'A lot of memories': Nostalgia reigns as emptying Boulevard Mall inches toward demolition (2024)

Walter Anderson of Amherst remembers when the Boulevard Mall was one of the most exciting places in his universe. He remembers the lively energy in the food court. Shopping for school clothes with his family. Playing hide and seek with his friends.

"It's a lot of memories in here," he said.

On this day, as it is most days, memories are almost all that's left of the once-vibrant shopping center. And there are signs the mall has hit its point of no return.

Boulevard Mall management has sent notice to some interior tenants to vacate, and those stores will be closed by Sunday.

Patrons who use the mall for their daily exercise have been told that mall walking will no longer be allowed after Tuesday. And a worker said the mall plans to block off some hallways so that the mall's interior will be accessible only between J.C. Penney and Macy's.

Mall management and developer Douglas Jemal did not return requests for comment.

When the mall opened in 1962, it was the first of what would become a wave of shopping malls in Western New York, all designed to be bastions for consumers looking to shop, eat and be entertained under one roof. Once a stop with all the latest stores and brands, and the place to see and be seen, the Boulevard Mall – like all malls – has seen its stature and the number of shoppers steadily decline as retail habits have changed and as developers have slowly emptied it out to make room for a comingtown center redevelopment.

Steve Pfalzer of Depew brought his kids to the mall to burn off some energy while his wife shopped at J.C. Penney. He was disappointed to learn the bulk of the corridors might soon be off-limits.

"It would be nice if they would preserve the malls," he said. "Amazon is nice but it's not the same experience."

Kurtis Maloney of Lockport wastaking his son for a stroll from store to store after getting him fitted for a wedding at Men's Wearhouse. His first job out of college was at J.C. Penney and, growing up, his mom was a district manager at Victoria's Secret.

"We were here all the time," Maloney said.

He said he felt bad for kids who will grow up without knowing the mall experience.

"This next generation, they'll never understand going shopping on Fridays and going to the arcade," he said. "It's just not a thing anymore. So it's gonna be sad to see that all go."

This is the second time Pamela Inc. Women's Clothing and Accessories has had to relocate. The hat shop was on Main Street in the University Heights district for years, until Covid struck, when the landlord sold the building. Now, owner Pamela Alexander is again looking for a new home for the business.

"I knew it was coming. I knew that when I first came here," she said.

Still, like most Boulevard Mall tenants who received notice April 1, she would have liked to stay longer. Stores doing business on a month-to-month basis at the mall have been receiving steeply discounted rent and have found it difficult to find comparable real estate.

"It's hard to find a good location and price," she said. "It's hard to find a spot in 28 days."

Book Outlet and More had thought it would have at least through the summer to finish selling off its inventory of thousands of books. It is running a sale where customers can fill a bag with books for $10.

Owner Larry Silver, whose family owned Record Theatre, will mostly be out of the book business, but will soon get to work on a new venture at 1700 Main St. called Go Pop Culture.

"It'll be fascinating. I have so much crazy stuff that I've accumulated over the years," he said. "I have a tremendous amount of Buffalo collectible things – ashtrays from probably 30 different Buffalo restaurants."

It will have a small selection of books and graphic novels, but focus more on collectibles like Legos, music posters, vintage toys, Buffalo memorabilia and autographs from the likes of Charles Lindbergh and Marilyn Monroe.

"It'll be a lot of fun and it'll be all reasonably priced," Silver said. "I'm not married to any of the stuff. I'm not a museum. I want other people to be able to enjoy it."

The Perfume Hut and the kiosks in the center of the mall walkways will close Sundayas well.

Security guards told visitors in recent days that mall walkers will lose access to the mall at the end of this month, though this couldn't be confirmed with Douglas Development, which owns most of the property, or Zamias Services, which manages the mall on Douglas' behalf.

Stores with exterior entrances, including J.C. Penney, Macy's and Dick's Sporting Goods, will remain open.

J.C. Penney, which owns its property, is fighting to stay.In October, a panel of appellate court judges sided with the Town of Amherst in its efforts to take by eminent domain the land now occupied by J.C. Penney at the mall, but the department store has appealed.

"We're still dealing with J.C. Penney in court, although J.C. Penney has kind of approached us with, 'We really want to stay on-site, our building might not be our best footprint, so can we talk?' " said Amherst Town Supervisor Brian Kulpa.

Macy's said last month that it will close 150 underperforming stores over the next three years, but has not said whether the Boulevard Mall store is one of them.

Dick's Sporting Goodsis planninga massive sports destination store for a site being developed for the long-awaited Costco store nearby in Amherst on Ridge Lea Road called Dick's House of Sport.

Workers at Tuxedo Junction, Men's Wearhouse, Loft, TGI Friday's, Taste of China and Elegant Nails said they will remain open.

Plans call for the nearly empty mall, built in 1962, to be at least partially demolished and remade into a walkable, mixed-use town center that better integrates into the surrounding community, with roads and green space.

Kulpa said the town is in the process of negotiating pre-purchase agreements with Benderson Development and Jemal in order to transfer the property back to the developers.

Parts of the mall are expected to be demolished this year or next, depending on who does the work. The town Building Department told The Buffalo News that no demolition permit has been issued for the mall property.

"The town does not want to do the demolition," he said. "Our hope, our plan is to negotiate that component into the future development package."

Kulpa said he understands nostalgia for the Boulevard Mall, but said the town is fortunate that the mall won't sit as an eyesore like other closed malls have.

"If you remember the Original Cookie and all that stuff, the mall was a place to go and hang out," he said. "But the reality is, what we have is a sort of spent shell now. It's easy to get nostalgic about the past with it, but malls just don't have the traffic."