Illinois Star Centre Mall- (Marion, IL)

     This has been a mall I have wanted to visit for years, as it was a goal to visit every mall in the state of Illinois, completing that goal relied on coming to the cities of Carbondale, and Marion, IL. What seemed like a global celebration, more like a national observation, a total eclipse of the moon and the sun happened across the country nearly two weeks ago. The city it passed through in Illinois was Carbondale, so this once in a life time occurrence was enough of a push to finally make it to these malls. Illinois Star Centre Mall is located in Marion, Illinois, about five hours from Chicago. The mall is not very busy, only a few inline stores remain, and its anchor stores are Sears, Dillard's, and Target.

     Originally called Illinois Centre Mall, most of the mall opened in spring of 1990 and original anchor stores include Dillard's and Target, while Sears and Phar-mor opened in July 1991. There was already a mall very close to where Illinois Centre was built, University Mall in Carbondale. This caused retail analyst's to assume the close proximity of the two malls would create some pretty fierce competition. This was true as the Sears anchor at University Mall relocated to Illinois Centre in the summer of 1991. A law suit was filed about the state finance program that allows state tax rebates to stores that generate a copious amount of sales tax to the city. This suit was later dropped as not being proven to have been the city's decision and Sears choosing to move to this new mall. Dillard's opened in September of 1991, and Target followed in October.

     Phar-mor did not last to long as it closed in 1993, and the building later housed a Blue Cross insurance center and later a radio-controlled car racing track around 2004. The mall was sold by its original developer Edward J. DeBartolo in 1996 and was sold again in 2011, this time the mall changed names to Illinois Star Centre Mall.

     Here are the photos I took during my trip down to Carbondale for the total eclipse, which sounded very impressive to the people we talked later in the day. We did not see it completely as we were driving still and too far to view it. Thank goodness for this scientific phenomenon, as without it occurring, I may have never seen the last two malls in the states I have not yet documented on this site.

Malls few and far between around the Midwest have palm trees growing in them. Something I appreciate is to still see lives trees in malls, despite very few people walking around to appreciate them.

A vintage looking GNC store.

The really "dead" looking corner of the mall, complete with eclipse viewers sleeping in there car in the lot overnight.

A rather old Target with an updated look.

This wasn't the malls only sign, but I can't imagine anyone being able to really read this if they wanted to.

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