Lockport Mall

Lockport Mall
LocationSouth Lockport, New York, United States
Opening date1971 (1971)
Closing date2006 (2006)
(demolished 2011 (2011))
DeveloperSaperston Real Estate[1]
No. of stores and services1
No. of anchor tenants3
Total retail floor area340,000 sq ft (32,000 m2)[2]
No. of floors1

Lockport Mall was an enclosed shopping mall in South Lockport, New York located on Transit Road (NY 78). It opened in 1971 and included three anchor stores as well as a movie theater. The mall closed in 2006 except for the Bon-Ton department store. First announced in 2007, plans for a Walmart supercenter would displace the rest of the former mall building. The mall's demolition began in April 2011.

History

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Lockport Mall opened in 1971 and was acquired by General Growth Properties seven years later.[3] Original tenants included Family Bargain Center (F. B. C.),[1] which soon after opening was sold to AM&A's (Adam, Meldrum & Anderson Company), as well as Montgomery Ward and The Sample. Also within the mall were Kinney Shoes, Fanny Farmer, Morse Shoes, Hickory Farms, Deb Shops, CVS Pharmacy, Fashion Bug, Kay Jewelers, Jo-Ann Fabrics, Radio Shack, Aladdin's Castle, Merle Norman Cosmetics, Regis Salons, Waldenbooks, and a movie theater. A 1984 expansion added Hills Department Store. The Sample closed in 1991, while AM&A's sold to The Bon-Ton in 1995. Hills became Ames in 1999; the same year, Montgomery Ward closed and became Rosa's Furniture. Due to the closing of Montgomery Ward, the mall started to decline. Ames closed in 2002, followed by many other mall stores.

Plans were first announced in 2003 to demolish everything but the Bon-Ton building and replace the mall structure with a Walmart supercenter.[4][3] By late 2004, only nine stores remained operational at the mall, which at that point was slated for closure.[5] Rosas closed in 2005. The theaters closed in January 2006.

The mall sat for several years until 2011, when it was finally demolished except for The Bon-Ton. Construction of the Walmart has repeatedly been halted due to seagulls nesting on the site.[6] In October 2013, construction finally continued on the site, and it opened in 2015[7] The Bon-Ton announced its closure in 2018.[8]

References

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  1. ^ a b "New York". Chain Store Age. 48: E53. 1972.
  2. ^ Fink, James (17 April 2009). "Lockport Mall owner in bankruptcy". Business First of Buffalo. Retrieved 16 April 2010.
  3. ^ a b Fink, James (17 November 2003). "Big changes coming to Lockport". Business First of Buffalo. Retrieved 16 April 2010.
  4. ^ Haarlander, Lisa (20 November 2003). "Wal-Mart eyes Lockport site". The Buffalo News. Retrieved 16 April 2010.
  5. ^ Linstedt, Sharon (17 November 2000). "Rosa's to open Lockport Mall store". The Buffalo News. Retrieved 16 April 2010.
  6. ^ Olenick, Joe (2013-03-20). "Block of seagulls". Lockport Union-Sun & Journal.
  7. ^ "Lockport Walmart supercenter targeted for Aug. 15 opening - City & Region - the Buffalo News". Archived from the original on 2014-05-14. Retrieved 2014-05-14.
  8. ^ Thomas, John W. Schoen, Lauren (18 April 2018). "Bon-Ton is preparing to liquidate. Here's a map of all its stores". cnbc.com.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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