Eastdale Mall
Retailer / private label
UnclaimedEastdale Mall is a regional enclosed shopping mall in Montgomery, Alabama, anchored by At Home, JCPenney, Dillard's, and Belk.
Last updated August 25, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile yet.
Overview
Eastdale Mall is a regional enclosed shopping mall located in Montgomery, Alabama. It opened on August 3, 1977, and serves as a retail, dining, and entertainment destination for the city and surrounding communities. The property is organized around a conventional enclosed-mall format, with department-store and large-format anchors complemented by smaller specialty stores and customer-oriented services. The mall's anchor history reflects the evolution of American department-store retail. Montgomery Ward was among the original anchors, but its location closed in 1983 and was subsequently converted for Sears. JCPenney joined the center in 2005 after relocating from Montgomery Mall. The mall's Belk presence developed from stores that had previously operated under the Parisian name. The larger of those locations originally opened as Pizitz and later operated as McRae's from 1987 until 1998. Dillard's likewise occupies a space with an earlier department-store identity: the location previously operated as a Gayfers store until 1998. Sears remained an important anchor for many years before closing in 2016. The former Sears space was later reused by At Home, which opened there in 2017. This change illustrates the mall's adaptation from a traditional department-store anchor mix toward a combination of department stores and category-focused home-furnishing retail. Entertainment has also been part of Eastdale Mall's role. Its movie theater closed in March 2013, then reopened at some point in 2021 and continued showing films according to the available reference material. A Chuck E. Cheese location opened across from Belk later in 2021, adding a family-oriented entertainment use to the property. As of 2010, the mall measured approximately 964,717 square feet, or about 89,625 square meters. Eastdale Mall is therefore best understood as a local and regional retail destination rather than a standalone consumer-goods brand. Its identity is tied to its Montgomery location, enclosed shopping environment, changing anchor tenants, and mix of shopping and entertainment uses. Ownership, management, tenant-count data, and current operating details are not established in the supplied sources.
History
Eastdale Mall opened on August 3, 1977, in Montgomery, Alabama, as a regional enclosed shopping mall. Its original department-store lineup included Montgomery Ward. When Montgomery Ward closed its Eastdale Mall location in 1983, the space was converted for Sears, creating a long-running anchor presence that continued until Sears departed in 2016. The mall's department-store history also includes several predecessor and successor names. JCPenney joined the property in 2005 after moving from Montgomery Mall. Both Belk locations had previously been occupied by Parisian stores until 2007. The larger Belk location had originally been built as Pizitz and later operated as McRae's from 1987 to 1998. Dillard's occupies a location that previously operated as Gayfers until 1998. These changes reflect the consolidation and rebranding of department-store chains in the American retail sector. After Sears closed in 2016, its former space was reused by At Home, which opened there in 2017. The change replaced a traditional general-merchandise department-store anchor with a retailer focused on home furnishings and related merchandise. The mall consequently retained a large-format anchor use while adapting its tenant mix to changing retail patterns. Entertainment has formed another part of the property's history. Eastdale Mall's movie theater closed in March 2013. The theater later reopened sometime in 2021 and was reported as continuing to show movies. Later in 2021, Chuck E. Cheese opened across from Belk, adding a family entertainment venue within the mall. As of 2010, Eastdale Mall was reported to contain approximately 964,717 square feet, equivalent to about 89,625 square meters. The available material identifies At Home, JCPenney, Dillard's, and Belk as its anchor stores. It does not establish the mall's owner, management company, tenant count, financial performance, or current detailed store directory. Eastdale Mall remains an active Montgomery retail destination, with its history characterized by anchor turnover, reuse of major retail spaces, and the continued combination of shopping and entertainment.
- 2021
Entertainment uses return and expand
[1]The movie theater reopens at some point during the year, and Chuck E. Cheese opens across from Belk.
- 2017
At Home opens
[1]At Home opens in the former Sears location.
- 2016
Sears closes
[1]The Sears anchor closes after occupying the former Montgomery Ward space for many years.
- 2013
Movie theater closes
[1]The mall's movie theater closes in March.
- 2007
Parisian locations become Belk stores
[1]Both Belk locations are identified as former Parisian stores by this period.
- 2005
JCPenney joins the mall
[1]JCPenney is added after relocating from Montgomery Mall.
- 1983
Montgomery Ward closes
[1]The original Montgomery Ward anchor closes and its space becomes a Sears store.
- 1977
Eastdale Mall opens
[1]Eastdale Mall opens in Montgomery, Alabama, on August 3 as a regional enclosed shopping mall.
Products and positioning
A regional enclosed shopping center serving Montgomery and nearby communities through a mix of department stores, specialty retail, home-furnishing merchandise, dining, and family entertainment.
Retail · 1977
Department-store retail
Eastdale Mall's core retail offer is provided by department-store anchors including JCPenney, Dillard's, and Belk. These stores provide broad merchandise assortments covering apparel, accessories, beauty, household goods, and other general department-store categories. The anchor mix has changed over time as Montgomery Ward, Sears, Parisian, Pizitz, McRae's, and Gayfers locations were closed, converted, or rebranded.
Home furnishings · 2017
At Home
At Home occupies the former Sears space and opened at Eastdale Mall in 2017. Its presence gives the mall a large-format home-furnishing and home-decor offering, including categories associated with decorating and furnishing residential spaces. It also represents the post-Sears reuse of one of the property's major anchor locations.
Entertainment
Movie theater
The mall's movie theater is an entertainment component of the Eastdale Mall property. It closed in March 2013 and later reopened sometime in 2021. The supplied reference states that it continued to show movies after reopening.
Family entertainment · 2021
Chuck E. Cheese
Chuck E. Cheese opened across from Belk at Eastdale Mall in 2021. Its addition broadened the mall's entertainment offer with a family-oriented venue alongside the shopping center's retail and cinema uses.
Brand decisions
2021
Expansion of entertainment offeringsProduct launchBackground
The mall's movie theater had closed in 2013, reducing the property's entertainment presence.
Action taken
The theater reopened at some point in 2021, and Chuck E. Cheese opened across from Belk later that year.
Aftermath
Eastdale Mall again had cinema and family-entertainment uses in addition to its retail anchors.
2017
Replacement of Sears with At HomeGeneration changeBackground
Sears closed its Eastdale Mall location in 2016, leaving a major anchor space available.
Action taken
At Home opened in the former Sears space in 2017.
Aftermath
The space continued as a large-format retail anchor with a home-furnishings focus.
1983
Conversion of the Montgomery Ward anchor to SearsStrategyBackground
Montgomery Ward, an original Eastdale Mall anchor, closed its location in 1983.
Action taken
The former Montgomery Ward space was converted for use by Sears.
Aftermath
Sears became a major anchor at the mall until its closure in 2016.
Recent events
Sources3 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/eastdale-mall · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled