In 1996, drivers coming off Interstate 290 toward Interstate 495 saw something new rising from the edge of Marlborough and Berlin: Solomon Pond Mall.
The doors opened and shoppers poured into a brand-new two-level shopping center that stretched across the Marlborough and Berlin town line.
Enclosed mall stood at 601 Donald Lynch Boulevard, positioned to pull shoppers from Boston's western suburbs and from Worcester. Boston sat 28 miles to the east, and Worcester, only 10 miles to the west.
The building opened with Filene's, JCPenney, and Sears as anchors. It offered 886,500 square feet of retail space across two floors. Skylit corridors and wide entrances led to about 90 stores.
The mall became the only fashion-oriented enclosed mall serving the second-largest metro-trade area in New England.
Hoyts Cinemas opened on April 25, 1997, with 15 screens and 330 seats. In 2003, Regal Cinemas acquired the theater, which became Regal Solomon Pond Mall 15 with stadium seating.
Early tenants included Victoria's Secret, Swarovski Crystal, and several jewelry chains, along with national apparel and specialty brands.
For many in MetroWest and Worcester County, this became the new place to gather.
Early years of growth and steady traffic
During its first decade, Solomon Pond Mall benefited from steady traffic along the Interstate 495 corridor. The location initially felt distant from other retail, but road access worked in its favor.
Thousands of vehicles moved through the highway interchange daily, and the mall drew shoppers from suburban growth areas west of Boston as well as from Worcester's neighborhoods and nearby towns.
The mall aimed for a mid-range market with touches of higher-end retail. Stores such as Coach joined apparel brands including Hollister, Pink, Aeropostale, Old Navy, and Forever 21.
Claire's, Banter by Piercing Pagoda, and Bath & Body Works added to the mix.
The Regal Theater brought moviegoers into the building at night and on weekends.
Dining options included Dunkin', Burger King, Sarku Japan, Cinnabon, and sit-down restaurants. Bertucci's operated a first-floor location, and TGI Fridays later occupied space on the second floor.
The corridors formed a loop across two levels, and the anchors at the ends kept foot traffic moving.
By 2006, many original leases reached renewal. That year marked a turning point.
In March 2006, Filene's closed after a decade in the mall and converted to Macy's. The anchor name changed, but the building remained active.
Anchor shifts and tenant changes after 2006
After 2006, the tenant movement became more noticeable. In 2016, Sports Authority closed. The closure left a large space that affected the surrounding corridor.
In 2018, Old Navy relocated from the building it had shared with Sports Authority into the former Abercrombie & Fitch space inside the mall.
That same year, Toy Vault opened, and Forever 21 completed a renovation and expansion.
The theater continued operating under Regal Cinemas. Apparel and specialty chains rotated in and out as national retail trends shifted.
The mall still counted Macy's and JCPenney as anchors, with Sears occupying the third anchor space until 2021.
On February 15, 2021, Sears said it would close as part of a plan to shut down 34 stores across the country.
The Sears store at Solomon Pond Mall closed on May 2, 2021. That closure left a large empty store space that is still not filled as of early 2026.
More restaurants closed after that. In 2022, Bertucci's shut down its first-floor spot. On January 2, 2024, TGI Fridays closed its second-floor restaurant.
Each time a restaurant left, there were fewer people in important parts of the building, and some favorite hangout spots were gone.
By the mid-2020s, the mall had about 80 to 90 stores and places to eat, with empty spaces between the stores that were still open.
The building stayed open, but more of the stores were smaller shops, local businesses, and service providers.
Receivership, lawsuits, and falling valuations
Financial trouble surfaced publicly in 2021. Simon Property Group, which had owned a majority stake of 56.4 percent, faced a $110 million non-recourse loan on the property from 2012.
After revenues collapsed during the COVID-19 pandemic and temporary closures of its Massachusetts malls, the loan went into distress.
The loan was transferred to a special servicer in July 2019 and failed to pay off at its November 2022 maturity date.
In September 2021, a receiver was appointed. E3 Realty MA Advisors, LLC became the mall's receiver under court supervision.
JLL Capital Markets was appointed to help market the property.
In 2009, the mall had been valued at $197 million, not including its anchor stores. The town received around $2 million in annual real estate taxes from the property at that time.
A few years later, valuations dropped sharply to far lower levels after the lender took control in 2021.
In December 2025, the majority of the mall was sold at a receivership sale for $8.5 million.
The collateral included about 399,000 square feet of an approximately 885,000-square-foot super-regional mall. The sale price equated to about $21 per square foot, far below the remaining loan balance.
The sale did not include the JCPenney anchor, assessed at $7 million with 111,000 square feet, or the Macy's anchor, assessed at $11 million with 199,600 square feet.
Those anchor stores remain owned by their respective parent companies.
New owners and plans for redevelopment
On December 22, 2025, Industrial Commercial Properties, based in Cleveland, Ohio, purchased the majority of Solomon Pond Mall from E3 Realty MA Advisors.
A federal judge signed off on the sale on December 5. The transaction included major components owned by Mall at Solomon Pond LLC, an entity managed by Simon Property Group.
Industrial Commercial Properties has a history of repositioning enclosed malls into light industrial, technology, and manufacturing business parks, primarily in the Midwest.
The company owns properties in four states and Solomon Pond appears to be its first property in Massachusetts.
As of 2026, the mall is leased and managed by Spinoso Real Estate Group. It operates with Macy's and JCPenney as open anchors and one vacant former Sears space.
The property spans roughly 888,000 square feet and continues to function as a regional retail center.
It is not yet clear how Industrial Commercial Properties will redevelop parts of the mall.
Similar properties across the region have experimented with nontraditional tenants such as art galleries, entertainment uses, and mixed-use concepts.
Any major change would reshape a site that once stood as one of Simon Property Group's stronger malls in the Worcester area.
New stores, closures, and public perception
After entering receivership, the mall continued to add tenants.
On August 31, 2023, seven businesses opened at the same time: 2 Designing Women, Paris Nails, InStyle Kicks, FYE, Track 23, Daily Thread, and Valley Artisans.
Four more opened in September: Custom World, Shoe Supply, J+J Pizza, and Let's Gourmet Sweets.
The new stores included clothing shops, a nail salon, pop-culture merchandise, locally made crafts, and a Brazilian-style pizza restaurant.
The openings reduced vacant storefronts and added more options for shoppers.
Another group of stores was scheduled to open from June through September 2025.
These included a reopened Auntie Anne's, Nova Gelato & Bakery, InStyle Mattresses, Blush & Ivy, Slime Zone, InStyle Kids, and NJ Salon.
The additions covered food, home goods, children's clothing and toys, beauty services, and a slime-making activity space for children.
Store closures continued during the same period. Forever 21 closed on May 1, 2025.
On November 21, 2025, Apple announced it would relocate to The Shops at Blackstone Valley in Millbury. The Apple store at Solomon Pond Mall closed on December 10, 2025.
The mall hosts events such as WXLO Family Fest, February school break activities, and Bach to Rock karaoke nights.
As of February 2026, Solomon Pond Mall remains open. Macy's, JCPenney, and the 15-screen Regal theater continue to operate.
The mall continues to function as a regional shopping center while adjusting to store openings and closures.
Public opinion about the mall varies. Some long time visitors feel the mall has gotten much worse over the years, saying it is "not dead but definitely dying." Others point to the new stores opening as signs of life.
The property continues attracting shoppers from Marlborough, Worcester and surrounding towns, though probably not as many as during its peak years.
The big question for Solomon Pond Mall is whether it can keep going as a regular indoor mall or if Industrial Commercial Properties will turn it into something totally new.
