New stores, maybe a new name, for troubled Queens shopping mall

Atlas Park confirmed that Forever 21 would be opening large store there

From left: Macerich CEO Art Coppola and Atlas Park
From left: Macerich CEO Art Coppola and Atlas Park

Atlas Park shopping mall in Glendale, Queens is attempting to change its image. The Times Ledger reported that the shopping center is courting new stores and might even change its name — though the mall owner, Macerich, declined to comment on current negotiations with retailers and the name change.

Macerich, however, did confirm that fashion retailer Forever 21 will open a 15,000-square-foot location at Atlas early next year.

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As for the name change, Sen. Joseph Addabbo told the Times Ledger that “changing the name might be the right business move for Macerich because Atlas has been associated with a failing entity for so long.”

As previously reported, Macerich nabbed the shopping center for roughly $54 million at a foreclosure auction in early 2011. Macerich reportedly owns 64 malls and despite talk about malls becoming extinct, CEO Art Coppola said this doesn’t mean every mall is doomed. “For every mall that disappears, there is an existing mall that gets so much better that it is more economically impactful,” he told the Wall Street Journal. [Times Ledger]