***Rotterdam Square Mall Update. It's Not Good

Change is coming to
Rotterdam Square Mall.

Since I last visited in November 2014, five stores are planning to leave the 26 year old mall.  Macy's, and Gap Outlet closings were announced in a January 14, 2015 in a Daily Gazette article. Aeropostale and Olympia Sports stores are having going out of business sales.  My sister-in-law, Doreen, got a letter from Littman Jewelers stating that they were closing their Rotterdam Square Mall store.

Besides being one of the two

 remaining anchor stores, this

is only remaining Kmart Store

left in the Capital District.

The Kmart in Colonie closed in December 2013.  Kmarts in Clifton Park, Latham closed in May, 2014.  The Kmart in  East Greenbush closed in June, 2014.  

Yankee One Dollar was goingt

out of business last fall.

The busy side of the

Food Court

On a visit in January 2015, a Daily Gazette reporter counted eighteen empty stores.  The mall map is currently unavailable.  Here's the link to store directory.

The bank moved out.

There is now comfortable

seating where kiosks

once stood.

While looking for news stories about Rotterdam Square Mall, I found out that it was scheduled to be sold at auction in December 2013.  The auction wasn't held.  Kohan Retail Investment Group bought the mall in January 2014.  The new owners purchase under-performing malls.  The first thing Kohan Retail Investment Group planned to do was to request a tax assessment reduction from the Town of Rotterdam.

The Post Office is next
to an empty store.







This is old, dated news: According to a February 2014 Daily Gazette article, 21% of the mall is vacant.

Coffee Couture opened 

in June, 2014.

Journalist Kathryn Vasel wrote an article on the current state of American malls.  The outlook could be described as "just pink."  The viability of a mall depends on the mix of stores it offers and the area it serves.  

Rotterdam Square

Cinema 7 Theaters







Just before Thanksgiving 2014, the lights and power to Rotterdam Square Mall were almost shut off. The intervention of Schenectady County Officials and the co-operation of mall owner Mike Kohen's extremely prompt payment to National Grid kept the mall open.  

Empty stores, Lens Crafters &

 the soon-to-be vacant Macy's.

Just Threading

Empty stores...

Unlit lighting fixtures...

Eric and I walked Rotterdam Mall late in November and watched a security guard tell a young man that photography wasn't allowed in the mall, which is private property.  All of the photos you see were taken in October 2014.

Shoe Dept. Encore

 TJ Maxx closed in March, 2014.

The unoccupied rate rose above 21 percent after TJ Maxx, the fourth anchor store, left Rotterdam Square Mall in March 2014.  With five stores leaving, my guess is that the unoccupied rate will climb to between 40 and 60 per cent.

It's pretty lonely down by
the Sears Store.

Sears continues to struggle five
years after it was acquired
by Kmart.

After Macy's, Gap Outlet, Aeropostale, Olympia Sport and Littman Jewelers leave, Rotterdam Square Mall will truly have a low occupancy rate.  It may meet the definition of a Dead Mall.

Thank you, Doreen, for posting Rotterdam Square Mall's Facebook page.  According to one of its latest posts, the mall will be announcing the list of new stores coming to "The Square."

I found January 19, 2015 News Ten ABC article on Rotterdam Square Mall.  The owner, Mike Kohan, is in negotiations to bring five new stores to the struggling mall.  Also promised - A Monthly Wrestling event.