Thalhimers (later Hecht's and Macy's); SouthPark mall, Charlotte, North Carolina

Thalhimers (later Hecht's and Macy's), SouthPark mall, Charlotte, North Carolina. Mall entrance, 1991. (courtesy Pat Richardson)

Thalhimers (later Hecht's and Macy's), SouthPark mall, Charlotte, North Carolina. Model shopping in ladies' shoe department for photo shoot, 1988. (courtesy Pat Richardson)

Hecht's (former Thalhimers, later Macy's), SouthPark mall, Charlotte, North Carolina. Mall entrance with "photoshopped" Hecht's signage, 1992. (courtesy Pat Richardson)

Hecht's (former Thalhimers, later Macy's), SouthPark mall, Charlotte, North Carolina. Mall entrance, 1994. (scanned from SouthPark directory)



Hecht's, SouthPark mall, Charlotte, North Carolina. 1988-2004 facade (Photo by cantnot)


Hecht's, SouthPark mall, Charlotte, North Carolina. Revised facade (Photo by cantnot)


Hecht's, SouthPark mall, Charlotte, North Carolina. Revised mall entrance (Photo by cantnot)

Hecht's, SouthPark mall, Charlotte, North Carolina. Temporary signage with new Macy's sign placed underneath. (JerseyBoy)

Hecht's, SouthPark mall, Charlotte, North Carolina. Temporary signage with new Macy's sign placed underneath. (JerseyBoy)

Hecht's, SouthPark mall, Charlotte, North Carolina. Temporary signage with new Macy's sign placed underneath. (JerseyBoy)

Macy's, SouthPark mall, Charlotte, North Carolina. Temporary signage with new lighted Macy's sign placed underneath. Photographed with camera phone 7/8/06.

The Macy's store at SouthPark was originally opened as Thalhimers in 1988 and was the anchor of a major expansion of the Charlotte mall at 140,000 square feet on two levels. It was the first and only Thalhimers store in the market.

The design of the building was a post-modern spin on the Modernist architecture of SouthPark, utilizing white glazed brick, but eschewing the early '70s style building setbacks and anodized aluminum window trim of its fellow anchors in favor of a dramatic rounded entrance marquee, blue mosaic-tiled accents at the entryway and frameless glass doors (modified in 2001, citing security concerns).

In 1990, Thalhimers was purchased by the May Department Stores Company which operated the chain as a separate division until 1992, when it was folded into May's Hecht's division. A companion Hecht's location opened at Carolina Place Mall in 1993, eight miles south of SouthPark, and another new Hecht's location opened in 2005 at Northlake Mall some 15 miles north of this store.

In 2002, work started on a major expansion of Hecht's SouthPark to coincide with a major mall expansion and renovation. A new facade was added and a new interior and mall entrance were constructed. The project was completed in March 2004, and the store now covers 200,000 square feet on two levels.

In 2005, The May Department Stores Company merged with Federated Department Stores. The Hecht's division was eliminated and the former Hecht's stores will soon be operated by Federated's Macy's division. Hecht's SouthPark is scheduled to officially convert to Macy's in September 2006.