Mall St. Matthews facts for kids
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Exterior view of Mall St. Matthews, April 2016
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| Location | Louisville, Kentucky, United States |
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| Coordinates | 38°14′47″N 85°37′26″W / 38.24647°N 85.62379°W |
| Address | 5000 Shelbyville Road |
| Opening date | May 30, 1962 |
| Developer | The Rouse Company |
| Management | Brookfield Properties Retail Group |
| Owner | Brookfield Properties Retail Group |
| No. of stores and services | 130 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 3 |
| Total retail floor area | 1,017,000 sq ft (94,482 m2) |
| No. of floors | 1 plus upper level access to Dave & Buster's (2 in Dillard's Men and JCPenney, 3 in Dillard's Women) |
| Parking | 4526 |
Mall St. Matthews is a large shopping mall located in Louisville, Kentucky. You can find it at 5000 Shelbyville Road in the eastern part of St. Matthews, Kentucky. It's a popular place for shopping, eating, and hanging out.
Contents
A Look Back: How the Mall Started
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Mall St. Matthews first opened its doors on May 30, 1962. It was originally called "The Mall." This mall was special because it was the very first enclosed suburban shopping mall in the entire state of Kentucky.
The Rouse Company built the mall. It was placed right next to the Watterson Expressway. When it first opened, it had three main "anchor stores." These are big stores that attract many shoppers. The original anchor stores were A & P, Kaufman-Straus, and Rose's.
Growing Bigger: New Stores and Features
In the 1960s, the mall got even bigger. A JCPenney store was added. The mall also had fun features for visitors. There was a children's play area with turtle characters to climb on. You could also find a giant chess set and many fountains.
Over time, other malls were built nearby. So, the mall's name was changed to "The Mall in St. Matthews." Later, in the late 1980s, it became simply "Mall St. Matthews."
Modern Makeovers: Renovations and Food
In the early 1990s, the mall got a big makeover. A new food court was added, which is a place with many different restaurants. A new section of the mall was also built. This new part brought in more stores.
The mall continued to grow and change. In 1995, a new wing was added, and Dillard's opened a store. In 1997, Lord & Taylor also opened.
Changes and New Additions
In 2004, Lord & Taylor closed its store. Later, in 2007, Dillard's moved its men's, children's, and home sections into that space.
In 2012, a popular clothing store called Forever 21 opened in a large space that used to be a Dillard's/Bacon's store.
Today, Brookfield Properties Retail Group owns Mall St. Matthews. They also own another mall nearby called Oxmoor Center. The main stores at Mall St. Matthews are Dillard's (which has two separate sections) and JCPenney. There's also a 10-screen Cinemark movie theater. It opened in 2013 and is connected to the mall, but it's owned separately.
Keeping Everyone Safe
On December 26, 2015, a large group of teenagers gathered at the mall. Some fighting happened, and the mall had to close early. After this event, the mall put a temporary rule in place. It said that visitors between 10 and 17 years old needed to be with an adult (at least 21 years old) after 4 PM on Fridays and Saturdays. This rule helped keep everyone safe and made the mall a better place to visit.
Recent Upgrades and Future Fun
In 2017, the mall announced a major renovation for its food court. This included new floor tiles, new furniture, and upgrades to the restrooms.
Part of the Forever 21 store was made smaller. This allowed for exciting new additions. A Dave & Buster's opened on the second floor of that building in 2018. Ulta Beauty also opened on the first floor. These changes made the mall even more fun and modern for everyone.
