Alpena Mall

Alpena Mall was an enclosed shopping mall in Alpena Township, Michigan, United States. It served the Alpena area and was described as the only enclosed shopping mall in Northeast Michigan. The property operated as a conventional enclosed retail center for much of its history, with department-store anchors and a selection of smaller specialty retailers. The mall originally included JCPenney and Kmart among its principal tenants. Both retailers later moved across the street in the late 1990s, changing the mall's anchor arrangement. The former Kmart space was subsequently occupied by Dunham's Sports and Gordon Food Service, which became important continuing occupants of the property. Shoe Dept. also opened at the mall in 2014, adding a national footwear retailer to the tenant mix. Ownership changed during the mall's later years. Molla Investments purchased the property in December 2018. In June 2020, JCPenney announced that its Alpena store would close as part of a nationwide store-reduction program; the location closed around October 2020. After that closure, Gordon Food Service and Dunham's Sports were the remaining anchor-scale occupants identified in the mall's history. Later in 2020, I2P acquired the mall and announced plans to redevelop the site as a manufacturing center. The redevelopment plans coincided with a substantial contraction in the mall's retail activity. During late 2020 and early 2021, many tenants relocated from the mall to downtown Alpena, reducing the reported store count from approximately 20 to nine. This transition shifted the property away from its earlier role as a regional enclosed shopping destination. According to reporting by The Alpena News, the mall closed in December 2022. Although the enclosed interior ceased operating as a mall, several businesses continued operating in portions of the property, including Dunham's Sports, Shoe Dept., and Gordon Food Service. The mall's large collection of Christmas trees and decorations was donated to the Besser Museum, which incorporated the items into a holiday exhibit. Alpena Mall is therefore best understood as a closed regional retail property whose surviving occupants continued independently after the mall's main interior operations ended.

Alpena Mall developed as an enclosed shopping center serving Alpena Township and the wider Northeast Michigan market. Its regional role was distinctive because it was identified as the only enclosed mall in Northeast Michigan. The center originally featured JCPenney and Kmart, providing department-store anchors for a broader mix of specialty retailers. The mall's anchor configuration changed in the late 1990s when JCPenney and Kmart moved to locations across the street. The former Kmart premises later became associated with Dunham's Sports and Gordon Food Service. These occupants helped preserve activity at the site even as the original department-store format weakened. Shoe Dept. opened at the mall in 2014, adding a footwear-focused national chain to the tenant lineup. Molla Investments bought Alpena Mall in December 2018. A major later change came in 2020, when JCPenney announced that it would close its Alpena store around October as part of a national plan involving 154 store closures. Following the JCPenney shutdown, Gordon Food Service and Dunham's Sports were the remaining anchor-scale businesses described in the mall's history. In late 2020, I2P purchased the property and announced a plan to redevelop it as a manufacturing center. The proposed change in use occurred during a period of declining mall occupancy. Through late 2020 and early 2021, numerous retailers moved from the mall into downtown Alpena. The reported number of stores fell from roughly 20 to nine, indicating that the property was no longer functioning as a fully occupied regional shopping destination. The Alpena News reported that the mall closed in December 2022. The closure applied to the mall interior, while Dunham's Sports, Shoe Dept., and Gordon Food Service remained open in separate portions of the property. A notable piece of the mall's community legacy was preserved when its extensive collection of Christmas trees and decorations was given to the Besser Museum for use in a holiday exhibit. Alpena Mall's history consequently includes both the decline of a traditional enclosed mall and the continued operation of selected standalone businesses at the former site.

• 2022

  Enclosed mall operations end

  [1]Alpena Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The mall reportedly closed in December 2022, although several individual businesses continued operating at the property.

• 2020

  JCPenney closure announced

  [1]Alpena Mallen.wikipedia.org

  JCPenney announced that its Alpena store would close around October as part of a nationwide closure program.

• 2020

  I2P announces manufacturing redevelopment

  [1]Alpena Mallen.wikipedia.org

  I2P acquired the mall in late 2020 and announced an intention to convert or redevelop the site as a manufacturing center.

• 2018

  Molla Investments acquires the property

  [1]Alpena Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Molla Investments purchased Alpena Mall in December 2018.

• 2014

  Shoe Dept. opens at the mall

  [1]Alpena Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Shoe Dept. opened a store at Alpena Mall, expanding the center's national specialty-retail tenant mix.

A regional enclosed shopping center serving Alpena and surrounding communities in Northeast Michigan. The property later shifted toward redevelopment and residual standalone retail use after the enclosed mall's tenant base contracted.

• Retail property

  Enclosed shopping mall

  Alpena Mall was a traditional enclosed shopping center offering department-store, specialty-retail, apparel, footwear, sporting-goods, grocery, and food-service options. Its principal historical anchors included JCPenney and Kmart, while later continuing occupants included Dunham's Sports and Gordon Food Service. The enclosed mall interior closed in December 2022.

• Sporting goods retailer

  Dunham's Sports

  Dunham's Sports occupied space associated with the former Kmart area and became one of the principal remaining anchor-scale businesses after the department-store tenants departed. It continued operating after the enclosed mall interior closed.

• Food-service and grocery retailer

  Gordon Food Service

  Gordon Food Service operated in the former Kmart space and remained one of the principal surviving businesses at the property after JCPenney's closure and the end of enclosed mall operations.

• Footwear retailer · 2014

  Shoe Dept.

  Shoe Dept. opened at Alpena Mall in 2014 as a specialty footwear tenant. It was among the businesses reported to remain open at the property after the mall interior closed.

• 2020

  I2P acquisition and redevelopment decisionM&A

  Background

  By late 2020, the mall had experienced anchor changes and the announced closure of JCPenney. I2P acquired the property during this period of retail contraction.

  Action taken

  I2P announced plans to redevelop Alpena Mall into a manufacturing center rather than continue relying solely on the traditional enclosed-mall format.

  Aftermath

  Many stores relocated to downtown Alpena during late 2020 and early 2021, and the reported tenant count fell from approximately 20 to nine. The mall interior was later reported closed in December 2022.

  Source

1. 1Alpena Mallen.wikipedia.org