Eastland Mall (Charlotte, North Carolina)
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| Eastland Mall | |
 Eastland Mall logo |
|
| Mall facts and statistics | |
|---|---|
| Location | Charlotte, North Carolina, USA |
| Opening date | 1975 |
| Developer | Faison |
| Owner | Glimcher Realty Trust |
| No. of stores and services | 120 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 4 |
| Total retail floor area | 1.1 million square feet (GLA) |
| No. of floors | 2 |
| Website | EastlandMall.com |
Eastland Mall is a shopping mall in the Eastland area of Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.A. which serves as the area's primary retail destination. The mall is located on Central Avenue, between Sharon Amity and Albemarle Roads. Eastland opened to much fanfare in 1975 as the largest mall in North Carolina at that time (superseded by Hanes Mall). The original department store anchors were Belk, Ivey's, and JCPenney. In 1979, Sears joined the mall. Eastland also had something SouthPark, its cross-town competitor, didn't: an ice skating rink. There was also a convenience center with a Harris Teeter grocery store.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Eastland was considered by many to be the finest mall in Charlotte. It had four department stores (SouthPark only had three), but that was soon to change. Since the 1990s, the mall has been in decline. Demographic shifts have changed the retail makeup of the mall. JC Penney left Eastland in 2002; numerous other stores have also exited. The mall has also been plagued by increasing street gang activity, despite repeated attempts to cull the gangs and curb the violence. In the fall of 2005 there was a shooting inside the mall near the food court and also a shooting outside in the parking lot. Neither of these incidents was fatal, but all were damaging to Eastland's reputation.
Currently anchoring the mall are original stores Belk, Dillard's (which took over Ivey's in 1991), Sears, Burlington Coat Factory (which fills the top floor of the former JC Penney store), plus Fred's and Prime Time (which take the lower level of the old JC Penney). It has been rumored that Belk and Dillard's will close their stores at Eastland Mall when the Bridges at Mint Hill mall opens in 2007. Currently, Dillard's has downgraded its store to a clearance outlet, and has closed off its lower level. If Eastland closes, it is unlikely that the Charlotte-Eastland Sears will reopen in a new location. It is more likely that Sears will sell the land for real estate profit.
The Harris Teeter store closed on June 26, 2006, after being in operation since 1975. The store cited underperformance as the cause for its closure; however changing demographics and lack of investment in remodeling may have contributed to this store's demise.
The mall is currently in the midst of an east Charlotte revitalization project, however the Belk department store is slated to close by mid-February, 2007. [1] and Dillard's is expected to follow suit.
Eastland also houses a movie theater which shows 'G' and 'PG' rated films, and some films in Spanish as well. There was originally a larger General Cinemas there, which showed current new release movies. That theater closed in 1996. However, one day after the announcement of Belk's departure, Eastland Mall officials announced the original movie theater showing first-run films will reopen. [2]
Some locals have noted similarities between the Eastland Mall logo and the sun god deity worshipped by the neo-pagan residents of Summerisle in the cult classic film, The Wicker Man, and the symbolic Green Man of pagan origin. Although the connection is probably superficial, it has led to the development of several local urban legends.
