Last small retailers move out of Mall 205 as new owners work to ‘revitalize’ it

PORTLAND, Ore. (KPTV) - At the close of business Thursday, Mall 205 will close its door and new owners will “revitalize” it.

The broker of the sale confirms that Mall 205 sold in February for $43 million then told the remaining small businesses they had to leave.

Moustapha Gueye, who owns Demba, is rolling out his carts for the last time at Marketplace 205, formerly known as Mall 205.

“This is it. This is my last day. I’m going to move on [Friday],” Gueye told FOX 12.

Gueye and Mark Benthimer, owner of All-American Magic, were the last two remaining small retailers in the 130,000 square foot interior. They were given notice in late February to be out in two weeks, but were eventually given until the end of March to relocate.

“Oh, I was shocked. I’ve been here 11 years,” said Benthimer. “Kind of sad to see it go.”

Both Gueye and Benthimer said once Target and Home Depot closed their interior doors to the mall, foot traffic all but died. Both those big stores will remain open. The DMV, which will also stay open, along with Famous Footwear and 24-Hour Fitness are the only businesses bringing in any people now.

Gueye and Benthimer are moving to another mall that many thought was dead - Lloyd Center. They said it is now doing well and they are grateful to have that space to move into.

“Lloyd Center is staying open, so come see us there,” said

The broker of the sale said the new owners are now working to “revitalize” the mall. He confirmed to FOX 12 that Hobby Lobby is one business that will move in and take up a big part of the vacant space in the mall. There are other retailers in the works as well, but have not been finalized yet.

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