Marketplace Mall losing longtime anchor store
A longtime anchor store is exiting Marketplace Mall in Henrietta. Dick’s Sporting Goods, 305 Miracle Mile Drive, is relocating to the old Christmas Tree Shops space at 790 Jefferson Road in Market Square plaza, less than 2 miles away.
“Dick’s was going to be leaving the mall, so we were able to secure them for this space,” Matthew Oates, director of engineering for plaza owner Benderson Development, told the Henrietta Planning Board at its May 21 meeting.
Making over the Christmas Tree Shops building, which has been vacant since last summer when the Massachusetts-based chain went out of business, will involve “taking down the entire front façade … pretty much ripping it off” and replacing it with Dick’s branding, Oates said.
He didn’t provide a timeline for the project or an opening date for the new location, which is between Home Depot and PetSmart.
The company’s corporate office in Pittsburgh did not immediately respond to a request for more information, but we will add their comments when we hear back.
Asked what might become of the Dick’s building at Marketplace, a spokesperson for mall owner Wilmorite deferred questions to Dick’s because it owns the structure.
The Market Square location will be a standard store, not a Dick’s House of Sport, Oates said. Typically, Dick’s only opens one House of Sport per market, and the Rochester area already has one at Eastview Mall, another Wilmorite property.
More:One of Marketplace Mall's most enduring businesses is closing.
At 44,760 square feet, the Market Square store will be a little more than half the size of the Dick’s Sporting Goods at Marketplace, which measures 84,000 square feet.
When Marketplace opened on Oct. 7, 1982, it was the largest shopping mall between Long Island and Cleveland and was anchored by Sibley’s, McCurdy’s and Sears. JCPenney became the fourth anchor in early 1993, and today it’s the only one remaining from that era.
The Sibley’s later was replaced by Kaufmann’s and then Macy’s. After Macy’s closed in 2017, the building was demolished to make way for home improvement store Floor & Décor. The McCurdy’s space, which for a time was home to The Bon-Ton, is now an IndyKart Raceway and Dave & Buster’s. And URMC orthopedics clinic has risen where Sears once operated.
In 2001, Galyan's Trading Co. opened as the mall’s fifth anchor. Dick’s acquired Galyan’s in 2004 and moved into the former Galyan's space, relocating from a 23,149-square foot storefront in Jay Scutti Plaza across Hylan Drive.
Reporter Marcia Greenwood covers general assignments. Send story tips to mgreenwo@rocheste.gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @MarciaGreenwood.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Marketplace Mall losing Dicks Sporting Goods in Henrietta NY
