Independence Mall (formerly Westfield Shoppingtown Independence or Westfield Independence) is the only enclosed shopping mall in Wilmington, North Carolina. It opened in 1979 with anchor stores Belk-Beery (now Belk), JCPenney, and Sears. A later expansion added a new wing and Dillard's store to the center after Westfield Group purchased the mall.[1] The mall is located on Oleander Drive (U.S. 76) and Independence Blvd east of downtown Wilmington. The mall has a food court and no longer features a carousel.
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| Location | Wilmington, North Carolina, U.S. |
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| Coordinates | 34°12′48″N 77°54′22″W / 34.21334°N 77.9061°W |
| Address | 3500 Oleander Drive Wilmington, North Carolina 28403 |
| Opening date | 1979 |
| Developer | Strouse, Greenberg & Co. The Oleander Co. |
| Management | Brookfield Properties |
| Owner | Brookfield Properties |
| No. of stores and services | 144 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 5 (1 opening) |
| Total retail floor area | 997,525 square feet (92,673.1 m2)(GLA) |
| No. of floors | 1 (2 in Belk, Dillard's and former Sears) |
| Website | www |
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History
editIndependence Mall was developed by a partnership between Philadelphia-based Strouse, Greenberg & Co. and Wilmington-based The Oleander Co. It opened in 1979 with anchor stores Belk-Beery (now Belk), JCPenney, and Sears. A notable feature of the mall was the mosaic murals depicting Wilmington landmarks and landscapes, designed by artist and retired savings-and-loan executive Samuel D. Bissette.
New owners and expansion
editIn 1997, the mall was sold to Westfield America, Inc., a precursor to Westfield Group, Westfield's management would oversee a major expansion, which would add a fourth arm to the mall, anchored by a new Dillard's store and including a 400-seat food court. The name of the mall was changed to Westfield Shoppingtown Independence in 1998.[1] In 2005, the Shoppingtown name was dropped, however the signs still have the Shoppingtown name in it.[2]
In 2000, Independence Mall Cinemas, a three-screen theater complex operated by Carmike Cinemas, which opened in 1979, was demolished to make way for the new Dillard's wing, which the new store opened on March 16, 2001, while the new wing opened on March 21, 2001.
On May 9, 2006, Westfield sold the mall to Centro Properties Group, which its joint venture subsidiary Centro Watt (now Brixmor Property Group) managed the property, and the name of the mall returned to Independence Mall.[3]
In 2012, It was announced that the carousel in the center court would be removed after eight years of operation.[4] The same year, Madison Marquette was hired to manage the mall, that lasted until the sale in 2017.
Financial Issues and Redevelopment
editIn October 2014, a $110 million loan on Independence Mall went into default after payments were overdue for more than a month.[5] As of July 2016, a foreclosure auction date had been set for later that month, however the date has continuously been moved in efforts to continue discussions with the loan borrower, Centro Independence LLC.[6] A property appraisal done in December 2015 valued the mall at only $61 million.
On June 27, 2017, Rouse Properties (now part of Brookfield Properties) purchased the mall for $45 million and announced the redevelopment of the mall into a modern open-air shopping center and change the mall's name to The Collection at Independence.[7][8]
On April 6, 2018, it was announced that Sears would be closing as part of a plan to close 24 stores nationwide. The store closed in June 2018.[9]
In August 2019, the final plans for the redevelopment of the mall has been approved by the city of Wilmington, and shortly after, the remaining tenants at the former Sears wing have been relocated to the 3 remaining anchor wings, and as a result, the Sears space along with a nearby mall entrance that also used to house Ruby Tuesday, Leland-based San Felipe Mexican Restaurant, and Nikki's Sushi (relocating to Dillard's wing), has been blocked off to make way for the demolition and redevelopment. The current name of the mall will be retained.[10]
On October 2, 2020, Five Below held their grand opening in part of the former Sears space.[11]
On October 14, 2020, sporting goods retailer, Dick's Sporting Goods announced they would also be opening their brand-new store in part of the former Sears property on October 17, 2020.[12] Relocating from its existing nearby location in College Rd that used to be occupied by Best Products until its liquidation in 1997.
In July 2021, Walk On's Sports Bistreaux, a Louisiana-based sports bar chain, opened in the front outparcel of the mall. It however closed on May 28, 2024.[13]
On March 25, 2022, a Dave's Hot Chicken restaurant opened right next to the mall.[14]
Anchors
editCurrent
edit- Belk (175,512 sq ft (16,306 m2))
- Dillard's (159,000 sq ft (14,772 m2))
- JCPenney (112,200 sq ft (10,424 m2))
- Five Below (opened October 2, 2020)
- Dick's Sporting Goods (opened October 17, 2020)
Former
edit- Sears (187,027 sq ft (17,375 m2)) (closed June 2018)
References
edit- ^ a b "Star-News - Google News Archive". 1998-07-29. Retrieved 2012-01-06.
- ^ Writer, Staff. "Westfield engages in name-dropping". Wilmington Star-News. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
- ^ "Centro Watt Enters Mall Business; US Platform Well-Positioned to Continue Growth" (Press release). Business Wire. May 11, 2006. Archived from the original on March 29, 2019.
- ^ "Carousel at mall to be removed". Wilmington Star News. Retrieved 2018-09-23.
- ^ Nunn, Cece (2014). "Independence Mall Loan In Default, Fitch Ratings Says". WilmingtonBiz.com. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
- ^ Hoyle, Amanda (2016). "New foreclosure date set for Wilmington's Independence Mall — again". Triangle Business Journal. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
- ^ "Wilmington's Independence Mall has sold for $45M, reports say". Triangle Business Journal. Retrieved 2018-08-16.
- ^ Staff, Hunter Ingram StarNews. "Independence Mall to be renovated, rebranded". Wilmington Star News. Retrieved 2018-08-16.
- ^ "Sears to close at Independence Mall in Wilmington". 6 April 2018.
- ^ Staff, Hunter Ingram StarNews. "Independence Mall awaits demolition of former Sears wing". Wilmington Star News. Retrieved 2019-09-01.
- ^ Born, Matt. "What's Five Below? Find out at Independence Mall". Wilmington Star-News. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
- ^ WECT Staff. "New Dick's Sporting Goods store set to open at Independence Mall". wect.com. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
- ^ Lipe, Madison. "Wilmington sports bar closes after almost three years in business". Wilmington Star-News. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
- ^ "Dave's Hot Chicken opens location near Independence Mall on Friday".