Eastridge Mall (Gastonia) facts for kids
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Entrance to Eastridge Mall, October 2011
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| Location | Gastonia, North Carolina, United States |
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| Coordinates | 35°15′54″N 81°08′52″W / 35.2649°N 81.1478°W |
| Address | 246 North New Hope Road |
| Opening date | 1976 |
| Developer | Carlson Properties |
| Owner | CityView Commercial, LLC |
| No. of stores and services | Around 70 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 4 |
| Total retail floor area | 919,557 sq ft (85,429.6 m2) |
| No. of floors | 3 |
| Parking | 4,214 |
Eastridge Mall is a large shopping center in Gastonia, North Carolina. It is about 19 miles (31 km) west of Charlotte, North Carolina. The mall first opened in 1976. You can find it off Interstate 85 at exit 20. Eastridge Mall has around 70 stores for you to explore.
The mall was once called Westfield Eastridge. But when it was sold, it went back to its original name, Eastridge Mall.
Contents
Main Stores at Eastridge Mall
These are the main department stores, also called "anchor stores," that help bring shoppers to the mall.
Belk
Belk was one of the first big stores when Eastridge Mall opened. It used to be called Matthews Belk. While other main stores moved during renovations, Belk stayed in its spot. It got a big makeover inside.
JCPenney (Closed in 2017)
JCPenney was also one of the first stores at the mall. However, it moved to a new spot in 1997. The new JCPenney store was 104,000 sq ft (9,660 m2) big. The old building was taken down. JCPenney closed its doors on July 31, 2017.
Dillard's
When the mall opened, the third main store was Ivey's. In 1990, Dillard's bought all the Ivey's stores, including the one at Eastridge Mall. Dillard's then built a new, larger store in 1998. This new store was 202,000 sq ft (18,800 m2) and took the place of the old JCPenney site.
Sears (Closed in 2014)
Sears became the fourth main store in 1998. It moved into the space that Dillard's used to be in. Sears closed its Eastridge Mall location in December 2014.
Curt's Premium Outlet
Curt's Premium Outlet now uses the large space where JCPenney used to be.
Teddy’s Emporium Outlet
Teddy’s Emporium Outlet is located in the space that was once Sears. Teddy’s and Curt’s Premium Outlet have the same owner.
Who Owns Eastridge Mall?
Eastridge Mall was built in 1976 by Carlson Properties. It was built on land that used to be a dairy farm. Over the years, the mall has had a few different owners.
In 1989, Jacobs, Visconsi & Jacobs Co. bought the mall. They had been managing it since 1984. Then, in 1999, the Richard E. Jacobs Group Inc. decided to sell Eastridge Mall and many other malls.
In 2002, a company from Sydney, Australia called Westfield America Trust bought Eastridge Mall. They bought it along with eight other shopping centers. After this, the mall's name changed to Westfield Shoppingtown Eastridge. Later, in 2005, they dropped "Shoppingtown" from the name. Eastridge was the last mall in North Carolina owned by Westfield America after 2006.
In 2013, Westfield sold Eastridge Mall to CityView Commercial, LLC. This company is from Brooklyn, New York. When the mall was sold, the "Westfield" part of the name was removed. The mall became Eastridge Mall again.
Mall Updates and Changes
Eastridge Mall had its first big renovation in 1996. This included adding new parts to the mall.
- A new JCPenney store was built.
- The old JCPenney building was taken down.
- A new Dillard's store was built where the old JCPenney was.
- Sears moved into the space that Dillard's used to have.
To make space for new buildings, the mall changed some parking spots. The mall's inside was also updated. New entrances were built, and the floors and decorations were replaced. A new food court was opened in a different spot. Most of the inside renovation was finished by November 1998. The work on the new main stores continued into 1999.
Even after Westfield America bought the mall in 2002 and renamed it, some signs still said "Eastridge Mall." By August 2004, all signs with the old name were finally changed. When CityView Commercial took over in 2013, they quickly put up new "Eastridge Mall" signs.
Things That Used to Be Here
Eastridge IV Cinemas
This movie theater had four screens. It was on the second floor of the mall since it opened in 1976. The theater closed on January 8, 1998. It closed to make room for the new food court during the mall's renovation.
Jeepers!
The mall's third floor was empty for a while. In December 2004, it reopened with a "Jeepers!" theme park restaurant. This place was 28,000 sq ft (2,600 m2) big. It had games, a playground, a diner, party rooms, and rides. Jeepers! even had a small roller coaster called Python Pit. This roller coaster was special because it had a height limit for riders. Jeepers! closed in early 2006. The roller coaster was later moved to a different park in Williamsburg, Virginia.
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