- The Maine Mall
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The Maine Mall 
Location South Portland, Maine Opening date 1971 Owner General Growth Properties No. of stores and services 140+ No. of anchor tenants 4 Total retail floor area 1,200,000 square feet (110,000 m2) No. of floors 1/(2) The Maine Mall, built in 1971, is an enclosed shopping mall located in South Portland, Maine, a suburb of Portland. At 1,200,000 square feet (110,000 m2), it is the largest shopping mall in the state of Maine, and the second-largest in northern New England (behind only the Mall at Rockingham Park in New Hampshire). Anchored by Best Buy, JCPenney, Macy's, and Sears, the mall features over 140 tenants, a food court and several ancillary restaurant/retail pad sites[1].
Contents
The Mall today
On April 16, 2009 the Mall owner, General Growth Properties, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. This status has not seemingly affected the day-to-day operations of the mall, but raised questions as to whether the owner will be able to retain ownership of the property while they attempt to refinance $27 billion debt collateralized by their national real estate portfolio.[citation needed] Rumors have been further fueled by the mall owner's late payment of its 2009 bi-annual South Portland property tax bill[2] exceeding $900,000.
As of June 2010, several new stores have been added including Teavana, Coldwater Creek, Zumiez, Brighton Collectibles, Pandora, Sephora, and Johnny Rockets. The former Filene's is still not occupied, but Super Shoes replaced part of the Linens N things space. Ulta Cosmetics has taken over the former Vinny T's space. Francesca's Collections opened in summer 2010, and across the street, Chipotle Mexican Grille, and [[Cracker Barrel] have opened. Plans for fall 2011 include Old Navy moving over from Maine Crossing to occupy the space to the rear of Super Shoes, plus White House/Black Market, and j jill.
Highlighted timeline
- In late 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. Also, an Apple Store and a Coach store opened.
- In 2007 the vacant building that formerly housed Filene's was to be demolished and replaced by a 16-screen movie theater and restaurants.[3] General Growth also wanted to relocate the current Best Buy and David's Bridal stores to an adjacent property in an attempt to create a Lifestyle Shopping Center at that site. The project, however, was put on hold for unknown reasons.[4] Joseph Soley, a local property owner who owns two retail centers near the mall, attempted to file a lawsuit, claiming that General Growth's expansion of the mall would negatively impact his own businesses; the lawsuit was dismissed.[5] The project has been delayed indefinitely because of the suit.
- In 2005, Federated Department Stores, the owner of Macy's, acquired the Filene's chain. Due to the presence of an existing Macy's at the Maine Mall, both the Filene's and Filene's home store were shuttered in 2005 to prevent overlap.[6]
- In 2003, General Growth Properties of Chicago, Illinois purchased the mall via a competitive sales process in October for $270M.[7]
- In 1997, Woolworth and Lechmere both closed; within a year, they were replaced by Linens 'n Things and Best Buy, respectively.
- Porteous closed in 1996 and was replaced with a two-level structure, containing a Filene's Home Store on the lower level, with Sports Authority on the upper level. Jordan Marsh was acquired by Federated Department Stores in 1996; as a result, the former Jordan Marsh at Maine Mall became Macy's.
- In 1994 the Mall underwent a $6.5 million renovation;[8] this renovation added a food court, as well as Lechmere[9] and a larger Dream Machine (a video game and pinball machine arcade).
- Porteous, a department store chain based in Portland, Maine arrived in 1983 as part of a major mall expansion which doubled the mall's size. This expansion also brought in JCPenney, as well as the first Filene's in the state of Maine.[6][10]
- 1969: Construction of original Jordan Marsh Company begins. Store opened in 1970 and sat for a year by itself before the 52 store original wing, from Jordan Marsh to Sears, was built in 1971. August 18, 1971, Portland Press Herald had an insert announcing the first 30 stores open. By October 15, a dedication was held for all 52 original stores.
References
- ^ http://www.ggp.com/properties/MallDirectory.aspx?smuid=702
- ^ http://www.southportlander.com/index.php/C36
- ^ Mall owner aims to get overhaul under way
- ^ Maine Mall to add nearby 'lifestyle' shopping complex
- ^ South Portland seeks dismissal of Soley lawsuit
- ^ a b Filene's at Maine Mall to close this year
- ^ THE MAINE EVENT
- ^ Malls.pdf
- ^ Montgomery Ward buys Lechmere; continues growth through acquisition
- ^ Two Maines: Separate but not equal
External links
Categories:- Shopping malls in Maine
- Shopping malls established in 1971
- General Growth Properties
- Buildings and structures in South Portland, Maine
- Visitor attractions in Cumberland County, Maine
- Economy of Cumberland County, Maine
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