Charlottetown Mall - Fate

Fate

By 1964, Bon Marché had closed at the mall; their store was quickly replaced by Ivey's. Two other malls which opened in Charlotte - SouthPark Mall and Eastland Mall (in 1970 and 1975, respectively) soon grew to draw business away from Charlottetown Mall, causing the older, smaller mall to decline.

Charlottetown was first renovated in the 1980s, when its name was changed to "Outlet Square". Nine years after the first renovation, the shopping center was renovated a second time. Two parking garages were added, and the mall was once again renamed, this time assuming the name "Midtown Square". Unfortunately, neither of the renovations resuscitated the rapidly dying mall. Ivey's converted the Midtown Square store to an outlet store before closing altogether. Eventually, the former Ivey's was taken over by Burlington Coat Factory. The Colonial Stores was converted to Big Star Markets outlet, and later to Harris Teeter before closing in 1988.

After several years in dead mall status, Midtown Square closed. The mall and the cinemas - which also closed - were bulldozed in 2006. Currently, a mixed-use complex was built on the sites of the old cinema and shopping mall. The retail segment will include a two-story anchor store, with Home Depot Design Center on the first floor and Target on the second. In addition, the complex will feature 198,000 square feet (18,400 m2) of additional retail, as well as condominiums, offices, and restaurants. The project, being developed in a joint venture by Charlotte-based Pappas Properties / Collette Associates and Birmingham-based Colonial Properties Trust, is scheduled to open in late 2007.