East Hills Mall

East Hills Mall is an enclosed shopping mall in St. Joseph, Missouri, US. Opened in 1965, the mall currently features J. C. Penney and Dillard's as its anchor stores.

East Hills Mall
LocationSt. Joseph, Missouri, United States
Coordinates39°46′28″N 94°48′02″W
Opening date1965
DeveloperSherman Dreiseszun
OwnerMD Management
No. of stores and services50+
No. of anchor tenants4 (2 open, 2 vacant)
Total retail floor area611,630 sq ft (56,822 m2)[1]
No. of floors1
Websiteshopeasthills.com

History

East Hills Mall was built by Sherman Dreiseszun in 1965 as one of the first malls in the Midwestern United States.[2] Original tenants included Montgomery Ward, J. C. Penney, Safeway Inc., Katz Drug, Woolworth's, and Hirsch Brothers department store.[3] The mall was expanded in 1988, and Dillard's and Sears were added then.[4]

Throughout the 1990s East Hills lost many tenants, including Woolworth's, Sunglass Hut, A&W, and Osco Drug (formerly Katz Drug). Montgomery Ward closed in 2001, when that retail chain declared bankruptcy. By 2005 a locally owned furniture retailer located in that space, and later closed.[5] From 2005 to 2008, Gadzooks, Famous Footwear, Waldenbooks, Lerner New York, Lane Bryant, f.y.e., and Coach House Gifts (a Hallmark retailer) were other tenants to leave East Hills. The mall was renovated extensively throughout 2008 and 2009 with the addition of a food court, and in 2011 Gordmans opened in the former Montgomery Ward space. From 2012 on many other new tenants were announced and opened, including Christopher & Banks, Charlotte Russe, Justice, and Victoria's Secret. Off Broadway Shoes (in precisely the former location of Osco Drug), Charming Charlie, The Children's Place, and Spencer Gifts[6] were also new tenants recruited to East Hills.[7]

In 2014, East Hills Mall gained unexpected attention for a back-to-school ad that went viral on the Internet due to its perceived poor quality.[8][9]

Later in 2015, Party City opened on the north side of the mall next to J. C. Penney.[10][11] In May 2017, one of the anchor retailers, Sears, permanently closed its doors. In August 2020, Gordmans permanently closed their doors as well.

References
  1. Map at mdmgt.com
  2. State has 'mall fever'. St. Joseph News-Press. October 27, 1981.
  3. CSA Super Markets. Lebhar-Friedman. April 1964.
  4. East Hills :: About Us :: 3702 Frederick Avenue, St. Joseph, MO. 64506 :: (816) 279-5667. Shopeasthills.com. Retrieved on 2013-10-29.
  5. Furniture store going into former Montgomery Ward. St. Joseph News-Press. July 8, 2005.
  6. Spencer's Gifts coming to the mall. St. Joseph News-Press. Feb 26, 2014. Retrieved on March 21, 2016.
  7. New Tenants Announced At East Hills Mall. St. Joseph Post. August 8, 2013. Retrieved on October 29, 2013.
  8. Moss, Caroline (August 18, 2014). "This Shopping Center's Commercial Jingle Is A Painful Reminder That Malls Are Doomed". Business Insider. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  9. "East Hills, US shopping centre, gains viral fame with cringe-worthy back-to-school commercial". Melbourne Herald-Sun. August 19, 2014. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  10. Party City starts construction at East Hills. St. Joseph News-Press. February 27, 2015. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
  11. Party City opens today at the mall. St. Joseph News-Press. July 7, 2015. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
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