The end of an era for a North Town shopping
mall Most stores in the Boulevard Mall must close by
this Sunday as Douglas Development prepares to reimagine the property
in
Amherst. Yeah, with just about 48 hours left for the
shopping center,
7 News senior reporter Eileen Buckley giving a voice to
neighbors preparing to say goodbye to a former community staple.
It's just very disappointing. I caught up with Sharon Jory
in the Boulevard Mall parking lot just before the Williamsville
woman headed in to do some final shopping.
How long have you been coming to this mall?
Oh my gosh, decades, right?
Probably 40 years at least.
Remaining stores must shut down by this Sunday,
but stores with exterior entrances,
including JC Penney and Macy's and some of the restaurants
will remain open for now,
but with so many shops already closed.
It now looks like a ghost town.
Sad in a way. I find myself I I try
to do things quick online,
so often that I haven't had as much of A
need to come to to the retail setting.
Dave Elmore, who's from North Tonawanda,
tells me he has fond memories of coming to this
mall when he was a teen.
We spent a lot of weekends coming up and and
walking around the mall.
What was your favorite part about coming here?
Where did you go? The the food court is a
blast.
And for someone like me,
a baby boomer who started shopping at this store after
it opened in the early 60s,
I have some great memories.
My mom bought me my first communion dress at the
former Sadler store that was in this mall,
and my aunt always brought me here to shop for
clothes for my birthday.
What are some of your best memories of being a
mall shopper here at The Blvd.
I had some friends that worked at Macy's,
so I would visit them often and I got to
know some of the sales people.
You know, during the course of years that I shopped
here,
great memories in the smalls.
You know, this mall was very,
very busy and especially neighborhood.
Everybody loved this mall. This shop owner has operated his
retail stand inside the mall since 2010.
Where will you go? No idea.
I talked to leasing department.
Can you give me more time because I'm working here
13 years,
so leasing department said no.
I did reach out to developer Douglas Jamal,
who bought them all for redevelopment but have yet to
receive a response.
He plans to bring the property into a new era
featuring retail,
restaurants and residential living. Eileen Buckley 7 News,
Amherst.