Eastern Hills Mall facts for kids
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| Location | Harris Hill, New York, United States |
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| Opening date | 1971 |
| Developer | Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation |
| Management | Mountain Development Corp. |
| Owner | Mountain Development Corp., Uniland Development |
| No. of stores and services | 64 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 5 |
| Total retail floor area | 1,000,000 square feet (92,903.0 m2) |
| No. of floors | 1 (2 in former Sears, closed 2nd floor in Niagara Emporium and Raymour & Flanigan, staff mezzanine in JCPenney) |
The Eastern Hills Mall is a large shopping center located about 11 miles northeast of Buffalo, New York. It's found on the edge of the Town of Clarence in Erie County, New York, United States. The mall is easy to find on Transit Road (New York State Route 78). Its name, "Eastern Hills," comes from the slightly higher ground it sits on compared to nearby areas.
This mall is part of a long line of shops and businesses along Transit Road. It has two long sections that run north and south, and a shorter section that connects them, making it look like a "double L" shape. At the end of each main section, you'll find a big department store. There's also a food court where you can grab a bite to eat, a movie theater that shows independent films, and even a small office for the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. The mall has a huge parking lot, making it easy to find a spot. Currently, about half of the stores in the mall are open.
Today, the main stores at Eastern Hills Mall are JCPenney, Niagara Emporium, Orvis, Raymour & Flanigan, and The BFLO store.
Contents
Mall History
The Eastern Hills Mall was built by the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation. It was first going to be called "Buffalo Mall," but the town of Clarence asked for the name to be changed to Eastern Hills Mall. Building started in 1969, and the first 14 stores opened on November 8, 1971. The whole mall was finished by 1972.
Early Stores and Changes
When the mall first opened, its main stores were AM&A's, JCPenney, Sears, Jenss, Woolworth, and Hengerer's. Over the years, some of these stores changed names or closed. For example, Hengerer's became Sibley's in 1981, and Sibley's later became Kaufmann's in 1990. AM&A's changed to The Bon-Ton in 1994.
In 1987, the mall got a big update, which included adding a food court. For a while, Eastern Hills Mall was the biggest mall in the Buffalo area, but it lost that title to the Walden Galleria in 1989.
Changes in the 1990s and 2000s
By the 1990s, the mall started to see fewer national chain stores. Woolworth closed in 1997, and Jenss closed later that year. In 1998, Burlington Coat Factory moved into the old Jenss spot, staying until 2005.
Another update happened in 2005, mainly in the food court and a central walkway. They put in new floor tiles, fake fireplaces, small TVs, and new seating. The longer parts of the mall kept their original floor design, creating a noticeable change where the new and old tiles met. In 2006, Kaufmann's stores became Macy's. For a short time, more people started visiting the mall, and some newer national stores opened. However, many of these spots are now empty or filled by smaller, local shops. In 2012, the TV station WBBZ-TV even set up its studios at the mall.
Recent Store Closures
Like many malls across the country, Eastern Hills Mall has seen many stores close in recent years.
- In 2015, Dave & Buster's moved to the nearby Walden Galleria.
- In April 2016, Macy's closed its doors.
- In April 2017, Sears closed its Auto Center.
- In June 2017, Niagara Emporium opened in the old Macy's space.
- In August 2018, The Bon-Ton closed.
- In 2019, Raymour & Flanigan opened in the old Bon-Ton spot.
- In December 2018, Sears closed after being open for 47 years.
Today, JCPenney is the only original store from when the mall first opened. In 2019, a new local department store called BFLO, started by Nathan Mroz, opened in the old Sears location.
Community Help
After a big snowstorm in October 2006, which caused a lot of damage nearby, the Eastern Hills Mall parking lot became a central spot for cleanup efforts. Utility companies used the lot to park their trucks and as a meeting point for workers. Part of the lot was also used to store materials needed to get power back on in the area.
The Mall's Future
In March 2018, a local company called Uniland Development bought a share of the mall. They now own it together with Mountain Development Corporation. Their big plan for the mall is to change some of its space into apartments and create a "lifestyle center." This means it would be a place where people can live, shop, and have fun all in one spot. The town of Clarence approved these plans in August 2018.
Uniland and Mountain Development are working with a company called Gensler to design these changes. Some of the first updates were shown in March 2020, with new businesses like a hair salon, a home decor store, and an event space opening. More new places, like a bakery, a full-service bar, and a Polish restaurant, are planned to open soon.
