Last chance to shop at JCPenney anchor store before it closes for good as 70-year-old shopping mall shutters August 31

The mall stretches across more than 850,000 square feet and has been a familiar fixture for generations of shoppers.

Its looming closure has sparked an outpouring of nostalgia from customers mourning the loss of a shopping destination they have known for decades.

A local customer, Dayjanae Jones said: “I used to come out here with my sisters and like friends and stuff.

“We used to go in the prom store and try on dresses just to play dress up.”

Maryland resident Charles Taylor said the closure would mean losing a place where he could still find much of what he needed.

“Most of the things that I’m looking for, I know I can find here,” he said.

“That’s what makes it so sad about them closing because I’m going to have to go somewhere else.”

The shock shutdown comes as malls across the US continue close.