Macon Mall

Macon Mall, located in Macon, Georgia, is a two-level shopping mall spanning over 1.1 million square feet. Its anchor stores include Burlington, in addition to a food court. However, currently, the mall is facing a significant challenge, with a vacancy rate of over 70% and an increasing trend. As a result, it is one of the most vacant shopping malls in the Southeastern United States.
== History ==
=== 1975 - Mid 1990s ===
Macon Mall opened in 1975, with a total area of 1.08 million square feet. The mall was anchored by popular stores such as Davison's, Belk, JCPenney, and Sears. Woolworth was added later but eventually went bankrupt. The opening of Macon Mall resulted in the downfall of Georgia's first enclosed mall, Westgate Mall, located nearby. During the opening, the mall featured hundreds of light bulbs in a disco-style theme. However, this design became dated and expensive to maintain, leading to the mall's first renovation in 1983.
The mall underwent further renovations in subsequent years, including the addition of a food court in 1986. Davison's, one of the anchor stores, was rebranded as Macy's during a time when Macy's decided to unify all its stores under a single name.
=== 1997 Renovation and Expansion ===
Macon Mall was one of the largest malls in Georgia for 14 years, covering a total area of 1,448,200 square feet (134,540 m2). In 1997, the mall underwent a massive renovation and expansion that almost doubled its size and added upscale anchors such as Dillard's and Parisian. The expansion also introduced over 40 new stores, making the mall more appealing to shoppers. For two years, Macon Mall held the title of the largest mall in Georgia until the opening of Mall of Georgia in Gwinnett County in 1999.
The renovation and expansion project included the construction of two parking garages on the new wing to accommodate the increase in business and decrease parking issues. The food court was also expanded by adding an extra level, which brought in new restaurants like Atlanta Bread Company, Sbarro, and Time Out Arcade. In 1998, Macy's was rebranded as Rich's, which was integrated into Federated's Macy's in 2003, and in 2005, all regional names were eliminated in favor of Macy's, causing Rich's at Macon Mall to revert to Macy's.
After the expansion, Macon Mall became the dominant player in regional retail until the opening of Eisenhower Crossing down the street in 2001, which took Old Navy from the mall. Belk also dropped the "Matthews" name from their store. Additionally, Steve & Barry's opened a large store on the upper level of the Sears wing in 2005.
=== Late 2000s Decline ===
In 2008, the mall went into foreclosure and was taken over by Jones Lang LaSalle. The opening of The Shoppes at River Crossing, a new lifestyle center, in North Bibb County, in addition to Dillard's departure from the mall, led to a ripple effect causing many tenants to leave Macon Mall, such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Ann Taylor Loft, Eddie Bauer, Hollister Co., The Gap, Charlotte Russe, GameStop, New York & Company, f.y.e., The Limited, Lane Bryant, Wolf Camera, Wet Seal, LensCrafters, Starbucks, and Ruby Tuesday. Some of these stores moved to The Shoppes at River Crossing, while others closed due to corporate bankruptcies. The mall's financial issues also prevented the opening of a Movie Tavern in the former Parisian building. The exodus of retailers was a direct result of Dillard's vacancy, new competition, poor location, and the weakened economy. The upper level of the food court has been abandoned. Despite the mall's struggles, in 2009, Macon Mall introduced Art Space, becoming the second mall in the U.S. to do so, after Crestwood Court outside of St. Louis.
=== 2011 Renovation and Demolition ===
In 2010, Macon Mall continued to lose in-line tenants such as Express, Yankee Candle, Hot Topic, Chick-Fil-A, and Subway. In September of that year, the mall was acquired by Hull Storey Gibson of Augusta, Georgia. They planned to demolish the east wing of the mall, starting with the vacant Parisian building, while renovating the remaining portion of the mall. While some tenants, such as Rue 21, Finish Line, and Spencer's, moved to the west wing, others like American Eagle Outfitters, Victoria's Secret, and Sunglass Hut left the mall.
Demolition of the east wing began on August 15, 2011, and once it was complete, Macon Mall was no longer the fourth largest mall in Georgia, as North Point Mall in Alpharetta outside of Atlanta took its place. However, the mall signed a lease with the largest tenant to ever sign with them, Smok'n Pig, a 15,000 square foot (1,400 m2) restaurant that takes up seven stores, including the former Baskin-Robbins location on the Sears wing of the mall.
The renovation was revealed on November 18 and 19, 2011, during a two-day celebration. The mall was completely carpeted, new skylights and ceilings were installed, and the restrooms were upgraded. The carousel was removed, and the staircases were moved. However, they did not demolish the former Dillard's building. Demolition was completed by the end of 2011.
In 2012, Sears announced that they would close their store at Macon Mall due to declining sales, and their last day of operation was April 29. Belk also closed their doors on September 15 of that year. Over the next two years, vacancies steadily increased, with stores like The Children's Place, RadioShack, Kirkland's, Ashley Stewart, Aéropostale, and Justice (formerly Limited Too) leaving the mall. Despite these closures, two new stores, B. Turner's and Dry Falls Outfitters, opened in 2012.
=== 2010s ===
In 2015, Burlington Coat Factory confirmed that it would occupy the upper level of the former Sears building. In October of that year, Burlington opened its doors on the top level of the former Sears as Burlington. However, in 2017, JCPenney announced that its store would be closing as part of a plan to close 138 stores nationwide, and the store ultimately closed on July 31, 2017. The mall continued to face challenges with vacancies, with stores like Marks & Morgan Jewelers and Men's Wearhouse & Tux closing, and the food court seeing a decline in tenants. Despite these challenges, efforts were made to revitalize the mall with new tenants and experiences, such as the addition of pop-up shops and local vendors, and the expansion of the Smok'n Pig restaurant. In 2019, a new entertainment venue, Pin Strikes, opened at the mall, featuring bowling, laser tag, arcade games, and a full-service restaurant and bar.
=== 2020s ===
In 2020, Macy's made the unfortunate announcement that they would be closing their store at Macon Mall, along with another mall in Georgia. This decision has left Macon Mall with just one remaining anchor store Burlington.
Category:Malls in Georgia
Category:Shopping Malls
Category:Malls in the United States
Category:Multi-Level Malls
Category:Malls that opened in 1975
Category:Former Davison's-anchored Malls
Category:Former Macy's-anchored Malls
Category:Former Rich's-anchored Malls
Category:Former JCPenney-anchored Malls
Category:Former Sears-anchored Malls
Category:Former Dillard's-anchored Malls
Category:Former Parisian-anchored Malls
Category:Former Belk-anchored Malls
Category:Former Steve & Barry's Locations
Category:Former Woolworth's-anchored Malls