Berkshire Mall (Massachusetts) facts for kids
| Location | Lanesborough, Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Address | Old State Road & Route 8 |
| Opening date | September 1988 |
| Closing date | May 28, 2019 |
| Developer | The Pyramid Companies |
| Owner | Town Of Lanesborough |
| No. of stores and services | 2 (75 at peak) |
| No. of anchor tenants | 6 (2 open, 4 vacant) |
| Total retail floor area | 717,900 square feet (67,000 m2) (GLA) |
| No. of floors | 1 |
The Berkshire Mall was a big shopping mall located in Lanesborough, Massachusetts. It was just outside Pittsfield. This mall was built in 1988 and closed its main doors in 2019. You could get there from both Route 8 and U.S. Route 7.
Over the years, many of the mall's main or "anchor" stores changed. When it closed, the mall's last anchor stores were Target and Berkshire Mall 10 (a movie theater). Both of these are still open today. Four other big spaces were empty. These had once been home to Best Buy, JCPenney, Macy's, and Sears.
Contents
History of the Berkshire Mall
The Berkshire Mall first opened in September 1988. It had several original anchor stores. These included Hills (which later became Ames), JCPenney, Sears, Service Merchandise, and a local store called Steiger's.
Changes in Stores Over Time
In 1994, Steiger's stores were sold to Filene's, which later became Macy's. Service Merchandise closed its doors in 1999. Two years later, the mall planned to open a BJ's Wholesale Club in that empty space. Instead, the building was taken down. In its place, a Best Buy and Linens 'n Things opened in 2002.
Ames, another original anchor, closed in 2001. A Target store took its place in 2002, though it didn't open until January 2006. An Old Navy store was added to the mall in 2000. Both Old Navy and a store called Steve & Barry's closed in 2009. Famous Labels replaced Steve & Barry's that same year.
Major Store Closures
More big changes happened in the mid-2010s. On October 31, 2015, Best Buy closed its location in the mall. Then, on January 6, 2016, Macy's announced it would close its Berkshire Mall store in April 2016.
On March 17, 2017, JCPenney also announced it was closing. That store shut down on July 31, 2017. Finally, on November 2, 2017, Sears said it would close its mall location on January 28, 2018. After Sears left, only Target and Regal Cinemas remained as the main anchor stores.
Mall Ownership and Closure
In 2016, a company called Kohan Retail Investment Group bought the Berkshire Mall for $3.5 million. The mall's first owner, Pyramid Management Group, had trouble keeping up with payments.
Even with the new owner's plans, the mall continued to lose stores. It also had problems with maintenance and unpaid bills. In July 2018, the mall temporarily closed its doors to shoppers. In March 2019, it was closed for a week because there was no electricity or water.
On June 23, 2018, a new area called the Berkshire Mall Emporium opened in the old JCPenney space. However, it closed on February 24, 2019.
Finally, on May 28, 2019, the main part of the mall closed permanently. Target and Regal Cinemas were not affected by this closure. This is because they own their own buildings, which are attached to the mall but separate from the part owned by Kohan.
- Owner is Kohan Retail Property Group: Lanesborough Settles Tax Appeal With Berkshire Mall
