The Orchards Mall

The Orchards Mall is an enclosed shopping mall near Benton Harbor, Michigan. Opened in 1979, it is anchored by J. C. Penney, Carson's, and Jo-Ann Fabrics.

History

Meyer C. Weiner Company first proposed a mall called Pipestone Mall in Benton Harbor in 1974. By March 1976, Hudson's had been rumored as a potential anchor store.^[3] Westcor acquired the land in August of the same year.^[4] The mall was part of a development along Pipestone Road near Interstate 94 which also comprised a strip mall anchored by a Kmart. By 1977, Sears and J. C. Penney had been confirmed as anchors, with negotiations underway for Carson's as the third anchor.^[5]

Orchards Mall was built in 1979 by Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation^[6] with Westcor as leasing agent. It had Sears and J. C. Penney, both of which relocated from downtown Benton Harbor,^[7] as its anchor stores. It also featured a Walgreens drugstore, a York Steak House (later Ponderosa Steakhouse), and a food court. Elder-Beerman was added in 1992. Walgreens moved out of the mall in the late 1990s, and remained vacant until Jo-Ann Fabrics replaced it in the late 2000s.^[8][9]

General Growth Properties became the mall's management in 1999. A year later, several new stores were added including Bath & Body Works, while the Casual Corner and Finish Line, Inc. stores were remodeled, and Benton Township approved a $111,000 tax cut to help attract more new businesses.^[10] General Growth sold the mall to Sequoia Investments in 2002, at which point four more businesses opened, including a Subway and a Chinese eatery in the food court.^[11] In 2003, Sears expanded its sales floor by 4,600 square feet.^[12] KB Toys, an original tenant, closed in 2004.^[13] The Ponderosa, which closed in 1997, became an Italian eatery in 2007.^[14] The same year, the Subway became a local restaurant.^[15]

Sears closed its store at the mall in 2009, with some of the workers being offered jobs at the location in Portage's The Crossroads.^[16] Overflow Church purchased the building in 2012 and intended to move into it.^[17] Elder-Beerman was converted to Carson's in 2011.^[18] Sears returned to the mall in 2012 with its Sears Hometown format, a smaller-scale Sears store which sells major appliances and household hardware, in a spot vacated by an f.y.e. music store. At the same time, the former Sears Auto Center on a mall outparcel was reopened as a local auto repair shop.^[19]

In 2014 the mall was put up for sale;^[20] Kohan Retail Investment Group purchased it on December 9.^[1]

References

External links

• The Orchards Mall