Meadowood Mall is a one-level, 890,000-square-foot (83,000Â m2) super-regional mall in Reno, Nevada, owned and managed by Simon Property Group. Meadowood Mall contains 100 retailers and restaurants and it is anchored by Macy's Women, Macy's Men/Home, Sears and JCPenney.
History
Meadowood Mall opened in 1978 anchored by JCPenney, Liberty House, and Macy's. Liberty House closed in 1983 and Macy's South moved in the following year. The mall added a Copeland's Sporting Goods Superstore in 1989 as a fourth anchor. An expansion in 1995 added Sears as a fifth anchor, with additional in-line shops, and the Palms Food Court. Following Copeland's bankruptcy filing in 1996, the company was acquired by Sports Authority. Meadowood Mall's superstore was subsequently re-branded, despite Sports Authority having a stand-alone location less than a mile away. Due to operating costs of having two stores in such a close proximity, the Meadowood location was closed in 2011. There are now over 100 shops, a food court and one restaurant in the mall.
1995 Expansion
Despite renovations, nearby Park Lane Mall struggled to compete with Meadowood Mall and had been failing to retain tenants for several years. The Taubman Company, which owned Meadowood Mall at the time, took advantage and was able to woo several tenants from Park Lane as part of an expansion project. The most notable addition was Sears, which built a two story anchor location on the north end of the mall, with a new hallway and several new inline store locations leading to the new anchor. The addition also created space for a food court, named the Palms Food Court, to house 12 eateries.
Ownership Changes
The mall was built and operated by Taubman Company for its first two decades. General Motors Pension Trusts acquired the mall from Taubman in 1998 in exchange for equity it had in the mall company. In April 2004, General Motors Pension Trusts sold the mall to Mills Corporation, which, in turn, was bought by Simon Property Group in 2007.
2013 Modernization
The 2006 opening of the upscale Summit Sierra Marketplace in south Reno coupled with the 2008 opening of Legends at Sparks Marina in Sparks, NV left Meadowood Mall trailing in shopping destinations for the region despite it being the lone enclosed mall in the region. As a result, Simon Properties and the mall announced plans for a $3.5 million renovation to bring new stores, restaurants, and a much needed facelift updating the 1970s decor. The announcement made on 22 January 2013 included the following new stores: Vans scheduled to open in August in a location vacated by the Disney Store, Pink by Victoria's Secret, scheduled to open in May, and Forever 21, scheduled to open in July.
As part of the renovation, many existing tenants relocated to larger, renovated locations closer to the center of the mall and the food court. These moves will give the new tenants opportunities to expand into large format stores built from two or three previous tenants. The new Forever 21 store occupied a space from three previous tenants: Borders Express (seasonally occupied by Go Games and Calendars in 2012), Buckle (seasonally occupied by Toys"R"Us Express in 2012) and Claire's. Buckle relocated within the mall in 2012; Claire's has closed their Icing brand store and moved to that location. Additionally, Champs Sports moved to a renovated location vacated by Pac Sun and Kiddie Kandids and Spencer's relocated to the former No Fear location. Victoria's Secret has moved to a temporary location, as Pink took their current location near center court.
The renovation also includes updated restrooms and a new private nursing area for mothers. The new restrooms near the food court opened on March 5, 2013 with renovations on additional restrooms throughout the mall beginning the same day.
Layout
Meadowood Mall has a unique semicircular design, with a straight corridor leading to Sears. A large food court, called the Palms can be found near Sears. Many of the stores in between the anchors are upscale, with many health and beauty and high-end clothing shoppes. A restaurant and small casino can be found near several entrances.
Anchors
Meadowood Leasing identified the following tenants as anchors:
- JCPenney (148,800 sq ft.) opened in 1978
- Macy's Men's and Home (98,700 sq ft.) opened in 1984
- Macy's Women's and Children's (165,500 sq ft.) opened in 1978
- Sears (164,500 sq ft.) opened in 1995
Former Anchors
- Liberty House (1978-1983) Closed when the Hawaii-based company began to close mainland stores.
- Copeland's/Sports Authority (1989-2011) Rebranded as Sports Authority in 1996; closed in 2011.
Dining
The mall's food court features 12 fast food eateries to choose from, with options ranging from typical American, Italian, Asian, to sandwiches and desserts.
There are also five additional drink and snack options throughout the mall outside of the food court and one full service restaurant.
Meadowood Mall now has a The Cheesecake Factory.
References
External links
- Simon Malls Website
- Meadowood Mall Website
- 775 Gastropub Website
