Euclid Square Mall - Anchors

Nothing characterized a closed-air mall more than the traditional bookend anchors. Euclid Square Mall opened with 2 anchors in 1977: Higbee's and May Co.

Higbee's, a major retail establishment founded in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1860, opened it's tenth "suburban" location with the mall on March 1, 1977.

Architectural Drawing of Higbee's Euclid Square mall. Original courtesy Cleveland State University. Michael Schwartz Library. Special Collections. AI enhanced 2025 by me.

Hard to believe that Higbee's would have been 117 years old when the Euclid Square Mall location opened its doors to eager shoppers. The location was in the works for 15 years, and included fashions for men and women, luggage, cameras, books, housewares, a salon, and a full service, 144-seat restaurant called "The Atrium".

In 1987, Higbee’s was acquired by Dillard’s, which continued operating under the Higbee name for a few years before rebranding in 1992. 

Outside Higbee's Euclid Square mall. Original courtesy Cleveland State University. Michael Schwartz Library. Special Collections. AI enhanced 2025 by me.

Dillard's was rebranded as a Dillard's Outlet sometime in the mid 1990s. I bought my prom dress there in 1998, and I worked there for a spell in 2005. 

Dillard's in 2011. Author photo.

Dillard's closed off it's second floor in 2002. The lease was up in late 2013 and Dillard's Outlet at Euclid Square mall closed permanently upon fulfillment of that lease. Higbee's/Dillard's operated for over 36 years in Euclid.

The second anchor opened a few months after the mall itself, with a ribbon cutting on August 2, 1977. 

Source: Cleveland State University. Michael Schwartz Library. Special Collections. AI enhanced 2025 by me.

Pictured left to right are J. Warren Harris, May Co. chairman; H. Gene Nau, May Co. president; Euclid Mayor, Tony J. Sustarsic.

May Co. ESM model. Source: Cleveland State University. Michael Schwartz Library. Special Collections. AI enhanced 2025 by me.

May Co. was a major American department store chain founded in 1877 by David May. Over the years, May Co. acquired many other department stores, absorbing Pittsburgh based Kaufmann's in 1946 along the way. In 1993 May Co. stores were rebranded as Kaufmann's. 

In 1997, a massive redevelopment of Richmond Town Square in neighboring Richmond Heights pulled the plug on Kaufmann's at Euclid Square Mall. And in 1998 move they did, and the hulking anchor space stood vacant until 2004, when Outlets USA moved in.

Outlets USA 2006. Author photo.

Outlets USA was described as a gallery of 300 to 500 vendors selling clothing, furniture and other merchandise. "Not a flea market," claimed owner and interesting character Ted Lichko. Outlets USA did not even see a second birthday, having closed by early 2006.

That is the beginning, middle, and end of Euclid Square Mall's anchors. I'll continue making posts through the month of March celebrating what would have been the mall's 48th birthday, so stay tuned!