2026 01 28 - Mall, Burnsville Center, Burnsville MN

))) ECHO ? (((

NOTE: THIS IS BEING WRITTEN UP WEEKS LATER.

Wow, this mall has changed since we were last here about a year ago. It is now about 90% empty. Penny's and a small Dicks are still there. And the stores facing the parking lot without mall access are still there.

At one point I had heard this was going to become an 'ethic mall.' With ethic events and stores. That may have been why the mall was so quiet the day we were there. A lot of minorities are staying home to avoid any chance of being confronted.

That wouldn't change which stores are closed, for good. But there were also stores that had merchandise in them that were not open. Same with the food court. The food court looked like most locations were still active but less than half were open. The only chain that is still there is a Kemp's Ice Cream. (not sure how fresh their stuff is with a mall this empty)

The only plus I saw was they are still working on opening a second food area. It is in the lower level, no direct parking lot access. So great idea, poor placement in an almost empty mall. The fact that they are still working on that means they do not plan on tearing down the mall.

The only chain stores are the eyeglass places.

The mall is now locally owned, not part of any mega corp anymore. But so is Maplewood and those stores are 90% full not 90% empty. And they also have two empty anchors.

Nice quiet place to walk. Brookdale closed in part because of the gangs. Young people hanging out. That is not something we see anymore at the malls.