Peachtree Mall

Peachtree Mall is an enclosed shopping center in Columbus, Georgia. It is one of the city’s two principal shopping destinations, alongside the open-air Columbus Park Crossing, and became the city’s only enclosed mall after Columbus Square Mall closed and was demolished in the early 2000s. The property serves the Columbus metropolitan area with a combination of department stores, specialty retail, dining, and mall-based services. The mall’s original configuration was a single-level enclosed center organized around a principal corridor. Its initial anchor arrangement placed Gayfers and Montgomery Ward at opposite ends of the mall. In 1985, the center expanded its retail and dining offer with the addition of a food court and a third anchor, Parisian. These changes established a department-store-led format typical of regional malls of the period. A major physical and tenant change occurred in November 1994, when JCPenney relocated from the former Columbus Square Mall into a new addition at Peachtree Mall. The layout created an unusual circulation arrangement: visitors traveling from the older portion of the mall to the new JCPenney addition had to pass through Dillard’s, which occupied the former Gayfers location. The relocation strengthened Peachtree Mall’s position as the city’s principal enclosed retail center. The property’s anchor lineup continued to change as department-store chains underwent financial distress, mergers, and rebranding. Montgomery Ward closed in late 2000 after its parent company filed for bankruptcy. Rich’s subsequently occupied the space in 2002, and that store was converted to Macy’s in 2005. Parisian closed in February 2007 after the chain’s merger with Belk. A proposed conversion of the former Parisian location into a Belk store was later abandoned amid financial problems. A redevelopment proposal for the space also failed to materialize. On December 3, 2015, the mall’s owners bought back the former Parisian property from Dillard’s. The space eventually received a new retail use when At Home opened there on February 2, 2017. At Home later closed on December 30, 2024. Beauty Master subsequently opened in the former Parisian space on November 1, 2025, according to the supplied reference material. The current anchor roster identified in reference material includes Beauty Master, Dillard’s, Macy’s, and JCPenney. Peachtree Mall’s role is primarily regional and local rather than national as a standalone consumer brand. Its value proposition is based on providing an enclosed, climate-controlled shopping environment, recognizable department-store anchors, specialty retail, food-service options, and convenient access for residents of Columbus and nearby communities. Its history reflects broader changes in the U.S. enclosed-mall sector, including anchor consolidation, department-store bankruptcies, chain mergers, store relocations, and the reuse of large-format retail spaces.

Peachtree Mall is a regional enclosed shopping center in Columbus, Georgia. Its development and tenant history are closely tied to the evolution of department-store retail in the city. The original mall was designed as a single-level enclosed center with Gayfers and Montgomery Ward serving as anchor stores at opposite ends of the main corridor. The format provided a concentrated shopping destination for apparel, household goods, specialty retail, and dining. In 1985, the center added a food court and a third anchor store, Parisian. The addition expanded both the mall’s dining offer and its department-store mix. A later expansion was completed in November 1994, when JCPenney relocated from Columbus Square Mall into a newly built addition at Peachtree Mall. The connection between the original mall and the addition was unusual because customers had to walk through Dillard’s, the successor to the original Gayfers location, to reach the expanded section. The mall underwent another major anchor transition at the end of the 1990s and beginning of the 2000s. Montgomery Ward closed in late 2000 after the retailer filed for bankruptcy. Rich’s filled the vacant space in 2002, but the store adopted the Macy’s name in 2005. These changes reflected the consolidation and rebranding affecting U.S. department-store chains during that period. Parisian closed in February 2007 following the company’s merger with Belk. A plan to convert the former Parisian store into a Belk location was announced but later scrapped because of financial difficulties. A separate redevelopment plan for the property was also discussed but did not come to fruition. The former Parisian site remained associated with Dillard’s ownership until Peachtree Mall’s owners bought it back on December 3, 2015. The large-format space was eventually redeployed for At Home, which opened there on February 2, 2017. At Home closed the location on December 30, 2024. The supplied reference material states that Beauty Master opened in the same former Parisian space on November 1, 2025. After Columbus Square Mall closed and was demolished in the early 2000s, Peachtree Mall became Columbus’s only enclosed shopping center. It remains one of the city’s two major shopping areas, with Columbus Park Crossing providing the other principal retail destination. The mall’s anchor stores identified in the reference material are Beauty Master, Dillard’s, Macy’s, and JCPenney. Its history illustrates how an enclosed mall can remain relevant through anchor replacement, rebranding, expansion, ownership changes, and conversion of obsolete department-store space to new retail formats.

• 2025

  Beauty Master opens

  [1]Peachtree Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Beauty Master opened in the former Parisian and At Home space on November 1, according to the supplied reference material.

• 2024

  At Home closes

  [1]Peachtree Mallen.wikipedia.org

  At Home closed its Peachtree Mall location on December 30.

• 2017

  At Home opens

  [1]Peachtree Mallen.wikipedia.org

  At Home opened in the former Parisian space on February 2.

• 2015

  Former Parisian property reacquired

  [1]Peachtree Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The mall’s owners bought the former Parisian property back from Dillard’s on December 3.

• 2007

  Parisian closes

  [1]Peachtree Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Parisian closed after its merger with Belk; a planned Belk conversion was subsequently abandoned.

• 2005

  Rich’s becomes Macy’s

  [1]Peachtree Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The Rich’s location was rebranded as Macy’s.

• 2002

  Rich’s opens

  [1]Peachtree Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Rich’s replaced Montgomery Ward in the former anchor space.

• 2000

  Montgomery Ward closes

  [1]Peachtree Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Montgomery Ward closed its anchor store after the chain entered bankruptcy.

• 1994

  JCPenney relocates into mall expansion

  [1]Peachtree Mallen.wikipedia.org

  A November expansion brought JCPenney from Columbus Square Mall into a new addition at Peachtree Mall.

• 1985

  Food court and Parisian added

  [1]Peachtree Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Peachtree Mall expanded its offer with a food court and a third anchor store, Parisian.

A regional enclosed shopping center focused on department-store anchors, specialty retail, dining, and everyday shopping for Columbus, Georgia, and nearby communities.

• Retail property and customer services

  Enclosed shopping-center services

  Peachtree Mall provides a climate-controlled enclosed environment containing department stores, specialty retailers, dining facilities, and mall-based services. Its principal offering is the convenience of multiple retail categories in one regional shopping destination serving Columbus and nearby communities.

• Department stores

  Department-store anchor retail

  The mall’s anchor offer has historically included Gayfers, Montgomery Ward, Parisian, Rich’s, Macy’s, Dillard’s, JCPenney, At Home, and Beauty Master. The current reference material identifies Beauty Master, Dillard’s, Macy’s, and JCPenney as anchor stores.

• Food service · 1985

  Food court and dining

  A food court was added to Peachtree Mall in 1985, complementing the shopping center’s retail tenants and supporting longer customer visits within the enclosed mall.

• 2017

  Open At Home in the former Parisian spaceProduct launch

  Background

  Following the reacquisition of the former Parisian property, the mall needed a new use for the vacant anchor space.

  Action taken

  At Home opened in the space on February 2, 2017.

  Aftermath

  The former department-store anchor was converted to a home-furnishings retail use until At Home closed in December 2024.

  Source

• 2015

  Reacquire the former Parisian propertyM&A

  Background

  The former Parisian space had remained tied to Dillard’s ownership while redevelopment plans failed to proceed.

  Action taken

  Peachtree Mall’s owners purchased the property back from Dillard’s on December 3, 2015.

  Aftermath

  The reacquisition gave the mall’s ownership control of the large-format space and enabled its later leasing to At Home.

  Source

• 2007

  Abandon proposed Belk conversionStrategy

  Background

  Parisian closed after its merger with Belk, and a conversion of the former Parisian store into a Belk location had been proposed.

  Action taken

  The planned Belk location was scrapped amid financial problems.

  Aftermath

  The former Parisian site remained without the proposed Belk conversion and was later the subject of redevelopment discussions that did not materialize.

  Source

• 2002

  Replace the Montgomery Ward anchor with Rich’sOther

  Background

  Montgomery Ward closed in late 2000 after the company filed for bankruptcy, leaving a major anchor vacancy.

  Action taken

  Rich’s opened in the former Montgomery Ward location in 2002.

  Aftermath

  The anchor space remained occupied by a department store and was later rebranded as Macy’s in 2005.

  Source

• 1994

  Expand the mall to accommodate JCPenneyStrategy

  Background

  JCPenney was relocating from Columbus Square Mall, creating an opportunity to strengthen Peachtree Mall’s anchor lineup.

  Action taken

  The mall completed an addition in November and placed the relocated JCPenney store in the new section.

  Aftermath

  The expansion increased Peachtree Mall’s regional department-store presence, although access to the addition required customers to pass through Dillard’s from the original mall section.

  Source

1. 1Peachtree Mallen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Peachtree Mall official websitepeachtreemall.com