South Sound Center

South Sound Center
Map
LocationLacey, Washington
Coordinates47°02′35″N 122°50′12″W / 47.04306°N 122.83667°W / 47.04306; -122.83667
Opening date1966
Closing date2001 (enclosed mall)
No. of stores and services2
No. of anchor tenants3 (2 open, 1 vacant)
Total retail floor area500,000 sq ft (46,000 m2)
No. of floors1

South Sound Center is a shopping mall located in Lacey, Washington, United States. It opened in 1966 as the first shopping center in the Olympia area and originally had a 500,000-square-foot (46,000 m2) enclosed mall. The indoor sections were demolished in 2000 and replaced by a retail plaza anchored by Target and Kohl's.

History

South Sound Center opened in 1966 and was billed as the fourth regional shopping center in the state of Washington. Anchors at one time included Nordstrom Place Two (closed in 1994[1]), Peoples (1966–1983, opening as Mervyns in 1984), Sears (closed in 2020), Pay 'n Save (closed in 1992?) and Woolworth (closed in 1997 as the last store of the chain in Washington State[2]). From the 1960s until the mid-1970s, a Safeway grocery store was in an outlot of the mall, though the building has since been demolished. A Joann Fabrics was also built behind the mall, though it is now an office building.

For some time in 1980s to early 1990s, the center hosted the "Christmas Island" display during the holiday season at the back of the parking lot. It also hosted an annual fireworks display on July 3 for 45 years before it moved in 2012.[3] After many stores in the mall moved out or closed, the enclosed mall portion was torn down in 2000[4] and replaced by a Target store between Sears and Mervyns. In December 2006, Mervyn's closed and was reopened as Kohl's in early 2007.

Around the mall's main building, which is occupied by Target and Kohl's, are a Michaels, Marshalls, PetSmart, Tuesday Morning, and Rite Aid. In 2017, Verizon Wireless's store in the mall was crushed by snow and was closed until further notice, later relocating across the street in 2019. On November 7, 2019, it was announced that Sears would be closing this location as one of 96 stores to close nationwide. The store closed in February 2020. This Sears opened in 1943 and moved to the mall in 1966 for the grand opening of the mall. As of August 2022, other than seasonal Halloween stores, it has not been occupied, and the sign remains up.[5]

References

  1. ^ McClelland, Kamilla K. "Nordstrom to Close Place Two". The Olympian (Olympia, Wash.), April 27, 1994, A1.
  2. ^ Gregg Herrington. "State's Last F.W. Woolworth Five-and-Dime Store to Close in Lacey". Columbian (Vancouver, Wash.), January 21, 1997. Accessed on January 26, 2007.
  3. ^ "JULY 3 FIREWORKS TRADITION CONTINUES IN LACEY". City of Lacey.
  4. ^ Graber, John (August 30, 2000). "South Sound's first mall razed". The Olympian. p. A12. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Tyko, Kelly; Bomey, Nathan (November 7, 2019). "Sears and Kmart store closings: 51 Sears, 45 Kmart locations to shutter. See the list". USA Today. Retrieved November 7, 2019.


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