A 2-level North Wing (in gray) was added to SALEM MALL in 1981, which included a new J.C. Penney. The west anchor, originally a Rike's, was also enlarged and rebranded. Picnic, a second food court, was installed in the center of the complex in 1985. With these modifications, the facility encompassed approximately 858,000 leasable square feet, housed 124 stores, and maintained free parking for 4,600 autos.

Shillito's and Rike's stores were merged in April 1982 and rebranded in June. The original logo read "Shillito/Rike's." In a newer trademark, the backslash and apostrophe have been omitted. The SALEM MALL store received a Lazarus nameplate in March 1986.

Graphics from Federated Department Stores

The shopping hub entered a downward spiral in the mid-1990s. There had been over 120 stores and services in 1985. By 1998, this number had dwindled to eighty-five, with an additional Sears and various Picnic vendors.

Graphic from CIGNA Investments

Lazarus closed for good in 1998. In 2001, the abandoned store was demolished and replaced by a freestanding Home Depot. This store was built with hopes that it would incite a retail revival. Unfortunately, it failed to stop the mall's decline.

Original drawing from http://www.therousecompany.com (website on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine)