The Maine Mall's Apple Store, pictured in 2023SephoraThe escalators leading to and from the second-floor Round One
In 1969, Jordan Marsh opened a freestanding store which was the first Jordan Marsh in the state of Maine.[2]
In 1971, the indoor shopping mall and Sears were added.[citation needed] The indoor shopping mall included Zales Jewelers, The Plum Tree, Spencer Gifts, F.W. Woolworth 5 & 10, Vogel’s/Lynn’s Hallmark Shop, Ward Bros., Boston Shoe Store, Fanny Farmer Candies, Lerner Shops, Kennedy’s, Deering Ice Cream, Record Town, Chess King, Hanover Shoes, RadioShack, Thom McAn Shoes, Boston Shoe Store, and Waldenbooks, which all opened on August 16, 1971. A Gold Star IGA Supermarket opened at the back end on September 15, 1971, and the Sears opened October 11, 1971.
Porteous, a department store chain based in Portland, Maine, opened in 1983 as part of a major mall expansion which doubled the size of the mall. This expansion also added JCPenney as well as the state's first Filene's.[3][4] Besides the JCPenney, Filene’s, and Porteous, indoor tenants that opened on the same day at the same time within the extension were American Eagle, Gap, Orange Julius, Rave, Record Town, Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Kay Bee Toy and Hobby. At the same time, CVS relocated to the Macy’s wing in the former Kennedy’s, and Waldenbooks downsized, getting ready for two more stores to open later.
In 1994, the mall underwent a $6.5 million renovation that added a food court as well as Lechmere and a larger Dream Machine, a video game and pinball machine arcade.[citation needed] As a result, some more stores opened in the mall the same year, such as Learningsmith, the Disney Store, Thatcher’s Restaurant, Payless Shoesource, Old Country Buffet, The Limited, Limited Too, Gap Kids, the Children’s Place, Lids hats, the Body Shop, Gymboree, Express, Bath & Body Works and the Warner Bros. Studio Store.
Porteous closed on December 31, 1994, and was replaced with a two-level structure containing a Filene's Home Store on the lower level on October 30, 1996, and Sports Authority on the upper level in June 1997, made accessible by the only mall escalators in Maine, excluding department stores. Borders Books and Music was built next to Jordan Marsh and held its grand opening on November 17, 1995. Jordan Marsh was acquired by Federated Department Stores in 1996; as a result, the mall's Jordan Marsh became Macy's.[citation needed] Meanwhile, that same year, the Bureau of Motor Vehicles opened. A Weathervane Seafood Restaurant was built in the same year.
In July 1997, F. W. Woolworth Company closed; on July 2, 1999 it was replaced by Linens 'n Things and American Eagle Outfitters, and Lechmere closed in November 1997 and was replaced by Best Buy on October 30, 1998, and David’s Bridal on March 28, 1999, respectively.[citation needed] When Linens ‘n Things and American Eagle opened in former Woolworth, Kay Bee Toy and Hobby relocated in between the two on the same day, and changed the name to KB Toys.
In 2000, Learningsmith closed due to bankruptcy, and later a Discovery Channel Store opened in there.
In 2002, Abercrombie & Fitch opened, along with Express relocating across the hall in the Macy’s wing, followed by PotteryBarn and Ruby Tuesday opening in the former Express space.
In 2003, General Growth Properties acquired the mall for $270 million.[citation needed]
In 2004, Ann Taylor Loft, AT&T, and Build a Bear Workshop opened, which led to Itz a Puzzle relocating from the old spot, which Build a Bear took over, and open in the old Hammett’s Learning World space next to AT&T and Spencer Gifts.
Around 2005, Go! Toys and Games moved into the old Lane Bryant near Macy’s, and then Lane Bryant relocated next to Gap, which made Victoria’s Secret relocate next to the Hallmark Shop in the Macy’s wing.
In 2005, Federated Department Stores acquired the Filene's chain. Due to the presence of an existing Macy's at the mall, both the Filene's and Filene's home store were shuttered in 2006 to prevent overlap.[citation needed]
In July 2006, The Ginger Pad and a BC Sports collectibles store opened in the former Dream Machine arcade.
In Autumn 2006, Caché opened, and at the same time, Au Bon Pain and Orange Julius closed.
In spring 2007, Lands’ End inside of Sears and The Walking Company opened.
In June 2007, New York and Company closed, along with the Go! Toys and Games next to it, but when Banana Republic took over the New York and Company space on October 28, 2007, the Go! Toys store reopened there the same day too.
In September 2007, Spencer Gifts and T&C Nails closed their old locations and relocated next to FYE after it completed downsizing on October 29, 2007.
On December 29, 2007, KB Toys closed and American Eagle upsized, filling the KB Toys space.
In February 2008, the Disney Store closed, and Delia’s would open there in 2009.
In May 2008, The Finish Line and Waldenbooks closed, and Wilson’s Leather closed in late August 2008, and a Coldwater Creek moved into the former Wilson’s and Finish Line.
The state's only Apple Store opened at the mall in September 2008. In October 2019, it moved into a more central location in the building, occupying a space left by Abercrombie & Fitch's departure.[5]
In fall 2008, Forever 21 and H&M opened in the former Filene's Mens & Home first floor. Sports Authority remained in the former Filene's upper floor.
On December 28, 2008, Linens 'n Things closed due to the liquidation of the chain.
In January 2009, Itz a Puzzle and JB Robinsons Jewelers closed, and Go! Toys and Games and Kay Jewelers relocated to those vacant tenants. In 2013, Aéropostale would leave its old location and open in the old Kay Jewelers space, and after Go! Toys and Games relocated, Gymboree relocated to that space.
In February 2009, The Ginger Pad and Cinnabon closed.
On December 12, 2012, The Bon-Ton announced plans to open a store in the former Filene's space, which had been vacant since 2006. The store opened on September 12, 2013.[6] This was Bon-Ton's only store in Maine and joined Sears, Macy's, and JCPenney to become the mall's fourth full-line department store.
In August 2016, Sports Authority closed due to bankruptcy.[7]
On June 13, 2017, it was announced that Bon-Ton would be closing its store in August 2017.[8][9]
On December 6, 2017, it was announced that Round One Entertainment will be opening in the former Sports Authority space in 2018.[10]
On May 28, 2019, Jordan's Furniture announced that it would be opening in the former Filene's/Bon-Ton space;[11] the store opened in 2020,[12] and features a ropes course before the main entrance from the mall.
On June 26, 2020, it was announced that Sears would be closing 28 stores nationwide, including the store in The Maine Mall.[citation needed] The Sears store subsequently closed on September 13, 2020.[13] Forever 21 also closed in 2020.[14]
Olympia Sports closed in 2022, after the company liquidated.[15] It was replaced by Team Spirit.[16]
In September 2023, the first Maine location of Miniso opened at the mall.[17]
BoxLunch, a sister store to Hot Topic, opened in November 2023.[17]
Starbucks closed its mall store in January 2024. It follows closures of Portland's Starbucks stores on Congress Street and Middle Street.[18][19]
Future
In November 2020, a proposed plan that hoped to transform a surplus of empty parking spaces at the Maine Mall into land for housing and recreation was detailed in the Portland Press Herald.[20]
The Maine Mall Transit Oriented District Concept Plan was started by the Greater Portland Council of Governments and funded by a $20,000 federal grant. To make the mall more sustainable and attractive, the plan aims to accomplish three things: to reduce urban sprawl, reduce traffic congestion, and increase public transportation in the area around the mall.[citation needed]
The redevelopment plans for the Maine Mall hope to build on similar projects in the Greater Portland area, such as Rock Row in Westbrook. City organizers are hoping to take advantage of recent zoning changes that allows for housing development near the mall.[citation needed]
Transit-oriented development is at the center of such plans. The city already has five different bus routes that makes routine stops at the mall. The goal is to incentivize people to walk or use public transportation in the future.[21]
The mall would still be the main attraction but will feature a more community-centered shopping experience. Through infill development, people will be able to live, work, go to the doctors, and have recreational activities all within proximity of the mall. The hope is that this will make people want to go to the mall.[citation needed]
In the proposed plan, the parking lots at the Maine Mall will be replaced with parking garages that have green spaces on their rooftop. A hotel, convention center, parks, and a baseball field are also a part of the plan.[citation needed]
In 2023, Mission Working Dogs of Oxford sued the mall, claiming its dog handlers were detained and asked to leave the mall during a visit the previous year. Ten employees of Mission walked around the mall with eight dogs, but were asked to leave by a mall security guard, who claimed they were trespassing. Under the Maine Human Rights Act (MHRA) and state law covering discrimination, "Service animals are allowed to accompany their handlers in all places of public accommodation and may only be removed from a public space if they are out of control or not housebroken."[24]
Related Research Articles
The Mall of New Hampshire is a shopping mall located in the Lower South Willow neighborhood of Manchester, New Hampshire. Its major anchoring stores are Macy's, Old Navy, JCPenney, Dick's Sporting Goods, Best Buy, and Dave & Buster's. The mall has 125 stores as well as a large food court and is 798,881 square feet (74,218.5 m2), making it the third largest mall in New Hampshire after the Mall at Rockingham Park in Salem, and the Pheasant Lane Mall in Nashua, which opened in 1991 and 1986, respectively. This was the first large-scale shopping mall in New Hampshire; initial construction of the mall was completed in August 1977, though it has since been dramatically expanded.
Pheasant Lane Mall, occupying 979,427 square feet (90,992 m2), is one of the largest shopping malls in the state of New Hampshire and the focal point of the commercial area in south Nashua.
Cape Cod Mall is a shopping mall in the Hyannis village of Barnstable, Massachusetts. The mall opened in 1970 and was renovated and expanded in the late 1990s, bringing the property to 723,605 square feet (67,225 m2) of gross leasable area. It is currently managed and partially owned by Simon Property Group. The anchor stores are Marshalls, Best Buy, 2 Macy's stores, Regal Cinemas, Target, Dick's Sporting Goods, and Barnes & Noble.
The Northshore Mall is a shopping mall in Peabody, Massachusetts. As of 2022, the mall currently features Macy's in two locations, J. C. Penney, and Nordstrom.
Emerald Square is a shopping mall in North Attleboro, Massachusetts. The mall is anchored by JCPenney and Macy's in two locations, and features staples such as H&M, Forever 21, and Hollister.
Hanover Crossing is mixed-use development located in Hanover, Massachusetts. It operated from 1971 until 2020 as an indoor shopping mall, and reopened in 2022 after being converted into an outdoor lifestyle center. It is anchored by department store Macy's and grocery store Market Basket. Previous anchors include A.C. Moore, Almy's, Ames, Filene's, JCPenney, Jordan Marsh, Sears, Walmart, Woolworth, and Zayre.
The Poughkeepsie Galleria was an upscale shopping center on U.S. 9 in the Town of Poughkeepsie, New York, located just north of Wappingers Falls, and is the largest shopping center in Dutchess County. The mall retailers include Macy's, Dick's Sporting Goods, Best Buy, Target, American Eagle, Build-A-Bear, PacSun, Sephora, H&M, and Hollister. The Galleria has an area of 1,100,000-square-foot (100,000 m2) with two floors containing 123 shops and restaurants as well as a 16-screen, stadium-seating Regal Cinemas theater.
The Mall at Fox Run, formerly Fox Run Mall, is a shopping mall in Newington, New Hampshire, just north of Portsmouth. Its main anchor stores include JCPenney, Macy's Men's & Home Store and Macy's Women's. At 603,618 square feet (56,077.9 m2), it is New Hampshire's fourth-largest mall, with 84 shops, all on one level. Completed in 1983, this mall functioned mainly as a successor to the smaller and dated Newington Mall, which has since been converted into a big box retail center.
Fox Valley Mall, formerly Westfield Fox Valley and Fox Valley Center, is a shopping mall in Aurora, Illinois. The mall's anchor stores are JCPenney and Macy's. Some larger non-anchor stores include H&M and Forever 21. A Round One Entertainment is located in the former Sears wing. The Westfield Group acquired the shopping center in early 2002, and renamed it Westfield Shoppingtown Fox Valley, dropping the Shoppingtown name in June 2005. Westfield Group sold 80% interest in the mall as of December 2015.
The Eastfield Mall was a shopping mall in Springfield, Massachusetts, which was owned by Mountain Development Corporation, and was built in late 1967 by the Rouse Company. The three anchors, JCPenney, Macy's, and Sears closed in 2011, 2016, and 2018, respectively. The movie theater, Cinemark closed in 2020. The mall was managed by Mountain Development.
Valley Mall is a super-regional shopping mall serving Hagerstown, Western Maryland and nearby communities in West Virginia and Pennsylvania. Valley Mall is the only indoor mall in the Hagerstown Metropolitan Area since the other closed, Martinsburg Mall. Anchor stores include Belk, Dick's Sporting Goods, JCPenney, Onelife Fitness, and Tilt Studio.
University Mall is a shopping mall in Carbondale, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1974, it originally featured JCPenney and Sears as its major anchor stores, the latter taking the place of a Britt's discount store which never opened for business. The mall received multiple expansions in the 1980s and 1990s, adding Meis, Venture Stores, and Famous-Barr. Sears moved to the then Illinois Centre Mall and was replaced by Montgomery Ward. Venture, Elder-Beerman, and Montgomery Ward all closed throughout the 1990s, with the former becoming K's Merchandise Mart until 2007, while Famous-Barr became Macy's in 2006. The mall has seen several closures in stores throughout the 21st century, including both Macy's and JCPenney. The remaining mall tenants include Ross Dress for Less, Ulta Beauty, Old Navy, Bed Bath & Beyond (closing), Illinicare Health, and SIH Medical Group. University Mall is managed by Namdar Realty Group.
Nittany Mall is an enclosed regional shopping mall in State College, Pennsylvania. It is located at the intersections of Route 150 and Route 26, one mile off the I-99 corridor. It is uniquely situated within four miles of the Pennsylvania State University, allowing the mall to attract both area residents as well as college students. Current anchor stores are Dunham's Sports, Gabe's and Rural King.
Sandusky Mall is an indoor shopping center located in Perkins Township, south of Sandusky, Ohio. It is located on the east side of US Route 250, north of I-80/I-90 and Ohio State Route 2. It is the only major shopping center within 45 miles (72 km). It comprises more than 70 stores; the anchor stores are TJ Maxx, JCPenney, Books-A-Million, Dewey Furniture, Five Below, and Ross. JCPenney had previously operated a store in downtown Sandusky. It is managed by Cafaro Company of Niles, Ohio.
Meriden Mall is a shopping mall located in Meriden, Connecticut. With nearly 900,000 square feet, Meriden Mall is Connecticut's seventh largest mall, housing over 140 shops. The mall features Boscov's, Dick's Sporting Goods, and TJ Maxx as anchors alongside specialty retailers such as Bath and Body Works, Forever 21 Red, Foot Locker, and Torrid.
Crystal Mall is an enclosed, two-level regional mall in Waterford, Connecticut. It is situated in a central retail area off the Hartford Turnpike, across from a smaller, open-air shopping center, Waterford Commons. The mall covers a gross leaseable area of 782,786 sq ft (72,723 m2), making it Connecticut's ninth largest mall, boasting 110 shops. Its primary trade area includes a trade population of 296,161 people, mostly serving the nearby towns of Waterford, Stonington, Norwich, Groton and New London. The mall features JCPenney.
Ohio Valley Mall is a one-story enclosed shopping mall in Richland Township, outside St. Clairsville, Ohio. It was opened in 1978 and was developed by the Youngstown, Ohio-based Cafaro Company, which continues to own and manage it. The mall currently has four open anchor stores which are Boscov's, Dunham's Sports, Marshalls, and Michaels. It contains more than 100 stores and services. The mall currently has two vacant anchor stores which were once Macy's and Sears.
Bellis Fair is an enclosed shopping mall in Bellingham, Washington, United States. Opened on August 4, 1988, it features JCPenney, Kohl's, Macy's, Macy's Home Store, Dick's Sporting Goods, DSW, H&M, Forever 21, Ashley Furniture, and Target. The mall is located along Interstate 5 at its interchange with State Route 539 north of downtown Bellingham.
The Grand Teton Mall is a shopping mall located in Idaho Falls, Idaho, that opened in 1984. The anchor tenants are Alturas Preparatory Academy, Dick's Sporting Goods, Dillard's, and JCPenney.
Three Rivers Mall is an enclosed shopping mall located in Kelso, Washington that opened in 1987, on the site of a former golf course adjacent to Interstate 5. Previously owned by General Growth Properties, the mall was one of 30 malls that was spun off into Rouse Properties in 2012. Rouse was acquired by Brookfield Properties Retail Group in 2016. In July 2019, Brookfield sold the mall to Arizona-based Three Rivers Village, LLC.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
