Stores at Washington Park Mall

Name	Specialty
Auto Zone	Auto Parts and Free Check Engine Light Service
Dollar Max	Discount Store
Donald E Green, P.C. Law Offices	Local Business
Ebony Gold & Beauty (also known as Ebony USA)	Hair and Beauty Supplies
Expressions	Sneakers and Streetwear
Mall Cleaners	Dry Cleaning and Laundry Service
Marshalls	Clothing and Home Goods Store
McDonald's	Fast Food Restaurant
Metro by Tmobile	Cell Phone Service
Popeye's	Fast Food Restaurant
Price Rite Marketplace	Discount Groceries
Santander	Bank
Washington Park Dental	Dental Office

About

Washington Park Mall is one of Boston's smaller shopping centers. It's located on the corner of two Roxbury main streets -- Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd and Warren Street. The indoor-outdoor plaza is surrounded by multiple housing complexes, making it walking-distance for many Roxbury residents. The Roxbury mall also has a decent-sized parking lot with over 150 spots that are rarely full. And it's fairly easy to get to by public transportation, as it sits behind a bus stop for 4 different routes (14, 19, 23, and 28). There are 11 retailers within the mall including a Marshalls and Expressions. And 2 businesses outside including McDonald's and Auto Zone.

Herstory (1990 - 2020)

The Washington Park Mall was previously known as the Roxbury Mall. It was more active decades ago when it housed a Reebok store, Frugal Furniture, Frugal Bookstore, and Boston Neighborhood Network (BNN).

Save-A-Lot, a discount grocery store, was another shopping option and probably the main attraction for most mall goers. It had a unique bag situation that aimed to benefit the store and its customers. Save-a-lot shoppers had to bring their own bags, or find empty boxes throughout the store to pack their goods. Heavy-duty plastic bags were available for purchase (around $0.10 per bag). This was before Massachusetts plastic bag ordinance in 2018 — a green initiative that strove to minimize single-use plastics. The discount grocer ended up closing their Roxbury doors around 2020 and while they previously had a location in Roslindale, the Nebraska-based company chose to leave the state.

While some retailers moved out, others moved in. Marshalls replaced Reebok, the sneaker store years ago. As a department store its goal was to offer the community items beyond footwear. There have been mixed feelings about this particular location as some residents are happy there aren’t any lines, while others feel “there is never anything there.” The beauty supply store was another local gem, as it often had hard-to-find hair products and cosmetics that matched darker skin tones. Now those same brands like Jamaican Mango & Lime and Milani are available online.

The mall also has destinations that have been there for decades including the dry cleaning business, and a MacDonald's with a drive thru.

Family Shopping

Nowadays families may have a wider selection and better shopping experience online. For example, Amazon has a service called “Try Before You Buy.” It allows customers to “bring the dressing room home.” This means parents can test out different sneaker sizes without lugging multiple children to the store. Shoppers have 7-days with the products before they need to send the items back or be charged. Amazon also has two grocery stores with same-day or next-day delivery. In 2022, they also partnered with Grub Hub to make restaurant delivery more convenient. This means, eating out doesn’t require an in-person visit.