WAMPANOAG MALL : EAST PROVIDENCE, RI
Joseph Aglione 's Commentary
Posted January 28, 2006 (user submitted)
Anyone 35 and over who lived in East Providence would recall this little mall
with fondness. Built at the intersection of Route 44 and 114 in the 60's, this
was a very popular mall for a long time. Anchors were Almacs supermarkets,
which had a conveyor belt to take your groceries outside for you, Cherry & Webb
and Warwick Shoppers World.
The inside of the mall had the typical chain stores
such as Sacketts, Midland Records, Doktor Pet Centers, Cerel's Jewelers,
Roberts, Donnelly's, Thom McCan, CVS and Fanny Farmer Chocolates. I also recall
stores called Nugents and Peter Bleiden's as well as an stereo/tv store. An
Old Stone Bank was sandwiched between the Almacs and the Cherry and Webb. The
bank and market could be entered from one another but there was no mall access,
only through the Cherry & Webb. There was also a Brigham's restaurant.
First to
go was Warwick Shopper's World, Zayre bought them out in the 70's and converted
them over. Only problem here was that Zayre also had a store across the street.
Solution was to sell the space to Woolco which opened I believe 1978-79. Stores
came and went inside but the biggest blow was Woolco closing. It reopened as a
Channel Home Improvement but the mall access was sealed off. Channel went out
of business in 1984-85 and half the building was made into a Marshall's but it
was by itself, the part of the building that connected to the mall was later
taken over by RX Place pharmacy but there was still no mall access. Inside
stores continued to close up. By 1984 and 1985 only stores left were an arcade
that was inside the former jewlery store, a video rental store and a pizza
place. Everything else was gone. By the end of the 80's the mall was shuttered
and the Cherry & Webb mall access was walled up permantly. Old Stone Bank was
closed down in the early 90's and the property taken over by Vision World Eye
Care. Almacs also went out of business in the 90's and a Savers secondhand
store moved in. Evenutally the inside of the mall was gutted out and actual
stores moved in. They include a Payless shoes, a Jo Ann Fabrics, a Dollar Tree,
I Party and Fashion Bug. The mall was renamed Wampanoag plaza. If you go in the
back of the mall, the old entrance can still be seen however it doesn't lead
anywhere, just the wall board of a Chinese restaurant that opened a few years
back.