Willamette Town Center facts for kids
South side of the mall
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| Location | Salem, Oregon, United States |
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| Coordinates | 44°56′30″N 122°59′11″W / 44.94180°N 122.98650°W |
| Opening date | 1971 |
| No. of stores and services | 80 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 8 |
| Total retail floor area | 648,990 sq ft (60,293 m2) (GLA), includes outlying retailers |
| No. of floors | 1 |
| Parking | 3,523 |
Willamette Town Center, once known as Lancaster Mall, is a big shopping mall in Salem, Oregon, United States. It first opened its doors in 1971. The main part of the mall is huge, with about 550,000 square feet of space. This regional mall is located on Lancaster Drive. It's also right next to Interstate 5, making Willamette Town Center a major shopping spot for the city of Salem.
Contents
A Look Back: The Mall's Story
How the Mall Started
When Willamette Town Center first opened, it was an outdoor mall. Imagine shopping under the sky! But in 1970, the owners spent $5 million to make it even better. They put a roof over it, turning it into an enclosed mall. This meant shoppers could stay warm and dry, no matter the weather. A big store called Montgomery Ward then moved into the newly improved mall.
New Ideas and Green Efforts
In 1972, the mall was one of the first places in Oregon to get a special machine. This was an automated teller machine (ATM) that wasn't inside a bank. It was a new idea back then! Later, around 1976, a restaurant called TacoTime tried something new at their mall location.
In 2008, Lancaster Mall earned an "EarthWISE Certification." This means the mall works hard to be kind to the environment. They do things like recycling, reducing waste, saving energy, and using less water. They also try to buy products that are good for the planet.
A New Name and New Stores
The mall changed its name to Willamette Town Center in 2017. With the new name came some exciting new stores! HomeGoods, Sierra Trading Post, and Hobby Lobby were added. Part of the indoor mall area was changed. The new stores now have their own entrances from outside.
Later, some older stores closed. On October 15, 2018, it was announced that Sears would be closing its doors. In May 2020, Pier 1 Imports, which was near the former Sears, also announced it would be closing all its stores.
Main Stores: Today's Anchors
Anchor stores are the big, main stores that attract lots of shoppers to a mall. Here are some of the current anchor stores at Willamette Town Center:
- Jo-Ann Fabric & Crafts
- Best Buy
- Burlington Coat Factory
- Regal Cinemas
- HomeGoods
- Petco
- Ulta Beauty
- Hobby Lobby
- DSW
Past Stores: Former Anchors
Over the years, some big stores have come and gone from the mall. Here are some of the former anchor stores:
- Montgomery Ward – This store closed in 2001.
- The Bon Marché – This store later became Macy's.
- Emporium – This store closed in 2003 when its company went out of business.
- Sports Authority – This store opened in the space where Emporium used to be. It closed in 2016.
- Macy's – This store announced its closure in 2016 and officially closed in 2017.
- Sears – This store closed in 2019.
