Westfield Countryside facts for kids

Westfield Countryside is a large shopping mall in Clearwater, Florida. It used to be called Countryside Mall. This mall is located near the coast on the Gulf Coast. Lots of people visit it every year, more than 9 million! It has many stores, a big movie theater, lots of places to eat, and even an ice skating rink.

Mall History

Opening and Early Years

The mall first opened its doors on September 8, 1975. When it first started, it had big stores like Maas Brothers and Sears. A year later, JCPenney and J. W. Robinson's also opened.

Over the years, some of these original stores changed. Maas Brothers became Macy's, and J. W. Robinson's became Dillard's. JCPenney is the only original main store that is still there today. Sears closed in 2018, and parts of its space were used for other stores.

There was also a movie theater built near the mall. But it closed in 2000 because not enough people were going. Now, that building is an LA Fitness gym.

New Owners and Renovations

In 2002, a company called Westfield Group bought Countryside Mall. They bought 13 other shopping centers at the same time. Westfield Group is a big company that owns malls all over the world. They changed the mall's name to "Westfield Countryside" in 2005.

In April 2009, the mall started a big renovation project. This project cost $12 million! The inside of the mall got a whole new look. They changed the floors and ceilings. They also added more skylights to let in natural light. The children's play area was made bigger, and the food court was completely redesigned. Many old decorations were removed, and lots of new stores opened up. The renovations were finished in November 2009.

New Stores and Restaurants

More exciting additions came to the mall in the following years. In December 2011, a new movie theater, Countryside Cobb-12 Cinema, opened on the second floor. In 2012, several popular restaurants joined the mall, including Bar Louie, BJ's Brewhouse & Restaurant, Grimaldi's Coal Fired Pizzeria, and Red Robin Gourmet Burgers. In 2013, PF Chang's China Bistro also opened, completing a "Restaurant Row" area.

In September 2014, the first Whole Foods Market in Pinellas County opened at Westfield Countryside. It took up part of the old Sears store space. Later, in 2015, Nordstrom Rack opened its first Pinellas County location here too. It moved into the building that used to be the Sears Auto Center.

Main Stores

These are the large main stores that help bring many shoppers to the mall:

Current Main Stores

• Dillard's: This store opened in 1976 as J.W. Robinson's. It changed owners a few times before becoming Dillard's in 1991.
• JCPenney: This store also opened in 1976 and is one of the original main stores.
• Macy's: This store opened in 1975 as Maas Brothers. It became Burdines in 1991 and then Macy's in 2005.
• Nordstrom Rack: This store opened in 2015 in the space that used to be the Sears Auto Center.
• Whole Foods Market: This grocery store opened in 2014, taking up part of the old Sears building.

Past Main Stores

• Burdines
• Maas Brothers
• Maison Blanche
• J.W. Robinson's
• Sears: This store opened in 1975 and closed on July 15, 2018.

Places to Eat

Westfield Countryside has many different restaurants and food places, including:

• BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse
• Charleys Philly Steaks
• The Cheesecake Factory
• P.F. Chang's
• Red Robin
• Sarku Japan
• Taco Bell
• Subway
• Villa Fresh Italian Kitchen

See also

In Spanish: Westfield Countryside para niños