Friendly Center

Friendly Center is a major open-air shopping center in northwestern Greensboro, North Carolina, positioned near the intersection of Friendly Avenue and Wendover Avenue. Since opening in August 1957, it has developed from a conventional regional shopping center into a broad lifestyle-oriented retail and dining destination serving Greensboro and the wider Piedmont Triad area. Its tenant mix combines department stores, supermarkets, specialty retailers, restaurants, entertainment, and service-oriented businesses. The center’s principal anchors have included Belk, Macy’s, Harris Teeter, and Sears. Macy’s occupies a retail lineage associated with earlier department-store operators Thalhimer’s and Hecht’s, while the Sears store operated for many years as another major draw. Harris Teeter’s Friendly Center location opened in November 2006 and was described as the chain’s largest store in North Carolina at the time, occupying approximately 72,000 square feet. Whole Foods Market also contributes to the center’s grocery and specialty-food offering. Friendly Center expanded substantially in the mid-2000s. Construction of The Shops at Friendly Center began in early 2006 after the demolition of a nearby Burlington Industries office building. The new section opened on October 19, 2006, adding upscale and specialty retailers that broadened the center’s appeal, including Apple, Brooks Brothers, REI, J. Crew, Pendleton, J. Jill, Johnston & Murphy, White House Black Market, and other national brands. The expansion also introduced additional restaurants, including P.F. Chang’s, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, Bravo Cucina Italiana, and Mimi’s Cafe. The property changed ownership during the financial and commercial real-estate upheaval of the late 2000s. Starmount Company placed Friendly Center and much of its other commercial real-estate portfolio on the market in April 2007. CBL & Associates Properties agreed in October 2007 to acquire Friendly Center and Starmount’s retail and office holdings; reporting in January 2008 stated that the purchase price for Friendly Center and The Shops at Friendly Center exceeded $200 million. CBL Properties is the current owner associated with the center. The destination’s tenant base has evolved over time as national retail concepts have opened, closed, or changed format. Coldwater Creek, for example, operated at the center before closing its location in 2014. The center also includes Regal Cinemas’ Grande Theatre, a 16-screen multiplex, and a concentration of restaurants and food-focused specialty retailers near the Harris Teeter area, including Savory Spice Shop and Midtown Olive Oil. Other retailers historically associated with the property include Barnes & Noble, Old Navy, Banana Republic, Victoria’s Secret, Bath & Body Works, Express, Gap, Eddie Bauer, Talbots, and Birkenstock Feet First. In April 2023, Sears announced that its Friendly Center store would close in summer 2023. Until that announcement, the location was identified as the last Sears store in North Carolina. The closure illustrates the continuing transition of the center’s anchor lineup as department-store and big-box retail formats change. Friendly Center nevertheless remains an active, diversified shopping and dining destination whose identity rests on its open-air layout, grocery and department-store anchors, specialty retail, restaurants, and entertainment uses.

Friendly Center opened in August 1957 in northwestern Greensboro, near the junction of Friendly Avenue and Wendover Avenue. Its inward-oriented layout gave the property characteristics of an outdoor lifestyle center even though it originated as a more traditional regional shopping complex. Over the following decades, the property built a broad anchor base around department stores and other high-traffic retailers. Belk, Macy’s, and Sears became prominent department-store components, while Macy’s inherited a local retail presence previously associated with Thalhimer’s and later Hecht’s. The center gradually developed beyond department-store shopping. Its tenant mix came to include national apparel, beauty, book, home, and specialty retailers, as well as restaurants and entertainment. Barnes & Noble, Old Navy, Banana Republic, Victoria’s Secret, Bath & Body Works, Express, Gap, Eddie Bauer, Talbots, and Birkenstock Feet First were among the retailers associated with the property. Regal Cinemas operated the Grande Theatre, a 16-screen multiplex, giving Friendly Center an entertainment use in addition to its retail and dining functions. A major redevelopment phase began in early 2006. The Shops at Friendly Center was built after a nearby Burlington Industries office building was demolished. The expansion opened on October 19, 2006, and added a more upscale and specialty-oriented collection of tenants, including Apple, Brooks Brothers, REI, J. Crew, Pendleton, J. Jill, Johnston & Murphy, White House Black Market, and Coldwater Creek. Several restaurant concepts also joined the expanded property, including P.F. Chang’s, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, Bravo Cucina Italiana, and Mimi’s Cafe. Coldwater Creek later closed its location in 2014. Harris Teeter became another important component of the expanded center. A roughly 72,000-square-foot Harris Teeter opened on November 8, 2006, and was described as the supermarket chain’s largest location in North Carolina at that time. Whole Foods Market and smaller food-focused businesses, including Savory Spice Shop and Midtown Olive Oil, further strengthened Friendly Center’s grocery and specialty-food profile. Ownership changed during the 2007–2008 period. Starmount Company placed Friendly Center and most of its other commercial real-estate portfolio on the market in April 2007. In October of that year, CBL & Associates Properties contracted to purchase Friendly Center along with Starmount’s retail and office holdings. A January 2008 report stated that CBL paid more than $200 million for Friendly Center and The Shops at Friendly Center. The property is associated with CBL Properties today. Friendly Center’s later history reflects broader changes in American retail. Its mix has continued to combine grocery, department-store, specialty, dining, and entertainment uses, but individual tenants have changed as retailers have restructured or exited certain markets. In April 2023, Sears announced the closure of its Friendly Center store for summer 2023. Until the announcement, the location was described as the last Sears store in North Carolina. The closure marked another change in the center’s long-running anchor lineup while leaving the broader destination active as a diversified open-air shopping and lifestyle center.

• 2023

  Sears store closure announced

  [1]Friendly Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Sears announced that its Friendly Center location would close in summer 2023.

• 2008

  Acquisition price is reported

  [1]Friendly Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The Triad Business Journal reported that the transaction for Friendly Center and The Shops at Friendly Center exceeded $200 million.

• 2007

  Friendly Center is placed on the market

  [1]Friendly Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Starmount Company announced the sale process for Friendly Center and much of its commercial property portfolio.

• 2007

  CBL contracts to acquire the property

  [1]Friendly Centeren.wikipedia.org

  CBL & Associates Properties contracted to purchase Friendly Center and other Starmount retail and office assets.

• 2006

  The Shops at Friendly Center expansion begins

  [1]Friendly Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Construction began after the demolition of a nearby Burlington Industries office building.

• 2006

  The Shops at Friendly Center opens

  [1]Friendly Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The expanded retail section opened on October 19 with new specialty retailers, restaurants, and national brands.

• 2006

  Harris Teeter opens a large flagship-style store

  [1]Friendly Centeren.wikipedia.org

  A 72,000-square-foot Harris Teeter opened on November 8 and was described as the chain’s largest North Carolina location at the time.

• 1957

  Friendly Center opens

  [1]Friendly Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The shopping center opened in August in northwestern Greensboro, North Carolina.

An open-air regional shopping and lifestyle destination combining department stores, grocery anchors, national specialty retailers, restaurants, specialty food shops, and cinema entertainment.

• Department stores · 1957

  Department-store retail

  Friendly Center’s department-store offering has included Belk, Macy’s, and historically Sears. These anchors provide broad assortments spanning apparel, accessories, beauty, home merchandise, and seasonal goods, and have traditionally supplied the center with major destination traffic.

• Grocery · 2006

  Harris Teeter Friendly Center

  The Harris Teeter location opened in November 2006 in a roughly 72,000-square-foot space. It was described as the chain’s largest North Carolina store at the time and serves as one of Friendly Center’s principal grocery anchors.

• Lifestyle retail · 2006

  The Shops at Friendly Center

  The Shops at Friendly Center is the center’s major expansion district, adding specialty and upscale brands such as Apple, Brooks Brothers, REI, J. Crew, Pendleton, J. Jill, Johnston & Murphy, and White House Black Market. Its tenant mix broadened Friendly Center beyond traditional department-store shopping.

• Restaurants and specialty food · 2006

  Food and dining district

  Friendly Center combines full-service and casual dining with specialty food retailers. Historical restaurant tenants have included P.F. Chang’s, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, Bravo Cucina Italiana, and Mimi’s Cafe, while Savory Spice Shop and Midtown Olive Oil represent the center’s specialty-food component.

• Entertainment

  Regal Cinemas Grande Theatre

  The Grande Theatre is a 16-screen multiplex operated by Regal Cinemas. It adds cinema entertainment to Friendly Center’s shopping, dining, and grocery uses and supports the property’s role as a multi-purpose destination.

• 2023

  Close the Sears anchor storeOther

  Background

  Sears announced the closure of its Friendly Center location amid the continuing contraction of the Sears store network.

  Action taken

  The store was scheduled to close in summer 2023.

  Aftermath

  The closure ended the presence of what had been described as the last Sears store in North Carolina and changed the center’s long-standing anchor lineup.

  Source

• 2007

  Sell Friendly Center to CBLM&A

  Background

  Starmount Company put Friendly Center and most of its other commercial real-estate holdings up for sale.

  Action taken

  CBL & Associates Properties contracted to acquire Friendly Center and Starmount’s retail and office holdings.

  Aftermath

  The acquisition was reported as completed or valued at more than $200 million by January 2008, placing the center within CBL’s property portfolio.

  Reported purchase price. More than $200 million (January 2008 report covering the Friendly Center and The Shops at Friendly Center transaction)

  Source

• 2006

  Develop The Shops at Friendly CenterStrategy

  Background

  Friendly Center sought to expand its retail and dining offer after the demolition of a nearby Burlington Industries office building.

  Action taken

  Construction began in early 2006, creating a new section that opened on October 19 with specialty retailers, restaurants, and national brands not previously represented in the local market.

  Aftermath

  The expansion diversified Friendly Center’s tenant mix and strengthened its positioning as an open-air lifestyle destination.

  Source

• 2006

  Add a large Harris Teeter supermarketStrategy

  Background

  The expanded center incorporated a major grocery anchor to increase everyday shopping traffic and complement department stores and specialty retail.

  Action taken

  Harris Teeter opened a 72,000-square-foot store on November 8, 2006.

  Aftermath

  The location became a prominent grocery component of Friendly Center and was described as the chain’s largest North Carolina store at the time.

  Source

1. 1Friendly Centeren.wikipedia.org
2. 2Friendly Center official websitefriendlycenter.com