LaGrange Mall

LaGrange Mall originated during the expansion of enclosed suburban and regional shopping centers in the United States during the late 1970s. Construction began in 1978 in an area of LaGrange County that was generally undeveloped at the time. Retail Planning Corporation, Intereal Group, and National Life and Accident Insurance were associated with the development. The center opened in 1979 as West Georgia Commons, introducing a modern, automobile-oriented retail destination outside the historic downtown commercial district. Belk and JCPenney were the original principal anchors. Both retailers moved their downtown LaGrange operations into the new center, helping establish the mall as the area's main destination for department-store shopping. Its location on Georgia State Route 109, west of Interstate 85, supported access from LaGrange and neighboring communities. The property is located about 65 miles southwest of Atlanta and became the only mall serving its immediate region, whose population is described in reference material as slightly above 250,000. The mall was renovated in 2001 as the retail environment matured and tenant expectations changed. The next decade brought further adjustments to the anchor and tenant lineup. In May 2012, Belk announced a remodel costing approximately $2 million. The work was completed in October 2012 and represented an investment in one of the center's longstanding anchor stores. In 2013, TJ Maxx was announced for the property, adding an off-price national retailer and broadening the center's value proposition. The most significant later change involved JCPenney. In January 2015, the chain announced a nationwide closure program covering 39 stores, including its LaGrange Mall location. The closure removed one of the mall's original anchors and created a large vacant department-store space. Rather than retain the former department-store format, the owner pursued a repositioning strategy aimed at bringing in retailers with different categories and traffic patterns. In January 2017, Hull Property Group announced that Dunham's Sports would move into the former JCPenney premises and that a new Hobby Lobby building would be constructed behind it. Dunham's Sports opened on August 18, 2017. Hobby Lobby opened on December 29, 2017, with its ribbon-cutting held on January 1, 2018. These additions replaced the lost anchor presence with sporting goods, athletic merchandise, arts and crafts, home décor, and related categories. The center is approximately 233,000 square feet in size. Its principal anchors are Belk, Dunham's Sports, Hobby Lobby, and TJ Maxx. The property is owned by Hull Property Group. Its current identity is that of a regional and community-serving enclosed mall rather than a destination luxury center: it combines national value, department-store, sporting-goods, craft, home, specialty, and service retailers for a broad local and regional trade area. The supplied reference material does not provide a detailed account of current occupancy, management personnel, financial performance, or future redevelopment plans.

• 2018

  Hobby Lobby ribbon-cutting

  [1]LaGrange Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The formal ribbon-cutting for Hobby Lobby takes place on January 1.

• 2017

  Dunham's Sports opens

  [1]LaGrange Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Dunham's Sports opens in the former JCPenney space on August 18.

• 2017

  Hobby Lobby opens

  [1]LaGrange Mallen.wikipedia.org

  A new Hobby Lobby store opens behind the former JCPenney space on December 29.

• 2015

  JCPenney closes

  [1]LaGrange Mallen.wikipedia.org

  JCPenney announces that its LaGrange Mall store will close as part of a broader U.S. store-closure program.

• 2013

  TJ Maxx announced

  [1]LaGrange Mallen.wikipedia.org

  TJ Maxx is announced as a new mall tenant.

• 2012

  Belk remodel completed

  [1]LaGrange Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Belk completes an approximately $2 million remodel of its LaGrange Mall store.

• 2001

  Renovation

  [1]LaGrange Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The mall undergoes a renovation as part of its continuing development as the region's main enclosed shopping center.

• 1979

  Mall opens as West Georgia Commons

  [1]LaGrange Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The center opens under the name West Georgia Commons, anchored by Belk and JCPenney, whose downtown LaGrange stores moved to the new mall.

• 1978

  Construction begins

  [1]LaGrange Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Development of the shopping center begins in an area of LaGrange that was largely undeveloped at the time.

A community-serving regional shopping center offering a mix of department-store, off-price, sporting-goods, craft, home, specialty, and service retail for LaGrange and the wider West Georgia trade area.

• Department store · 1979

  Belk

  Belk is one of LaGrange Mall's original anchor retailers. Its department-store assortment includes apparel, footwear, accessories, beauty products, home merchandise, and related seasonal goods. The store was remodeled in a project announced in 2012 and completed in October of that year.

• Sporting goods retailer · 2017

  Dunham's Sports

  Dunham's Sports occupies the former JCPenney anchor space. Its merchandise typically covers sporting goods, athletic apparel, footwear, outdoor recreation, fitness, hunting, and related equipment, giving the mall a major traffic-generating category beyond traditional department-store retail.

• Arts, crafts, and home retailer · 2017

  Hobby Lobby

  Hobby Lobby operates in a newly constructed building behind the former JCPenney space. The store adds arts and crafts supplies, home décor, fabric, seasonal merchandise, floral products, framing, and related creative and household categories to the mall's anchor mix.

• Off-price retailer · 2013

  TJ Maxx

  TJ Maxx was announced for LaGrange Mall in 2013. Its off-price model generally offers discounted apparel, accessories, footwear, home goods, beauty products, and general merchandise, complementing the center's value-oriented regional positioning.

• 2017

  Launch of Dunham's Sports and Hobby Lobby locationsProduct launch

  Background

  The closure of JCPenney left a major anchor space available for redevelopment.

  Action taken

  Hull Property Group introduced Dunham's Sports in the former JCPenney space and developed a new Hobby Lobby building behind it.

  Aftermath

  Dunham's Sports opened on August 18, 2017, and Hobby Lobby opened on December 29, 2017; Hobby Lobby's ribbon-cutting followed on January 1, 2018.

  Source

• 2015

  Response to JCPenney closureStrategy

  Background

  JCPenney selected its LaGrange Mall store for closure as part of a nationwide program involving 39 stores.

  Action taken

  The mall subsequently repositioned the former department-store space for Dunham's Sports and planned a new Hobby Lobby building behind it.

  Aftermath

  The replacement strategy restored major retail uses to the property and diversified the anchor mix into sporting goods, crafts, home décor, and related categories.

  Source

• 2012

  Investment in Belk anchor renovationOther

  Background

  Belk was a long-standing original anchor, and the mall's owner and tenant supported a substantial update to the store.

  Action taken

  Belk announced an approximately $2 million remodel, completed in October 2012.

  Aftermath

  The renovation maintained and refreshed one of the mall's established department-store anchors.

  Remodel cost. $2 million (2012)

  Source

1. 1LaGrange Mallen.wikipedia.org
2. 2LaGrange Mall official websitelagrangemall.com