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| Location | Greensboro, North Carolina, United States |
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| Coordinates | 36°05′09″N79°49′56″W / 36.0859°N 79.8323°W /36.0859; -79.8323 |
| Opening date | August 1957; 68 years ago (August 1957) |
| Management | CBL Properties |
| Owner | CBL Properties |
| Stores and services | 140 |
| Anchor tenants | 6 |
| Floor area | 1,237,000[1] |
| Floors | 1-2 |
| Parking | Parking by storefronts throughout the center, subdivided by crosswalks |
| Website | friendlycenter |
Friendly Center is a large, open-air mall located in northwesternGreensboro, North Carolina, near the interchange ofWendover Avenue and Friendly Avenue.
The anchor stores at Friendly Center areBelk,Macy's andHarris Teeter.
The shopping center opened in August 1957, and with its inward orientation, Friendly Center could be classified as an outdoorlifestyle center. Its anchor tenants includeBelk,Macy's (formerlyThalhimer's, laterHecht's), andSears. Other tenants includeBarnes & Noble andOld Navy, The Grande Theatre is a 16-screen multiplex cinema operated by Regal Cinemas. It also containsHarris Teeter's flagship supermarket location encompassing 72,000 square feet (6,700 m2) andWhole Foods Market.[2] There are specialty "foodie" stores tucked away in the back corner by Harris Teeter such as the Savory Spice Shop[3] and Midtown Olive Oil. It features a number of national retailers such asBanana Republic,Victoria's Secret,Bath & Body Works, Express,Gap,Eddie Bauer,Talbots, andBirkenstock Feet First.
In early 2006, construction of "The Shops at Friendly Center" began after the nearbyBurlington Industries office building was demolished. Its opening on October 19, 2006, introduced retail shops that had not previously been present in thePiedmont Triad market such as anApple Store,Brooks Brothers,REI,J. Crew, Coldwater Creek (closed in 2014),White House Black Market,Pendleton, J. Jill, and Johnston & Murphy. Several chain restaurants located in the center, includingP.F. Chang's, Fleming's Prime Steak House and Wine Bar, Bravo Cucina Italiana, andMimi's Cafe. On November 8, 2006, a 72,000-square-foot (6,700 m2) Harris Teeter supermarket opened as the chain's largest in North Carolina.[4]
On April 3, 2007, Starmount Company put Friendly Center up for sale along with most of their other commercial real estate.[5] On October 5, 2007,CBL & Associates contracted to buy Friendly Center and all of Starmount Company's retail and office holdings. On January 4, 2008, The Triad Business Journal[1] reported that CBL & Associates paid more than $200 million for Friendly Center and the Shops at Friendly Center.[6]
On April 13, 2023, it was announced thatSears would be closing its location in summer 2023. Until this announcement it was the last Sears store inNorth Carolina.