Alexandria Mall opened in 1973 with JCPenney, Sears, Beall-Ladymon (a chain based in Shreveport, Louisiana) and local department stores Weiss & Goldring and Wellan’s serving as anchor stores. At the time, the mall also featured a single-screen movie theater.
An expansion, completed in 1986, added the department stores Dillard’s and Mervyns, as well as several additional stores and a food court. Clothing store Stein Mart later opened in the Wellan’s space. In honor of the mall’s expansion, local pizza chefs cooked a 650-pound pizza.
Beall-Ladymon was acquired and re-named by Stage Stores in 1994. In 2004, the mall was sold to J. Herzog Properties of Denver, Colorado, and subsequently to General Growth Properties.
Stein Mart closed on April 30, 2006, followed soon by the closure of Mervyns. In March 2007, Burlington Coat Factory opened in the former Mervyns location, while Weiss & Goldring relocated outside the mall. Bed Bath & Beyond opened in 2008 in the former Weiss & Goldring location. Stein Mart’s old location remains vacant.
