Despite its prime location, Latham Circle Mall is featured on Deadmalls.com, a Web site that details shopping centers that have seen better days.
Tom Nolte, president of the Colonie Chamber of Commerce, said the dead mall status of Latham Circle Mall is a shame considering its location.
`It was very disappointing,` he said, adding that in the mall’s current state, `I can understand right now why it’s been on there.`
Nolte said the mall has been a member of the Chamber since its inception. The Latham Corners Shopping Center was one of the first businesses in the Latham-Colonie Division of the Albany Chamber of Commerce, now known as the Colonie Chamber.
`This mall is a big part of our Chamber,` said Nolte. `We know it’s a great, great location.`
Nolte said in October 2008, the Chamber held a mixer at the Malt River Brewing Company in the mall, but has not done much there since them. Malt River closed in January 2009.
Nolte said he hopes the once vibrant shopping center can be restored, but despite initial meetings with the new owners around the time the mall was bought in 2009, Nolte said he knows little about their plans.
`We have not had a lot of contact,` Nolte said.
Nolte said the Colonie Center mall in the southern part of town has seen a lot of upgrades in recent years, and he is hopeful the Latham Circle Mall could do the same for Latham.
`We’d love to have something equal to that, but in north Colonie,` Nolte said.
Nolte said Clifton Park Center and Mohawk Commons have also both recently `reinvented` themselves.
The Chamber is willing to `lend a hand to revitalize` the mall, Nolte said, because it would be great for the town to watch it flourish.
Nolte said the Fresh Market moving into the shopping plaza at routes 155 and 9, right down the road from the mall, might help get customers in the area and could revitalize the mall through a `domino effect.`
According to the Web site Deadmalls.com, a number of stores relocated or shut down in recent years.
Gone from the mall are a Gateway computer store, Carlson Cards, McDonald and Klein’s All Sports stores are among some of the former stores there. Woolworths and Stein Mart left in the late 90s. The mall also once had a Caldor, CVS, location for Mildred Elley College and Malt River Brewing Company.
Peter Blackbird and Brian Florence, who call themselves retail historians, started the Deadmalls.com Web site in 2000. In the comments about the Latham Circle Mall, people have speculated on why stores began leaving.
In past interviews, former owner Eugene Weiss attributed the decline to the red tape surrounding the approval of the Lowe’s home improvement store that has been at the mall since 2004, driving away tentative tenants.
A 2005 comment left on Deadmalls.com criticized management for letting the mall fall into disrepair.
`Management of the mall obviously has no desire to resurrect this mall for it spends no effort or money in maintaining, beautifying or expanding the mall,` wrote Derek Ewing. `The driveways, parking lots and structure of the mall are in such disrepair you’d think the mall had shut down years ago. One can only hope a new owner buys the property some day and revives this once prosperous mall that has been virtually ignored by its owners and allowed to die a slow, agonizing death.`
Jack Thomas, who posted on the Web site in June 2009, said people had high expectations for Lowe’s, but those ultimately did not pan out.
`Lowe’s was looked forward to, as many thought the mall would rebound. However, Lowe’s never built an internal entrance to the mall, basically sealing it off,` he wrote. `Ever since, the mall has slowly sank to the bottom, losing more and more stores each year.`
Check back for the Wednesday, Feb. 17, edition of The Spotlight Newspaper for an on-site look at the mall, its tenants and its shoppers.
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