Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1306855
wbjournal.com | November 9, 2020 | Worcester Business Journal 15 Commercial loans customized to fit the needs of your business. A.C. Moore Lincoln Plaza in Worcester, Shoppers World in Framingham, Crossroads Shopping Center in Bellingham American Girl Natick Mall Barnes & Noble Lincoln Plaza Best Buy Greendale Mall in Worcester Charlotte Russe Natick Mall, Solomon Pond Mall in Marlborough, Auburn Mall Children's Place Solomon Pond Mall Dressbarn Franklin, Hudson, Leominster, Natick, Northborough, Shrewsbury, Sturbridge Gymboree Auburn Mall, the Solomon Pond Mall, Natick Mall and Brookside Shops in Acton Men's Warehouse Solomon Pond Mall, Belmont Street in Worcester Olympia Sports Auburn Mall, Franklin Village Shopping Center, Timpany Plaza in Gardner, the Mall at Whitney Field, Solomon Pond Mall Papyrus Natick Mall Payless ShoeSource Webster Square in Worcester, Auburn Mall, Solomon Pond Mall, the Mall at Whitney Field and Twin City Plaza in Leominster, Natick Mall, 400 Cochituate Road in Framingham, Milford Plaza Sears Auburn Mall and The Mall at Whitney Field Staples Lincoln Plaza Source: Worcester Business Journal, respective properties' websites Store Locations Retail store closures Notable retail closures in Central Massachusetts since the start of 2019 M A L L S F A C T B O O K Continued from page 13 Continued on page 17 Manley is frank about the potentially bleak prospects of some malls. "ere's going to be some malls that just aren't going to come back," he said, describing the pandemic as compressing a shi toward online shopping from a span of years into just weeks. "e big joke used to be that Best Buy was Amazon's showroom. at's not even happening anymore." Few options left e Natick Mall has survived the closure of stores before, including anchor tenants. A former JCPenney is now a two-story Wegmans grocery store, and a former Sears has been occupied in part by a Dave & Buster's entertainment complex. Now there are others the mall will need to fill, too, including a two-story American Girl store that was one of just 20 such locations nationwide. e mall has about two dozen vacancies in all. "ey're going to have a very hard time replacing those anchors, because the market is just thinning," Manley said. Grocery stores have been a rare benefi-