The Oldest Shopping Mall in Maine is Nearly 70 Years Old

For many generations of people in Maine, shopping malls were the hub of commercial and social activity. The biggest towns and cities had them and smaller suburbs couldn't wait to visit them.

Throughout the '80s and '90s, shopping malls both small and large popped up in towns and cities across the state. At one point in time, Lewiston actually had thriving, competing malls operating right across the street from one another. The Maine Mall area still has several competing shopping centers within a mile of one another.

Times have certainly changed, however.  Many malls throughout Maine are hanging on by a thread, transforming into something else or simply shutting down completely. But not the oldest mall in Maine. It has continued to be a mall people visit despite being 66 years old.

The Pine Tree Shopping Center in Portland is Maine's Oldest Mall

According to Business Insider, the Pine Tree Shopping Center (right on the Portland and Westbrook town lines) remains the oldest shopping mall in all of Maine. The mall first opened in 1959, and has had several signature tenants over the course of the last six decades.

The original anchor tenants of the mall were Woolworth's and Zayre's. Initially, the mall was one of the most popular in the state because it was open at night, while many others closed before the evening. It also featured stores with air conditioning, which was not a regular amenity in the 1960s.

Many Notable Retailers Have Called The Pine Tree Shopping Center Home Over The Years

Over the course of nearly seven decades, the mall has seen many other stores come and go. From Marden's to Ames, Shaw's, and Maine's only location of Child World. More recently, Big Lots and Joann Fabric had been anchor tenants. Both retailers have since dissipated.

But that just leaves room for something new. Like it has done in the past, the oldest shopping center in Maine will debut something new for the state. The Pine Tree Shopping Center will be the home to Maine's first Aldi supermarket. Aldi is close to announcing a grand opening date.