The Orchards Mall

The Orchards Mall
LocationBenton Township, Michigan
Coordinates42°05′07″N 86°25′26″W / 42.0853°N 86.424°W / 42.0853; -86.424
Address1800 Pipestone Road
OpenedOctober 24, 1979 (October 24, 1979)
DeveloperWestcor
OwnerDurga LLC and Bedi & Associates LLC[1]
StoresSee "Decline" section
Floor area624,972 square feet[2]
Floors1
Public transit
Bus interchange TCATA

The Orchards Mall is an enclosed mall in Benton Charter Township, Michigan, U.S., just outside Benton Harbor. Opened in 1979, the mall originally featured Sears and JCPenney as its anchor stores, with Elder-Beerman being added in the 1990s. In spite of the mall being empty – a dead mall – as of 2026 it has not officially announced its closure.

History

Meyer C. Weiner Company first proposed a mall called Pipestone Mall in Benton Harbor in 1974. By March 1976, Hudson's had been rumored as a potential anchor store.[3] Westcor acquired the land in August of the same year.[4] The mall was part of a development along Pipestone Road near Interstate 94 which also comprised a strip mall anchored by a Kmart. By 1977, Sears and J. C. Penney had been confirmed as anchors, with negotiations underway for Carson Pirie Scott as the third anchor.[5]

Orchards Mall was built in 1979 by Westcor. Opening for business in 1979, it featured J. C. Penney and Sears. Major tenants included Walgreens and York Steak House.[6] Elder-Beerman was added in 1992 as the mall's third anchor store.[7] Walgreens moved out of the Orchards Mall in the mid-1990s, with its store space remaining vacant until Jo-Ann Fabrics replaced it in the late-mid 2000s.[8]

Meijer opened outside the mall on June 24, 1980.[9] In November 1994, Lowe's Home Improvement opened in the area.[10]

General Growth Properties became the mall's management in 1999. A year later, several new stores were added, including Bath & Body Works, while the Casual Corner and Finish Line, Inc. stores were remodeled. Benton Township approved a $111,000 tax cut to help attract new businesses.[11] General Growth sold the mall to Sequoia Investments in 2002, at which point four more businesses opened, including a Subway and a Chinese eatery in the food court.[12] KB Toys, an original tenant, closed in 2004.[13] In 2004, Doctor ZZZZ'Z Mattress Center opened next to the food court.[14] The space previously occupied by Ponderosa, which closed in 1997, became an Italian eatery in 2007.[15] The same year, the former Subway became a local restaurant.[16]

Decline

Sears closed its store at the Orchards Mall on September 18, 2009, and remained vacant since.[17] Overflow Church purchased the building in 2012 and intended to move into it.[18] Elder-Beerman was converted to a Carson's in 2011.[19] Sears returned to the mall in 2012 with its Sears Hometown format, a smaller-scale Sears store which sells major appliances and household hardware, in a spot vacated by an FYE music store. At the same time, the former Sears Auto Center on a mall outparcel was reopened as a local auto repair shop.[20]

In 2014, the mall was put up for sale;[21] Kohan Retail Investment Group purchased it on December 9.[22] A 2016 news article lists 26 tenants.[23]

Sears Hometown closed in July 2017. On January 31, 2018, The Bon-Ton announced that Carson's would be part of a plan to close 42 stores nationwide. The store was closed in April 2018.[24] In June 2018, the water supply to the mall was cut off. The owner, Kohan Retail Investment Group had outstanding water bills. The mall was closed for a day because the occupancy to the mall had been revoked, although JCPenney remained open. The mall reopened the following day.[25] It was sold to Durga LLC, on November 30, 2018, and management was taken over by Bedi & Associates LLC in June 2020.[1][26]

On March 4, 2019, it was announced that JCPenney would also be closing as part of its planned closure of 27 stores nationwide. The JCPenney closed on July 5, 2019.[27] In this same period, Rainbow Shops, one of the last three national tenants in the mall, closed. In August 2020, Bath & Body Works relocated to the Fairplain Plaza.[28] In November 2021, Jo-Ann Fabrics announced it would be closing and relocating to the space next to the nearby Ollie's Bargain Outlet. The store opened in late July 2022.[29]

As of December 2022, the three businesses remaining at the mall, two of which were the last remaining stores, were Doctor ZZZZ'Z; a discount furniture store, Open Box Outlet, which occupied the former Jo-Ann Fabrics space; and a US Postal Service (USPS) branch. Many storefronts in the mall had been vacant for 10+ years in December 2022.[30][31] Doctor ZZZZ'Z announced its closure in January 2024,[14] partially influenced by a December 2022 water main burst.[30][31] A video posted in July 2024 shows that Open Box Outlet was abandoned even though there was no official announcement of closure.[32] In March 2025, a press release stated that the USPS branch, which closed temporarily in 2023, was approved to relocate to a separate building within the Orchards Mall/Fairplain Plaza retail complex.[33][34] In August 2026, the USPS opted to close the branch rather than to relocate it.[35]

As tenants vacated the mall, gulls became a nuisance;[36][37][38] a bird deterrent was installed in summer 2023.[39] As of 2024 tests were being run on the gulls that have died to determine cause of death.[40]

In spite of the mall's deterioration, as of 2023 there were no plans to demolish the building;[41] an April 2023 meeting between the owner and local officials indicated redevelopment plans.[42] It was for sale again in 2026.[43]

References

  1. 1 2 Wittkowski, Tony (December 5, 2018). "New owner of Orchards Mall is revealed". The Herald-Palladium. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
  2. ↑ "Lighthouse Place Premium Outlets Michigan City, IN: Other Retail" (PDF). Simon.com. May 2012. p. 3. Archived from the original on December 13, 2014. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  3. ↑ Wyndarden, Mike (March 17, 1976). "Hudson store reported for Pipestone Mall". The Herald-Palladium.
  4. ↑ "Pipestone Mall start scheduled. Opening of big shopping center planned in '79". The Herald-Palladium. August 31, 1976.
  5. ↑ "Pipestone development termed 'new city': Shopping mall just part of commercial-residential project". The Herald-Palladium. July 2, 1977.
  6. ↑ "Kickoff Wednesday for Orchards Mall". Herald Palladium. October 23, 1979. p. A1. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  7. ↑ Leuty, Ron (October 11, 1992). "Pinning hope on Elder-Beerman". Herald Palladium. p. 1E. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
  8. ↑ "New in business". The Herald Palladium. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Meijer Thrifty Acres In Benton Harbor Nearing Completion". The Herald-Palladium.
  10. ↑ "Benton superstore opens: Lowe's packs in merchandise, customers". The Herald-Palladium.
  11. ↑ "Exceeding expectations: Orchards Mall stages comeback". The Herald Palladium. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Retail building boom stalls, but property owners count on a turnaround soon". The Herald Palladium. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  13. ↑ "KB Toys at Orchards Mall one of 377 going under". The Herald Palladium. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  14. 1 2 Novak, Robert (January 25, 2024). "Mattress store to close after 19 years". The Herald Palladium. p. A3. Retrieved July 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ "Full-service Italian restaurant coming to Orchards Mall". The Herald Palladium. October 14, 2007. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  16. ↑ "New in business". The Herald Palladium. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Sears store to close in Benton Harbor; some workers may land jobs at Portage store". MLive.com. July 7, 2009. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  18. ↑ "Michigan Church selling former Sears building to Orchards Mall". Wndu.com. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  19. ↑ "Elder-Beerman changing names". South Bend Tribune. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  20. ↑ "Sears returning to Orchards Mall". The Herald Palladium. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  21. ↑ Dalgleish, Jim (June 21, 2014). "Orchards Mall up for sale". The Herald-Palladium. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
  22. ↑ Matuszak, John (December 12, 2014). "Orchards Mall's new owner: rescuer or bad apple?". The Herald-Palladium. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  23. ↑ "Breathing New Life into the Orchards Mall". Moody on the Market. Mid-West Family Broadcasting. June 28, 2016. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
  24. ↑ Wittkowski, Tony. "Carson's shutting down at Orchards Mall". The Herald Palladium. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  25. ↑ "Orchards Mall shut down due to unpaid water bill". WTRC-FM. June 7, 2018.
  26. ↑ Wittkowski, Tony (December 1, 2018). "Orchards Mall gets new owner". The Herald-Palladium. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
  27. ↑ Newman, Alexandra (July 6, 2019). "J.C. Penney closes its doors at Orchards Mall". The Herald Palladium. p. 1. Retrieved October 15, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ↑ Wittkowski, Tony. "Bath & Body Works moving to Fairplain Plaza". The Herald Palladium. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  29. ↑ Knot, Juliana. "JoAnn Fabrics to leave The Orchards Mall". The Herald Palladium. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  30. 1 2 Knot, Juliana (December 29, 2022). "Flooding causes extensive damage at Orchards Mall". The Herald Palladium. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
  31. 1 2 Knot, Juliana (January 7, 2023). "U.S. Postal Service reopens Orchards Mall location after flooding". The Herald Palladium. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  32. ↑ Abandoned Open Box Outlet Benton Harbor Michigan. on YouTube (account GregoryJGarrett, uploaded July 15, 2024)
  33. ↑ Wittkowski, Tony (March 26, 2025). "U.S. Postal Service to leave location at Orchards Mall". The Herald-Palladium. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
  34. ↑ Najduch, Elizabeth (March 25, 2025). "Final Decision Regarding Benton Harbor Post Office Located at 1800 Pipestone Rd" (Press release). United States Postal Service. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
  35. ↑ Rice, Lauren (August 29, 2026). "USPS opts to not relocate Benton Township post office". The Herald-Palladium. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  36. ↑ Knot, Juliana (July 9, 2022). "Gulls continue to swarm Orchards Mall". The Herald Palladium. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  37. ↑ Hatfield, Jordan (June 28, 2022). "Dead seagulls around Benton Township mall draw concern". WBND-LD. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  38. ↑ Parnass, Larry (June 11, 2019). "'I'm not playing games any more'...One tenant's all-out battle with a Kohan-linked mall". The Berkshire Eagle. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  39. ↑ Wrege, Louise (December 30, 2023). "Orchards Mall manager says he wants to make it a jewel". The Herald Palladium. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  40. ↑ Wrege, Louise (July 12, 2024). "Dead birds in Benton Township being investigated". The Herald Palladium. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  41. ↑ Knot, Juliana (March 11, 2023). "No Teardown in Sight: Orchards Mall Won't Be Demolished due to Cost, Size of Property". The Herald Palladium. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  42. ↑ Knot, Juliana (April 15, 2023). "Berrien County Commissioner Pleased with Orchards Mall Plans". The Herald Palladium. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  43. ↑ Rice, Lauren (May 2, 2026). "A Chance for Future Development: Orchards Mall price tag at $7.5 million, officials look for new use". The Herald Palladium. Retrieved May 5, 2026.
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