*WEB CONTINUATION: This article originally appeared in Volume 106 Issue 1 of our news magazine, Amplifier.

The state of the Lloyd Center, a once major shopping mall in Portland, has been in question for several years now, and its fate is still unknown.

The mall went into foreclosure in 2021 after almost all its large retail chains, or anchor stores, closed due to the pandemic. This phenomenon is not unique to Oregon, and especially after COVID-19, thousands of mall stores have closed across America. Last year alone, there was a net loss of 2,380 mall stores, according to Capital One.

Lloyd Center is now under the ownership of Urban Renaissance Group (URG) and KKR Real Estate. In a statement released over two years ago, URG summarizes the renovation. 

“The master plan envisions transforming the current inward-facing 1960s-era mall and surrounding parking lots into a mixed-use neighborhood that builds on Lloyd Center’s long history as an active, lifestyle-oriented regional destination,” the firm said. 

Nothing has changed since this announcement, and it remains the most up-to-date information on their website. 

The planned renovation poses a threat to the approximately 100 retail shops and small businesses at Lloyd.

One of these businesses is the LEGO shop and gallery Brickdiculous, co-owned by James Jones.

“We knew [the Lloyd center] wasn’t going to be a forever home when we moved in. [We were told] it would be more like five to ten years, rather than four or five. But it still may end up being that, we don’t know. But we’re just taking it one day at a time,” Jones said.

Other businesses reaffirmed the uncertainty and ambiguity of the development.

Tim Tran is a leader and the most common employee at Floating World Comics, a business that may be affected by the renovation.

“One of these days, I’m sure [Lloyd Center] will [renovate],” Tran said. “It’s like weather predictions. No one knows for sure. One day, they say it’s gonna rain. But so far so good.”

In the meantime, the mall proves to be a good home for small businesses.

“[URG] has been really good and supportive of the indie businesses living here,” Jones said. “They definitely did not have to do what they did, which is make it affordable for startups and new businesses to try things out here. And it’s been a real advantage, I think, for a lot of us. And while it may not be a permanent situation, it’s been a good way to launch and get established for sure.”

The Lloyd Center has proved to be a very supportive environment and community for workers like Tristan Smith, a part-time employee at the Star Tropics Pinball Museum.  

“[The mall] is really neat. It’s almost all independent and locally owned shops. All the big box stores are gone. So we kind of have our own little collective of mall people. I call us mall people; we’re all very eclectic and artistic. We have a Star Wars-themed shop [in Lloyd] with lightsabers that you can use, and the owner actually teaches fencing in the back as well,” Smith said.

Along with the community, the mall provides numerous benefits for businesses. Although Lloyd no longer has the visitor numbers it once had, it is still a frequent hangout spot for some hobbyist groups, featuring events like Beyblade competitions and yo-yo meetups.

“I am hopeful… when I first started working here six months ago, I didn’t really know what I was walking into. I was like, ‘Does anybody still even go to the mall?’,” Smith said. “But I’m actually really encouraged by how many people I see come out here. I see a lot of people coming out to the malls, especially in the last couple of months. I think it’s got a bright future; I’m hopeful.”

In addition to the remaining larger draws like the Barnes and Noble and the ice rink, the mall provides shared amenities and maintenance. 

“We like being in a secure building and not having to worry about break-ins overnight or anything like that,” Jones said.

Although it is still unsure what will happen to the core of the mall, some renovations have begun on other parts of the building. Most notably, the construction of a new mid-sized music venue. 

Local indie artist and frequent concert-goer, Shannon Wiancko, senior, expresses her approval of the new space.

“I feel like cities that have strong music scenes, like Los Angeles or Seattle, have a wide range of venue sizes, and I don’t know how many [Portland has],” Wiancko said. “We have the Moda Center, and then we have small, more underground music venues. So I think it will be cool, because a venue this size is a good stepping stone from the smaller venues to bigger arenas like the Moda Center.”

The location is also accessible, being located right off Highway 84 and I-5, but raises some questions about being located in downtown Portland.

“I would suggest cleaning up the area around it,” Wiancko said. “If I pull up to the venue and it’s sketchy, I’m probably not going to feel super comfortable in the concert. So making the area around it nicer is also important.”

While we won’t know what will replace the central mall, it still looks likely to be demolished.

“Sometime next year, is what they said. But we will see, with the current political and economic climate, I have no idea,” Jones said.

With the threat looming, Lloyd shopowners created a petition where you can voice your support for the businesses there.

“We’re hoping that if we show [URG] that there’s a lot of community support, they will see that [the mall] can be another avenue for income, other than making everything into condos and making as much money as you can with the property,” Smith said. “We’re hoping to convince them, but it’s hard, because they’re always going to look for whatever is going to make them the most. And it’s hard to argue with that. So we’re trying.”