North Dekalb Mall: One of Decatur's Oldest Shopping Centers

North Dekalb Mall is located in north-central Dekalb County, the third largest county in the metropolitan Atlanta area. The mall is near the intersection of Interstate 285, Atlanta's beltway, and two major commuter routes, Lawrenceville Highway (U.S. Hwy. 29) and Stone Mountain Freeway (U.S. Hwy. 78). The 635,000-square-foot mall has a primary trade area of approximately 650,000 people. It is not considered a regional mall. North Dekalb is near Emory University, in the midst of older, well-established middle-class neighborhoods. It is served by numerous bus routes.

Built in 1965, North Dekalb Mall is one of the oldest malls in the Atlanta area. It was originally anchored by the legendary, now-defunct, Atlanta-based department store, Rich's. Rich's was absorbed by Macy's, which is still the lead anchor of the mall. Other anchors include Burlington Coat Factory, Ross Dress for Less and Payless Home Furnishings. One of the newest retailers in the mall is the Obama Store, a store devoted solely to Obama paraphernalia. Many of the other stores in the mall are discounters. There is also a 16-screen cinema at North Dekalb.

The mall's sales have lagged over the years as newer, larger malls and power centers have opened nearby . It underwent a major expansion and renovation in 1986, adding anchors and restaurants that differentiated it from other Atlanta malls. Even the name of mall changed for a few years. After a brief period of success, however, these new anchors failed, leading to a merry-go-round of stores arriving and almost immediately leaving the mall. Despite a major renovation to the mall in 2004, retailers continue to leave, and the mall's vacancy rate remains high.

The owner of the property has tried for several years bring warehouse discounter Costco to North Dekalb, but he has not yet succeeded. Costco may be the last hope for the mall. If the warehouse store does open, one plan suggests that the entire mall be redesigned into an open "streetscape,'' a concept currently popular in retail.

Despite the mall's flagging sales, it remains a vibrant part of the community, even if the community is not actually shopping there. While many malls have morning walking programs for senior citizens, North Dekalb's is special. The mall partners with nearby Dekalb Medical Center in a program called Walkabout. Walkabout includes an educational component with informal talks about health. Walkers are able to log the number of miles they have walked, and prizes are given for reaching goals.

Another extremely popular event at the mall is North Dekalb Mall Idol. Based on the television show "American Idol,'' the competition features vocalists from three different age groups competing for prizes and free recording studio time. North Dekalb Mall Idol started in 2006; Youth Idol, the competition for ages eight to fifteen, is so popular that the mall has had to expand the competition.

Reviews of the mall in the blogosphere are generally not kind. The cinema garners praise as being, generally, in better condition than the mall itself. As a matter of fact, many users enjoy their movie-going experience at North Dekalb because it is much less crowded than most Atlanta theatres.