Gwinnett Place Mall

Gwinnett Place
Gwinnett Place Mall in July 2016
LocationDuluth, Georgia, United States
Coordinates33°57′38″N 84°07′34″W / 33.9606°N 84.126°W / 33.9606; -84.126 33.961216, -84.126236
OpenedFebruary 1, 1984 (1984-02-01)
ClosedApril 2021 (2021-04)
DeveloperCadillac Fairview Corporation[1] and Melvin Simon & Associates
ManagementGwinnett County, Georgia
OwnerUrban Redevelopment Agency of Gwinnett County
Stores2
2 (5 at peak)
Floor area1,278,000 sq ft (118,700 m2)
Floors2
Public transit
Gwinnett Transit Center

Gwinnett Place Mall is a defunct shopping mall located in the Pleasant Hill Road corridor of Duluth, Georgia, in the United States. Once the leading mall in the region, it declined in the face of competition from newer malls nearby such as Mall of Georgia in Buford and Sugarloaf Mills in Lawrenceville.[2] It is owned by Gwinnett County, which released plans to redevelop the property in 2023.

The establishment was used as the filming location for Starcourt Mall, the main setting of the third season of the Netflix series Stranger Things.

History

Construction of Gwinnett Place Mall began on January 21, 1982, and it officially opened its doors on February 1, 1984, with anchor tenants Rich's, Davison's and Sears. Mervyn's joined the lineup in 1986, and Davison's transitioned to Macy's (after briefly operating as Davison’s-Macy’s in 1985). In 1993, Parisian became a new anchor, leading to the addition of a northwest wing. After Mervyn's closed all seven of its Atlanta locations, J. C. Penney took over its space in 1997. By 2003, Macy's and Rich's merged to create Rich's-Macy's, a name that remained until 2005 when it was rebranded as Macy's. This left the mall with two Macy's locations, prompting the closure of the former Davidson's store. In 2007, Parisian rebranded as Belk, which eventually closed in 2013.[2] In 2010, the first Mega Mart (a Korean supermarket) in the US opened in the former Davidson's anchor space.

The mall was challenged by the openings of the Mall of Georgia in 1999 and Sugarloaf Mills in 2001, and lost a large part of its customer base. The mall also failed to attract any new anchor stores for several years. The Gwinnett Place Cinemas just outside the mall closed in late September 2000 as General Cinema began winding down operations in Georgia ahead of its October bankruptcy. In 2008, Gwinnett Technical College opened an International Education Center in the mall.

The downturn of the mall throughout the early 2010s led to the mall’s owner, Simon Property Group, losing the mall to foreclosure in 2013, where it was acquired by Moonbeam Capital Investments LLC. JCPenney closed on April 4, 2015, and Beauty Master purchased the former JCPenney building in March 2016. Beauty Master opened on August 4, 2016.[3] On May 31, 2018, it was announced Sears would shutter as part of a plan to close more stores nationwide.[4][5]

On December 15, 2020, officials from Gwinnett County's Urban Redevelopment Agency agreed to purchase the 39-acre Gwinnett Place Mall site from Moonbeam Capital Investments LLC for $23 million.[6] At this point, several tenants, including Macy's, Mega Mart and Beauty Master, owned their own property. The sale closed in April 2021 but plans for the site were not disclosed.[7]

On February 28, 2023, the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners announced a revitalization strategy focusing on housing, mobility and greenspace in response to feedback from the public. The Gwinnett Place Mall Site Revitalization Strategy will take place over the next 20 years.[8][9]

On September 17, 2024, the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners purchased Macy’s and the outparcel Macy’s Furniture Store for $16.5 million.[10] This sale closed on December 2, 2024.[11] Both stores closed on March 23, 2025.[12] On September 2, 2025, Gwinnett County announced it would purchase the former Sears anchor for $11.5 million, bringing the total amount of land it owned at the site to 87.5 acres.[13]

The third season of Stranger Things was filmed in the mall in 2018, where it appeared as Starcourt Mall.[14][15]

References

  1. ↑ Kempner, Matt. "Kempner: Gwinnett Place's first manager staggered by mall's decline". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
  2. 1 2 Green, Josh; Atlanta, Curbed. "Gwinnett Place: The Long, Slow Death of a Suburban Mall". Archived from the original on July 25, 2019. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
  3. ↑ Yeomans, Curt. "BeautyMaster opening new Gwinnett Place Mall location this week". Gwinnett Daily Post. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  4. ↑ Smith, Aaron (May 31, 2018). "Is your Sears or Kmart closing? Check the list". CNNMoney. Archived from the original on June 3, 2018.
  5. ↑ Coyne, Amanda C.; Becca J. G. Godwin, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Sears closing 3 'non-profitable' metro Atlanta stores". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
  6. ↑ Kass, Arielle; Journal-Constitution, The Atlanta. "BREAKING: Gwinnett County to buy Gwinnett Place Mall". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  7. ↑ Kass, Arielle. "County closes on $23 million Gwinnett Place mall purchase". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  8. ↑ Nunez, Gabriella. "Gwinnett Place Mall to get a facelift". Retrieved July 13, 2023.
  9. ↑ Green, Josh (January 8, 2024). "Report: Gwinnett Place Mall has lost nearly 88 percent of its value". Urbanize Atlanta. Archived from the original on January 8, 2024. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
  10. ↑ Pharr, Alia. "County buys Macy's at Gwinnett Place Mall for $16.5M". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ISSN 1539-7459. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
  11. ↑ Johnson, Matt (December 3, 2024). "'Endless opportunities:' Plan to revive Macy's at Gwinnett Place Mall hit another milestone". WSB-TV Channel 2 - Atlanta. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
  12. ↑ Tyko, Kelly (January 9, 2025). "Macy's closing 66 more stores in 2025. See the closure list". Axios. Retrieved January 9, 2025.
  13. ↑ Green, Josh (September 2, 2025). "Gwinnett Place Mall clears hurdle in long quest toward rebirth". Urbanize Atlanta. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
  14. ↑ Gwinnett Place Mall transformed for 'Stranger Things' Season 3 (Video). 11Alive. July 17, 2018 – via YouTube.
  15. ↑ Ho, Rodney (May 11, 2018). "Gwinnett Place Mall goes back to the future for 'Stranger Things'". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved July 16, 2018.

33°57′38″N 84°07′33″W / 33.960553°N 84.125953°W / 33.960553; -84.125953

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