Greendale Mall facts for kids
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| Location | Worcester, Massachusetts, United States |
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| Coordinates | 42°17′48″N 71°48′03″W / 42.2967°N 71.8007°W |
| Address | 7 Neponset Street |
| Opening date | 1987 |
| Closing date | 2020 |
| Owner | Finard Properties |
| No. of stores and services | 37 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 4 (1 open, 3 vacant) |
| Total retail floor area | 432,000 square feet (40,100 m2) |
| No. of floors | 1 with partial lower level |
The Greendale Mall was a shopping mall located in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. It was near the big highways I-290 and I-190. The mall opened in 1987 and closed permanently in 2020.
At different times, the mall had several large stores called anchor stores. These are big stores like department stores that attract many shoppers. The Greendale Mall used to have anchors like TJ Maxx and HomeGoods, DSW, Best Buy, and Big Lots.
Contents
A Mall's Journey: From Opening to Closing
The Greendale Mall first opened its doors in 1987. It started with two main anchor stores, one at each end. Later, in the late 1990s, the mall grew bigger. A third anchor store was added in the middle.
Changes in Anchor Stores
Over the years, many stores came and went. A store called Lechmere used to be in one of the anchor spots. It closed in 1997. Another anchor store was Marshalls until 2007. This space later became a Big Lots store in 2010. However, Big Lots left the mall in early 2019. Best Buy also closed its store in 2019. DSW, a shoe store, closed in 2020.
New Owners and Challenges
In 1999, a big company called Simon Property Group bought the mall. But over time, the mall started to have problems. By 2015, it was not doing very well. The company that owned the mall's loan took over because Simon Property Group stopped paying.
In 2016, the mall was sold at an auction. A law firm bought it for $11.8 million. Even though the mall was struggling, the new owners said it would stay open.
The Final Years
More stores continued to close. In December 2018, it was announced that Big Lots would close in January 2019. Then, in September 2019, Best Buy also announced its closure for November 2019.
In December 2019, a new company bought the mall. They had big plans to tear down the old shopping center. They wanted to build new shops, apartments, and offices instead. The mall officially closed for good in 2020.
In July 2020, DSW closed its store at the Greendale Mall. They sent their remaining products to other stores nearby. People thought DSW might have closed early because of the COVID-19 pandemic and fewer customers. This left TJ Maxx and HomeGoods as the very last stores still open in the mall.
In October 2020, it was announced that TJ Maxx and HomeGoods might move to a different shopping area called Lincoln Plaza in 2021. This marked the end of the Greendale Mall's story.
Images for kids
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Greendale Mall logo
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The Greendale Mall building
