MACON, Ga. — At its peak, the Macon Mall boasted it was the largest in the state. It boasted retailers like Macy's, Belk, J.C. Penney, Parisian, Dillard's, and Sears, along with a huge two-level food court and dozens of other retailers.
Drone 13 found a quiet parking lot on a morning flight a few weeks before the Christmas rush. The mall is a fraction of the size it once was and is now anchored by Burlington Coat Factory and Macy's.
The mall opened in 1975 between Eisenhower Parkway and Mercer University Drive in Macon and even then boasted more than a million square feet of retail splendor. A 1997 expansion nearly doubled the mall's size and cemented its claim as the state's largest mall until Mall of Georgia opened in 1999.
During the expansion the mall added more upscale retailers like Parisian and Dillard's.
The parking lots often stayed crowded, and the mall was a popular shopping destination for people across central Georgia.
In the late 2000s other retail projects began chipping away at the mall's dominance. It started with a huge shopping complex on Presidential Parkway in Macon, and the opening of the upscale Shoppes At River Crossing in north Macon pulled away the big anchor stores Belk and Dillard's. Parisian had already closed.
In 2008 the mall entered foreclosure, and eventually the new expansion was torn down, restoring Macon Mall close to its original footprint. A few years ago, J.C. Penney closed.
The mall is still home to Macy's, Burlington, and Dry Falls, along with a restaurant, but it's a far cry from the retail Mecca that once stood there.
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