Gwinnett Place Mall
Retailer / private label
UnclaimedA formerly major shopping mall in Duluth, Georgia, whose property is being repositioned for long-term redevelopment.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Gwinnett Place Mall was a regional shopping mall in the Pleasant Hill Road corridor of Duluth, Gwinnett County, Georgia. It opened on February 1, 1984, after construction began in January 1982, and initially operated as one of the principal enclosed retail destinations in the northeastern Atlanta metropolitan area. Its original anchor lineup included Rich's, Davison's and Sears, with Mervyn's added later. Over time, the mall's department-store mix changed repeatedly: Davison's became part of Macy's, Mervyn's was replaced by JCPenney, Parisian was added as an anchor and later became Belk, and Rich's was absorbed into the Macy's brand. A second Macy's presence eventually resulted from the consolidation and closure of the former Davison's location, while the former anchor space was later used by Mega Mart, a Korean supermarket. The mall's regional position weakened after the opening of newer and larger competing destinations, particularly Mall of Georgia in Buford in 1999 and Sugarloaf Mills in Lawrenceville in 2001. The nearby Gwinnett Place Cinemas also closed in 2000 during General Cinema's retrenchment and bankruptcy period. During the 2000s and early 2010s, Gwinnett Place Mall struggled to replace departing anchors and maintain the level of traffic associated with its earlier role. Gwinnett Technical College opened an International Education Center at the property in 2008, reflecting efforts to introduce nontraditional uses into the mall. Simon Property Group lost the mall through foreclosure in 2013, and Moonbeam Capital Investments acquired it. Subsequent departures included JCPenney in 2015, Belk in 2013 and Sears after its 2018 closure announcement. Beauty Master acquired and occupied the former JCPenney building in 2016, while several other occupants, including Macy's and Mega Mart, held ownership interests in portions of the broader site. The property became especially visible in popular culture when the mall was used as the filming location for Starcourt Mall in the third season of Netflix's Stranger Things, filmed there in 2018. Gwinnett County began taking direct control of the site through its Urban Redevelopment Agency. The county agreed in December 2020 to acquire the 39-acre mall site from Moonbeam for $23 million; the transaction closed in April 2021. In February 2023, the county announced a 20-year revitalization strategy centered on housing, mobility and greenspace. The county later purchased Macy's and its nearby furniture-store outparcel for $16.5 million, with the transaction closing in December 2024 and both stores closing in March 2025. In September 2025, the county announced an agreement to acquire the former Sears anchor for $11.5 million, increasing its land ownership at the site to 87.5 acres. The former mall is therefore best understood as a defunct retail complex and redevelopment site rather than an operating shopping-center brand.
History
Construction of Gwinnett Place Mall began on January 21, 1982, in the Pleasant Hill Road corridor of Duluth, Georgia. The enclosed mall opened on February 1, 1984, with Rich's, Davison's and Sears as anchor tenants. Mervyn's joined the anchor lineup in 1986. Davison's briefly operated under a Davison's-Macy's identity in 1985 before becoming Macy's, reflecting the changing department-store ownership landscape. The mall expanded its department-store offering in 1993 when Parisian became an anchor and a northwest wing was added. After Mervyn's closed its Atlanta-area stores, JCPenney occupied the former Mervyn's location in 1997. In 2003, Rich's and Macy's were combined under the Rich's-Macy's name, which was simplified to Macy's in 2005. This created two Macy's locations at the mall and led to the closure of the former Davison's store. The vacated anchor space later gained a new role when the first Mega Mart Korean supermarket in the United States opened there in 2010. Parisian became Belk in 2007, but Belk closed in 2013. Gwinnett Place's decline was closely connected to the growth of competing retail destinations. Mall of Georgia opened in Buford in 1999, followed by Sugarloaf Mills in Lawrenceville in 2001. These newer centers absorbed a substantial share of the region's shopping traffic, while Gwinnett Place had difficulty securing replacement anchors. The separate Gwinnett Place Cinemas closed in late September 2000 as General Cinema reduced its Georgia operations before entering bankruptcy proceedings. In 2008, Gwinnett Technical College opened an International Education Center within the mall, providing a nonretail use during a period of commercial pressure. The mall's ownership changed after its financial deterioration. Simon Property Group lost the property through foreclosure in 2013, and Moonbeam Capital Investments LLC acquired it. JCPenney closed its store on April 4, 2015. Beauty Master purchased the former JCPenney building in March 2016 and opened there on August 4 of that year. Sears announced in May 2018 that its Gwinnett Place location would close as part of a wider nationwide store-reduction program. The mall also gained an unexpected cultural afterlife when its interior and exterior were used as Starcourt Mall in the third season of Stranger Things, filmed at the property in 2018. Gwinnett County gradually became the principal institutional stakeholder. On December 15, 2020, county officials agreed for the Gwinnett County Urban Redevelopment Agency to acquire the 39-acre mall site from Moonbeam for $23 million. The sale closed in April 2021, although several occupants, including Macy's, Mega Mart and Beauty Master, owned their own portions of the broader property. In February 2023, the county board announced a 20-year Gwinnett Place Mall Site Revitalization Strategy focused on housing, transportation and mobility connections, and greenspace. The county continued consolidating ownership. On September 17, 2024, it announced the purchase of the Macy's building and the Macy's Furniture Store outparcel for $16.5 million; the transaction closed on December 2, 2024. Both stores closed on March 23, 2025. On September 2, 2025, the county announced that it would purchase the former Sears anchor for $11.5 million. The announcement brought the land controlled by Gwinnett County at the site to 87.5 acres. The property is now a redevelopment area rather than an operating regional mall, with its future defined by the county's long-range planning process.
- 2025
Former Sears property added to county holdings
[1]The county announces a planned purchase of the former Sears anchor, expanding its holdings at the site to 87.5 acres.
- 2023
Revitalization strategy announced
[1]The county publishes a long-range strategy organized around housing, mobility and greenspace.
- 2021
County acquisition closes
[1]Gwinnett County completes its acquisition of the 39-acre mall site from Moonbeam.
- 2018
Stranger Things filming
[1]The mall is used as Starcourt Mall in the third season of Stranger Things.
- 2013
Ownership changes after foreclosure
[1]Simon Property Group loses the mall through foreclosure, and Moonbeam Capital Investments acquires it.
- 2010
Mega Mart opens
[1]The first Mega Mart Korean supermarket in the United States opens in a former department-store space.
- 2001
Sugarloaf Mills opens
[1]Sugarloaf Mills opens in Lawrenceville, intensifying competition for regional shoppers.
- 1999
Mall of Georgia opens
[1]The opening of Mall of Georgia introduces a major nearby competitor.
- 1993
Parisian joins as an anchor
[1]Parisian becomes an anchor tenant and the mall adds a northwest wing.
- 1984
Mall opens
[1]Gwinnett Place Mall opens on February 1 with Rich's, Davison's and Sears as its initial anchors.
Products and positioning
Historically positioned as a major regional enclosed mall serving Gwinnett County and the northeastern Atlanta suburbs; later repositioned through multicultural retail, education and redevelopment uses as competition and anchor departures reduced its traditional retail role.
Retail · 1984
Department-store retail
The mall historically centered on large department-store anchors, including Rich's, Davison's, Macy's, Sears, Mervyn's, JCPenney, Parisian and Belk. These stores provided apparel, accessories, home merchandise and general department-store goods and were central to the mall's original regional-shopping positioning.
Supermarket · 2010
Mega Mart
Mega Mart occupied a former department-store anchor space beginning in 2010. Its Korean supermarket format added groceries, imported foods and multicultural retail to the tenant mix and represented the property's adaptation to Gwinnett County's diverse customer base.
Entertainment
Gwinnett Place Cinemas
The cinema complex outside the mall supplemented the shopping center with movie entertainment. It closed in late September 2000 as General Cinema curtailed its Georgia operations before bankruptcy.
Marketing campaigns
- 2018Stranger Things season three production
United States
Gwinnett Place Mall was used as the fictional Starcourt Mall for filming the third season of Netflix's Stranger Things. The production gave the declining property substantial popular-culture visibility.
Outcome. The mall became recognizable to viewers as Starcourt Mall and retained a prominent place in the show's location history.
Brand decisions
2025
County announces purchase of former Sears anchorM&ABackground
The former Sears building remained a separately controlled component of the mall site after the store's closure.
Action taken
Gwinnett County announced that it would purchase the former Sears anchor.
Aftermath
The planned acquisition would increase county-controlled land at the site to 87.5 acres.
Purchase price. $11.5 million (Announcement September 2, 2025)
2024
County purchases Macy's propertiesM&ABackground
Macy's and its furniture-store outparcel were among the independently owned portions of the broader mall property.
Action taken
Gwinnett County announced the purchase of both properties, with the sale closing on December 2, 2024.
Aftermath
Both stores closed on March 23, 2025, giving the county additional control over redevelopment land.
Purchase price. $16.5 million (Announced September 17, 2024; closed December 2, 2024)
2023
Twenty-year site revitalization strategyStrategyBackground
The county sought to determine a new role for a declining and partially vacant mall property.
Action taken
Gwinnett County announced a redevelopment framework emphasizing housing, mobility and greenspace.
Aftermath
The site moved from a conventional mall-recovery effort toward long-term mixed-use public redevelopment planning.
2020
County agrees to acquire the mall siteM&ABackground
The mall had declined after years of competition from newer regional shopping centers and anchor departures.
Action taken
Gwinnett County's Urban Redevelopment Agency agreed to purchase the 39-acre site from Moonbeam Capital Investments.
Aftermath
The transaction closed in April 2021 and placed the core property under county control.
Purchase price. $23 million (Agreement announced December 15, 2020; sale closed April 2021)
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