Oak Hollow Mall: High Point, NC

One thing that is certain with North Carolina retail is that planning for retail development, notably malls, is complicated.  Instead of a couple large cities, the state is full of smaller cities that form several collective metropolitan areas such as the Triad, where Oak Hollow Mall is located.  More specifically, Oak Hollow Mall is located in High Point, the smallest of the three cities in the Triad as well as the city struggling the most economically of the three .



When the mall opened on August 9, 1995, it opened at the end of the mall era with great expectations of being a regional powerhouse sporting an enormous 1.3 million square feet.  When built, Oak Hollow also competed indirectly with two malls in Winston-Salem and directly with Friendly Center, an enormous outdoor shopping center in Greensboro.  Building a large mall, however, did not exactly increase the appeal of High Point, and the area surrounding the mall has not developed much since it opened.  The result is that the newest mall in the region is also a dying mall, and on February 24, 2011 it was sold to High Point University ultimately sealing the mall's fate.

The first photo shows center court with the elevator.  The second photo here provides excellent detail of the skylights with the high clouds giving a dreamy effect.  While not the most impressive, it certainly is not hideous either and this mall is pure 90's.  Many elements of this mall remind me a stripped down version of North Point Mall in Alpharetta, GA.  This and all photos published here by digitalsky.

I guess if the mall had been doing better, the palm trees would have been long gone by now.  Exactly why were trees removed from most malls?   Palms especially are interesting in the Piedmont since they do not grow there naturally.  Photo by digitalsky.

A view of the lower level shows a few chain stores still around.  It reminds me of the waning days of Century Plaza in how fast the mall is dying.   Photo by digitalsky.

Escalators with mirrored sides apparently all the rage in the 90's.  So were snap bracelets, bowl cuts and soccer shorts for casual wear.  Photo by digitalsky.

This image proves that even newer malls are spooky when they die.  Imagine how this scene wood look with brown tiles and dark wood trim.  Photo by digitalsky.

This mall map presents a mall as healthy as a double bacon cheeseburger with a side of onion rings.  It hasn't quite gotten to the milkshake yet, but it's coming for desert.  The sale to the university is definitely the "special sauce" on the burger.  Photo by digitalsky.

When the mall opened, the anchor lineup was promising.  Belk Beck, Dillard's, JCPenney, Sears and Goody's provided a new upgraded shopping experience for the city.  Shoppers previously flocked to Westchester Mall, an older, smaller mall built in 1970 that quickly died after Oak Hollow opened.  Both Belk Beck and JCPenney left Westchester for the mall leaving the older mall anchorless since Thalhimer's had already long since closed.  With only one level, a dated layout and three anchors the mall was incapable of competing with such a large mall closing later that year.  Sadly, Westchester Mall was the right size for the city as well as being better located to capture High Point shoppers exclusively while the current mall has faced more direct competition.

You would think the mall's declining fortunes would have resulted in Belk saving the money on rebranding some of its stores, but when even Eden Mall gets a new sign they aren't going to let it show.  Photo by digitalsky.

Dillard's tends to close the upper level when they downgrade to a clearance store.  You tend to wonder why they take this intermediate step.  Are they just stuck in a lease?  Photo by digitalsky.

Inside the Dillard's upper level.  Photo by digitalsky.

Goody's former mall entrance, now an unmarked entrance to Sears Operations Center.   Goody's, later Steve & Barry's University Sportswear, was only one level, and the entrance is there obviously for employees to enjoy what is left of the mall on their break.  Photo by digitalsky.

A former Express store on the upper level.   Photo by digitalsky.

Inside the former Express store with all-American colors.  Photo by digitalsky.

While Westchester complimented other malls in the region, all of the major shopping centers strongly reacted to the opening of Oak Hollow Mall.  Four Seasons Town Centre added a third level.  Carolina Circle Mall in Greensboro, already struggling, faded into history.  The most direct blow, however, came when Friendly Center greatly expanded with a new outdoor "lifestyle center" addition (though the center technically was one to start with) in October 2006 further drawing shoppers away from the mall.  It was clear that unlike the earlier Westchester Mall, other shopping centers saw Oak Hollow as a threat, and their reactionary improvements began the downward spiral at the mall.  The anchor overlap also was a problem with Dillard's and JCPenney also at Four Seasons.  Belk was also at Four Seasons as well, but also located at Friendly Center not that far away.  Not attracting a Macy's also lowered the long-term appeal of the mall.  Macy's not having a presence at the mall was peculiar enough since Westchester had Thalhimer's, which was destined through mergers to ultimately become Macy's anyway.

With JCPenney closing shortly, I am adding more photos than usual of the entrance.  JCPenney built its most attractive stores in the 1990's compared to the Target-inspired look they are obsessed with today.   Photo by digitalsky.

JCPenney upper level entrance with neon and octagon skylights there to make you feel like you are about to be abducted by a UFO.  Photo by digitalsky.

Here is close-up detail of the upper and lower level mall entrances, respectively giving a glimpse into the inside of the stores.  The dark green fake marble flooring is tasteful.  Photos by digitalsky.

American Eagle...absolutely essential for at least a marginally successful mall.  Rolls of brown paper...absolutely essential to hide the insides when management won't spring for termporary white walls.  Photo by digitalsky.

Sears, of course, will be here to shut out the lights when everybody else is gone: at least store-wise.  Photo by digitalsky.

Oak Hollow Mall is a very young mall to be so troubled.  Its problems became apparent before the mall even reached 15 years old.  The first was more subtle when Goody's closed at the mall.  I cannot confirm the date, but it appears to have been in early 2008 awhile before the company liquidated.  Steve & Barry's University Sportswear briefly took over the spot before that company also folded in 2008.  On December 8, 2009 Sears relocated its customer service center in that location after Steve & Barry's left.  What came next, though, was more ominous with Dillard's converting to a clearance store in November 2009.  The worst news of all, however, came on January 24, 2011 when JCPenney decided to ax its store at the mall with the store closing its doors by June 1st.  On February 11, 2011, Belk added insult to injury announced that is mulling closing its location at the mall as well.  However, Belk has had a long presence in High Point and also mentioned that it would open a new location at High Point if they closed at the mall.  Too bad reopening its store at Westchester Mall is not in the cards.

This is why I generally hate it when they renovate malls: this mall entrance looks rather distinctive.  When places are original, they have the unique, personal touches intended by the original architects.  Photo by digitalsky.

I really do like the mall entrances from the outside a lot.  The 90's was the beginning of more elaborate mall entrances compared to the typically impersonal boxes found in 70's and 80's malls.  That was one thing that did improve in mall design.  The best part is that the mall logo is not in lower case letters in the same font that used in every other logo today.  Photos by digitalsky.

Fortunately, hungry shoppers will find the food court has held onto some chain restaurants including Subway, Panda Express and Sbarro.  When these pictures were taken, it appeared it hadn't yet gotten to the level yet where the only place to eat in the mall is some local dig named something like Annie's Hot Dogs.  Photo by digitalsky.

Sears aimed for a generic design in the 90's with this store pretty much a clone of the store added onto Riverchase Galleria around the same time.   Photo by digitalsky.

The 90's was also a time that putting a retro plaque on the door was popular as a way to show the strength and proud history of a company.  That doesn't seem to be working much for younger shoppers, though.  Photo by digitalsky.

Now with the mall in crisis, the value of the mall plummeted finally triggering the sale to the university.  Selling at only $9 million, it is clear that despite the continued presence of Belk, Sears and a Dillard's Clearance Center that the mall has reached the end of its life as a retail center only 15 years after opening.  In all, it is rather curious since CBL also owns the highly successful Hanes Mall in Winston-Salem why this property became a troubled asset for them.  CBL still manages the mall despite the sale, but this agreement will likely terminate once all the anchors and inline tenants depart. 

Here are a couple views of JCPenney from the outside.  It is rather odd to see them depart considering they moved here from Westchester Mall and have been part of the city for years.  Photos by digitalsky.

Belk, which opened as Belk Beck, looks odd with the new logo.  The logo looks too small for the building.  It is definitely not one of my favorite Belk designs with its gaudy horizontal stripes.  Photos by digitalsky.

Dillard's in its ugliest era.   I bet if Ivey's had still been around when the mall was built they would have made this store look so much better.  Photo by digitalsky.

Sears Operations Center definitely has the Goody's signatures on the outside.  They did a nice job covering up where the "G" used to be.  Photo by digitalsky.

Seeing how quickly High Point's retail jewel lost its shimmer, I have to wonder how different things would have been had it never been built and Westchester remained the only game in town.  Unfortunately, Westchester Mall is now a church, but I wonder if they would let it convert back to a mall if the price was right.  The word on the street, though, is that the city itself is failing, so possibly that mall's death would have only been postponed if Oak Hollow had not stolen its soul 15 years ago (before it was born again as a church)!  Four Seasons Town Centre itself has struggled partly due to this mall, so maybe its departure will give it the shot in the arm it needs.  In the next couple years, Oak Hollow Mall will fade into history like a wrinkle in time, but maybe a silver lining can be found in the death of a mall that obviously was not too big to fail.

ALSO: More photos below all taken by Mike Kalasnik:

The planters on the side are among some of the most interesting I've seen

The mall also has some 70's sensibilities about it such as these octagonal skylights.

Detail on the upper level back in the days when mall developers realized there were more colors available for flooring than slate and light tan.

Another 70's throwback...green astroturf in the center court.

Palm trees grace the lower level.  I remember when Town Center at Cobb near Atlanta had those when it first opened in the 80's.

Closed storefronts

This is a most beautiful pic.  Mike Kalasnik states that this reminds him of now-defunct Eastland Mall in Charlotte.  From this angle, I at least agree in regards to the steps.

More empty storefronts.

This is the last view on the upper level, but I can't tell which department store that is on the right.

Monster Tornado Ravages Part of Tuscaloosa's Retail District

We all have heard the terrible, tragic news about Tuscaloosa, and this is all the more stunning for me since I have made many visits to Tuscaloosa over the years including a trip this last March to document all the malls there.  McFarland Blvd is normally an extremely congested thoroughfare, and covering what I did with the traffic was difficult.  I would have covered more, but time constraints made me stop.  Now, I wish I had covered more after the news. 

This amazing and eerie video was taken by someone sitting in the west parking lot of University Mall.  It is obvious the mall sustained some damage, but it was far worse just to the north of the mall.

The truth about Tuscaloosa is that this kind of weather was unfortunately to be expected.  The area near I-20/59 from southwest of Tuscaloosa to north of Birmingham has a very long history of violent F4 and F5 tornadoes.  In 2000, an F4 tornado hit very close to McFarland Mall, heavily damaging a then-new Winn Dixie under construction and flattening million dollar homes in a hilly subdivision nearby.  Thankfully, that tornado missed the main business district, but this one clearly did not.  The 2000 tornado was featured in a famous video captured from towercam that won Birmingham meteorologist James Spann an award that year.  Sadly, this remains one of the deadliest stretches for tornadoes in the United States, and this all came to a head on April 27, 2011.

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Here is a view along 15th St just west of McFarland.  I have heard that this scene no longer exists.  I planned to try the Taco Casa right here when I was there, but decided not to go.

Keeping track of the news, I have been trying to gather information on what retail establishments were affected.  I found this aerial, which shows the exact path.  Originally, it was reported that University Mall was destroyed, but this video as well as the linked aerial image above proves that the mall was mostly out of harms way, and definitely NOT destroyed.  However, no information on the status of the mall has been posted anywhere.  The tornado itself actually went just to the north of the mall, affecting everything from the intersection of McFarland Blvd (US 82) at 15th St to just north of Wood Square Shopping Center.  The main part of the storm, in fact, crossed the northwest corner of that intersection obliterating everything there.  I had previously reported on my Meadowbrook Mall post that Wood Square was where Wal-Mart, and originally, Kuhn's Big K was located.  That strip was completely destroyed.

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Corner of McFarland and 15th.  Everything you see from this CVS back along McFarland...gone.

Sadly, everything between 15th St and Wood Square Shopping Center was severely damaged or destroyed as well.  It is still available on Street View, but it is completely gone.  Many, many retail establishments were demolished including the CVS Pharmacy at the NE corner of 15th and McFarland.  Further west on 15th, most every single fast food restaurant on the south side of 15th was wiped out or damaged beyond repair.  This included the McDonald's, Hardee's, Smoothie King, Schlotsky's Deil and the Taco Casa.  The new lifestyle center (Midtown Village) across from the mall may have also been damaged, but it looks to have very narrowly missed it.  For now, I am including some "before" street view scenes to view what was there before the storm.  I would also like to know what is gone more specifically.

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Wood Square Shopping Center the way it was

Wood Square Shopping Center now.

In all, I am very saddened by this disaster and hope that nothing like this happens there again for many years.  Tornadoes are an unfortunate part of living in the South despite the beauty to be found in so much of it.  I am at least glad that it did not make a direct hit on popular University Mall, or the death toll may have been much higher. I also felt that since so many retail establishments were destroyed that it was important to report this angle here.

Sanford, NC Lowe's Destroyed in Tornado

In this weeks severe event, a large tornado came through significantly damaging Sanford, NC and many other cities near Raleigh.  The storm in Sanford wiped out the Lowes store on April 16, 2011 also damaging the Tractor Supply across the street.  Here is some information on both.

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Before image of the store from Google Street View

The worst part of this was the timing.  It was a busy Saturday with customers and employees inside.  Many cars were totaled as well.  My sympathy goes out to all the victims of the storm.  More information can be found on WRAL about the tornado, including Lowes.  More photos can be found here, here and here.  The whole gallery can be found here.

Video from the The Sanford Herald.

Across the street, Tractor Supply Store, located in part of an old Wal-Mart, was heavily damaged as well.  Included here is an earlier photo from Digitalsky showing the store prior to the disaster.

Photo by digitalsky taken June 2009 of the old Wal-Mart and Tractor Supply on the left.

Here is some video from WRAL showing the store destruction from helicopter and ground:

Clearwater Mall: Clearwater, FL

Shopping options in Pinellas County, FL are pretty limited compared to what they once were.  This was because northern Pinellas County had too many malls, plain and simple.  Eventually, some mall was going to take the fall and ultimately multiple malls went down.  In all, three malls have have met a date with the wrecking ball in the area starting with Sunshine Mall followed by Clearwater Mall and finally Crossroads Mall.  Formerly located at US 19 and Gulf-To-Bay Blvd (FL 60), Clearwater Mall itself met its demise in 2002 following a relatively rapid decline that started in the 1990's.  So many factors came into play killing this mall, and this post provides an in-depth picture into a mall that has been gone for almost a decade now.

One thing for certain about Clearwater Mall is that even though it seemed like a solid mall at the time, it was not the best positioned for long-term survival.  When the mall arrived on November 8, 1973, it was one of only two malls in the northern end of the county.  At the time, there was only one other mall in the vicinity, Sunshine Mall.  The anchor roster was also solid for the time featuring Gayfer's, Ivey's and Montgomery Ward, but none of those anchors were local to the market at all.  Gayfer's was from Mobile, AL; Ivey's from Charlotte, NC and Montgomery Ward was less popular than either Sears or JCPenney.  The mall also featured a rather unique design feature in that although the mall itself was mostly one level, the center of the mall was two-levels anchoring Ivey's on one end.  This rather interesting design feature was mimicked in the 1990's at University Square Mall across the bay, and I'm sure it was always fun for shoppers.

The first photo features center court with its two-level atrium stretching from the main entrance to Dillard's, formerly Ivey's.  The photo above is a typical scene througout the rest of the mall featuring a domed skylight and fairly basic court areas.  This and all photos here were taken by id780 on July 1, 2001 unless otherwise indicated.

Short entrance wing.  Photo by id780.

Typical mall scenes.  Photos by id780.

A view of the main entrance wing from the lower level.  Photo by id780.

Clearwater Mall found its first real competition in 1975 when Countryside Mall opened to the north.  This put the mall in a difficult position being located between the new mall to the north and Sunshine Mall to the west.  Countryside Mall also nailed down better anchors with Maas Brothers, Sears and JCPenney in addition to Robinson's of Florida.  Clearwater Mall responded to the mall's arrival by bringing in Burdine's as the mall's fourth anchor.  This sparked an intense rivalry between the two malls that was highlighted by a lawsuit filed by Clearwater Mall against Countryside Mall for requiring tenants to sign lease agreements that forbade them from opening a second location at Clearwater Mall.  Sadly, this would only be the beginning of their troubles.

Here is a better view of center court and the two-level wing.  Upstairs apparently was already closed off by this time.  You can see the end of the upper level opposite from Dillard's in this photo.  Photo by id780.

The Ward's court was rather interesting in that it included this small ramped area in front of it.  Since Pinellas County is completely flat, this design feature was intriguing.  Photo by id780.

Another view of Ward's court.  Photo by id780.

Here are a couple angles of the Montgomery Ward mall entrance.  Photos by id780.

It seemed in so many ways that the mall was cursed.  The next major crisis came in 1988 when the mall was found to have asbestos, which had to be removed prior to the commencement of the mall's first major renovation.  The mall's renovation was completed in late fall of 1989, and it would also be the last one as a mall.  Clearwater Mall would survive competing with three other malls, but aside from this one renovation the mall never evolved any after Countryside Mall opened.  Soon after the paint dried on the renovations, Dillard's purchased Ivey's in 1990 marking the beginning of the mall's decline.  This was because Dillard's also had previously bought the Robinson's of Florida location at Countryside Mall meaning they had two stores less than five miles apart.  By the mid-90's, the mall was beginning to struggle with vacancies, but the worst was yet to come.  Two basic factors would cause its downfall: the lack of further expansion and department store consolidation.  Big problems were soon to follow.

This map was sent to me by Radio0023 showing the exact layout and stores in Clearwater Mall as they were in 1988-1989 around the time of the first renovation.  It looks like the mall was having vacancy problems even then.  Pier 1 Imports is listed, which made it to the redevelopment.

Vacant store fronts abounded, including stores that have long since disappeared.  Smoke & Snuff, apparently a local smoke shop is bordered by Occassions.  Photos by id780.

Is Paul Harris even still around?  Photo by id780.

This appears to be an older American Eagle.  Am I wrong?  Photo by id780.

Sunglass Hut is shut.  It also features a very 90's logo.  Photo by id780.

Here is a banking name I have not seen in many years on this ATM machine located next to the escalator to the abandoned second floor.  Photo by id780.

Victoria's Secret?  Photo by id780.

This one frustrates me, because I cannot figure it out.  Interesting kiosk on the left, by the way.  Photo by id780.

I think all of us nostalgic about old malls cannot get enough of these classic Foot Locker designs with their diagonal wood trim.  Photo by id780.

Here is a glimpse inside the old Foot Locker that looks to be pretty trapped in the 70's as well.  Photo by id780.

The first significant blow came to the mall when Dillard's exited the mall on October 11, 1998.  This was especially problematic since they bought Gayfer's less than a month later.  The Gayfer's location at the mall was the only location in the county, but it became a liability the second the ink dried on the bill of sale.  The store was very briefly converted to a Dillard's Clearance Store, but Dillard's announced that in January that store, too, would be closed on the heels of an expansion of their store at Countryside Mall.  Dillard's was so determined to close that store that they never bothered to even change the Gayfer's sign still prominently mounted on the building long after it had closed.  As a result, Clearwater Mall lost two anchors within a very short time span leaving the mall in crisis in early 1999.  It was clear by then that Clearwater Mall, though better located, had finally lost the war with the newer, larger Countryside Mall.

Here, I have two separate images of Burdine's both after it closed and just before.  The second photo was taken on December 3, 2000...one of three un-Merry Christmases for the mall.  Photo by id780.

Here is a glimpse inside Montgomery Ward, which probably was not any busier when it was open.  Photo by id780.

Due to famine, the food court had to close indefinitely.  That's about the lie you would expect about why this food court will leave you famished.  Of course, there is always McDonald's down the street.  Photo by id780.

Are you imagining the taste of a slice of Sbarro Pizza melting in your mouth?  Sorry, you'll have to keep imagining it.  Photo by id780.

Chick-Fil-A is always closed Sunday...and Monday-Saturday.  Photo by id780.

Mall Chinese restaurants: the canary in the coal mine.  This one is dead, so go figure.  Photo by id780.

Flipper jumps over a neon atomic bomb at the Food Court entrance in the middle of a tiled enclosure next to the Food Court entrance.  What on earth does this have to do with food?  Photo by id780.

The biggest problem with Dillard's departure from Clearwater Mall was that its location in the former Ivey's was positioned as the centerpiece of the mall anchoring a two-level wing that did not connect to any other stores in the mall.  This meant that the upper level became completely vacant immediately with no draw.  That wasn't the only thing vacant as major chain stores departed en masse throughout 1999 and 2000.  Plans were to demolish the mall as early as 2000, but the plans were delayed by the owners Wilton Partners and New Plan Excel Realty Trust until 2002 to work out agreements with remaining Burdine's and Ward's.   Burdine's originally stated they would stay until 2002, but they decided to pull out sooner, closing in January 2001.  They had discussed opening a furniture store on the redeveloped site early on. Burdine's, like Dillard's, also had overlap at Countryside Mall after purchasing Maas Brothers a decade before.  However,they kept both stores since the mall was still successful.  Like Dillard's before, they were also waiting to expand their store at Countryside Mall. 

This image from December 3, 2000 gives a slightly different feel to the mall itself.  It was somewhat less dead then at least. Photo by id780.

Looking from the second floor.  Photo by id780 taken December 3, 2000.

A very spooky second floor view here.  Photo by id780 taken December 3, 2000.

A look inside Ivey's/Dillard's.  Photo by id780.

The mall looked very run down from the outside.  Was this the main mall entrance?  Photo by id780.

This secondary entrance is part of what was wrong with 70's malls.  The 1989 modifications did not help here at all.  Photo by id780.

Clearwater Mall main entrance sign.  I am not sure which road this was posted on.

Clearwater Mall also featured this sign fit for an interstate highway nowhere near an interstate.  Photo by id780.

The one major factor that kept Clearwater Mall open longer was that Ward's was still there with no plans to move.  Those plans changed, however, when the chain liquidated in early 2001.  By then, the mall exodus was completed with the mall was simply waiting for demolition.  A few non-retail tenants opened in the mean time, but its life as an enclosed mall was over.  Interestingly, the mall was already gone even before new competition in Tampa arrived on the scene.  In only three years, a once thriving mall went from successful to completely dead.  By February 1, 2002, the doors were locked and the bulldozers arrived soon after.  By April 30th, demolition crews started with Burdine's, which was ironic since it was the newest anchor at the mall.  Wilton Partners had sold their interest to Sembler Company, and redevelopment was underway as a large "power center" strip mall.

Montgomery Ward here just rocks my world.  How can a store look so stately and yet so atrociously ugly at the same time?  It is simply awesome.  Photo by id780.

Included also is a photo of the pattern under the arches.  WHAT is this?  Photo by id780.

Here is Ward's beside one of the non-descript mall entrances.  Photo by id780.

 Ward's again.  Photo by id780.

This is a very first for Sky City having a photo of an actual Gayfer's store after all the former locations I've covered.  Photo by id780.

Another angle of the defunct Southern department store with the peculiar name.  Photo by id780.

Ivey's knew how to make simple stores look pretty elegant from the outside.  Photo by id780.

Burdine's did not remove their signs after their store closed, either.  What was the point, anyway?  Photo by id780.

The Florida Store in all its 1975 glory.  Photo by id780.

Burdine's in relation to Gayfer's.  This is looking southwest.  Photo by id780.

Today, Clearwater Mall is still known as such, although there is no sign of an actual mall there.  Now, big boxes draw customers instead of big department stores.  Lowes, Costco, Ross, Petsmart and Super Target are now the big stores there capitalizing on the trend away from enclosed malls with Linen & Things and Borders Books as former tenants within the original redevelopment.  Sunshine Mall is also long gone as well, closing four years prior to Clearwater.  While the mall is gone, at least unlike Sunshine Mall, a huge retail center took its place.  Nevertheless, the loss of Clearwater Mall represents a larger trend in the whole region with Tampa becoming the dominant shopping destination while Pinellas County is now basically left with only two conventional malls with upscale shopping found across the bay.  If Clearwater Mall had ever tried to attract upscale department stores like Tampa did, would the mall still be alive today?

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More: YouTube video by the original photographers with more photos of Clearwater Mall than I published here.