Northlake Mall
A formerly enclosed regional shopping mall in the Northlake community of northern DeKalb County, Georgia.
Last updated August 25, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Northlake Mall was an enclosed regional shopping mall in the Northlake community of northern DeKalb County, northeast of Atlanta, Georgia. It served the surrounding suburban market with department stores, specialty retailers, restaurants, and other shopping-center services. The property was part of Atlanta’s network of suburban malls and was associated with the broader Northlake commercial area, which also includes office, industrial, medical, and retail uses. The mall’s anchor history reflected the changing structure of American department-store retail. Davison’s operated as an early anchor before the chain was absorbed into Macy’s, and Macy’s ultimately became the mall’s only remaining traditional department-store anchor. Other former anchors included JCPenney, Kohl’s, and Sears. Kohl’s occupied a location that had originally opened as Atlanta’s fourth Parisian store in 1994. Sears announced in 2018 that it would close its Northlake location during a nationwide store-reduction program. JCPenney later announced a closure scheduled for October 2020, leaving Macy’s as the sole conventional anchor. Ownership and management changed several times. The mall was previously owned and managed by Simon Property Group. In 2014, ownership of the 43-year-old property was spun off into Washington Prime Group, a newly formed real estate investment trust. Washington Prime Group’s 2015 acquisition of Glimcher Realty Trust created WP Glimcher. In February 2016, the mall was sold to ATR Corinth Partners, a Texas-based real-estate investment firm. Northlake Mall’s later history followed the broader challenges facing enclosed malls, including department-store contraction, changing consumer behavior, and efforts to repurpose underused retail space. A 2015 master-plan study by the Tucker-Northlake Community Improvement District proposed transportation and land-use changes intended to make the area more mixed-use and walkable. Plans for the mall area contemplated a combination of office, medical, retail, and restaurant uses rather than reliance solely on traditional enclosed-mall retail. The former Sears building was announced as a future Emory Healthcare site in 2019 and was subsequently used as a large off-site COVID-19 vaccination distribution center. Macy’s announced on January 8, 2026, that it would close the Northlake location as part of a nationwide plan to shut 14 stores by the end of the first quarter. The store reportedly ceased operations on April 26, 2026, leaving the property without a department-store anchor. In June 2026, the remaining interior retail tenants were reportedly given lease-termination notices and instructed to vacate by June 29. These developments ended Northlake Mall’s operation as an enclosed retail mall and reinforced the shift toward redevelopment or mixed-use reuse of the property.
History
Northlake Mall was developed as an enclosed shopping mall serving the Northlake community and the northeastern Atlanta metropolitan area. The property stood in northern DeKalb County, Georgia, in a suburban commercial district that developed around retail, office, and industrial activity. Its role was typical of a regional mall: it combined department-store anchors with specialty shops, food service, and other consumer-oriented businesses. The mall’s anchor lineup changed over time as the U.S. department-store industry consolidated. Davison’s was among the property’s earlier department-store identities, and its business was later associated with Macy’s. JCPenney, Sears, and Kohl’s also operated as anchors at different stages. Kohl’s occupied space that had originally been Atlanta’s fourth Parisian store, opened in 1994. These changes reflected both local tenant decisions and national retail restructuring. Northlake Mall was formerly owned and managed by Simon Property Group. In 2014, ownership of the approximately 43-year-old mall was spun off into Washington Prime Group, a newly formed real-estate investment trust. Washington Prime Group acquired Glimcher Realty Trust in 2015, creating WP Glimcher. In February 2016, ATR Corinth Partners, a Texas-based real-estate company headquartered in Texas, acquired the mall. The property later experienced the loss of several major anchors. Kohl’s closed in 2016. Sears announced in May 2018 that its Northlake store would close in September of that year as part of a national program involving 72 store closures. In October 2019, Emory Healthcare was announced as the intended occupant of the former Sears building. Rather than returning the building to conventional department-store use, the site was converted into a medical and logistics facility and was subsequently used as Emory Healthcare’s largest off-site COVID-19 vaccination center. JCPenney announced in June 2020 that it would close its Northlake store on October 18 as part of a nationwide plan involving 154 locations. This left Macy’s as the only remaining traditional anchor. The continuing reduction in anchor occupancy contributed to the mall’s decline as a conventional regional shopping destination and increased pressure to find alternative uses for the property. Redevelopment discussions developed alongside the mall’s retail contraction. The Tucker-Northlake Community Improvement District completed a master-plan study in 2015 for the wider Tucker and Northlake area. The plan called for transportation improvements, land-use changes, and the evolution of regional commercial and industrial centers into more mixed-use, walkable destinations. Plans for Northlake Mall consequently focused on a possible combination of office, medical, retail, and restaurant uses. Macy’s announced on January 8, 2026, that it would close the Northlake store under a nationwide plan to close 14 stores by the end of the first quarter. The store reportedly closed on April 26, 2026. With no conventional department-store anchors remaining, the property was characterized as a dead mall. In June 2026, the mall’s remaining interior tenants were reportedly issued lease-termination notices and instructed to vacate by June 29. This effectively ended Northlake Mall’s life as an enclosed retail mall and left redevelopment or adaptive reuse as the principal future direction identified in available reference material.
- 2026
Macy's closes
[1]Macy’s reportedly closed its Northlake location on April 26, leaving the mall without a department-store anchor.
- 2026
Enclosed-mall operations end
[1]Remaining interior tenants were reportedly instructed to vacate by June 29, ending the property’s operation as an enclosed retail mall.
- 2020
JCPenney closes
[1]JCPenney closed its Northlake store under a national plan affecting 154 locations, leaving Macy’s as the only remaining traditional anchor.
- 2019
Former Sears building designated for Emory Healthcare
[1]Emory Healthcare was announced as the future occupant of the former Sears building, which later served as a major off-site vaccination center.
- 2018
Sears closes
[1]Sears announced and completed the closure of its Northlake location as part of a national store-reduction program.
- 2016
ATR Corinth Partners acquires the mall
[1]The property was sold to Texas-based ATR Corinth Partners.
- 2016
Kohl's closes
[1]Kohl’s ended its operation at Northlake Mall, further reducing the property’s department-store presence.
- 2015
Tucker-Northlake master-plan study completed
[1]The Tucker-Northlake Community Improvement District completed a plan focused on transportation, land use, and the creation of more mixed-use and walkable destinations in the area.
- 2015
WP Glimcher formed
[1]Washington Prime Group completed its acquisition of Glimcher Realty Trust, creating WP Glimcher.
- 2014
Ownership spun off to Washington Prime Group
[1]Ownership of the then roughly 43-year-old mall was separated from Simon Property Group through a transaction involving the newly formed Washington Prime Group.
Products and positioning
A suburban regional shopping mall serving the Northlake area and the northeastern Atlanta metropolitan market, later positioned for potential mixed-use redevelopment combining office, medical, retail, and restaurant uses.
Shopping-center services
Regional shopping mall services
Northlake Mall provided a traditional enclosed-mall environment with department stores, specialty retailers, dining, consumer services, parking, and shared shopping-center facilities. Its assortment was aimed at residents of the Northlake area and nearby Atlanta suburbs rather than at a narrowly defined product category.
Department stores
Department-store anchor program
The mall’s anchor offering changed over time and included Davison’s, Macy’s, JCPenney, Sears, Kohl’s, and Parisian at different periods. The anchor stores supplied broad assortments such as apparel, home goods, beauty products, electronics, and general merchandise.
Medical and community facility · 2019
Former Sears building adaptive reuse
The former Sears building was designated for Emory Healthcare and later used as a large off-site COVID-19 vaccination distribution center. This represented a shift from department-store retail toward medical and community-oriented use.
Brand decisions
2026
End of enclosed-mall operationsStrategyBackground
The closure of Macy’s removed the last remaining traditional department-store anchor, while redevelopment concepts had increasingly emphasized mixed-use uses.
Action taken
Remaining interior tenants were reportedly given lease-termination notices and instructed to vacate by June 29.
Aftermath
Northlake Mall ceased operating as an enclosed retail mall, leaving redevelopment or adaptive reuse as its reported future direction.
2019
Adaptive reuse of the former Sears buildingStrategyBackground
The Sears anchor had closed amid a national contraction of department-store retail.
Action taken
Emory Healthcare was selected to occupy the former Sears building, which was later used for large-scale off-site vaccination operations.
Aftermath
The building gained a medical and community-service function rather than returning to conventional department-store use.
2016
Sale to ATR Corinth PartnersM&ABackground
Following the Washington Prime Group and WP Glimcher ownership period, the mall changed hands again.
Action taken
ATR Corinth Partners acquired Northlake Mall.
Aftermath
The property became part of ATR Corinth Partners’ portfolio and was subsequently associated with mixed-use redevelopment planning.
2014
Ownership separation from Simon Property GroupM&ABackground
The mall had previously been owned and managed by Simon Property Group during a period of restructuring in the U.S. shopping-center sector.
Action taken
Ownership was spun off into Washington Prime Group.
Aftermath
The transaction placed the mall within a newly formed real-estate investment trust structure before later ownership changes.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/northlake-mall · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled