Eastpoint Mall Opens Its Doors in Dundalk
On the morning of October 1, 1956, thousands gathered at the corner of Eastern Avenue and North Point Boulevard in Dundalk, Maryland.
Developer Joseph Meyerhoff had spent 18 months building a shopping center on 63 acres of land there, and the Governor of Maryland cut the ribbon while a band played nearby.
Shoppers poured in to see what all the excitement was about. What they found was an open-air plaza with about 40 stores connected by outdoor walkways, and two big department stores at each end.
Hutzler's on one side, Hochschild Kohn's on the other. Both were well-known to Baltimore shoppers, and having them together in one place made the center a big draw for the neighborhoods growing around Dundalk.
But the thing people really talked about was the window displays. Hochschild Kohn's had set up live penguins in a specially built window for shoppers to gather around and watch.
Hess Shoes had its own window with live monkeys. For kids, a trip to Eastpoint Mall became something exciting to look forward to instead of just another chore.
The timing could not have been better. In 1956, American families were leaving cities for the suburbs in large numbers and needed somewhere close to home to shop.
A dozen eggs cost 56 cents that year, gas was 29 cents a gallon, and from its very first day, Eastpoint Shopping Center was built to serve exactly these people.
How the Mall Got a Roof and Kept Growing
For about 16 years after it opened, Eastpoint remained an open-air shopping center where people walked outside to get from one store to another.
There was nothing unusual about that in the late 1950s and 1960s, but shopping habits changed, and so did expectations. By 1972, the whole center was enclosed, converting it into a fully indoor mall.
Covered malls were spreading across the country at the time because they kept shoppers comfortable in any weather and made it easier to spend more time inside.
For Eastpoint, the change shifted the character of the place considerably.
What used to be just some stores in a parking lot turned into a place where you could spend the whole afternoon, walk around, get something to eat, and see neighbors without having to go back outside.
Two years after the enclosure, in 1974, JCPenney came in as a new anchor tenant.
A major national retailer drew shoppers from a wider area and helped cement the mall's standing as the main retail destination for Dundalk and East Baltimore.
In 1981, a Record Bar opened inside as well, one of a popular chain of music stores that sold records and tapes throughout the region.
By the early 1980s, Eastpoint Mall had expanded a lot since it first opened in 1956. There were more stores, more choices, and a building that was comfortable all year round.
New Anchors Arrive After a Major Renovation
Eastpoint Mall had been largely unchanged for years when it went through a full overhaul in 1991. The project cost around 30 million dollars and updated much of the building's interior.
Ames was also among Eastpoint's anchor tenants by this era. Its presence dates after Ames acquired G.C. Murphy/Murphy's Mart in 1985 and converted Murphy's Mart stores to Ames.
Hutzler's had been one of the original anchors when Eastpoint opened in 1956, but it closed its store here in 1984, leaving a large vacant space that sat empty for years.
During the 1991 renovation, that space was converted into a food court.
Shoppers now had a central area to eat without leaving the building, which was a setup that had become standard at malls across the country by that point.
Sears came in as a new anchor the same year, bringing a large and familiar retailer into the mix and giving the mall a noticeable lift.
The former Hochschild Kohn's space was put to use during this period as well, with Value City and Value City Furniture each taking over a portion of the building and operating side by side.
When the renovation work was done, the mall felt markedly different from what it had been just a few years before.
There were more big stores, a real food court, and a new look that made people want to come back. For Dundalk and the nearby communities, the updated Eastpoint Mall seemed full of energy and ready for the future.
How a 112 Million Dollar Purchase Fell Apart
In 2006, a real estate company called Thor Equities bought Eastpoint Mall for 112 million dollars.
That was a large price for a property in Dundalk, and it showed how strongly some investors believed in the future of retail at that time.
That changed within a few years. Thor fell behind on its loan payments. The lender, LNR Property LLC of Miami, filed a lawsuit and moved the property into foreclosure.
Tidewater Auctions of Towson handled the auction sale of the mall on May 29, 2012.
The highest bid was 30 million dollars. LNR Property LLC submitted that bid, so the lender that pushed the mall into foreclosure ended up buying it.
The difference between the 2006 purchase price and the 2012 auction price was large.
The Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation listed the property's assessed value at 58.6 million dollars.
The property covered 67.2 acres and had more than 100 tenants operating there when the sale happened, and the auction price was lower than all of those comparison numbers.
LNR did not announce specific plans for the mall after buying it. The mall stayed open, and daily operations continued.
For shoppers there on a normal afternoon, everything looked the same. Ownership later passed to MCB Real Estate, which manages the property today.
No matter who held the title at different times, the building remained open, and people continued to shop there.
The Long Revolving Door of Anchor Tenants
At Eastpoint Mall, anchor tenants have changed a lot over the years, with some coming in, having a hard time, and eventually leaving.
Sometimes a new store takes its place, but other times the space just stays empty.
The Ames department store was replaced by Steve & Barry's, a clothing chain that sold sports and entertainment-branded apparel.
Steve & Barry's went bankrupt and closed in 2009. That space was then divided between DSW, a shoe retailer, and Shoppers World, a discount clothing store, with both moving in around 2010.
DSW did not hold on long, closing its Eastpoint location in early 2016.
Sears had been one of the more durable anchors since joining in 1991, but that run ended on November 2, 2017, when the chain announced it was closing 63 stores across the country.
The Eastpoint location was on that list and shut down in January 2018, taking a large chunk of the building's floor space with it.
Value City Furniture at Eastpoint Mall is no longer open.
The store closed after the entire Value City Furniture chain shut down because its parent company, American Signature, went out of business and sold off its assets in late 2025 and early 2026.
On January 15, 2026, Burlington said it was relocating from Eastpoint Mall to a new store at 1400 Merritt Boulevard in Dundalk, in the German Hill Center shopping center.
The move is set for spring 2026. The new store is planned with wider aisles, updated fixtures, and more merchandise.
What Is Keeping the Mall Going
Eastpoint Mall has struggled in the past few years. Major anchor stores have left, and online shopping has pulled many customers away.
It has a mixed reputation. Some people see it as worn down, while others see it as an important local place that continues to serve the community.
The mall still has a wide mix of tenants.
More than 100 shops, restaurants, and service businesses operate there, including Foot Locker, Bath & Body Works, Chick-fil-A, McDonald's, Shoe City, Cricket Wireless, and The Children's Place.
JCPenney and Gabe's are the remaining anchor stores. Burlington is set to leave in spring 2026, which will leave one anchor space empty.
The mall is used for more than just shopping. In March 2025, Our Kids Read opened a free bookstore and reading center for children inside the mall.
It gives away books and runs mentoring programs for young readers. A post office has also been in the building.
In July 2025, the Postal Service said it would move the post office after losing its lease.
Seasonal events draw crowds to the mall. Eastpoint Mall has featured themed attractions with Bennett's Curse, such as "Krampus Christmas" in December 2024 and "Cupid's Revenge" in February 2026.
The mall marked its 65th anniversary in 2021 with a weekend of events that ended with a ribbon-cutting attended by local officials.
The mall is now approaching 70 years in operation, and that history remains a central part of the property.
