Lakes Mall

Lakes Mall was an enclosed shopping mall in Lauderdale Lakes, Florida. Opened in 1972, the shopping center initially featured Jefferson Ward and Britt's discount stores, and later included the first locations for the retail chains Office Depot and Sports Authority. The complex was torn down in 1995 and redeveloped as a strip mall.

For the shopping mall in Muskegon, Michigan, see The Lakes Mall.
Lakes Mall
Coordinates26.167°N 80.204°W / 26.167; -80.204
AddressState Road 7 and Oakland Park Blvd.
Opening date1972
Closing date1995
(demolished 1996)
DeveloperLakes Mall Partnership
OwnerYoram Izhak
No. of stores and services83 (original mall)
No. of anchor tenants2
Total retail floor area465,000 square feet (43,000 m2) (original mall)[1]
274,632 square feet (26,000 m2) (current mall)[2]
No. of floors1

History

Lakes Mall opened in 1972, anchored by discount stores Jefferson Ward and Britt's,[3] with other major tenants including a Pantry Pride supermarket and a McCrory dime store. By the 1980s, the mall was losing business to larger shopping centers in town. Also, Britt's closed in 1981,[4] Pantry Pride in 1984,[5] and Jefferson Ward in 1985. By 1986, the center had more than 25 vacancies;[6] a year later, 42 of its 83 storefronts were vacant. Despite the increasing vacancies, the first Office Depot opened in the mall in 1986,[7] and a flea market filled the former Britt's.[8] Shortly after the Office Depot opened, the owners announced that they would begin renovating the mall with a "main street" theme.[9]

Kmart bought the former Jefferson Ward building, converting part of it to a Builders Square home improvement store, while the rest became the first location of Sports Authority, a sports equipment store.[10] Since Office Depot, The Sports Authority, and Builders Square did not open to the mall, traffic within the mall itself continued to decline. By 1989, the only other retailers inside were McCrory (which closed on December 31 that year), two restaurants, a men's clothing store, and some offices and service tenants.[4] Also, the mall's owners filed a mortgage on it, but the mortgage holder was charged in a foreclosure suit because it also owned space in the mall and could no longer afford to pay rent.[11] The city building inspector declared the building unsafe in April 1990.[12]

Builders Square closed its store in July 1990 so that Sports Authority could expand both its retail floor space and headquarters.[10][13] A month later, the last two tenants (an optician and dentist's office) moved out following a roof collapse, leaving only Sports Authority and Office Depot.[14] In 1992, renovation plans were announced that called for demolition of the structure, except for those stores.[15]

The mall was finally torn down in 1996,[16] with Linen Supermarket, Mac Frugal's (which converted to Big Lots in 2002) and Smart & Final opening on portions of the former lot.[17] Sports Authority moved out in 2003,[18] moving its headquarters to suburban Denver, Colorado,[19] and Big Lots closed the same year.[20] Smart & Final also closed its Florida stores in 2003. The complex was purchased in 2008 by UrbanAmerica LP of New York City, and Florida Career College moved into a portion.[19] In 2009, Ross Dress for Less opened on the north side of the mall,[21] and Burlington Coat Factory opened at the south end in 2010.[22] Yoram Izhak, also the owner of Lauderhill Mall, bought the property in May 2012.[2]

References
  1. Directory of major malls. MJJTM Publications Corp. 1990. p. 141.
  2. Bandell, Brian (May 4, 2012). "Izhak buys Lauderdale Lakes Mall for $23M". South Florida Business Journal. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  3. "Florida". Chain store age. Lebhar-Friedman. 47 (7–12): E–65. 1972.
  4. Altaner, David (25 December 1989). "Lakes Mall Becomes An Open-and-shut Case". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
  5. "Lakes mall gets $2 million renovation to fight big centers". Miami Herald. 15 November 1984. Retrieved 11 October 2011.
  6. "Mall wars take toll on small Broward center". Miami Herald. 3 November 1986. Retrieved 11 October 2011.
  7. Gale, Kevin (20 October 1986). "Office Supplies Join Warehouse Trend". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 11 October 2011.
  8. James, Sallie (28 August 1987). "Lakes Mall Hopes To Prosper With Indoor Flea Market's Opening". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 11 October 2011.
  9. Herzog, Karen (19 October 1986). "Lakes Mall hopes 'main street' theme will lure shoppers". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 11 October 2011.
  10. "Sports Authority will expand Lauderdale Lakes headquarters". Miami Herald. 9 June 1991. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
  11. "Lauderdale Lakes Mall tangled in legal snafu". Miami Herald. 22 February 1989. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
  12. Woolfe, Tao (21 April 1990). "Lakes Mall Unsafe, City Inspector Decides". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
  13. Altaner, David (9 July 1991). "Builders Square To Close Lauderdale Lakes Store". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
  14. Woolfe, Tao (1 August 1990). "Lakes Mall Loses Last Inside Tenants". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
  15. James, Sallie (7 August 1992). "Conceptual Plan Calls For Renovating Lakes Mall". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
  16. Fitzgerald, Henry (13 August 1995). "Mall demolition is prelude to rebirth". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
  17. Altaner, David (29 September 1996). "Humble Beginnings". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
  18. Ortega, Juan (22 November 2008). "Lakes Mall sale creates hope for revitalization". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
  19. "Lakes Mall sells for $9.4M". South Florida Business Journal. 17 November 2008. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
  20. Marshall, Toni (3 March 2003). "Lauderdale Lakes copes after loss of businesses; latest closing is Sports Authority". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
  21. East, Georgia (17 July 2009). "Ross Chain To Open Store At Lakes Mall". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
  22. Britell, Alexander (29 December 2010). "South Florida's top retail leases of the year". The Real Deal. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
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