Former Massena mall is now an industrial complex

The updated website lists two retail tenants, JCPenney and Maurices. However, store officials had previously announced that Maurices last day of operation was April 21. Although the mall’s doors are now closed to the public, the JCPenney store is still accessible through its outer doors.

“At this time, JCPenney has no plans to close its store location at the St. Lawrence Centre in Massena, NY. We continue to work to make every dollar count for America’s diverse, working families and look forward to continuing to serve our customers in the community,” JCPenney officials said in an emailed statement.

It’s a far cry from its opening with much fanfare in 1990 with anchor stores that included JCPenney, Hills (later Ames and Steve & Barry’s), Sears, TJ Maxx and Bon-Ton. It was also an era that saw space filled by major retailers like Radio Shack, Spencer’s, Hallmark, Kay Jewelers, Waldenbooks, KB Toys, Olympia, FYE and others. The food court was full, Amigo’s restaurant offered Tex-Mex fare, an arena offered year-round ice skating, and a game room, Aladdin’s Castle, was a popular destination.

Among the locally operated stores was DillaboughDesigns & Kids Finds, which found a new home on Maple Street after leaving the mall. Keshia Conyea Dillabough lamented the closing of the mall in a Facebook post.

“Today was so bittersweet. The mall locked their doors to the public for the final time. For so many, this was a place to shop, to socialize, and to eat. For me it was so much more. It’s where I started the smallest little kids consignment shop. Never in my wildest dreams did I believe that I would be where I am today,” she wrote.

Another tenant that left the mall was Just-Bounce, an indoor, year-round bounce house facility that offered birthday parties and open play. Like DillaboughDesigns & Kids Finds, they’re finding a new home beyond the mall after 10 years at the St. Lawrence Centre, starting as a small indoor black light mini-putt.

“As we open our doors to the public today for the last time at the mall location it does come with a bit of sadness, but it also comes with a great deal of excitement!!! Why you ask??? It’s simple and it’s because we are not closing but moving to a new location!!!! You know what happens when we move locations? We always add something to make the move more exciting!!!! We are not only moving to a new location but we are adding a new piece of equipment to our family entertainment arsenal!!!!” Justin Blanchard wrote in a Facebook post.

In an updated post on Friday, he said they would be moving to 361 East Orvis St., a building that most recently held Swift Optical.

“We are planning a Huge Grand Opening on June 1st!!!” he wrote.

The mall became a reality in 1990 at a time when the Massena economy included a strong manufacturing base and heavy cross-border shopping from Canada. It was built by the Heritage Company at a cost of $50 million.

Since then, it went through several owners, including AP Massena Partners in 1995. It dropped to a 75% occupancy rate and was sold again in September 2003 for $3.6 million to the Carlyle Development Group, which hired General Growth Properties to manage it beginning in February 2004.

TJ Maxx, an original anchor store, along with others moved from the mall in 2011 and 2012, and Sears closed its doors in 2014, replaced by Sears Hometown Store which closed in 2017. The arena ice was closed permanently in August 2016 because of mechanical problems, and Bon-Ton closed its doors in early 2018, leaving JCPenney as the sole anchor store remaining.

Before the Bon-Ton closed, the mall once again fell under new ownership when the Shapiro Group, a Montreal firm, purchased it from the Carlyle Development Group. They held an August 2018 ribbon-cutting ceremony to open a new turf field sports complex on what had been the arena ice, with a pledge that more positive moves would be made.

“We’re trying to turn the mall around. We’re trying to make this a family environment,” said Amrick Bansal, who was serving as vice president of legal and corporate affairs for the Shapiro Group. “We’re going to work on getting a cinema, a restaurant. We’re going to get a sports bar in here with flat-screen TVs.”

The new owners said they also wanted to convert a portion of the mall into a business center.

But, in a sign that the shopping mall was nearing the end of its original vision, work began in 2022 to transform 161,000 square feet of what was once the former Hill’s location and food court into warehouse space for products that would be resold to Amazon, Walmart and other retail stores. Space is also available for self-storage. The site plan for the conversion was approved by the Massena Town Planning Board during its November 2022 meeting.

That has since expanded through the former mall, with available spaces for lease ranging from 30,000 square feet to 200,000 square feet.

Officials with the Shapiro Group did not respond to a request for comment.