The following is a Benstorming commentary about the closure of Eastpoint Mall
The rumors were true. Eastpoint Mall has closed. We didn’t believe it when the rumors started circulating before summer that the mall was closing by the end of summer, but it did.
We have heard the rumors for decades the mall was going to close and a medical facility or a giant shopping center would take its place.
Those fears started after Golden Ring Mall in Rosedale closed in 2001 but Eastpoint Mall still survived. It was sold multiple times and lost many key anchor stores over the years such as Ames, Value City, Apple Bees and most recently Sears.
The different ownership groups kept trying and brought in new stores to keep the mall in business.
That’s why this announcement was so shocking. Eastpoint has been on the verge of closing for 20 years but still survived. What was so different about this time?
My memories of Eastpoint Mall date back to the 1980s.
The outdoor stores and the penguins at the mall were before my time but I remember when the mall ended at Hutzlers, which later became the food court.
There have been pictures circulating on social media of the old red checked gas tower at the mall in the 80s. That tower was later removed and the Sears building was added in its place.
I remember shopping at Murphys Mart (later Ames and Gabes) with my mom. Then we would get an ice cream at Friendly’s and look at the dogs at the pet store.
I still recall the blue carpet and the smell of cigarettes inside the mall in the 1980s. I knew this day would arrive. Again I thought it would have closed much sooner than later, but it’s still sad to see the closing.
What do you remember about Eastpoint Mall?