Lakeshore Mall (Georgia)

`Lakeshore Mall is a regional enclosed shopping mall located in Hall County, Georgia. The mall is anchored by two Belk stores, a Dick's Sporting Goods, and a Krazy Dealz in the former JCPenney.

History
On May 11, 1968, ground was broken for what was then called Lakeshore Plaza, slated to become the largest mall outside the metro-Atlanta area at the time. The property was developed by a group of Gainesville investors operating under the name Lakeshore Plaza Enterprises, Inc., with a total estimated cost of 3 million dollars.

The proposed anchors comprised a 110,000-square-foot JCPenney, which relocated from South and Main, along with a 24,000-square-foot Roses, both planned for future expansions. Another anchor, a 15,325-square-foot A&P Supermarket, was also included in the plan. It was scheduled for construction during the first phase and was expected to open in the second phase. A drug store named Jacob's also opened which later became Revco, and then CVS.

A&P initiated liquidation sales in April 1980, later changing to Knickers, which eventually closed and was replaced by Ruby Tuesday. CVS later closed and became Books A Million.

In 1987, an expansion added a new wing on the opposite side of JCPenney, featuring Sears, a Food Court, and a movie theater. Morrisons Cafeteria was also incorporated into the Sears wing. The Roses store closed in the 90s and became a second Belk. Morrisons later rebranded as Piccadilly Cafeteria. In 1998, the mall changed ownership to Colonial Properties, and in 2010, it was acquired by Garrison Investment Group.

When the Hollywood 15 opened, Lakeshore continued to show first-run films as Georgia Theatre Company took over operations after Storey folded. Lakeshore became a 99-cent theater after 2000 and closed in September 2007. It was subsequently boarded up and demolished in 2013. The theater was located in the food court of the mall.

In 2006 the mall received an entire overhaul from its original look, featuring renovations include new flooring, welcoming seating areas, updated restrooms, a new family restroom and updated entrances

Dick's Sporting Goods would open a 50,000 square foot location at Lakeshore Mall, occupying an area in the demolished inline mall space and food court between JCPenney and Sears. Ribbon cutting ceremonies were held on the evening of October 1, 2013.

The mall was purchased by Stockbridge Enterprises, an investment group based near Detroit, Michigan in April 2017.

On December 28, 2018, it was announced that Sears would be closing as part of a plan to close 80 stores nationwide. The store will close in March 2019.

On June 4, 2020, it was announced that JCPenney will be closing around October 2020 as part of a plan to close 154 stores nationwide.