Coral Ridge Mall facts for kids
 |
|
| Location | 1451 Coral Ridge Avenue, Coralville, Iowa, United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°41′28″N 91°36′11″W / 41.691°N 91.603°W |
| Opening date | July 29, 1998 |
| Developer | General Growth Properties |
| Management | Brookfield Properties Retail Group |
| Owner | Brookfield Properties Retail Group |
| No. of stores and services | 114 (as of August 2008) |
| No. of anchor tenants | 19 |
| Total retail floor area | 1,187,097 sq ft (110,284.9 m2) |
| No. of floors | 1 (2 in Scheels All Sports) |
| Parking | 5,133 spaces |
Coral Ridge Mall is a very large shopping mall located in Coralville, Iowa. It's a popular spot for people from Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, and other nearby towns in eastern Iowa. The mall is owned and managed by Brookfield Properties Retail Group.
This mall is huge, covering over 1.1 million square feet. It has a big food court with about 1,000 seats and free Wi-Fi. You can also find a fun "antique" carousel and a special play area for kids. One of the coolest features is an NHL-sized ice rink! People use the rink for public skating, and the University of Iowa Hawkeyes hockey team even plays their home games there.
The mall has many well-known stores. Some of the main ones include PetSmart, Marshalls, Barnes & Noble, Dillard's, Ashley HomeStore, Marcus Cinema, The Iowa Children's Museum, Best Buy, Target, H&M, Scheels All Sports, JCPenney, and Old Navy.
History of Coral Ridge Mall
Coral Ridge Mall first opened its doors on July 29, 1998. Right from the start, every single store space was rented out. In its first month, the mall welcomed one million visitors! Today, it still attracts around 10 million visitors each year.
The mall's opening also led to more stores being built nearby. Big stores like Kohl's, Lowe's, and Walmart Supercenter opened in the area around the mall.
Over the years, some stores have changed.
- In 2013, Sears closed its store.
- In 2016, the old Sears building was taken down to make room for six new stores.
- In 2017, Hollister Co. closed, and Victoria's Secret expanded into that space.
- Also in 2017, new stores like HomeGoods, Marshalls, PetSmart, and Ulta Beauty opened.
- In 2018, Younkers closed permanently.
- In 2019, Five Below and Ashley HomeStore opened. Ashley HomeStore took over the old Younkers space.
- In 2020, Tuesday Morning opened.
- Later in 2020, Forever 21 closed. Scheels All Sports expanded into that area. Other stores like Claire's, GameStop, and Auntie Anne's also moved to new spots.
- More recently, Windsor plans to open a store where Charlotte Russe used to be. H&M is also planning to open a new location.
How the Mall Affected the Area
When Coral Ridge Mall was being planned, some business owners in Iowa City worried it would take away their customers. However, sales in both Coralville (where the mall is) and Iowa City actually increased after the mall opened.
The mall did cause some changes for other shopping centers nearby. Malls like Old Capitol Mall in Iowa City and Westdale Mall in Cedar Rapids saw more stores close after Coral Ridge Mall opened. Many of Coral Ridge Mall's main stores had moved from other shopping centers.
However, over time, other malls like Old Capitol Mall and Sycamore Mall in Iowa City became busy again. They focused on unique and specialty stores.
