WestGate Mall (South Carolina)

WestGate Mall
Entrance to WestGate Mall, October 2012
Map
LocationSpartanburg, South Carolina, USA
Opening dateOctober 28, 1975; 49 years ago (1975-10-28)
DeveloperArlen Realty and Development Corporation
ManagementNamdar Realty Group
OwnerNamdar Realty Group
No. of stores and services110[1]
No. of anchor tenants7 (5 open, 2 vacant)[1]
Total retail floor area954,302 sq ft (88,657.6 m2)
No. of floors1 with partial upper level (2 in Belk, Dillard's, and former Sears)
Websitehttp://www.westgate-mall.com

WestGate Mall is a shopping mall in Spartanburg, South Carolina, off Interstate 26 and US Highway 29 on West Blackstock Road in the city's primary shopping market. The regional mall has 954,302 square feet (88,657.6 m2) of retail space and four anchor stores: Belk, Costco, Dillard's, and JCPenney.[1]

History

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Westgate Mall was built by Arlen Realty and Development Corporation, and opened on October 28, 1975. At the time, it was the largest mall in South Carolina.[2] Its original anchor stores were Belk-Hudson, Sears, and Meyers-Arnold.[3] JCPenney was added in 1978.[4] It was sold to JMB Realty in the late 1970s,[5] then to Bramalea Centers in 1988.[6] Meyers-Arnold was bought out by Uptons in 1987, thus canceling the latter chain's plans to build a store at nearby Hillcrest Mall.[7]

After Bramalea filed for bankruptcy in 1992, the mall was purchased by CBL & Associates Properties, a successor of Arlen Realty. CBL expanded the mall, adding a new wing that featured Dillard's and J. B. White, as well as a food court and movie theater owned by Regal Entertainment Group. Storefronts within the mall were also upgraded, and the Belk store was expanded by 30,000 square feet. These expansions made the mall the first in the Carolinas to feature six anchors.[5] J. B. White's store became Proffitt's in 1998.[8]

Uptons, which purchased the Meyers-Arnold chain in 1987, closed in 1999. As it was less than half the size of the other department stores, the mall's then-manager considered converting the building to either a "junior" department store or several stores.[9] Bed Bath & Beyond opened in half of the former Uptons building in December 2000, with Dick's Sporting Goods filling the other half in mid-2001.[10]

Following the purchase of Proffitt's by Belk in 2005, the fate of the Proffitt's store was originally uncertain due to Belk already having a store in the mall.[11] The Proffitt's store was then closed and demolished for a Costco, which opened in 2007.[12]

On May 31, 2018, it was announced that Sears would be closing as part of a plan to close 72 stores nationwide. The store closed on September 2, 2018.[13] Dick’s Sporting Goods became a clearance center in 2019 [14] and closed in 2021. Bed Bath and Beyond announced its closure in January 2023.[15]

In October of 2023, WestGate Mall was put up for sale, nearly 3 years after CBL Properties filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.[16] The building was sold to Namdar Realty Group the following year on May 23, 2024.[17]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Fact Sheet". CBL & Associates Properties. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  2. ^ "Westgate Mall opens new era". Herald-Journal. October 28, 1975. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  3. ^ "Westgate Mall: It didn't take the shoppers long to find something they liked". Herald-Journal. October 30, 1975. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  4. ^ "Penney building at mall". Herald-Journal. March 5, 1977. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  5. ^ a b Smith, Michael B. (October 20, 1996). "Westgate Mall ready to show off renovations". Herald-Journal. pp. 2, 21. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  6. ^ Teter, Betsy (January 23, 1988). "Bramalea buys Westgate mall, 2 other centers". Herald-Journal. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  7. ^ Teter, Betsy (June 4, 1987). "Uptons holds up plans to build Hillcrest store". Herald-Journal. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  8. ^ Davis, Kathleen (August 4, 1998). "Proffitt's makes deal to buy Spartanburg's JB White Sold! Big changes coming to Westgate Mal". Go Upstate.com. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  9. ^ Davis, Kathleen; Susan Orr (July 19, 1999). "Mall looks at options for Uptons' space". Herald-Journal. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  10. ^ "Store sports athletic supplies". Herald-Journal. May 3, 2001. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  11. ^ Orr, Susan (April 30, 2005). "Proffitt's WestGate Mall store's fate unknown in Belk buyout". Herald-Journal. Archived from the original on March 9, 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  12. ^ Filler, Lane (May 14, 2006). "Costco to add WestGate location". Go Upstate.com. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  13. ^ "Customers shocked by Spartanburg Sears closing".
  14. ^ "DICK'S Sporting Goods Announces the Grand Opening of Two New Concept Stores" (Press release).
  15. ^ "Spartanburg location among 87 Bed Bath & Beyond stores closing". 30 January 2023.
  16. ^ Fowler, Bethany (2023-10-24). "For sale: Spartanburg's WestGate Mall, over 430k square feet of property. What to know". Spartanburg Herald Journal. Archived from the original on 2023-10-24. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
  17. ^ "Spartanburg's WestGate Mall sells to new owner". WSPA 7NEWS. 2024-06-04. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
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34°56′54″N 81°56′05″W / 34.94828°N 81.93478°W / 34.94828; -81.93478

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