Holyoke Mall at Ingleside

The Holyoke Mall at Ingleside (a.k.a. Holyoke Mall) is a shopping center located in Holyoke, Massachusetts, in the city's Ingleside neighborhood. It is owned by The Pyramid Companies. The mall features 151 stores, a large food court, and several restaurants and is 1.6 million square feet, the second-largest in New England by retail space.[2][3]

Holyoke Mall at Ingleside
LocationHolyoke, Massachusetts, United States
Address50 Holyoke Street
Opening dateJuly 5, 1979
OwnerThe Pyramid Companies
No. of stores and services151
No. of anchor tenants9
Total retail floor area1,600,000 sq ft (150,000 m2)[1]
No. of floors3: Upper Level
Lower Level
and food court
Websiteholyokemall.com

The mall has four parking garages and used to feature unique architecture such as wood paneling, wooden benches, a dome with purple lights, a box-spiral staircase with holes that leads to the Café Square level, and a stone-shafted elevator. The mall underwent cosmetic upgrades in 2015, which included new floors, lighting, and benches throughout the mall. Located near the interchange of I-90 and I-91, the Holyoke Mall is one of the primary shopping destinations in Western Massachusetts and attracts many out-of-state visitors.

Anchor tenants include: Macy's, JCPenney, Target, Best Buy, Christmas Tree Shops, Round 1, Hobby Lobby, Burlington, and soon to be Cinemark.

History

The mall opened in 1979 with G. Fox, JCPenney, Sears, and Steiger's as the original anchors. Plans for the mall were approved in 1973, with $1.2 million granted for construction. Before construction on the mall began, the main access road, Whiting Farms Road, was extended and referred to as the "road to nowhere" by critics before opening. The mall had also opened with 125 retail stores and an eight-screen theater located in the basement alongside the food court. The mall was expanded (and slightly renovated) in 1995, adding an entirely new wing to the mall with a relocated G. Fox (later Filene's, now Macy's) being constructed at the end, as well as some of the first in-mall locations for Toys "R" Us and Christmas Tree Shops. At the time it was expanded, it was billed as the largest mall in New England. Around this time Lord & Taylor announced a location to open at the mall by November 1993. Pyramid in 1998 proposed a 1,400,000-square-foot (130,000 m2) expansion that would have added a 20-screen cinema complex, but this attempt was blocked by the city.[4] Lord & Taylor closed citing market conditions in early 2005.[5] Filene's closed in September 2006 and rebranded as Macy's due to the Federated Department Stores and May Department Stores. In August 2007, Apple opened a store.[6][7][8] Pottery Barn and Sephora opened stores in the mall in 2008. Pottery Barn opened up in part of the upper floor of the former Lord & Taylor store.[9] In April 2009, Forever 21 considerably expanded their store (it became a flagship store XXI Forever) in the lower floor of the vacant Lord & Taylor; the upper floor was subdivided. At the time it was the largest Forever 21 in Massachusetts.[10] Sports Authority closed in 2016 after filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy.[11] On November 28, 2017, it was announced that a Cinemark movie theater would be coming to the mall; the location is set to open on the upper level in the former Sears in late 2020.[12] In April 2018, the Babies "R" Us closed permanently.[13] Forever 21 moved into a smaller space on the upper level near JCPenney and Best Buy on July 21, 2018. On August 22, 2018, Sears announced that its store would be closing as part of a plan to close 46 stores nationwide. The store closed on November 25, 2018.[14] On March 23, 2019, Round 1 Entertainment opened a location in the former Forever 21.

Must be 18 controversy

In 2005, The Pyramid Corporation sparked local controversy over its "must be 18 policy",[15] especially from the local Latino population. The policy (implemented on September 9, 2005) requires all patrons under the age of eighteen to be accompanied by a parent or guardian on Friday and Saturday nights after 4:00 PM. Anyone who appears to be under 18 can be asked to show identification such as a school ID card or a driver's license. This policy is not enforced in the majority of the approximately twenty complexes managed by the Pyramid Corporation, largely located in suburban areas. Because of this, the mall has been accused of racism by the local community.[16] Northampton City Councilor William H. Dwight, who serves on the Northampton Youth Commission, commented that because teenagers do not have as many places as adults to gather, they are frequently treated like pariahs. "It seems to me the mall is relatively safe. It's a shame that's gone," said Dwight. Pyramid has defended its decision by saying that it will increase sales because the environment will be more pleasing to adult shoppers and the incidence of shoplifting will be reduced.[17]

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References
  1. "Pyramid Corporate Page". Retrieved 2010-07-13.
  2. Kinney, Jim (Jul 26, 2014). "Holyoke Mall: movies, bowling, places to sit, wifi all part of keeping relevant". masslive. Retrieved Nov 23, 2019.
  3. Kinney, Jim (2009-11-25). "Stores, shoppers brace for Black Friday". The Republican. Retrieved 2010-07-13.
  4. "Mass. Town Rejects Pyramid Mall Expansion". The Post-Standard. Syracuse, NY. 1998-11-20.
  5. Stabile, Lori (2003-07-31). "Lord & Taylor closing at Holyoke Mall". The Republican. Springfield, Massachusetts. pp. A01.
  6. Barry, Stephanie (2007-08-11). "Shoppers go for hi-tech bargains". The Republican. Springfield, MA. Retrieved 2010-07-27.
  7. "Out with the old, in with the mall Borders". The Republican. Springfield, MA. 2007-09-02. pp. C01.
  8. Blomberg, Marcia (2007-07-17). "Borders to open mall store". The Republican. Springfield, MA. pp. C07. Retrieved 2010-07-27.
  9. "Business: Major retailer joins mall". The Republican. Springfield, MA. 2008-10-07. pp. C07.
  10. Galang, Stacie N. (2009-05-22). "Mall to open XXI Forever tomorrow". The Salem News. Beverly, MA. Archived from the original on 2013-02-01. Retrieved 2010-07-27.
  11. "Sports Authority closing store at Holyoke Mall". Mar 3, 2016. Retrieved Nov 23, 2019.
  12. Kinney, Jim (2017-11-28). "Cinemark movie theaters coming to Holyoke Mall". The Republican. Springfield, MA. Retrieved 2018-04-16.
  13. "Toys 'R' Us to close 6 Massachusetts stores, including Holyoke Mall Babies 'R' Us, as part of bankruptcy restructuring". masslive.com. Retrieved 2018-07-12.
  14. Fitzsimonds, Erin. "Sears location at Holyoke Mall to close in November". WesternMassNews.com. Retrieved Nov 23, 2019.
  15. "Parental Escort Policy on Mall Website". Archived from the original on October 31, 2006. Retrieved Nov 23, 2019.
  16. Haggo, Regina; Douglas Haggo (2005-09-24). "Mall's teen ban has to do with colour -- green". Hamilton Spectator. Ontario, Canada. pp. D02. Retrieved 2010-07-13.
  17. Dewitt, Sunshine (2005-07-13). "Holyoke Mall targets teens". Daily Hampshire Gazette. Northampton MA. p. 1.
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