Northpark Mall (Missouri) facts for kids
| Location | Joplin, Missouri, United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 37°05′26″N 94°28′25″W / 37.09068°N 94.47372°W |
| Opening date | 1972 |
| Developer | Newman's and Enterprise Development |
| Owner | CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. |
| No. of stores and services | 115+ |
| No. of anchor tenants | 9 (6 open, 3 vacant by April 2021) |
| Total retail floor area | 1,080,000 sq ft (100,000 m2) |
| No. of floors | 1 |
| Parking | 5,543 |
Northpark Mall is a very large shopping mall located in Joplin, Missouri. It first opened its doors in 1972. Back then, it had about 60 stores and restaurants.
Today, Northpark Mall is much bigger! It has over 100 stores and a fun food court. Some of the main stores, called anchor stores, include Vintage Stock, TJ Maxx, Jo-Ann Fabrics, H&M, JCPenney, and Dunham's Sports. It's the biggest mall in the Joplin area.
The Mall's Story
Northpark Mall opened in 1972 on Range Line Road in Joplin. When it first opened, it had big stores like Montgomery Ward, JCPenney, and a local store called Newman's. Over the years, the mall changed and grew.
In 1987, the mall got bigger with a new section. This new part added more stores, including Famous-Barr and Venture. A new food court and a movie theater were also built. The mall also got a fresh new look.
Later, in 1994, Sears opened a store at the mall. This was a big change for the shopping center. Over time, some stores closed and new ones took their place. For example, Famous-Barr stores became Macy's in 2006.
In 2006, the mall had a major makeover. It got new colors, new lights, and new floor tiles. The food court was also updated with a cool Route 66 theme.
More recently, in 2016, Dunham's Sports opened in a large space. This meant that all the main anchor spots in the mall were full for the first time in 15 years! In 2017, the popular Swedish clothing store H&M opened its first location in southwest Missouri at Northpark Mall.
However, some big changes happened in 2019 and 2021. Sears closed its store in February 2020. Then, in April 2021, both Macy's stores also closed. This left TJ Maxx, JCPenney, and Dunham's Sports as the main anchor stores.
Joplin High School's Temporary Home
After the terrible 2011 Joplin tornado destroyed Joplin High School, the mall stepped in to help. The mall became a temporary school for high school juniors and seniors.
A part of the mall was changed into classrooms. Students started attending classes there on August 17, 2011. This was a big help for the community. Joplin High School stayed at the mall until August 2014. That's when their brand new school building was ready.
