Cumberland Mall
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Cumberland Mall, located in the Cumberland district of Atlanta near the suburbs of Smyrna and Vinings, opened on August 8, 1973 and was the largest mall in the country when it first opened. It was also the first four-anchor mall in Georgia. Original anchors to the mall were Rich's, Davison's, Sears and JCPenney. The mall was also two-levels and included a multi-story parking deck to accommodate the large crowds. The mall was modeled after similar Landover Mall in Maryland and was so far superior to Cobb County's first mall that the older mall was unable to ever recover.
Cumberland Mall remained one of the leading malls in the region for over a decade before Town Center Mall in Kennesaw opened in 1986. Cumberland Mall originally featured many distinct design elements to heighten the original mall experience, but as competition forced a major reshuffling of the mall, much of this was stripped away in the renovation of 1989. Some of the original tenants that were lost at this point were Magic Pan Restaurant, McDonald's, Piccadilly Cafeteria and Cashin's Restaurant among others. One of the additions, however, was a food court which had not existed previously.
Cumberland Mall is unique in that in an area with much competition, it has generally avoided the decline facing other malls of its age, but the need for swift action became clear in 2003 when it lost its first anchor, Macy's (former Davison's). The vacant store left a very visible vacancy at the mall that resulted in a major redevelopment plan. The redevelopment included the demolition of the old Davison's replaced with a grand new mall entrance complete with an open-air wing. Other changes included the demolition of the JCPenney (which planned to close their store) for a new Costco. Other changes include a major interior renovation with new skylights and an expanded food court. These changes were planned to keep the mall competitive even with only two regular department stores remaining: Macy's (former Rich's) and Sears.
The mall is currently undergoing a $65 million renovation, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2006.
Far from its past as an extremely overcrowded major mall, the mall today serves a more local customer base...and hopes to attract more of the affluent shoppers it lost to competition. The changes to the mall will hopefully bring those desired changes, assuring continued success to a mall that created two major milestones in its lifespan and is still one of the largest in the region.
[edit] Current Anchors
- Macy's (278,000 sq. ft., formerly Rich's)
- Sears (194,575 sq. ft., 28,000 sq. ft. TBA, 222,575 sq. ft. total)
[edit] Former Anchors
- Davison's (171,999 sq. ft., opened 1973, became Macy's 1985, closed 2003)
- JCPenney (148,663 sq. ft., closed 2005, was demolished for a Costco in 2006)
- Macy's (171,999 sq. ft., 1st location, opened in former Davison's in 1985, and closed in 2003 and reopened in former Rich's building in 2005, was demolished for a new lifestyle center area in 2006)
- Rich's (278,000 sq. ft., became Macy's 2005)
