Launching the Long Island Retail Frontier
On August 30, 1973, the parking lot outside Sunrise Mall filled fast. Shoppers lined up before the doors opened, some leaning against their cars, others holding kids by the hand.
Long Island had seen department stores before, but never like this—a two-level mall with 140 stores under one roof.
The Muss-Tankoos Corporation built it from the ground up—1.3 million square feet, $45 million in development costs, and four anchor stores: JCPenney, Macy’s, Gertz, and E. J. Korvette…