The Orchards Mall
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 | |
| Location | Benton Township, Michigan |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°05′07″N 86°25′26″W / 42.0853°N 86.424°W |
| Address | 1800 Pipestone Road |
| Opening date | October 24, 1979 |
| Developer | Westcor |
| Owner | Durga LLC and Bedi & Associates LLC[1] |
| Stores and services | See "Decline" section |
| Floor area | 624,972 square feet[2] |
| Floors | 1 |
| Public transit |  TCATA |
The Orchards Mall is an enclosed shopping 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.
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][9]
Meijer opened outside the mall on June 24, 1980.[10] In November 1994, Lowe's Home Improvement opened in the area.[11]
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.[12] 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.[13] KB Toys, an original tenant, closed in 2004.[14]In September 2004, Doctor ZZZZ'Z Mattress Center opened next to the Food Court. Ponderosa, which closed in 1997, became an Italian eatery in 2007.[15] The same year, the Subway became a local restaurant.[16]
