Maplewood Mall rose from a patch of Maplewood, Minnesota, into a super-regional draw beside Interstate 694, a beacon on the east side of the Twin Cities.
Homart Development Company cut the ribbon on July 31, 1974, with Sears and Powers Dry Goods at the helm and roughly 120 stores ready for the crowds.
The next decades brought new names and fresh paint: Kohl’s, JCPenney, and Macy’s arrived, while renovations in 1988, 1996, and 2011 kept the place looking current…