Totem Lake Mall
Encyclopedia
Totem Lake Mall is a small shopping mall
in Kirkland, Washington
, United States
. The center consists of an enclosed shopping mall (Lower Mall), and an adjacent strip mall (Upper Mall). Collectively, the two centers are sometimes referred to as "Totem Lake Malls". Following the redevelopment of major regional malls beginning in the 1980s, Totem Lake Mall went into steady decline, losing most of its major tenants. Multiple redevelopments for the property have been proposed but have never been carried out.
Major tenants in the Lower Mall are Cartoys
, Ross Dress for Less
, Sleep Country USA and Famous Footwear
. The last smaller tenant in the Lower Mall is a Christian bookstore, although spaces in the lower mall are occasionally used by short-term and seasonal tenants. The majority of the Lower Mall is completely vacant. The Upper Mall includes Guitar Center
, Hallmark Cards
, Trader Joe's
, and Big 5 Sporting Goods
.
The majority of these tenants are only accessible on the outside, shying away from the interior mall concept popular throughout the 1960s-1990s. Other malls in the Seattle - Tacoma area such as Northgate Mall
and Lakewood Towne Center
have switched to this concept as well, having tenants on the outside as well as the inside.
were in charge of designing the interior. Although the opening of the mall was originally scheduled for April 1, 1973, the first stores in the mall opened on May 2, and the rest of the lower mall opened on May 31, 1973. The mall's 40000 square feet (3,716.1 m²) Lamonts
Anchor tenant/department store
, the sixth in that chain, was still under construction at the time, and would not open until October 17 of that year. Other anchors at the mall included other divisions of the Pay 'n Save
Corporation including Ernst Home & Nursery, Schuck's Auto Supply, still existing until recently, a Pay 'n Save Drug store and Sportsland, later acquired by Big 5 Sporting Goods
. Construction of the separate Eastern portion of the mall continued into 1974, and the East Mall was opened in July 1974. Construction of the mall would lead to the annexation of the Totem Lake Neighborhood by the city of Kirkland in 1974. The adjacent Totem Lake Cinemas opened in 1980.
A huge snow storm in 1997 caused part of the lower mall's roof to cave in, triggering the sprinklers and flooding the entire mall in 3 inches (76.2 mm) of water. Because of water damage, the mall's original wood parquet flooring was replaced with ceramic tile.
today, the mall has been struggling financially and facing a "steady loss of tenants" since the early 2000s. The mall has been described as a "white elephant
".
The first blow to the mall occurred in late 1996 when anchor Ernst Home & Nursery closed as part of the company's bankruptcy
. The space eventually was divided into three stores, Ross
, Famous Footwear
and Cartoys
, and given a remodel that contrasted greatly with the rest of the mall. This part of the mall remained occupied while the rest of the mall slowly languished.
The main mall has many vacant spaces where anchor tenants used to be, such as Lamonts
(later Gottschalks
). In November 2006, the Rite Aid
drugstore moved out of the mall to a free standing location up the street. And CompUSA
closed in May 2007. As of July 2007, the mall interior has only two major retailers: Sleep Country USA, and a Christian bookstore. The Old Country Buffet closed in September 2008 due to chapter 11 bankruptcy consolidation. The latest vacancy occurred in March 2010 when one of the mall's only original remaining tenants, Schuck's Auto Parts, acquired and renamed by O'Reilly Auto Parts
, relocated off the mall property.
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...
in Kirkland, Washington
Kirkland, Washington
Kirkland is a city in King County, Washington, United States. It is a suburb of Seattle on the Eastside . The population was 48,787 at the 2010 census makes it the 9th largest city in King County and the 20th largest city in the state...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The center consists of an enclosed shopping mall (Lower Mall), and an adjacent strip mall (Upper Mall). Collectively, the two centers are sometimes referred to as "Totem Lake Malls". Following the redevelopment of major regional malls beginning in the 1980s, Totem Lake Mall went into steady decline, losing most of its major tenants. Multiple redevelopments for the property have been proposed but have never been carried out.
Major tenants in the Lower Mall are Cartoys
Cartoys
CarToys, Inc. is a medium-sized chain of stores, founded and headquartered in Seattle. There are currently 49 stores, distributed throughout Washington, Oregon, Colorado, and Texas. CarToys currently has over 1,200 employees, some of whom work in both the corporate headquarters and a distribution...
, Ross Dress for Less
Ross Dress For Less
Ross Stores, Inc. , is a chain of American off-price department stores headquartered in Pleasanton, California, operating under the name Ross Dress for Less. It is the third largest off-price retailer in the United States, behind T.J. Maxx and Marshalls, both of which are owned by TJX Companies.As...
, Sleep Country USA and Famous Footwear
Famous Footwear
Famous Footwear is a nationwide chain of retail stores in the United States dealing in branded footwear, generally at prices discounted from manufacturer's suggested prices. Established in 1960 as a single store, "Famous" is regarded as both a forerunner and champion of the trend towards the...
. The last smaller tenant in the Lower Mall is a Christian bookstore, although spaces in the lower mall are occasionally used by short-term and seasonal tenants. The majority of the Lower Mall is completely vacant. The Upper Mall includes Guitar Center
Guitar Center
Guitar Center is the largest chain of musical instrument retailers in the world with 223 locations throughout the United States. Its headquarters is in Westlake Village, California....
, Hallmark Cards
Hallmark Cards
Hallmark Cards is a privately owned American company based in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 by Joyce C. Hall, Hallmark is the largest manufacturer of greeting cards in the United States. In 1985, the company was awarded the National Medal of Arts....
, 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...
, and Big 5 Sporting Goods
Big 5 Sporting Goods
Big 5 Sporting Goods is a sporting goods retailer headquartered in El Segundo, California with 388 stores in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Steven G. Miller is the Chairman, President, and CEO.The Big 5 name is...
.
The majority of these tenants are only accessible on the outside, shying away from the interior mall concept popular throughout the 1960s-1990s. Other malls in the Seattle - Tacoma area such as Northgate Mall
Northgate Mall
Northgate Mall may refer to:*Northgate Mall in Durham, North Carolina*Northgate Mall in Hixson, Tennessee*Northgate Mall in Seattle, Washington*Northgate Mall in Cincinnati, Ohio...
and Lakewood Towne Center
Lakewood Towne Center
Lakewood Towne Center is a shopping center located in Lakewood, Washington, a suburb of Tacoma. Lakewood Towne Center was created when MBK Northwest bought and demolished the enclosed portion of the failing Lakewood Mall in 2001, and turned the site into an open air destination by creating four...
have switched to this concept as well, having tenants on the outside as well as the inside.
History
Originally called the Totem Lake Center, the mall was first proposed in early 1968 and ground was broken in June 1972. The mall was the second phase of a larger Totem Lake center project including the Evergreen Hospital campus and nearby apartment complexes, all developed by Totem Lake, Inc. around the small lake of the same name, originally known as Lake Watstine. The mall was designed with an "Indian longhouse theme" by Richard C. Bouillon & Co., the same firm that designed the Lake Forest Park Center in 1964 in a chalet theme. John Graham & CompanyJohn Graham & Company
John Graham & Company, or John Graham & Associates was the name of an architectural firm, founded in 1900 in Seattle, Washington by English-born architect John Graham , and maintained by his son John Graham Jr. ....
were in charge of designing the interior. Although the opening of the mall was originally scheduled for April 1, 1973, the first stores in the mall opened on May 2, and the rest of the lower mall opened on May 31, 1973. The mall's 40000 square feet (3,716.1 m²) Lamonts
Lamonts
Lamonts was a chain of department stores founded in Seattle, Washington. The chain was started in 1970 when Pay 'n Save renamed its suburban branches of Rhodes, a department store chain the company acquired in 1965. Lamonts remained a division of Pay 'n Save until 1985...
Anchor tenant/department store
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
, the sixth in that chain, was still under construction at the time, and would not open until October 17 of that year. Other anchors at the mall included other divisions of the Pay 'n Save
Pay 'n Save
Pay 'n Save was a retail company founded by Monte Lafayette Bean in Seattle, Washington; 1940. Over the years, Pay 'n Save was the leading drug store chain in Washington and was the owner several Washington-based retailers including Lamonts and Ernst...
Corporation including Ernst Home & Nursery, Schuck's Auto Supply, still existing until recently, a Pay 'n Save Drug store and Sportsland, later acquired by Big 5 Sporting Goods
Big 5 Sporting Goods
Big 5 Sporting Goods is a sporting goods retailer headquartered in El Segundo, California with 388 stores in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Steven G. Miller is the Chairman, President, and CEO.The Big 5 name is...
. Construction of the separate Eastern portion of the mall continued into 1974, and the East Mall was opened in July 1974. Construction of the mall would lead to the annexation of the Totem Lake Neighborhood by the city of Kirkland in 1974. The adjacent Totem Lake Cinemas opened in 1980.
A huge snow storm in 1997 caused part of the lower mall's roof to cave in, triggering the sprinklers and flooding the entire mall in 3 inches (76.2 mm) of water. Because of water damage, the mall's original wood parquet flooring was replaced with ceramic tile.
Troubles
Arguably a dead mallDead 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...
today, the mall has been struggling financially and facing a "steady loss of tenants" since the early 2000s. The mall has been described as a "white elephant
White elephant
A white elephant is an idiom for a valuable but burdensome possession of which its owner cannot dispose and whose cost is out of proportion to its usefulness or worth...
".
The first blow to the mall occurred in late 1996 when anchor Ernst Home & Nursery closed as part of the company's bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
. The space eventually was divided into three stores, Ross
Ross
Ross is a region of Scotland and a former mormaerdom, earldom, sheriffdom and county. The name Ross allegedly derives from a Gaelic word meaning a headland - perhaps a reference to the Black Isle. The Norse word for Orkney - Hrossay meaning horse island - is another possible origin. The area...
, Famous Footwear
Famous Footwear
Famous Footwear is a nationwide chain of retail stores in the United States dealing in branded footwear, generally at prices discounted from manufacturer's suggested prices. Established in 1960 as a single store, "Famous" is regarded as both a forerunner and champion of the trend towards the...
and Cartoys
Cartoys
CarToys, Inc. is a medium-sized chain of stores, founded and headquartered in Seattle. There are currently 49 stores, distributed throughout Washington, Oregon, Colorado, and Texas. CarToys currently has over 1,200 employees, some of whom work in both the corporate headquarters and a distribution...
, and given a remodel that contrasted greatly with the rest of the mall. This part of the mall remained occupied while the rest of the mall slowly languished.
The main mall has many vacant spaces where anchor tenants used to be, such as Lamonts
Lamonts
Lamonts was a chain of department stores founded in Seattle, Washington. The chain was started in 1970 when Pay 'n Save renamed its suburban branches of Rhodes, a department store chain the company acquired in 1965. Lamonts remained a division of Pay 'n Save until 1985...
(later Gottschalks
Gottschalks
Gottschalks was a middle-tier American department store that operated 58 department stores and three specialty apparel stores in six western states ; some locations ran as Harris-Gottschalks stores...
). In November 2006, the Rite Aid
Rite Aid
Rite Aid is a drugstore chain in the United States and a Fortune 500 company headquartered in East Pennsboro Township, Pennsylvania, near Camp Hill. Rite Aid is the largest drugstore chain on the East Coast and the third largest drugstore chain in the U.S....
drugstore moved out of the mall to a free standing location up the street. And CompUSA
CompUSA
CompUSA is a retailer and reseller of consumer electronics, technology products and computer services. Its headquarters are in Miami, Florida.Until its reorganization, CompUSA, Inc. was a wholly owned subsidiary of U.S. Commercial Corp S.A.B...
closed in May 2007. As of July 2007, the mall interior has only two major retailers: Sleep Country USA, and a Christian bookstore. The Old Country Buffet closed in September 2008 due to chapter 11 bankruptcy consolidation. The latest vacancy occurred in March 2010 when one of the mall's only original remaining tenants, Schuck's Auto Parts, acquired and renamed by O'Reilly Auto Parts
O'Reilly Auto Parts
O'Reilly Auto Parts , originally known as O'Reilly Automotive, Inc., is a publicly traded chain of auto parts stores that started with one store in Springfield, Missouri in 1957. It has since grown to include more than 3,469 stores in 38 states. The corporate headquarters of O'Reilly is located in...
, relocated off the mall property.