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

The Holyoke Mall at Ingleside (a.k.a. Holyoke Mall) is an upscale shopping center located in Holyoke, Massachusetts. The mall 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][3]

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 Massachusetts, and attracts many out-of-state visitors. WiFi access is offered at Starbucks.^[4] There is a United States Post Office in the mall that is open 7 days a week and open until 7pm (except Sundays).^[5]

History

The mall opened in 1979 and was expanded (and slightly renovated) in 1991. At the time it was expanded, it was billed as the largest mall in New England. It is owned by The Pyramid Companies. Around this time Lord & Taylor announced a location to open at the mall by November 1993. 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] Lord & Taylor closed citing market conditions in early 2005.^[7] In August 2007 Apple opened a store.^[8][9][10] Pottery Barn and Sephora opened stores in the mall in 2008.^[11] In April 2009, Forever 21 massively expanded their store (it became a flagship store XXI Forever) in the lower floor of the mall using part of the vacant Lord & Taylor. At the time it was the largest Forever 21 in Massachusetts.^[12]

Anchors

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] 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

External links

• Official website
• WWLP Story on October 20 Evacuation