Charlottetown Mall
Encyclopedia
Charlottetown Mall was a shopping mall
located in Charlotte, North Carolina
. The first enclosed shopping mall in the Southeast, it opened in on October 28, 1959. Atlanta's Lenox Square
opened two months earlier, but it was an open-air mall at first. The mall was situated on a 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) parcel on the southeastern fringes of Charlotte's "center city" area. Rouse Company was the mall's developers.
: Bon Marché, an Asheville, North Carolina
-based department store with no connection to the Seattle-based retailer of the same name
. Other major tenants included Colonial Stores supermarket, Rose's
five and dime and Eckerd Drug. The mall was mostly one-story, although the "Central Mall" (middle of the mall) featured a second level with an auditorium and an S&W Cafeteria
. The "Central Mall" also featured a fountain, bird cages, and tropical foliage.
. Two other malls which opened in Charlotte - SouthPark Mall
and Eastland Mall
(in 1970 and 1975, respectively) soon grew to draw business away from Charlottetown Mall, causing the older, smaller mall to decline.
Charlottetown was first renovated in the 1980s, when its name was changed to "Outlet Square". Nine years after the first renovation, the shopping center was renovated a second time. Two parking garages were added, and the mall was once again re-named, this time assuming the name "Midtown Square". Unfortunately, neither of the renovations resuscitated the rapidly dying mall. Ivey's
converted the Midtown Square store to an outlet store before closing altogether. Eventually, the former Ivey's was taken over by Burlington Coat Factory
. The Colonial Stores was converted to Big Star Markets
outlet, and later to Harris Teeter
before closing in 1988.
After several years in dead mall
status, Midtown Square closed. The mall and the cinemas - which also closed - were bulldozed in 2006. Currently, a mixed-use complex is being built on the sites of the old cinema and shopping mall. The retail segment will include a two-story anchor store
, with Home Depot Design Center on the first floor and Target
on the second. In addition, the complex will feature 198000 square feet (18,394.8 m²) of additional retail, as well as condominiums, offices, and restaurants. The project, being developed in a joint venture by Charlotte-based Pappas Properties / Collette Associates and Birmingham-based Colonial Properties Trust, is scheduled to open in late 2007.
Best Buy
, Trader Joe's
, West Elm
, Marshalls
and Staples have since joined the development, and the Home Depot Design Center has closed (as a result of Home Depot closing all of their design centers, not due to local performance).
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
located in Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
. The first enclosed shopping mall in the Southeast, it opened in on October 28, 1959. Atlanta's Lenox Square
Lenox Square
Lenox Square is an upscale enclosed super regional shopping mall located in the Buckhead District of Atlanta, Georgia. Lenox Square comprises more than of retail space, with 250 stores on four levels, including a large food court. The mall is home to three anchor stores: Macy's, Bloomingdale's,...
opened two months earlier, but it was an open-air mall at first. The mall was situated on a 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) parcel on the southeastern fringes of Charlotte's "center city" area. Rouse Company was the mall's developers.
Stores and design
The 234000 square feet (21,739.3 m²) center featured one anchor storeAnchor store
In retail, an anchor store, draw tenant, anchor tenant, or key tenant is one of the larger stores in a shopping mall, usually a department store or a major retail chain....
: Bon Marché, an Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...
-based department store with no connection to the Seattle-based retailer of the same name
The Bon Marché
The Bon Marché, whose name means "the good deal" or "the good market", was the name chosen for a department store launched in Seattle, Washington, United States, in 1890 by Edward Nordhoff. The name comes from Le Bon Marché, a noted Paris retailer and one of the world's first department stores,...
. Other major tenants included Colonial Stores supermarket, Rose's
Rose's
Roses Stores is a regional discount store with its headquarters in Henderson, North Carolina. Once dominant in the mountainous regions and rural areas of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, southwestern Virginia, and the Eastern Shore of Maryland, the chain has dwindled...
five and dime and Eckerd Drug. The mall was mostly one-story, although the "Central Mall" (middle of the mall) featured a second level with an auditorium and an S&W Cafeteria
S&W Cafeteria
S&W Cafeteria was a Charlotte, North Carolina-based chain of cafeteria style restaurants. The chain specialized in low-cost, southern style cookery. Branch locations were located in the Southeastern United States from Washington, D.C...
. The "Central Mall" also featured a fountain, bird cages, and tropical foliage.
Logo and Advertising
Charlottetown Mall had a distinctive crown logo that was on all of its public trash cans and on the door handles at all the entrances/exits. This logo was designed by Dorr M. Depew, owner/operator of Depew Advertising, the Charlotte firm that provided graphic and advertising support for the new mall. Depew also wrote and produced radio commercials for the new mall, using Edwin Franko Goldman's well-known concert march "On The Mall" as the musical background.Fate
By 1964, Bon Marché had closed at the mall; their store was quickly replaced by Ivey'sIvey's
Ivey's , a former department store chain, was acquired by Dillard's, Inc. in 1990. Ivey's was based in Charlotte, North Carolina, and was founded in 1900 by Joseph Benjamin Ivey.-History:...
. Two other malls which opened in Charlotte - SouthPark Mall
Southpark Mall
Southpark Mall may refer to:*South Park Mall *SouthPark Mall *Southpark Mall *SouthPark Mall *Southpark Mall *Southpark Mall...
and Eastland Mall
Eastland Mall (Charlotte, North Carolina)
Eastland Mall was a shopping mall in Charlotte, North Carolina. The center opened in 1975 as the then-largest mall in North Carolina with three anchor department stores, Belk, J.C. Penney and Ivey's, and a Sears store joined four years later. Burlington Coat Factory, the mall's final anchor, has...
(in 1970 and 1975, respectively) soon grew to draw business away from Charlottetown Mall, causing the older, smaller mall to decline.
Charlottetown was first renovated in the 1980s, when its name was changed to "Outlet Square". Nine years after the first renovation, the shopping center was renovated a second time. Two parking garages were added, and the mall was once again re-named, this time assuming the name "Midtown Square". Unfortunately, neither of the renovations resuscitated the rapidly dying mall. Ivey's
Ivey's
Ivey's , a former department store chain, was acquired by Dillard's, Inc. in 1990. Ivey's was based in Charlotte, North Carolina, and was founded in 1900 by Joseph Benjamin Ivey.-History:...
converted the Midtown Square store to an outlet store before closing altogether. Eventually, the former Ivey's was taken over by Burlington Coat Factory
Burlington Coat Factory
Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corporation is a national department store retailer focusing on clothing and shoes, with over 450 stores in 45 states and Puerto Rico.. In 2006, it was acquired by Bain Capital, LLC in a take-private transaction...
. The Colonial Stores was converted to Big Star Markets
Big Star Markets
Big Star was an American supermarket chain founded in 1937 as part of the David Pender Grocery Company.-History:The Big Star stores were self-service supermarket operations which began to replace the small full-service stores Pender's had operated up to that point. By the late 1940s the entire...
outlet, and later to Harris Teeter
Harris Teeter
Harris Teeter is a chain of supermarkets based in Matthews, North Carolina, just outside Charlotte. , the chain operates 207 stores in eight Southern states: North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia.Harris Teeter is a...
before closing in 1988.
After several years in dead mall
Dead mall
A dead mall or greyfield is a shopping mall with a high vacancy rate or a low consumer traffic level, or that is dated or deteriorating in some manner. Many malls in the United States are considered "dead" when they have no surviving anchor store or successor that could serve as an entry into or...
status, Midtown Square closed. The mall and the cinemas - which also closed - were bulldozed in 2006. Currently, a mixed-use complex is being built on the sites of the old cinema and shopping mall. The retail segment will include a two-story anchor store
Anchor store
In retail, an anchor store, draw tenant, anchor tenant, or key tenant is one of the larger stores in a shopping mall, usually a department store or a major retail chain....
, with Home Depot Design Center on the first floor and Target
Target Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
on the second. In addition, the complex will feature 198000 square feet (18,394.8 m²) of additional retail, as well as condominiums, offices, and restaurants. The project, being developed in a joint venture by Charlotte-based Pappas Properties / Collette Associates and Birmingham-based Colonial Properties Trust, is scheduled to open in late 2007.
Best Buy
Best Buy
Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates...
, Trader Joe's
Trader Joe's
Trader Joe's is a privately held chain of specialty grocery stores headquartered in Monrovia, California. , Trader Joe's had a total of 365 stores. Approximately half of its stores are in California, with the heaviest concentration in Southern California, but the company also has locations in 30...
, West Elm
West Elm
West Elm is an upscale retail store that features contemporary furniture designs and other housewares. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. There are currently 37 stores in 18 states, the Canadian province of Ontario, and Puerto Rico. Customers are able to shop in-store,...
, Marshalls
Marshalls
Marshalls, Inc., is a chain of American department stores owned by TJX Companies. Marshalls has over 750 conventional stores, as well as larger stores named Marshalls Mega Store, covering 42 states and Puerto Rico. Marshalls expanded into Canada in March 2011...
and Staples have since joined the development, and the Home Depot Design Center has closed (as a result of Home Depot closing all of their design centers, not due to local performance).