Paddock Mall facts for kids
| Location | Ocala, Florida, United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 29°09′32″N 82°10′23″W / 29.158824°N 82.17318°W |
| Address | 3100 SW College Rd. |
| Opening date | August 13, 1980 |
| Developer | Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation |
| Owner | Washington Prime Group |
| No. of stores and services | 86 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 4 (3 open, 1 vacant) |
| Total retail floor area | 557,000 sq ft (51,700 m2) |
| No. of floors | 1 |
The Paddock Mall is a large indoor shopping center located in Ocala, Florida. It first opened its doors in 1980. This mall is home to many different stores, including three main "anchor stores": JCPenney, Macy's, and Belk. There is also one large space that used to be a major store called Sears, but it is now empty.
Contents
Mall History and Growth
How Paddock Mall Started
The idea for Paddock Mall began in 1973. Local builders first planned the mall. They later sold the land to a company called Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation. This company, along with Arlen Realty and Development Corporation, officially opened Paddock Mall in 1980. When it first opened, the main stores were Maas Brothers, Belk-Lindsey, and J. C. Penney.
Adding More Stores and Features
In 1991, the mall got bigger. A new large store, Sears, was added as a fourth main store. In the same year, the Maas Brothers store changed its name to Burdines. Later, in 1997, a special area with many different restaurants, called a food court, was built on the south side of the mall.
Changes to Main Stores
The Burdines store changed its name again in 2003 to Burdines-Macy's. Then, in 2005, it became simply Macy's. This is how the mall got its current Macy's store.
New Owners and Sears Closing
In 2014, a company named Washington Prime Group became the new owner of Paddock Mall. They bought it as part of a bigger deal that included other malls in Florida.
In 2015, the company that owned Sears decided to sell many of its store buildings, including the Sears store at Paddock Mall, to another company. Then, on October 15, 2018, it was announced that the Sears store at Paddock Mall would close. This was part of a plan to close many Sears stores across the country.
