Fox River Mall facts for kids
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Main food court entrance
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| Location | Grand Chute, Wisconsin |
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| Coordinates | 44°16′08″N 88°28′13″W / 44.26899°N 88.47033°W |
| Address | 4301 W. Wisconsin Ave., Appleton, WI 54913 |
| Opening date | July 18, 1984 |
| Owner | Brookfield Properties Retail Group |
| No. of stores and services | 136 (As of December 2018[update]) |
| No. of anchor tenants | 9 (7 open, 2 vacant) |
| Total retail floor area |
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| No. of floors | 2 (1 in JCPenney, Target, former Sears, and former Younkers, closed basement in Scheels All Sports) |
| Public transit access | Valley Transit Stop near Target |
| Source: mall website | |
The Fox River Mall is a very large indoor shopping center located in Grand Chute, Wisconsin, United States. It serves the Appleton, Wisconsin area and is a big part of the local economy. Its construction helped the Grand Chute shopping area grow. Today, this area is known as the "shopping capital of Wisconsin". At 1.21 million square feet, it is the biggest mall in the state.
The main stores, called anchor stores, are Orangetheory Fitness, Talbots, Macy's, Scheels All Sports, Ulta Beauty, JCPenney, and Target. There are also two empty anchor spots where Sears and Younkers used to be.
History of the Mall
Before the Fox River Mall was built, the Appleton area didn't have a big shopping mall. Local business leaders wanted to change this. They encouraged a company to build a large mall. The west side of Interstate 41 was mostly empty back then, making it a great spot for the new mall.
The mall first opened its doors on July 18, 1984. It started with one main store, Sears, along with 67 other shops, a movie theater, and a Walgreens drugstore. Over the years, the mall grew bigger several times. For example, in 1991, a store called Dayton's opened a new location. This store later became Marshall Field's, and now it is Macy's.
The mall had its last major update in 2004. By 2014, it became the largest mall in Wisconsin. It now covers about 1.2 million square feet.
In May 2018, the mall's Younkers store closed down. It had been one of the main stores for 26 years. Then, on December 28, 2018, it was announced that the Sears store would also close. It shut its doors on March 17, 2019. The mall plans to develop these empty spaces in the future, but no specific plans have been shared yet.
What You'll Find at the Mall
The Fox River Mall sits on about 137 acres (0.55 km2) of land. It is the largest shopping mall in Wisconsin, with more than 140 stores.
It has a large food court called the Northwoods Café. Here, you can find over a dozen different places to grab a bite to eat. There is also a strip mall nearby called Fox River Plaza, which is part of the mall's property.
The main part of the mall has a total shopping area of 1,183,953 sq ft (109,992.8 m2). Some stores and restaurants are in separate buildings outside the main mall. When you add those up, the total shopping area is about 1,210,000 sq ft (112,000 m2).
The Fox River Mall is owned by a company called Brookfield Properties Retail Group.
