the Electrohome in the window of Wherlins. It was a very spaceage looking stereo and it came in beautiful vibrant colors like rasberry, electric blue, and silver. I proudly have my silver bubble top stereo on display in my home today. I remember buying my wedding shoes from the Imperial shoe store down by Holmes. I remember Maxines Stage Deli too. Here are some other stores I did not see mentioned so far… Spotlight, The Grand Prix, Danny’s, The Hollywood Shop, The Wild Pair, The Crate. Does anyone remember when Holmes had a card store in the middle of the mall right outside of Kressges? How about the dancing chicken on the outside of Kressges? There was a hoisery store in the middle of the mall called Lady Oris. The Orange Julius stand which sold the best tasting hot dogs (california dog with relish please) was my favorite. Swensons Ice Cream also had a stand in the middle towards the Veterans Entrance. Remember bottlecap Wednesday at the Cinema? You would bring in Pepsi bottle caps and get in the show at a discount after standing in the hot asphalt parking lot. All of these things were so much fun!!! I am positively addicted to my mall. I still go twice a day to have coffee with my mother, a ritual started 23 years ago. We are regular fixtures there.
The other lynch pin closer to Veterans’ Hwy was Godchaux’s. I really appreciate the discussion about the K&B, When T.G.&Y., based in Ponca City, OK, declared bankruptcy in 1984 or 1985, the K&B in the mall closed in an economic ripple response that started with the fall of Penn Square Bank in Oklahoma City on July 2, 1982, That was the beginning of the popularly called Big Oil Bust The K&B was replaced by a Walgreen’s that took part of the floor space of the K&B and the T.G. & Y. Two clothing boutiques took the rest of the T.G. & Y. floor space. closer to the food court, That Walgreen’s was still there and in business in January, 2007.Its closing was already”in the works” before Katrina. There are two Walgreen’s relatively close to the mall in the area. The J.C. Penny was not there when the mall opened November, 1960 for the Christmas shopping season. The entire “cross mall” wasn’t built until some time in the 1970’s.
Lakeside did have damage from the flooding caused by the surge. The W. Esplanade canal went over its banks along it’s entire length. The Veterans’ Highway canal went over its banks all the way from David Dr/Power to east of Causeway. The Regions bank at Vets.’ Hwy. and Kent had 18 inches to 2 ft. of water. Barnes & Noble on Vets’ didn’t open until March 8, 2006. According to Wikipedia, the surge from the lake flooded 50% of the area in Kenner, Metairie, Old Jefferson, Harahan and River Ridge combined. Most of Harahan and River Ridge is high ground, that Was flooded by the Soniat Canal going over its banks almost its entire length.
ALL of the flooding on the east bank can be explained by two simple equations: Force = mass x acceleration, the basic equation of physics, and Input/Output = vertical cross sectional Area x velocity, the basic equation of hydrology.
when did walgreens leave lakeside. and was there one there in january of 2007?
I was wondering that myself. I don’t remember seeing a Walgreens in Lakeside ever in 2006 and 2007 on my many shopping trips, and I usually walk the entire mall on all my shopping trips and have never seen a walgreens in the last few years. A previous post mention that a Walgreens was there in the 70’s, but I am almost sure it was long gone before the 90’s. Does anyone know for sure exactly when Walgreens left Lakeside SC?
Carol, there was never a Walgreens at Lakeside Mall.
I’ve been continuously shopping there since it was built. You must mean TG&Y.
There was a Walgreens at Lakeside Mall in the early days. It may have been there until at least the 1970’s in the above weblnks you can see a picture with the Walgreens logo on the outside. It has not been there in years but it iwas there many many years ago.
After reading Carol’s post, I’m really not sure that she has ever been to Lakeside. I certainly don’t mean to be overly critical, but there are so many inconsistencies that I really feel the post should be deleted in the interest of only providing reliable information to the people reading this forum. I realize we all make mistakes and our memories may fade over the years, but that whole entry seems like it was just made up out of someone’s imagination.
Let’s see if I can clear some of this up.
To begin with, the only Walgreen’s that has ever been in Lakeside is the one that used to be on the Causeway side about half way down and as stated above can be seen in one of the web links I previously provided. It was a large store with a restaurant and soda fountain and it had entrances from both the inside of the mall and the outside. There was also a walkway right along side Walgreens from the interior of the mall to the exterior leading out to Causeway Blvd. When the Walgreens closed, that made the space to build the east wing that now houses Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware. There was never another Walgreens in Lakeside, but there was a K & B on the opposite side a little closer to the front which remained until the late 1990’s when Rite-Aid bought out the chain. The T G & Y was actually where the food court is now. That whole area has been completely restructured since the 1970’s when there was a Winn Dixie on the exterior of the Mall across from the outside entrance to T G & Y. Penney’s always did have a store at Lakeside but during the 1960’s it was in the very left front (again seen in the weblinks above) until they built the first wing on the Severn side in the 1970’s.
As for damage from Hurricane Katrina – Lakeside received no flooding whatsoever. The Veterans and West Esplanade canals did go over their banks and there was 18 inches to 2 foot of water in a lot of areas north of I-10, but by Causeway there was just a few inches of water in the street and Lakeside was built high. There was water damage in quite a few stores from the roof and the wind blew out some of the skylights but even that damage was minimal and the mall reopened less than two months later in October. It did take quite a while to get a lot of the stores reopened and back to regular business hours, but more of a problem than the damage from Katrina was the lack of available employees since so many people were displaced and it took a long time for businesses to get restaffed. I remember visiting the mall during Christmas 2005 and there was still plenty of reconstruction going on.
I think L W may be right about the post by Carol. I live 60 miles northwest of New Orleans in Gonzales where there was hardly any any rain or wind and no flooding at all from hurricane Katrina. And also, the electricity and cable never went out on the days that hurricane Katrina hit, so I was watching the news coverage on all the local and national news channels.
On the evening of monday August 29, 2005 while I was watching the 24 hour coverage of the storm, WAFB channel 9 in Baton Rouge did a fly over of the New Orleans area earlier that afternoon and shot some aerial video of the New Orleans area after the wind and rain had gone, and the sky was clear. And this was film shot before the 17th street canal levee breech that occurred the next morning that caused the massive flooding in New Orleans. So I immediately put a blank dvd in my dvd recorder and started recording the footage.
They started shooting the video near the New Orleans International Airport in Kenner and made there way to the Esplanade Mall, and clearly showed Esplanade Mall completely surrounded by water. The reporters that were covering the footage could not figure out what the structure was at first. Then they saw the elevated portions of the parking lot were peaking out of
the completely flooded lot. There are elevated parking lots on the west and east side of the mall that lead directly to 2 second floor outside entrances. There were even a few cars parked in this part of the parking lot. It could have been some employees of the mall or just some people who thought there cars would be saved by leaving them there. Then the video switched to Veterans Boulevard in Kenner and continues on down Veterans to Metairie and the reporter mentions that there was a shot of the Target store coming. Well at this point, all of Kenner and Metairie looked more like Venice, Italy because all streets in the shot were completely flooded. So as they made there way down Veterans and the helicopter was approaching Clearview Mall. They did a very close up shot of the entire mall facing Veterans Blvd starting with the Target facade. It had been completely demolished, you could even see through the second floor because the glass above the entrance was blown out. One reporter also mentions that this was a Maison Blanche store for many years. Then they showed the facades of the mall facing Veterans for anchors Bed,Bath And Beyond, Zea Rotisserie and Sears but these storefronts had no damage, but just like Esplanade, the parking lot was completely flooded. Then there were more shots of Veterans Blvd and Causeway Blvd, and a quick shot of Lakeside mall. There was water surrounding the mall in that shot.
I was constantly changing channels to catch other stories and video and caught some more video shot by WBRZ channel 2 in Baton Rouge. They started filming near the Southern Yacht Club on Lake Ponchartrain, where a Joe’s Crab Shack restaurant was on fire. The yachts in the shot looked like broken toy boats in a bathtub. Then there was a shot of the West Lakeshore Shopping Center that is near the yacht club, and it had water almost up to the roof. Then they did a close up shot of the Fairgounds Race Course stadium which was under water, and had a lot of structure damage too. Then they went to the New Orleans central business district and did a close up of the X shaped Hyatt Regency tower. One side of the X had almost all of the glass blown out and you could see mattresses hanging out of some of the rooms. And then there were several shots of
the superdome with its badly damaged roof, which also included shots of the still closed New Orleans Centre mall and Dominion Tower it is connected to near the superdome. And then after a lot of detailed video of the downtown area, they went on to the nearby east Jefferson parish area and there was a very clear shot of the K-mart anchored, Elmwood Shopping Center, on Clearview Parkway near the foot of the Huey P. Long bridge in Harahan as well as the AMC movie theater behind the Kmart. There was absolutely no water in this whole area because it is the high ground near the Mississippi River. Then they went down Veterans Blvd and the water was kind of high on this portion and then they showed the shopping center on Veterans that has Office Depot, Babies R Us, and Petco. It appeared to have about and 1 – 2 feet of water in the shopping center in this shot.
And remember, all the video I described was how the area looked before the levees broke in New Orleans the next morning.
But here is why I know that Lakeside did not receive that much water damage. The very next day on the news there was live coverage of people stranded in Metairie at the corner of Veterans and Causeway in front of Lakeside, the water had drained from the day before and there was no water on Veterans blvd or Causeway blvd. I remember seeing shots of Lakeside, as well as the Borders nearby and the Galleria office tower on Veterans Blvd across from Lakeside in the news coverage as reporters
were interviewing some of the people. While news crews were covering the stories of the people in Metairie, just about 2 – 3 miles away, the 17th street canal had broken spilling floodwater into the New Orleans side of the canal.
Nola.com and neworleanscitybusiness.com reported just a few weeks after the storm that Lakeside and Esplanade had plans of opening very soon. And I am almost certain the opening dates were around the 29th or 30th of October. Both malls opened around those dates within days of each other, but management did make it clear that there was shorter hours and only about half the stores. Judging from the video shot by WAFB, I would assume that a good portion of the 1st floor of Esplanade Mall got some water, but it could not have been that bad since the mall quickly reopened. Now Lakeside is a totally different kind of mall since it is one level. And L W said that it was built high, but he also said that the area it is located in did not get that much water, and that has to be true just from the news coverage of the people stranded in Metairie on the
tuesday August 30 that I watched on TV.
Also correct was that the reason for shorter hours was the lack of enough returning employees in the immediate months after the storm. Gradually people started returning, but many stores held job fairs and hired new staff to replace staff that did not to return to the jobs at the stores that did reopen. Both malls were only open from 10-7 monday through saturday and noon to 6 on sunday. And also, full business hours did not resume at Lakeside until the spring on March 1, 2006. The Esplanade also resumed normal hours around the same time.
Clearview Mall was actually the first New Orleans area mall to reopen after the hurricane. It opened around the end of September 2005, beating both Lakeside and Esplanade by a month.
Here is the link with a picture of the damaged Target store front:
http://www.neworleanscitybusiness.com/viewStory.cfm?recID=13661
The Walgreens must have left around 1971 or 72. It was replaced by a store called Kreegers. This was fine clothing and jewelry for ladies. As mentioned above there was a TG&Y on the opposite side of the mall (Severn side), a Kressges (Severn side), K&B (Severn side). TG&Y did go out of business, the men’s department of Dillards now encompasses the square footage that used to be Kressges, and the K&B gave way to Rite-Aid. The mall removed Rite-Aid in order to upgrade the mall. I believe Express now occupies the space that Rite-Aid had.
I grew up at Lakeside in the late ’70’s onward. Recently I’ve become obsessed with my memories of it. I have been trying desperately to find old photos of the mall, but sadly it seems that there are few too be found. Thanks for the ones posted here. Here are the stores I can remember from the seventies/eighties – please correct me if I’m wrong – I was very young! Also, please help me remember more!!!
-Toys by Roy
-Athlete’s Foot (I think it was originally where Banana Republic is now) – I seem to remember green astroturf like flooring?
-Popeye’s also had a large restaurant near where the food court is now and an arcade in the back facing Severn.
-K&B – with the plastic purple mini doors that mechanically opened for you as you entered the store
-Village Lady – my mom would always drag me there – kind of a bohemian lady’s clothing store.
-Smith’s Records – I learned a lot about life at this store
-the Sound Shop next to Werlein’s and Toys by Roy and across from Rubenstein Bros. – or was it a Porter Stevens? all near where Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware are now.
-DH Holmes – I specifically remember the toy deptartment upstairs
-TG&Y – with lots of kiddy amusements and/or gumball machines in front
-A&G or Morrison’s cafeteria – not sure which
-Dante’s pizza, Swensen’s, and Orange Julius in the little food kiosks in the middle of the mall.
-Godchaux – was there a Gus Meyer?
-Country Fair – I remember they sold preppie clothes for a while
-Morten Anderson’s restaurant in the ’80’s (where Pottery Barn is)- what was it called???
-Adler’s – I remember they had this really cool TV watch long before the watchman came out. I used to stare at it while my Mom tried to convince my Dad to buy her some overpriced jewelry.
-B. Dalton books and Waldenbooks
-Maxine’s Stage Deli – with the green director’s chairs! – thanks Jason – I rembered the chairs and that was pretty much it…
-Hickory Farms – I only remember the temporary sausage and cheese gift set booths they would set up around the holidays – not sure if they had a store – I can’t believe they still sell that stuff!
OK that’s it – my wife is really starting to think I’m crazy…
Does anyone remember those rather oversized concession stands that were right in the center of the mall- The one nearest the center sold Orange Julius & hot dogs? The middle one sold the world’s greatest caramel corn and other teeth-wrecking yummies-like candied apples. (Seems rather appropriate that Lakeside now houses a dental office!) If memory serves correctly, the third stand (Closest to Veterans) sold ice cream. Was it called Swenson’s then?
A couple of other stores creeping out of my memory include:
Lerner’s, which sold women’s apparel. You could enter that store from the parking lot on the Causeway side.
Spotlight, a boutique that was memorable not for the clothes, but the giant lightbulbs surrounding the entrance to the store that blasted you with heat as you walked by.
Kreegers, where I was badgered to choose an outfit for the first funeral I was ever forced to attend.
Stuart’s, a longstanding apparrel staple at Clearview, they also had a Lakeside location for a time.
Lillie Rueben Salon, near where Aveda is now. (Possibly the only store I never visited in my 30+ years of Lakeside experience).
Oh, and what about the clopping sound of the wooden floor in Village Lady? I’m certain that I was smacked more than once for tap dancing in my Dr. Scholls on that floor.
Thanks to everybody for sharing their memories and photos!
With all of this interest, Lakeside should publish a pictorial history!
I have photographs taken from the parking lot, now parking garage, between J.C. Penny and the restaurant. Several of those photographs have the Walgreen’s logo on the Severn side of the mall in them. Walgreen’s was closed, because it was already scheduled to close before K because the retail store on W. Esplanade Ave S. was already open and in business before K.
Since the Regions Bank at Vets.’ Hwy. and Kent had 18 inches of water in it, and the Barnes and Noble on Vets’ didn’t re-open until March 8, 2006 because of water damage from the W. Esplanade canal and the Vets,’ Hwy. canal going over their banks from the surge from the lake, I don’t believe your claim that Lakeside escaped from flooding damage, L.W. Unless you can give me a complete analysis of the physics of the flooding of the east bank in both Orleans and Jefferson parish like I can, and have posted many, many times on the nola.com forums over the last 31 months, your credibility is in doubt. Store 27 in your map image was Walgreen’s on the Severn side. Exactly when was that photograph taken, L.W?
According to Wikipedia, 50% of EJ flooded. The W. Esplanade canal over-banked along its entire length. The Vets.’ Hwy canal over-banked between where it becomes open to the air to east of Causeway. The W. Napoleon canal over banked to east of Transcontinental. Apartment complex (Park Towne) just south of I-10 on Transcontinental had carpet and dry wall piled outside along Transcontinental on May 19, 2006. Apartment complex on Zenith had four feet of interior flooding. The Suburban canal over-banked, probably along its entire length from the lake to W. Metairie. The Elmwood canal over-banked along its entire length. The bridge at the Elmwood on Kawanee was damaged enough that it may still be closed and undergoing reconstruction. The Duncan canal over-banked along it’s entire open to the air length and its entire channelized length under the I-10 access road. The Soniat canal over-banked along its entire length from Vets.’ Hwy. to its end at the river levee. People in Harahan and River Ridge on high ground had as much as 3.5 feet of interior flooding. The W, Metairie canal over-banked from the Soniat canal to around the area where the W. Metairie canal takes a small turn to the north. That small angle turn is the only reason that over-banking didn’t go further east, along with the fact that a lot of the energy of the surge had already been expended, and it was easier to over-bank the rest of the Soniat canal because of vector dynamics and basic physics. I can sit down and draw you a 2D vector map and explain the hydrodynamics of the flooding from the surges from K any time you want, L,W. Prove that my claims about the Walgreen’s on the Severn side is pure imagination, L.W, Your credibility and veracity are at stake. Basic physics, hydrology and meteorology are all that is needed to explain the flooding of SELA and MS from K’s surges. Force = mass x acceleration and input/output = vertical cross sectional area of a “stream” x the velocity of the water going through that vertical cross sectional area.
I can’t stand the hypocrisy of some people when they are presented with the truth. So many start acting like toddlers with temper tantrums when their hypocrisy is exposed and their credibility is questioned. Prove your claim that it’s all my imagination and that Lakeside had no flooding damage at all, L.W.
I just found this blog and have been reading all of the posts.
There seems to be quite a bit of disagreement about Walgreens and flooding from hurricane Katrina. Since my husband and I have worked at Lakeside for the past 30 years and my husband actually stayed at the mall for hurricane Katrina, I would like to set the record straight.
The only Walgreens store at Lakeside was on the Causeway side of the mall and closed in the mid 1970’s right after I started working there. No other Walgreens ever opened up at Lakeside. There was a K & B which eventually became Rite-Aid which eventually closed but no other drug stores.
My husband, who stayed for hurricane Katrina to help keep looters away, says that the flood waters only filled the parking lot on August 29, 2005 and quickly receeded by later that night. There was significant water damage from the storm, but all that came from above when several of the skylights were blown out by the wind and parts of the roofing was ripped off some of the stores.
Hope this helps clear things up and if anyone would like additional info, I’m sure they can get it by just calling the mall offices.
I have a question, some years ago my wife bought a fur coat from a friend here in Rapid City SD., it was to help out our friend who need money, any way we packed the coat away and had not looked at it for some years, we were cleanning up our home the other day and came across the coat, it has a lable inside that says Godchaux’s New Orleans, I’m not even sure what type of fur it is, the lady who sold it to us said it was Mink?
Konrad
Try this link for Godchaux’s: http://www.vintagefashionguild.org/content/view/234/121/
I’m from New Orleans and have lived in Hollywood for the past 6 years. I’ve been to the malls all around L.A., from Burbank to Glendale, to Pasadena to the Beverly Center, to the Westside Pavilion (featured in Clueless, etc.)
While there’s no beating the selection of someplace like the Beverly Center or Rodeo Drive (or even the Glendale mall with the spectacular new Americana outdoor shopping area), I don’t think there’s a nicer vibe than the one at Lakeside.
Somehow, the other malls seem a little stark or bare in comparison. Lakeside has a definite energy: just the right scale to make it a great balance of coziness and just-right spaciousness.
Lakeside is a great mall, and I was thrilled to learn that it was expanding and going more upscale after the hurricane, as most of the already mediocre New Orleans Metro shopping centers were closing. The area is seriously lacking in decent shopping, and Lakeside is really the only relevant option other than Canal Place. The current market (especially the Northshore) is thirsting for a high end location, and hopefully Lakeside can establish itself as such. The Dillard’s renovation looks spectacular, and the Macy’s and parking garages are shaping up to be extremely promising.
I only worry about the mall’s untouched interior, which is severely dated and an odd collision of numerous decades of expansion and renovation tacked together, with varied ceiling heights, floor tile, and design choices of questionable taste. Personally I would love to see it converted to a hybrid outdoor lifestyle center/indoor mall, which would solve the low ceiling height issue on part of the mall by, well, removing the ceiling altogether. I realize it is unlikely that this will happen because it would be extremely expensive, but at the very least they could renovate and update the interior- especially the food court.
A better cohesion with the satellite strips would also be welcome, with walking paths and crosswalks leading from the anchors’ entrances, and how about some landscaping!
Lakeside is set to get an Apple Store in the vacant space facing the children’s train- the second Apple location in Louisiana! It’s scheduled to open in October, and was confirmed by job listings posted on Apple’s website. Can’t wait for more exciting tenants to show up!
There are a few things I can add to this discussion. First of all, I was there when the grand opening took place. It was about 1960. My dad was the store manager at Steven’s Clothing Store. It became known as Porter Stevens in the seventies. The kids show featuring Wayne Mack (known as “The Great McNutt) was broadcasting from the site of the fountain or where the center part of the mall is today (next to Western Auto). All I could see was people’s legs. I was four years old and short!! For those who remember, The Great McNutt would show the Three Stooges shorts. I also remember the bird cages that were spaced out along the shopping center grounds. My mom would give my brother and I some change to go to the fun arcade in the early 60’s. As I remember the fun arcade was next to Werlein’s music store. Another thing no one has mentioned was the Arnold Palmer miniature golf course which was located behind D.H. Holmes in the parking lot. It was closer to 17th st. It was not a Putt Putt miniature course. This was another spot my mom would leave my brother and I while she shopped in the mid 60’s. If you got a hole in one on the last hole you got a free game. Also, if you bought a coke out of the machine sometimes there was a piece of paper on the bottom of the bottle that gave you a free game. My dad worked at the mall from 1960 to 1966. He moved to the “first” enclosed mall at Oakwood for two years. He returned to Lakeside in 1968 and worked there until 1983. I grew up at Lakeside. I worked there also in the mid 70’s at Porter Stevens as a stock boy. Then in 1978-1983 I worked at D.H.Holmes. I met my future wife there at Holmes. I have many happy memories of Lakeside. I wish I could go back in time sometimes to see things the way they were. My family and I moved to Metairie in 1968. It was a great place to grow up. You had plenty of space. Now, unfortunately, it is too crowded. However,I will always have the great memories. (Too many to mention here). Thanks for the memories Lakeside!
I hope the roof is never ripped off of Lakeside and turned into a crappy lifestyle center. Just the mention of thinking about it makes me want to scream. I cannot stand lifestyle centers.
The many years of interior renovations and additions are done very well, and has a cohesive look like it was built from the ground up as the big mall it is now. There might be one ceiling a little bit higher here and there, but nothing that is really noticable or stands out. And the floor is the same throughout, I don’t see a difference in the colors and kind of floor. Well that is how it looks to me anyway.
The exterior is in need of an update more than the interior, especially the anchors. The Dillard’s is finally going through some exterior renovations now because it was looking very early 70’s. I guess they want to keep up with the shiny brand new Macy’s about to open. And the exterior of the JCPenney a big square box design, just like the one at Cortana Mall in Baton Rouge. Of course both were built in the mid 70’s and they still look it compared to the newer stores they have built in the last 10 years with the arch entrances. And some of the exterior does have a 70’s mall look, like the entrance between Dillard’s and Pottery Barn with the JCPenney sign above it, but that is part of the cool kind of 70’s charm of the exterior.. And the food court entrance on the other side of the mall, near the JCPenney entrance that faces Veterans Blvd and Severn Ave, and the new parking garage, has a kind of early 90’s look, another cool design. The front entrance facing Veteran’s Blvd is very nice, and contemporary looking, and has landscaping too, see this picture:
http://www.labelscar.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/lakeside-center-09.jpg
It would be way too costly to take the roof off of the mall anyway. I doubt that it will ever be done and I think it will hurt business too. Maybe a walkway to the satelite center with the Linens N Things behind the mall would be a nice addition, and add a little more safety and easier access to it from the main mall.
And also on there website they listed that Sephora was opening soon, another upscale store along with the Apple store. All the top stores just keep coming to Lakeside.
The most interesting features of this mall is that it’s Babbages is one of the few locations hasn’t been converted into a Gamestop.
As I write this, Hurricane Gustav is about to hit the Louisiana coastline. The eye is projected to hit the south central Louisiana, on lower Terrebonne parish’s coastline, near the city of Houma, NOT directly ON New Orleans, but the outerbands of the storm will push storm surge through the lower parts of Jefferson parish on the west side of the Mississippi River. And it is predicted that storm surge could hit 12 feet on the east side of the Mississippi River in Metairie and New Orleans, all the way to the Mississippi state lane and the city of Slidell on the northshore of Lake Ponchartrain. The future of Lakeside Shopping Center, as well as all New Orleans area malls, including the Northshore Square in Slidell, could be uncertain. Macy’s is about to open there brand new store at Lakeside and a totally remodeled store at The Esplanade in Kenner in October, but who knows now what might happen with any of this. The New Orleans media and civic leaders are saying this could be the storm of the century. Lives are more important than any malls, and if any malls are destroyed in the storm, they can always be rebuilt. I just wanted to let everyone know what is going on in Louisiana and to please remember us in your prayers.
But Lakeside was the first mall in Louisiana! And they think it’s going to be WORSE than Katrina?
I grew up spending saturdays at lakeside! we had moved from belle chase to lacombe in st tammany parish. it was an hour and 20 minute drive to the mall. we had to cross the lake on the causeway.
we started going to the mall just after it was enclosed. the thing i remember the most and really miss is the christmas display they did at D.H.HOLMES! one year it would be an old english town. the next year it was the winterwonderland! oh i just loved going thru the display time after time!
j.c.penneys was orginally a one story store on the far left hand corner if you are facing the lake, on the veterans blvd side. they had a fabric dept! i remember shopping for school clothes for 7th grade and then they closed that store. they tore down the free standing western auto service dept and put in the two story j c penneys. expanding the mall and opening up many small stores in that area. I remember eating at the walgreens dinette and being served by heavily made up waitresses with bee hive hairdos that didnt like kids eating in there because we didnt tip! (who knew you were supposed to at 11 y rs old!)
i also remember when they opened the levi strauss store. wow that was great!
remember when you shopped at lerners and after selecting your items you had to find someone working on the floor to “write up” the items before you took them to the counter to pay for them. they also had a childrens section in this lerners store [not all lerners had this dept] it was along the causeway side.
also there were stores along the causeway side that didnt open into the mall. that was where the laundrmat was.
someone asked if anyone remembered the card kiosk outside of D.H.HOLMES! yes i remember that! before the hallmark store opened.
I also remember the store someone asked about with the wooden floors! oh how i loved that store. i also remember buying shoes and purses at BAKERS shoe store. you bought shoes and then a purse and had them dyed to match.
and you were really sophisticated if you shopped lady oris! i dont know why! i do remember buying the lil stretch panties that go under a cheerleading skirt at lady oris.
thanks for the memories!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I found a website that suggests there being a “Potpourri Restaurant” in Dillard’s. I’d post the link but the spam filter doesn’t seem to like it.
I lived in Gretna from 1979-1986 and frequented the Fat City area about twice a week starting in 1982. I loved it. I’d get stoned on Friday Nights and either walk the mall or see a film at Lakeside (the one closest to the mall near the parking lot). I’d wait till about 10 PM before I’d start drinking at one of the nearby bars on the other side of Severn. When did the theater close?
A couple of answers to a few of the questions(after racking my brain. . .getting old sucks).
Orange Julis was the first stand in the middle of the mall it was between TG&Y and Walgreen’s. Sometimes I’d get my popcorn at TG&Y and wash it down with an Orange Julis(a devilishly good drink as the cups proclaimed). The next stand was by Danny’s Men’s Wear and sold personal items,I can’t remember the name to save my life. The next stand was Topsy’s and was where the popcorn/carmel corn and candy apples were sold. I always thought the Air Popt machine in TG&Y made the better popcorn. And finally the ice cream stand was Bressler’s . . .boasting 33 flavors. They had a bubble gum flavor with real bubble gun in it. A bit tough to chew. There was a store across from there called Gran Prix where I bought a set of boots circa 1976 that would do Gene Simmons proud! I remeber damn near tripping on the platform heels and going head first down the DOWN escalator at JC Penny’s!!!!
Morten Anderson’s bar was called SPAT’S
I remember SPATS-the only place I drank Long Island Ice Teas.
I wish someone had pictures of the majestic and gigantic metal/ironworks fountain that was at the center of Lakeside mall in the late 70’s/early 80’s. That thing was awesome! 🙂
I have been going to Lakeside since I was an infant (late 70’s) and it is still my preferred shopping destination. I used to love sipping on an Orange Julius and exploring Toys by Roy. I still remember the corrugated metal awnings and ceiling prior to the renovations and addition of the wing now anchored by Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn. I still stop and listen to that fountain when I visit. Reading through the comments has really brought back memories.
I being to Lakeside sine like i was 10 year old. and i love it. I have so muck FUN with friends& family. And i love when we get to hung out and just walk around and running on and out the store!!!!!! That is the fun part. And i am happy to have lakeside here. THANK YOU LAKESIDE!!!!!!!!
I just went to this mall while in New Orleans on vacation and was very impressed. The Dillard’s and Macy’s are great, especially the cosmetic departments ie the MAC counter at Dillard’s. I agree with prior post that the mall it self looks a bit dated with the tile and so forth. The best part of this mall was the energy there, It was a saturday afternoon in Feb and the mall had a great shopping vibe. It was super but not in an annoying Holiday busy way. Every store I was in was busy…and the sales associates were helpful…even in A&F!
When did the theater near the mall close?
@tylers85, Yes I agree with you on the vibe of Lakeside. There is always a lot of energy there, it is like that all the time. Dillard’s and JCPenney have both been renovated and are like new. The new Macy’s is a beautiful store, very bright and reminds of the department stores in the classic style with its square 3 level design. The Apple Store(in the old Discovery Channel Store location) added a lot to the mall’s energy as well and is always very busy. What makes Lakeside unique is how modern and 21st century it is, especially with an Apple Store, despite the dated design that peaks out at you, but only every here and there.
FAT CITY…the name came from a sno ball stand where my friends and I ate quite a few….mmmm
The interior department store shots in “The Toy” were filmed upstairs inside of Godchaux’s Cortana Mall location in Baton Rouge. How do I know? I was right there, a guest of the camera crew, watching the filming take place.
@RBU, I worked at Walgreens Soda Fountain in my senior year of high school. 1978-1979.
@Teresa, yes. I worked in Walgreens soda fountain during my senior year of high school which was 1978-79
@marly, There most certainly was a Walgreens. I worked there during my senior year of High school which was 1978-79. I remember walking down to Werliens music every Friday when I got pai to make a payment on my boyfriend’s (now husband’s) guitar which i bought him for Christmas 1978.
@mike, What about the Merry Go Round?? the 1980’s Hot Topic… they had really cool clothes
@becky, i worked at Walgreens soda fountain during my senior year in high school which was 1978-79. I remember getting paid on Fridays and walking down to Werliens Music to pay on my boyfriend’s (now husband’s) guitar which I bought him for Christmas 1978
@Jonah Norasonyes… they had an awesome blooming chicken salad,
@mike, I think Morten Anderson’s restaurant was called Champions.
Lakeside Mall’s expansion is a much needed improvement to the development.
@Jim,
I remember the super slide, went every evening with my Dad… it was the best “treat” evver… wish someone had photos of it…
Wow, nice wp site. I always preferred Esplanade to Lakeside. Bigger, and I used to live in Kenner (Canada now…ugh. Hate it). I am thinking of moving to Texas, but have a soft spot for kenner and metairie. My wife hates the traffic there (she’s canadian) but I dont mind…you just have to know the streets like the back of your hand!
I remember Swensons ice cream parlor being near Lakeside, but I doubt it is still there. I also remember (and liked) Lakeside theaters across the street from Lakeside (always liked it better than robert e. lee). Too bad everything closes down over time. But the more things change, the more they stay the same…sometimes.
Does anyone have any pictures of the fantastic HUGE METAL FOUNTAIN that was the centerpiece of Lakeside mall back in the 70’s and early 80’s.
That thing was the most amazing thing my little eyes had ever seen at the time 🙂
@Brenda, I worked at the soda fountain during the summer of 79, and was 17 years old I Don’t remember everybodys name but there was M. Gill, and a guy named Hal. When did you leave?
Does anyone have any belle promenade mall info or pics? Please drop us a line at southernmalls@gmail.com.
@Johnme, here it is. it is excellent too! check it out
http://southernretail.blogspot.com/search/label/Belle%20Promenade%20Mall
Lakeside now has an A/X Armani Exchange that opened last fall, giving the mall another upscale offering. This brings the high end store back to the New Orleans market. They did have a location at Shops at Canal Place that closed in the late 90s or early 00s not sure. I also heard a rumor that Louisiana’s first H&M will open here next year, as of now just a rumor. But this could be likely to happen because H&M will be opening in Huntsville AL this year bringing a location to the deep south.
And I just realized this top tier mall does not have a Journeys, The Children’s Place and Spencer’s, some of the most popular mall stores. Not that it really matters that much because they have everything else you could want. Plus these 3 stores are nothing special either(and have locations at Esplanade and Oakwood, except Spencer’s only at Esplande). But it just seems strange they don’t have locations at Lakeside. But it does have a Radio Shack, imagine that!
I wonder why Armani Exchange pulled out of upscale Canal Place. Also, I’m a bit surprised that H&M is entering the Huntsville market ahead of the much-larger B’ham market. Hopefully, this means that H&M will potentially locate a store somewhere in South Alabama (long shot).
@Nitek Eteknin, I have some Louisiana tax free shopping guides from 1992 and 1993 that have store listings and ads for all the malls in the New Orleans area. The Canal Place ad has Laura Ashley, Guy Laroche, Lillie Rubin, Jindu Furs, Bally of Switzerland, Polo Ralph Lauren, and Jaeger International and yes even Gucci! I do not know anything about Jaeger and Bally, maybe somebody can shed some light on those 2. Gucci and Armani Exchange were there when I first visited the mall in 2000, but they have been gone for several years now. NOLA.com reported recently that Canal Place is in the process of positioning itself to offer stores unique to the New Orleans area and do not want to share too many big name tenants with Lakeside, and chose not to renew Pottery Barn (replaced it with Anthropolgie) and Williams-Sonoma leases, and subsequently added J.Crew and Michael Kors last year.
Not sure why Armani Exchange pulled out of Canal Place, but of course Hurricane Katrina caused the lost of so many major retailers in downtown New Orleans. But the exodus of tenants at Canal Place started in the early 00’s, even before hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. I think some of these stores closing were part of the downsizing of these companies, where leases expired and low performing stores get closed. Some of these designers probably ceased operations of individual stores and just sell in the high end department stores. A/X probably pulled out of Canal Place because you can purchase there items at Saks. Even though New Orleans is a cruise ship stop and has lots of tourists on the riverfront, there are not enough people that shop in New Orleans at these really expensive stores to support them. And the city itself has a very large poor population and just cannot support too many high end stores.
I’ve been to this mall once or twice many years ago..between around 1997 and 1999.
It has become a de facto upscale mall and it definitely was NOT that when I went there.
I remember how I felt that Lakeside’s corridors were actually narrow and claustrophobic compared to what I was used to (Pecanland Mall-Monroe, LA). And compared to the mall I frequented in parenthesis above, this mall had really low ceilings and almost no anchors (Pecanland had 6 anchors at the time…now it has 8 or 9). There wasn’t much of anything nice there. I don’t even remember a food court. But I will give it a pass on that b/c it was built as an outdoor center and opened earlier in the 1960’s.
I do kinda like the nice fountains with lush foliage that are there now. But not much else.
Lake Forest Plaza was probably the coolest and maybe nicest mall ever in New Orleans. But then again I love the 70’s look and the old smaller regional department store chains that don’t much exist anymore. Lake Forest was more like our mall at home here in northeast Louisiana. Belle Promenade had a cool look too and I would have loved to see what it would have looked like if they would have completed it. If they had then maybe it would still be here today and Oakwood Center would be gone. I would have liked to have seen Clearview before it was renovated and Maison Blanche closed there.
@Brock Hyde,
It’s almost too bad that the breach in the levee wasn’t on the Metairie and Kenner Side. Maybe it would have saved Lake Forest Plaza if only for a little while.
Any devastating flood is bad and I don’t wish that on anyone…but if it had to happen….
There was a store in the mall in the early 80’s I think where hot topic is now. It was a punk store that sold t-shirts and jackets and punk type stuff. Do you remember what it was called? It was not Marry Go Round or Chess King.
@mike,
”
Morten Andersen “represented” called TERRA for Antoine Saacks a restaurant in that spot….it was around 1992….did not last long and was Santa Fe style
@Jonah Norason, Potpourri was in DH Holmes is was REALLY good
@mike, approximately 1992 Morten Andersen “represented a Santa Fe style restaurant for Antoine Saacks in that location…it did not last long
@Crystin, I worked at the Popcorn place you are referencing.. Topsy’s Popcorn.. I worked there for about a year and a half making that wonderful caramel, cheese and cinnamon popcorn!! Fudge, Caramel & candy apples..
@Randy, I’m not sure if Godchaux’s had hard lines…but I think they were a more upscale store than the others. Maybe more like Gus Mayer than Holmes?
There’s a Godchaux commercial from the early or maybe mid 70’s on youtube. It was really cool to watch.
Here’s a store directory of the flagship downtown. It gives you an idea of what they had for sale:
http://departmentstoremuseum.blogspot.com/search?q=godchaux
They did have an Abercrombie and Fitch boutique…a travel agency…and interior decorating.
@Johnme, http://southernretail.blogspot.com/search?q=belle+promenade