North DeKalb Mall

North Dekalb Mall was an enclosed shopping mall located in unincorporated DeKalb County, near Decatur, a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Opened in 1965, the center currently comprises more than eighty-five stores on one level. Anchor stores include Burlington Coat Factory and Marshalls, the mall also features a food court and multiplex movie theater. The 2018 Clint Eastwood movie The Mule had scenes shot in the parking lot of the strip mall.

North DeKalb Mall
LocationNear Decatur, Georgia, U.S.
Coordinates33°48′31″N 84°16′34″W
Opening dateJuly 29, 1965
Closing dateOctober 2020
DeveloperScott Development
OwnerLennar Commercial Investors LLC & Sterling Organization
No. of stores and services85+
No. of anchor tenants3 (2 open, 1 vacant)
Total retail floor area635,000 square feet (59,000 m2)
No. of floors1
Websitenorthdekalbmall.com
Food court of North DeKalb Mall

History

Originally and formerly called North DeKalb Center, the mall first opened July 29, 1965, with fifty-four stores; original anchor stores included Atlanta-based department store Rich's, and a Woolworth dime store.[1]

In 1986, North DeKalb Mall was expanded and renovated with two new anchor stores: department store chains Mervyn's and discount chain Lechmere.[2] The mall was renamed Market Square at North DeKalb at this time.[3]

Lechmere closed in 1989 and was replaced with the discount pharmacy chain Phar-Mor,[4] which closed in 1992 and was eventually replaced with a movie theater and Rhodes Furniture.

Mervyns shuttered all of its Georgia locations in 1997; the store at North DeKalb was replaced by an Uptons, which closed in 1999, then it became the current Burlington Coat Factory. Stein Mart was added in the early 1990s, replacing a portion of a mall wing which once housed a Spinnaker's restaurant, a Bonanza Steakhouse and smaller mall stores. Old Navy was also added but later closed, becoming Ross Dress for Less. Rhodes Furniture was later Shoder Furniture for a short time before becoming Marshalls in 2010. A furniture store also replaced the old Stein Mart.

Hendon Properties, which bought the mall for $25 million (USD) in 2003, planned on bringing a Costco to the mall.[5]

On May 15, 2014, it was announced that Lennar Commercial Investors LLC, together with Sterling Organization, purchased the mall for an undisclosed amount, with plans to convert the enclosed portion to an open-air concept.[6]

In the spring of early 2016, the Macy's anchor closed.[7] North Dekalb Mall has since become the 'almost' mall of Dekalb County with Costco 'almost' becoming a store anchor for nearly a decade. [8] The mall's primary traffic stems from Emory University employees who use North Dekalb Mall's vast parking lots as a temporary location for ride sharing into the University. This along with limited traffic from the AMC movie theater has helped keep the mall from going completely under.

As of 2019, multiple vacant storefronts in the North DeKalb Mall in Georgia were now renovated so that they could be used for filming.[9][10] Casual Corner, Software Etc., B. Dalton Bookseller, Musicland and Gadzooks were placed. As of October 2020, North Dekalb Mall had officially closed its doors due to poor sales and the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Marshall’s, Burlington Coat Factory, and AMC Theatres remained open.

References
  1. Mills, Linda (July 29, 1965). "New North DeKalb Center Opens Today". Dekalb New Era.
  2. "Expansion planned for North DeKalb Mall". Nl.newsbank.com. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
  3. National Real Estate Investor. Communication Channels, Incorporated. 1986-05-01.
  4. "Phar-Mor to be new anchor at DeKalb's Market Square". Nl.newsbank.com. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
  5. "Costco may bulk up locally with two new stores - Atlanta Business Chronicle". Atlanta Business Chronicle. Retrieved 2016-05-10.
  6. "Lennar, Sterling buy North DeKalb Mall". Atlanta Business Chronicle. Retrieved 2016-05-10.
  7. Duncan, Todd C. "Macy's at North DeKalb Mall to close in spring". ajc.
  8. "Waiting for Costco? Plans for North DeKalb Mall remain murky". 21 February 2017.
  9. Whisenhunt, Dan (April 23, 2019). "North DeKalb Mall lives again on the big screen". Decaturish.com. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  10. Capelouto, J. D. (May 3, 2019). "New Findings: North DeKalb Mall is so empty, it's become a hot spot for filming". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
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