Lincolnwood Town Center shuts down at the end of this month — depending who you ask. I’ve seen posts about the mall’s impending closure on social media, but no official reports. So I went to check things out for myself.
What We Know So Far
Malls are dying across Chicagoland, and Lincolnwood is no exception. After years of rising vacancy, the mall was sold to Prairie Ridge Development and Xroads Real Estate Advisors late last year.
A redevelopment plan is in the works, but Xroads declined to comment on what that might look like. Creating a tax increment financing (TIF) district is one possibility.
In the meantime, the Village of Lincolnwood says it’s not aware of a closing date for the mall … That’s not the word around town.
A Trip to Lincolnwood
At Lincolnwood Town Center last week, I found a half-empty mall. The food court was cordoned off, with nowhere to get a bite in the entire place (RIP Coffee Beanery).
But a half-empty mall is still half full. Unlike what I saw on an excursion to Ford City, Lincolnwood had foot traffic. The line at Old Navy was long. Tween boys biked loops near the defunct food court. There was literally a party at Paint-N-Party!
“Treasure this time!” I wanted to tell them. (Emmi Mack / City Cast Chicago)
The perspectives of employees ranged. Some were getting ready to pack up. Mulan, a women’s shoe store, looked ransacked thanks to a BOGO deal. It, along with most other shops, will close by the end of the month. Victoria’s Secret and JD Sports plan to stay in business, though workers don’t know for how long.
Old Navy’s general manager said their lease is through the end of the year, and they’ve received no notice to vacate. However, if teardown on the mall begins, she worries about how shoppers will access the store.
That’s not a problem for exterior store Kohl’s, which says it will stay open, regardless of the rest of the mall's fate.
A Eulogy
For me, the fate of Lincolnwood Town Center feels personal.
When I was five years old, I got my picture-day outfit from the Children’s Place there and a Skip-It from the toy store across the way. A few years later, my mom was spoiling me at Claire’s. I eventually graduated to Charlotte Russe and Wet Seal. In eighth grade, my boyfriend and I got matching studded belts at Hot Topic. Our squad used to bum around for hours on the uncomfortable blue ribbed chairs of the food court, eating Quiznos (plus fries from Great Steak) and watching All-American Rejects videos on the massive TVs. We were just excited to take the Kimball just past the city limits. We didn’t have anywhere else to go.
I loved hanging out at the mall. I think about it every time I shop online. I’ll think about it every time I take the northbound Kimball bus — I wonder what the last stop will be without Lincolnwood Town Center. I wonder where today’s 13-year-olds are supposed to hang out.
