Gallery at South DeKalb facts for kids
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Entrance to South DeKalb Mall, July 2012
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| Location | Decatur, Georgia, United States |
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| Coordinates | 33°42′31″N 84°16′27″W / 33.70861°N 84.27417°W |
| Opening date | 1968 |
| Management | Thor Equities |
| Owner | Thor Equities |
| No. of stores and services | 100+ |
| No. of anchor tenants | 3 (0 open, 3 vacant) |
| Total retail floor area | 800,000 sq ft (74,000 m2) |
| No. of floors | 1, former Macy’s had 3 floors! Former JCPenney’s had 2 floors |
The Gallery at South DeKalb is a large shopping mall in Decatur, Georgia. It used to be called South DeKalb Mall. The mall is owned by a company called Thor Equities. You can find it where Candler Road meets Interstate 20 in DeKalb County, Georgia.
History of the Mall
The mall first opened its doors in 1968. When it started, it had two main department stores, called "anchors": Rich's and JCPenney. These big stores help attract shoppers to the mall. There were also many other regular mall shops.
Right from the start, this mall had to compete with other shopping centers in DeKalb County. One of its main rivals was Northlake Mall. The Rich's store even had a car repair center, much like Sears stores did back then.
In the early 1970s, the mall had a special sign and logo. The letters for "South DeKalb Mall" looked like they were carved out, similar to the style used in the TV show Mary Tyler Moore. This old sign was dark brown and made of metal. Today, the mall's modern signs still use a similar style, but they are lighted.
Changes Over Time
Over the years, some stores moved out and new ones arrived. In 2001, JCPenney left the mall. It moved to a newer mall called Stonecrest. A furniture store called Amazing Rooms then took over the large space that JCPenney left empty.
Another popular food spot, Chick-fil-A, closed its doors at the end of January 2012.
What's There Now?
South DeKalb Mall recently changed its name to "The Gallery at South DeKalb." This new name reflects the owners' ideas to give the mall a fresh look and feel.
For a while, the main stores were Macy's (which used to be Rich's), Amazing Rooms, and a movie theater. American Screen Works built a big 14-screen movie theater with comfy stadium seating. It even had a jazz lounge for entertainment. The mall also has a Piccadilly Cafeteria and a small office area behind the main building.
The competition for The Gallery at South DeKalb is still strong. The Mall at Stonecrest opened in 2001, about eight miles away in Lithonia.
Sadly, on January 7, 2020, it was announced that Macy's would be closing. This was part of a plan to close many Macy's stores across the country. Macy's officially closed its doors on March 17, 2020. This left the mall without any of its large anchor stores.
