Holyoke Mall at Ingleside

Holyoke Mall
Location Holyoke, Massachusetts, USA
Address 50 Holyoke Street
Holyoke, MA 01040
Opening date 1979
Owner The Pyramid Companies
No. of stores and services ~200
No. of anchor tenants 12
Total retail floor area 1,600,000 sq ft (150,000 m2)[1]
No. of floors 3: Upper Level
Lower Level
and food court
Website Mall website
Pyramid's page on this mall

The Holyoke Mall at Ingleside (a.k.a. Holyoke Mall) is a shopping mall located in Holyoke, Massachusetts that serves the Springfield metropolitan area. It features nearly 200 stores, a large food court, and several restaurants. At 1.6 million square feet, the three-level mall is one of the largest malls in New England.[2]

The mall has four parking garages, and has 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. Located near the interchange of I-90 and I-91, the Holyoke Mall is one of the primary shopping destinations in Western New England, and attracts many out-of-state visitors. WiFi access is offered at Starbucks.[3] There is a United States Post Office in the mall that is open 7 days a week and open until 7pm (except Sundays).[4]

History

The mall opened in 1979 and was expanded (and slightly renovated) in 1994. At the time it was expanded, it was billed as the largest mall in New England. It is owned by The Pyramid Companies. Lord & Taylor opened at the mall in November 1994. It closed in 2003 citing a lack of business.[5] 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.[6] In August 2007 Apple opened a store.[7] In November 2007 Borders Books opened a store on the in part of a renovated spot formerly occupied by Lord and Taylor. The Borders Closed in late 2011. [8][9] Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma, Swarovski, Sephora and Burlington Coat Factory opened stores in the mall in 2008.[10] In April 2009, Forever 21 massively expanded their store (it became a flagship store XXI Forever) in the lower floor of the mall using the other part of the space formerly occupied by Lord and Taylor. At the time it was the largest Forever 21 in Massachusetts.[11]

Sports Authority opened in 2006, replacing a former Kahunaville and causing AC Moore to relocate.[12]

Retailers

Anchors & Majors

Dining

Restaurants

Café Square (Food Court)

Specialty foods & Eateries

Must be 18 controversy

In 2005, The Pyramid Corporation sparked local controversy over its "must be 18 policy",[13] 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.[14]

The sign that details the restrictions

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.[15]

References

  1. ↑ "Pyramid Corporate Page". Retrieved 2010-07-13.
  2. ↑ Kinney, Jim (2009-11-25). "Stores, shoppers brace for Black Friday". The Republican. Retrieved 2010-07-13.
  3. ↑ Mall Website
  4. ↑ Post Office Locations
  5. ↑ STABILE, LORI (2003-07-31). "Lord & Taylor closing at Holyoke Mall". The Republican (Springfield, Massachusetts). pp. A01.
  6. ↑ "MASS. TOWN REJECTS PYRAMID MALL EXPANSION". The Post-Standard (Syracuse, NY). 1998-11-20.
  7. ↑ Barry, Stephanie (2007-08-11). "Shoppers go for hi-tech bargains". The Republican (Springfield, MA). Retrieved 2010-07-27.
  8. ↑ "Out with the old, in with the mall Borders". The Republican (Springfield, MA). 2007-09-02. pp. C01.
  9. ↑ Blomberg, Marcia (2007-07-17). "Borders to open mall store". The Republican (Springfield, MA). pp. C07. Retrieved 2010-07-27.
  10. ↑ "Business: Major retailer joins mall". The Republican (Springfield, MA). 2008-10-07. pp. C07.
  11. ↑ Galang, Stacie N. (2009-05-22). "Mall to open XXI Forever tomorrow". The Salem News (Beverly, MA). Retrieved 2010-07-27.
  12. ↑ http://www.masslive.com/business/republican/index.ssf?/base/business-0/115139512672670.xml&coll=1
  13. ↑ Parental Escort Policy on Mall Website
  14. ↑ 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.
  15. ↑ Dewitt, Sunshine (2005-07-13). "Holyoke Mall targets teens". Daily Hampshire Gazette (Northampton MA). p. 1.

External links

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