A Tale of 2 Malls
What happens when malls outlive their usefulness or the community around them shifts? What becomes a retail box rejected?
2 cases provide an interesting case in point. Lindbergh Plaza and North Dekalb Mall. Both projects were built in the 1960s and have suffered in recent years. Both were supposed to get a boost with serious redevelopment and a shift in area demographics. The process seems underway for North Dekalb, but what of Lindbergh Plaza?
Lindbergh Plaza was once the home to a wide variety of stores including K-Mart, but has fallen on tough times. Several French restaurants, movie houses, clubs, and prominent retailers filled its spaces. Bennie’s Shoes, a community institution, was there for 20 years but has since moved. The current shopping center has supposed to be replaced with a combination of retail, office space, and housing, but construction and plans are yet to materialize.
North Dekalb Mall seems more likely to get moving. It was recently sold by Canadian owners to folks who live in Dekalb and, according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle, they plan to make the kind of changes slated for Lindbergh as well. Signs (literally) are in evidence of the changes.
The signs are coming down. The construction equipment is moving in. Hendon properties is making the pitch for building a viable community by re-using the mall.
What is stopping this from happening at Lindbergh? Surely North Dekalb Mall is the bigger gamble. Surely access to the Lindbergh Marta Station, the Buckhead Area and the demand for a short commute from Bell South workers makes this an easy redevelopment.
Meanwhile it all sits idle. Not pretty.
August 24th, 2004 at 12:36 pm
Lindbergh Plaza pisses me off to no end. And not just because I’m a mile from it. First, K-Mart left, then Office Depot re-located less than 1/2 mile down the road to another big box retail location. So there it sits. For about a year now, I’ve heard that Lowes, Wal-Mart and Condos were to be built on that site. But nothing, still.
August 24th, 2004 at 3:18 pm
Not only is Lindbergh Plaza taking forever… so is the development across the street where I work. http://www.carterusa.net/lindberghCityCenter/
August 25th, 2004 at 7:50 am
I had forgotten about that project. Another to add to the mix, how long will it take to demolish the old Gold Club across from Lindbergh?
August 26th, 2004 at 8:15 am
I shop regularly at N. DeKalb, and while it’s missing some of my favorite mall staples (Vicki’s Secret, The Body Shop), it has some really cool little stores in it like Paris (reasonably-priced formalwear) and Hollywood (wig selection, snazzy hats and seriously frightening Drag Queen Accessories). The addition of Burlington Coat Factory probably saved that mall - it’s a great store, and something you can’t just go to Northlake Mall to find.
August 26th, 2004 at 7:23 pm
there’s not too much wrong with north dekalb mall. its only disadvantages are that it is not on an interstate like most (all?) successful malls in the area. also, morth dekalb does seem to have more independent stores (less chains) than the other malls. if north dekalb is going to be a quasi-intown mall, it needs to have more accessibilty. the north druid hills access is like a side entrance; the ‘main’ entrance is a confusing mess; coming over the hill from scott boulevard, you are likely to miss it; also, it is difficult to get into the parking lot from lawrceville highway; it comes in past the mall before the first light.
one advantage to north dekalb is that it has one of the best movie theaters inside the perimeter. sure, it only shows big budget block busters, but when i want to see one of those, i drive out from downtown. admittedly, though, i do not shop at any of the stores - except perhaps the post office.
August 28th, 2004 at 5:13 pm
One reason that the changes may be taking place at N. Dekalb and not at Lindbergh may have something to do with the cost of real estate in the two areas (not to mention the nightmare that would be trying to do construction on that section of Piedmont).
August 28th, 2004 at 9:14 pm
All I know is the Bank of America branch I used at Lindbergh Plaza moved across the street in early May specifically to prepare for the “reconstruction,” but nearly 4 months later, no dozers.
July 16th, 2005 at 11:21 am
This is probably a strange question but my husband I were recently trying to remember another name the N. DeKalb Mall went by. Does anyone have a clue what it might have been?
Thanks
July 16th, 2005 at 2:22 pm
7/16/05 at 2 PM ET
North Dekalb use to be called Market Square.
* They changed the name when it was bought by some new realty group back in the late 80’s.
Lindbergh Plaza is under way now! It is going to be bigger than Phipps when it is done. Traffic! Well that is city living. It will have a Best Buy, Target and new Home Depot.
February 24th, 2006 at 9:03 pm
I can’t believe it, my co-worker just bought a car for $26782. Isn’t that crazy!
September 25th, 2006 at 3:19 am
This dates to 2004, but this whole blog is ironic because it’s Lindbergh Plaza that now enjoys a fancy new redevelopment while North Dekalb’s planned redevelopment is not happening. I am starting to surmise that North Dekalb has been given up on and will probably be redeveloped into something else. The whole shopping center remains ONLY because of the Rich’s (okay, Macy’s, dammit). Rich’s leaves…North Dekalb is toast…and the mall itself is looking like it has filled in boxes like crazy to hide the fact it has seen its better days.
North Dekalb is only two years newer than similar Cobb Center, which also was a Rich’s-only mall that opened in the mid-1960’s and died in the 1990’s. It honestly seems like a good time to redevelop it…preferably into an open-air center much like it originally was. Would Macy’s be more likely to stay if it was a “lifestyle center”? It oddly seems to have a better chance than Northlake simply on the compact size of it and location near trendy areas, but the demographics around the mall specifically are working against it.
April 1st, 2007 at 6:11 pm
Things sure have changed since the blog was first appeared on the net. Lindbergh Plaza is thriving. Target, Starbucks, Best Buy, Fedex/Kinko’s. There are lots of new condo developments asa well going up on Lindbergh Drive