Hunt Valley Towne Centre facts for kids

Hunt Valley Towne Centre is an outdoor shopping center in northern Baltimore County, Maryland. It has 58 stores and is a popular spot for shopping and dining. This center was built after the old Hunt Valley Mall closed in 2000. The new outdoor center opened its doors in 2003. Today, some of its main stores include Dick's Sporting Goods, Burlington Coat Factory, and Wegmans. A memorial to Chuck Thompson, a famous sportscaster, is located near a gazebo in the main street area.

The Story of Hunt Valley Mall

The idea for Hunt Valley Mall began in 1979. However, many people did not want it built. Local residents worried about too much growth and pollution flowing into Loch Raven Reservoir. The Baltimore County government also preferred new buildings in other areas like Owings Mills.

Despite these concerns, the mall opened on September 17, 1981. It was developed by Myles H. Tanenbaum and Kravco Company. Leonard Kagan designed the mall. Hunt Valley Mall was planned to have four large main stores. But only two opened: Sears and Bamberger's. Bamberger's later became Macy's in 1986. Other big stores like Hutzler's and JCPenney were considered but never opened.

The mall had many smaller stores too. Some of these included Hair Cuttery, Chess King, CVS, Kay Bee Toys, and Sun Coast Video. Inside the mall, there were two sets of escalators. A large glass elevator stood in the center, surrounded by a fountain. Small zigzag waterfalls were at each end of the mall. When Macy's closed, its building was split. Dick's Sporting Goods took the upper floor, and Burlington Coat Factory took the lower floor.

From Mall to Outdoor Center

Hunt Valley Mall never became very successful after its opening. Over the next 20 years, many stores struggled and closed. New malls like White Marsh Mall also created a lot of competition. Because of these problems, plans were made to change the mall. The idea was to turn it into an outdoor town center with larger stores.

Wal-Mart opened in the mall during this time. It took up the second floor of the old Macy's building next to Dick's. The mall finally closed in 2000. Demolition began to transform the site into the new Hunt Valley Towne Centre. The new center officially opened in 2003.

In October 2007, Wal-Mart moved to a new location nearby. Best Buy then took over the space. However, Best Buy closed in May 2012. In 2015, Bob's Discount Furniture opened in that same spot.

The original Sears store at Hunt Valley Towne Centre closed on June 23, 2017. This was part of Sears' plan to close many stores across the country. After Sears closed, parts of its first floor became Michaels and HomeGoods in 2018. In December 2020, it was announced that Ashley HomeStore would open on a large part of the second floor of the former Sears. In February 2021, OneLife Fitness announced plans to open a large, two-story gym there. This gym will include a pool and a kid's club. An apartment building with 310 units is also planned for one of the parking lots.

Getting Around: Transit Connections

In 1997, the Baltimore Light Rail was extended north to Hunt Valley station. This station is located in the parking lot of Hunt Valley Mall. People hoped this would bring more shoppers to the struggling mall. Extra lighting and security were added to make the area safer.

Before the light rail, the mall was served by Maryland Transit Administration Bus Route 9. Today, this bus route goes to the nearby International Circle.

Fun Fact

Hunt Valley Mall was part of the inspiration for a fictional place. It helped create the "S'Wallow Valley Mall and Pizza Court" in the movie Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie.