Gateway Fashion Mall - Gateway Pharmacy

Gateway Fashion Mall (formerly Gateway Mall) is an enclosed shopping mall in Bismarck, North Dakota. Opened in 1979, the mall has more than 30 stores, with Hancock Fabrics and Sears as anchor stores.

History

The mall was opened in September 1979 with anchor stores Sears, A.W. Lucas & Co., and White Mart. The mall served for many years as an alternative to the larger Kirkwood Mall, originally featuring a three-screen movie theater and food court to complement the three anchor stores and several in-line tenants.

Thrifty White began closing its White Mart operations in the late 1980s; the store at Gateway Mall was taken by Menards, a Wisconsin-based home improvement chain. Menards have re-located outside the mall, and a portion of the location was turned into a "Medical Mall" housing clinics managed by the PrimeCare Health Network, while the remainder of the former White Mart/Menards was converted to Hancock Fabrics.

The middle anchor of the original three was A.W. Lucas. Their closure made way for Herberger's, which closed in 1994. The space, which later became Jacob's, then World's Greatest Deals, was later taken over by Conlin's Furniture.

The mall's theaters were expanded to the "Midco 8", and at the time of expansion, the complex was the largest theater in the city. The theater remains today, competing with the nearby Grand 15 Theaters. The theater is now owned by Carmike Cinemas.

For many years, the Gateway to Science Center had a location inside the center of the mall. This hands-on museum allowed visitors to try science-related activities and experiments. The Gateway to Science Center has moved to a new location outside the mall.

The mall saw the loss of many tenants over the years, including the majority of the food court tenants. Currently, Subway and Gelato d'Italia, an Italian ice cream shop, are the only tenants in the food court.

In 2006, Osco Drug, an original tenant, was converted to CVS/Pharmacy.

Gateway Mall today

Since January, 2003, the mall has been sold three times. On May 10, 2006 it was announced that the center was purchased by Raymond Arjmand, of Encino, California at a purchase price of $13.25 million. It celebrated a re-opening on November 18, 2006, and is now known as "Gateway Fashion Mall". Arjmand is nearing completion of a $10 million renovation to the mall. Macy's was mentioned as an additional anchor store in 2006, but never came to fruition. A two story addition including a vaulted atrium is in the process of being built, which will require the relocation of the food court and will add up to six new stores. Under the new ownership the mall is leased at 85% of its capacity.

Major tenants vacate

In 2008, CVS/pharmacy announced they were leaving Gateway Mall upon constructing their own freestanding store. On June 26, 2009, Conlin's Furniture and Joy's Hallmark announced intentions to vacate the mall. This marks the fourth anchor store to depart from the space occupied by Conlin's Furniture in the mall's thirty-year existence. Joy's Hallmark had been a tenant at the mall for over twenty years.

References

• Gateway Mall history

External links

• Gateway Fashion Mall website
• Mid-Dakota Clinic