Southern Park Mall facts for kids
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| Location | Boardman, Ohio |
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| Coordinates | 41°01′17″N 80°39′32″W / 41.0213889°N 80.6588889°W |
| Address | 7401 Market Street |
| Opening date | 1970 |
| Developer | Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation |
| Management | Washington Prime Group |
| Owner | Washington Prime Group |
| No. of stores and services | 75 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 4 (3 open, 1 vacant) |
| Total retail floor area | 1,100,000 square feet (100,000 m2) |
| No. of floors | 1 (2 in anchors) |
| Public transit access |  WRTA Available at mall: 7 Glenwood, 8 Market, 5 South, 26 Boardman East Loop |
The Southern Park Mall is a popular shopping center located in Boardman, Ohio, USA. It was built in 1970 by the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation. Today, it is owned by Washington Prime Group. This mall is the biggest place to shop in Mahoning County. It has a huge area of about 1,198,000 square feet (111,300 m2) for stores and activities.
The mall got its name from the old Southern Park Race Track. This was a famous horse racing place. It was about 1.5 miles south of where the mall is now. One building from the race track, the Southern Park Stable, is still there. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
Contents
What Stores Were First at Southern Park Mall?
When the Southern Park Mall first opened, it had four main department stores. These big stores are called "anchor stores" because they attract many shoppers.
- JCPenney
- Strouss, a store from Youngstown
- Sears
- Joseph Horne Co, a smaller store from Pittsburgh
Over time, some of these stores changed names or closed. For example, the Strouss store became Kaufmann's in 1986. Later, in 2006, it changed again to Macy's. Dillard's bought the Joseph Horne Co. store.
How Has the Mall Changed Over Time?
The Southern Park Mall has been updated several times. In 1997, the mall got a big makeover. This happened after the company that built the mall, the DeBartolo Corporation, joined with Simon Property Group.
Simon Property Group spent $19 million to improve the inside of the mall. They added a food court where people could eat. They also built a Cinemark Tinseltown movie theater. This movie theater opened in 1997 and has 7 screens. Another store called Jillian's was at the mall from 1999 to 2011. It took the place of a Woolworth store.
In 2014, the mall was sold to a new owner. Simon Property Group sold Southern Park Mall to Washington Prime Group. This company was a new business created by Simon Property Group.
Recent Changes to Anchor Stores
Some of the original anchor stores have closed in recent years.
- On April 5, 2018, Sears announced it would close its store. It closed in July 2018.
- On February 13, 2019, Dillard's also announced it would close. It closed on May 14, 2019.
After these closings, JCPenney and Macy's became the only two main anchor stores left. The building where Dillard's used to be was sold. No plans have been shared yet for what will happen with that space.
What Stores Are There Now?
The Southern Park Mall still has several large anchor stores that bring in shoppers.
- JCPenney (about 262,000 square feet (24,341 m2) of space)
- Macy's (about 186,980 square feet (17,371 m2) of space)
- H&M (about 18,000 square feet (1,672 m2) of space)
What is DeBartolo Commons?
In September 2019, work began to change the area where the old Sears store and its auto center used to be. This new area is called DeBartolo Commons. It will have new shops, green spaces, and a sports field. There will also be a stage for performances.
The mall's owner is talking with a fitness company that wants to open there. They are also talking with a company that wants to open an indoor golf center with a restaurant. These new additions will make the mall an even more exciting place to visit.
