The Harford Mall is a shopping mall owned by CBL & Associates Properties that is located near the junction of Maryland Route 24 and U.S. Route 1, about 32 miles (51 km) north of Baltimore, in Bel Air, Maryland, United States. Its anchor is Macy's.[3] It is the only shopping mall in Harford County, Maryland. The mall was built on the previous site of the Bel Air Racetrack.
 Harford Mall in 2009 | |
 | |
| Location | Bel Air, Maryland, United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 39°31′33″N 76°21′29″W / 39.525859°N 76.358017°W |
| Address | 696 Bel Air Rd |
| Opening date | 1973[1] |
| Developer | Mid Atlantic Realty Trust |
| Owner | CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. |
| No. of stores and services | 41 [2] |
| No. of anchor tenants | 1 |
| Total retail floor area | 505,372 sq ft (46,950.6 m2)[3] |
| No. of floors | 1 |
| Parking | 2,542 (including Annex) [3] |
| Public transit access |  Harford Transit bus: 1, 1A, 2, 2A, 3 |
| Website | www |
History
editOriginally opened in 1973 by Mid Atlantic Realty Trust, it featured an E.J. Korvette and Montgomery Ward as its anchor stores.[4] Among the other original tenants were Walden Books, Friendly Ice Cream, Horn and Horn, and a multi-screen cinema. Korvette became Hutzler's then Hecht's, and finally Macy's. Another early tenant was an F.W. Woolworth Company store in center court. Sears replaced Montgomery Ward. The Harford Mall was purchased by CBL & Associates Property, Inc. in 2003 for $71 million. Hochschild Kohn was opened during the first expansion of the mall. The store opened in October 1977.[5] This later became the original food court.
During the period of 2006 and 2007, the mall underwent an extensive renovation. The center court and the interior of the mall were remodeled, and the exterior was also given a facelift. The original indoor food court was entirely removed in favor of additional retail space. A new "food court" was constructed outside the mall, at which time new restaurants such as Qdoba, Bonefish Grill, Five Guys, Vaccaros Italian Pastries, and Red Robin moved into the outdoor spaces. In addition, more upscale retailers, such as Hollister (which replaced the former KB Toys and later closed) and American Eagle were also added.[6] In 2013, the mall lost longtime tenant Old Navy, which moved to the new Boulevard at Box Hill shopping center in Abingdon, Maryland and was then replaced by The Shoe Department Encore,[7] and Payless Shoe Source announced plans to close its Harford Mall location in February 2019 as part of the chain's bankruptcy.[8] In the same month, Charlotte Russe also announced plans to close its Harford Mall location along with many other stores across the country.[9] Other eateries located inside the mall include The Greene Turtle, Friendly's, and Pretzel Twister. In early February 2020, Sears, one of Harford Mall's two anchor stores, closed its location at the mall, as a result of its bankruptcy filing.[10]
The mall is located across from what is known as the Harford Mall Annex, which is a section of retail stores located directly across the street from the mall on Boulton Street, facing one of the entrances to Macy's. Stores located in the Annex include Office Depot, Dollar Tree, PetSmart and Banfield Pet Hospital, and Best Buy. These are listed in the directory on Harford Mall's website, although they are not physically located inside the mall.[11]
Current anchors
editPrevious anchors
edit- Montgomery Ward (replaced by Sears, 1973–2001)
- Sears (replaced Montgomery Ward, 2001–2020, store demolished 2022)
- Montgomery Ward Auto Center (replaced by Hecht's Furniture Gallery, closed 2001)
- Hecht's (acquired by Macy's in 2006)
- Hecht's Furniture Gallery (replaced Montgomery Ward Auto Center, 2001–2006)
Shops at Harford Mall
editIn November 2021, it was announced that the Sears store, which closed in early 2020, would be demolished in order to build a 59,600 square foot outdoor shopping complex outside of the mall. Demolition of the old Sears store began in early 2022, with demolition completed in March 2022. The new complex, while adjacent to the mall, will not be physically connected to the mall. One of the primary tenants is expected to be an Amazon Fresh grocery store; a Mediterranean Grill has been confirmed as an eatery. The Sears store, which opened in 2001, replaced a Montgomery Ward department store that opened with the mall in 1973.[12] There are no longer plans for an "Amazon Fresh" grocery store and the current space his vacant and is a grand leasing opportunity.
References
edit- ^ "CBL Buys Harford Mall". Archived from the original on 15 March 2009. Retrieved 22 June 2009.
- ^ "Harford Mall Store Listing". Archived from the original on 23 December 2011. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
- ^ a b c "Harford Mall Fact Sheet". Retrieved 30 November 2018.
- ^ Benjes, Robin. "October: Christmas comes early for county employees". Retrieved 30 November 2018.
- ^ "Hochschild Kohn - ( Bel Air Md) | & Co. Branches : Harford Mall". Archived from the original on 2014-12-23. Retrieved 2014-12-23.
- ^ "Harford Mall sports new look, new stores after renovation". Washington Examiner. September 20, 2007.
- ^ Zumer, Bryna (16 May 2013). "Old Navy leaving Bel Air for Abingdon; shoe store coming to Harford Mall". baltimoresun.com.
- ^ "Payless ShoeSource closing all 2,100 U.S. stores, starting liquidation sales Sunday". USA TODAY.
- ^ "Bel Air Charlotte Russe Store Slated For Closure: Report". Bel Air, MD Patch. February 5, 2019.
- ^ "Sears Closing Store in Harford Mall". 20 November 2019.
- ^ "Mall Directory". Harford Mall.
- ^ Elizabeth Janney (9 November 2021). "Sears To Be Demolished As Shops At Harford Mall Moves Forward". Patch. Retrieved 27 March 2023.