Bellis Fair is an enclosed shopping mall in Bellingham, Washington, United States. Opened on August 4, 1988, it features JCPenney, Kohl's, Macy's, Macy's Home Store, Dick's Sporting Goods, DSW, H&M, Forever 21, Ashley Furniture, and Target. The mall is located along Interstate 5 at its interchange with State Route 539 (Guide Meridian Road) north of downtown Bellingham.
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| Coordinates | 48°47′09″N 122°29′26″W / 48.78580°N 122.49067°W |
|---|---|
| Address | 1 Bellis Fair Parkway Bellingham, Washington 98226 |
| Opening date | August 1988 |
| Developer | General Growth |
| Management | 4th Dimension Properties |
| Owner | 4th Dimension Properties |
| No. of anchor tenants | 6 |
| Total retail floor area | 773,000 square feet (72,000 m2)[1] |
| No. of floors | 1 (staff mezzanine in Target) |
| Website | bellisfair |
History
editBellis Fair opened in August 1988, at the site of a former USDA Soil Conservation Service plant-materials center.[2] Plans to build a regional shopping center north of Bellingham were announced in 1980 by the Trillium Corporation, who had acquired 1,200 acres (490 ha) for retail and office development.[3] The mall attracted several retailers from downtown Bellingham, including Sears, Cineplex Odeon, JCPenney and The Bon Marché, who had failed to build a mall in downtown Bellingham in the early 1980s.[4] Mervyn's and Target also anchored the mall initially, with the latter as part of the first wave of Target stores in the Pacific Northwest.[5] The mall was popular with shoppers from nearby Vancouver, Canada in the early 1990s,[6] but sales waned as the Canadian dollar declined in value against the American dollar by 1995.[7]
In 1990, a Nordstrom Place Two store was added, having also relocated from downtown Bellingham.[8] The Nordstrom Place Two store was later converted to Nordstrom Rack in 1994, before closing in 1999[9] and becoming an auxiliary store for The Bon Marché. Also in 1999, Old Navy was added.[10]
Bellis Fair Mall is the last place North Carolina student Leah Roberts was seen in March 2000 before she disappeared. She bought a ticket to watch the movie American Beauty at the mall and she ate at a café there. Her crashed car was later discovered nearby but no trace of her has ever been found.
Both Bon Marché stores became Bon-Macy's in 2003 and Macy's in 2005. After Mervyn's closed its stores in the Pacific Northwest in 2006, many of the locations were sold to Kohl's, including the Bellis Fair store.[11] Sears closed in January 2013 and became Sports Authority the same year.[12] The cinema closed in 2014, replaced with many restaurants.
Portions of the mall were renovated in 2015 including the common area, food court and entryways.[13] Sports Authority closed in 2016 and was replaced with a Dick's Sporting Goods in 2017. Ashley Furniture opened in the remainder of the former Sears in 2018.[14]
In February 2022, Brookfield Property Partners defaulted on its $77 million loan and the mall was put up for auction. Brookfield's original note on the property had been taken out a decade prior for $93 million when the mall was valued at $145 million.[15]
In December 2022, 4th Dimension Properties acquired the mall at auction for $44 million. The developer stated an intent to improve the mall's nearly 80% occupancy rate by attracting nontraditional tenants.[16]
A branch of the Bellingham Public Library opened in the mall on April 26, 2023.[17]
References
edit- ^ "Bellis Fair". Brookfield Properties.
- ^ Ebner, David (September 27, 2008). "Debt: All borrowed out". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
- ^ Connell, Joan (March 16, 1980). "Shopping mall considered on Guide". The Bellingham Herald. p. A1. Retrieved February 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Gallagher, Dave (November 26, 2006). "Failed downtown mall plan paved way for Bellis Fair; Many retailers left downtown for Meridian St". The Bellingham Herald. p. A8. Retrieved February 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Updike, Robin (April 25, 1988). "On Target: Retailing giant aims at Northwest". The Seattle Times. p. D1.
- ^ Gupta, Himanee (December 23, 1990). "Run for the border: 'Buying American'". The Seattle Times. p. D1.
- ^ Lim, Paul J. (February 5, 1995). "Border blues: Shoppers are deserting U.S. stores as Canada's currency keeps sinking". The Seattle Times. p. F1. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
- ^ "Nordstrom To Open Store At Bellis Fair". The Seattle Times. February 6, 1990. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
- ^ "Reunion scheduled for former Nordstrom employees". The Bellingham Herald. January 22, 2009. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
- ^ "Gap widens to make room for kids' clothes". The Bellingham Herald. November 12, 1999. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
- ^ "Kohl's buys Mervyns site, advertises for employees". The Bellingham Herald. April 20, 2006. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
- ^ Gallagher, Dave (July 27, 2013). "Sports Authority gets ready for Aug. 2 opening at Bellis Fair". The Bellingham Herald. Archived from the original on November 17, 2013. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
- ^ KTGY Architecture + Planning Renovation Specs
- ^ Gallagher, Dave (April 6, 2018). "The makeover of the former Sears space at Bellis Fair will soon include this retailer". The Bellingham Herald. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
- ^ Schwartz, Ralph (March 25, 2022). "Bellis Fair defaults on $77 million loan". Cascadia Daily. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
- ^ Catalano, Frank (February 8, 2023). "Bellis Fair's future focuses on foot traffic under new owner". Cascadia Daily. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
- ^ Walsh, Nina (April 26, 2023). "Library branch opens in Bellis Fair mall". Cascadia Daily. Retrieved May 27, 2023.