Avondale Mall, originally known as Columbia Mall, opened in 1964 as an enclosed mall in the state of Georgia

Georgia (U.S. state)

Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...

 USA. The mall's original name came from its location at the intersection of Columbia & Memorial Drives near Avondale Estates. It was demolished in 2007.

Anchors

The mall's original anchors were Davison's

Davison's

Davison's of Atlanta was the major competition to Rich's, once itself an Atlanta shopping institution. The chain took the Macy's name in 1986.-Founding:...

 and Sears. After Sears closed and before renovations began, some indoor and outdoor shopping mall scenes for the Chuck Norris

Chuck Norris

Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris is an American martial artist and actor. After serving in the United States Air Force, he began his rise to fame as a martial artist and has since founded his own school, Chun Kuk Do...

 movie "Invasion USA

Invasion U.S.A. (1985 film)

Invasion U.S.A. is a 1985 action film made by Cannon Films and starring Chuck Norris. It was directed by Joseph Zito. Both Chuck Norris and his brother, Aaron, were involved in the writing. It was made in Fort Pierce, Florida. Miami landmarks, such as Dadeland Mall and Miracle Mile, can also be...

" were filmed here. The "entry" crash of the Chevy pickup into the mall was shot at the mall's main entrance. The scenes inside the mall with the Nissan pickup were inside the mall nearest the Davison's end. The escalator scene was inside the old Sears building, and the "exit" crash through the window was on the western side of Sears on the first level (the movie then cut to an exterior scene of a mall in South Florida).

After the filming, Columbia Mall was renovated and renamed "Avondale Mall" in an effort to reverse years of decline. The mall was expanded into both floors of the former Sears store, which were subdivided into smaller tenant spaces. At one time, the lower level of the old Sears building housed a new, smaller Sears Outlet Store, which became a Goody's for some time. The mall also featured a McCrory

McCrory Stores

J.G. McCrory's or McCrory Stores was a chain of five and dime stores in the United States based in York, Pennsylvania. The stores typically sold shoes, clothing, housewares, fabrics, penny candy, toys, cosmetics, and often included a lunch counter or snack bar...

's.

Later years

The decline at the mall began in the 1970s and 1980s. When the two anchor stores left in 1984 and 1995, the mall was unable to attract replacements. Management tried in 1995 to increase foot traffic. After Davison's/Macy's left the mall, that anchor building's upper floor was converted to a 16 screen movie theater, while the lower floor remained vacant except for a newly built stairwell leading from the lower level mall to the upper level theaters. This addition to the mall maybe have helped keep them up and running for another 6 years, but the mall was closed at the end of 2001.

Demolition

Demolition of the mall began in February 2007. The last two walls of the old Sears came down on March 21, 2007. The former mall was replaced with a Wal-Mart Supercenter, as well as space for condominiums and commercial outlets. This plan met with strong resistance from residents of nearby Avondale Estates

Avondale Estates, Georgia

Avondale Estates is a city in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,960 at the 2010 census.Avondale Estates was founded in 1924 by George Francis Willis, who purchased the entire village of Ingleside to create a planned community. The city was named after Stratford-upon-Avon,...

. However, the Wal-Mart opened to brisk sales in March 2008.

Unique Site

The Avondale Mall site is unique in that it has a small family cemetery in its parking lot. The graves belong to the ancestors of the original property holders, and the mall was built on the condition that the graves would not be disturbed. The cemetery is surrounded by granite walls, square in shape and inward-sloping, with an iron fence at the top. The headstones and grave sites are at the top of the structure, as this is the original grade level of the property; the construction of the mall removed approximately 12 feet of elevation. This site remained undisturbed during the construction of the Wal-Mart.