Holyoke Mall at Ingleside

Holyoke Mall at Ingleside
Holyoke Mall at Ingleside logo
Location Holyoke, Massachusetts, USA
Address 50 Holyoke Street
Holyoke, MA 01040
Opening date 1979
Owner The Pyramid Companies
No. of stores and services ~200
No. of anchor tenants 12
Total retail floor area 1,600,000 sq ft (150,000 m2)[1]
No. of floors 3: Upper Level
Lower Level
and food court
Website Mall website

The Holyoke Mall at Ingleside (a.k.a. Holyoke Mall) is a shopping center located in Holyoke, Massachusetts, in the city's Ingleside neighborhood. The mall features nearly 200 stores, a large food court, and several restaurants and is 1.6 million square feet.[2][3]

The mall has four parking garages and has unique architecture such as wood paneling, wooden benches, a dome with purple lights, a box-spiral staircase with holes that leads to the Café Square level, and a stone-shafted elevator. The mall underwent cosmetic upgrades in 2015, which included new floors, lighting, and benches throughout the mall. Located near the interchange of I-90 and I-91, the Holyoke Mall is one of the primary shopping destinations in Western Massachusetts and attracts many out-of-state visitors.

Anchor tenants include: Macy's, JCPenney, Sears, Target, Best Buy, Christmas Tree Shops, and Hobby Lobby.

History

The mall opened in 1979 with G. Fox, JCPenney, Sears, Service Merchandise and Steiger's, as the original anchors. The mall was expanded (and slightly renovated) in 1991, adding an entirely new wing to the mall with a relocated G. Fox (later Filene's, now Macy's) being constructed at the end. At the time it was expanded, it was billed as the largest mall in New England. It is owned by The Pyramid Companies. Around this time Lord & Taylor announced a location to open at the mall by November 1993. Pyramid in 1998 proposed a 1,400,000-square-foot (130,000 m2) expansion that would have added a 20-screen cinema complex, but this attempt was blocked by the city.[4] Lord & Taylor closed citing market conditions in early 2005.[5] In August 2007 Apple opened a store.[6][7][8] Pottery Barn and Sephora opened stores in the mall in 2008. Pottery Barn opened up in part of the upper floor of the former Lord & Taylor store.[9] In April 2009, Forever 21 considerably expanded their store (it became a flagship store XXI Forever) in the lower floor of the mall using part of the vacant Lord & Taylor. At the time it was the largest Forever 21 in Massachusetts.[10] Sports Authority closed in 2016 after filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy.[11] On November 28, 2017, it was announced that a Cinemark movie theater would be coming to the mall by the end of 2018.[12] In April 2018, the Babies "R" Us closed permanently.[13] Forever 21 moved into a smaller space on the upper level near JCPenney and Best Buy on July 21, 2018. On August 22, 2018 Sears announced that it's store would be closing as part of a plan to close 46 stores nationwide. The store will closing in November 2018.[14]

Must be 18 controversy

In 2005, The Pyramid Corporation sparked local controversy over its "must be 18 policy",[15] especially from the local Latino population. The policy (implemented on September 9, 2005) requires all patrons under the age of eighteen to be accompanied by a parent or guardian on Friday and Saturday nights after 4:00 PM. Anyone who appears to be under 18 can be asked to show identification such as a school ID card or a driver's license. This policy is not enforced in the majority of the approximately twenty complexes managed by the Pyramid Corporation, largely located in suburban areas. Because of this, the mall has been accused of racism by the local community.[16] City Councilor William H. Dwight, who serves on the Northampton Youth Commission, commented that because teenagers do not have as many places as adults to gather, they are frequently treated like pariahs. "It seems to me the mall is relatively safe. It's a shame that's gone," said Dwight. Pyramid has defended its decision by saying that it will increase sales because the environment will be more pleasing to adult shoppers and the incidence of shoplifting will be reduced.[17]

References

  1. ↑ "Pyramid Corporate Page". Retrieved 2010-07-13.
  2. ↑ http://www.masslive.com/business-news/index.ssf/2014/07/holyoke_mall_movies_bowling_places_to_si.html
  3. ↑ Kinney, Jim (2009-11-25). "Stores, shoppers brace for Black Friday". The Republican. Retrieved 2010-07-13.
  4. ↑ "MASS. TOWN REJECTS PYRAMID MALL EXPANSION". The Post-Standard. Syracuse, NY. 1998-11-20. |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  5. ↑ STABILE, LORI (2003-07-31). [Filene's Closed in September 2006 and rebranded as Macy's due to the federated department stores and May department stores. "Lord & Taylor closing at Holyoke Mall"] Check |url= value (help). The Republican. Springfield, Massachusetts. pp. A01. Retrieved 2010-07-13.
  6. ↑ Barry, Stephanie (2007-08-11). "Shoppers go for hi-tech bargains". The Republican. Springfield, MA. Retrieved 2010-07-27.
  7. ↑ "Out with the old, in with the mall Borders". The Republican. Springfield, MA. 2007-09-02. pp. C01. |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  8. ↑ Blomberg, Marcia (2007-07-17). "Borders to open mall store". The Republican. Springfield, MA. pp. C07. Retrieved 2010-07-27.
  9. ↑ "Business: Major retailer joins mall". The Republican. Springfield, MA. 2008-10-07. pp. C07. |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  10. ↑ Galang, Stacie N. (2009-05-22). "Mall to open XXI Forever tomorrow". The Salem News. Beverly, MA. Archived from the original on 2013-02-01. Retrieved 2010-07-27.
  11. ↑ https://www.wwlp.com/news/local-news/hampden-county/sports-authority-closing-store-at-holyoke-mall/1043749140
  12. ↑ Kinney, Jim (2017-11-28). "Cinemark movie theaters coming to Holyoke Mall". The Republican. Springfield, MA. Retrieved 2018-04-16.
  13. ↑ "Toys 'R' Us to close 6 Massachusetts stores, including Holyoke Mall Babies 'R' Us, as part of bankruptcy restructuring". masslive.com. Retrieved 2018-07-12.
  14. ↑ http://www.westernmassnews.com/story/38942395/sears-location-at-holyoke-mall-to-close-in-november
  15. ↑ Parental Escort Policy on Mall Website
  16. ↑ Haggo, Regina; Douglas Haggo (2005-09-24). "Mall's teen ban has to do with colour -- green". Hamilton Spectator. Ontario, Canada. pp. D02. Retrieved 2010-07-13.
  17. ↑ Dewitt, Sunshine (2005-07-13). "Holyoke Mall targets teens". Daily Hampshire Gazette. Northampton MA. p. 1. |access-date= requires |url= (help)
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