Three Rivers Mall is an enclosed shopping mall located in Kelso, Washington that opened in 1987, on the site of a former golf course adjacent to Interstate 5. Previously owned by General Growth Properties, the mall was one of 30 malls that was spun off into Rouse Properties in 2012. Rouse was acquired by Brookfield Properties Retail Group in 2016. In July 2019, Brookfield sold the mall to Arizona-based Three Rivers Village, LLC.[2]
 Food court inside the Three Rivers Mall | |
 | |
| Location | Kelso, Washington |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 46°08′24″N 122°54′05″W / 46.1401303°N 122.901423°W |
| Address | 351 Three Rivers Drive |
| Opening date | 1987 |
| Developer | The Hahn Company |
| Management | Three Rivers Village, LLC |
| Owner | Three Rivers Village, LLC |
| No. of stores and services | 32 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 4 (3 open, 1 vacant)[1] |
| Total retail floor area | 561,755 square feet (52,188.7 m2) |
| No. of floors | 1 |
| Website | threeriversmall |
The mall has three anchors: JCPenney, Sportsman's Warehouse, and Regal Cinemas. Its original main anchors were The Bon Marche (which became Macy's; closed 2017), JCPenney, Sears (closed 2013), and Emporium (closed 2001).
The Kelso Public Library moved its main branch to the mall in 2011.[3]
The mall also has several freestanding businesses: Safeway (originally TOP Food & Drug), Target (opened 1990), and Pier 1 Imports (which closed in 2020 along with the rest of the chain). There are also several freestanding restaurants: Red Lobster, Panera Bread, and Fiesta Bonita Mexican Restaurant. There is one vacant restaurant which was last occupied by Izzy's Pizza, which, according to a Facebook post, closed during 2020 for a remodel, and has not reopened as of August, 2021.[4] Regal Cinemas operated a freestanding theater until January 2015, when it relocated into the main mall.
History
editWhile the mall opened to great fanfare in 1987, bringing a variety of new stores to the area, as well as the relocation of Sears, JCPenney, and The Bon Marche from nearby downtown Longview, Washington, the mall began to struggle in the early 2000s, starting with the closure of the Emporium chain. A few tenants, such as a used car showroom, a seasonal Halloween store, and a church, occupied the former Emporium for brief periods of time until 2014. The decline in foot traffic prompted many smaller retailers to close, and some chains present in the mall such as Radio Shack, Sam Goody, and KB Toys, were also closed as those chains struggled. The food court also dwindled down to a couple of local tenants. Sears announced late in 2012[5] that they would close their store in the mall in January 2013,[6] which further reduced foot traffic. Among the businesses that left after Sears closed were Big 5 Sporting Goods,[7] Fred Meyer Jewelers, and Mr. Formal.[8] Chuck E. Cheese's also closed their location inside the mall on April 7, 2014.[9] Macy's announced in January 2017[10] that the Kelso location is one of 68 stores that would be closing. The store closed in March 2017. As of February 2018, there were no tenants open in the food court, and the food court remained vacant until March 2020.
Sportsman's Warehouse opened in the former Emporium store in July 2014.[11] The former Sears store has been demolished, and Regal Cinemas has constructed a new theater on the former Sears site, which replaced the mall's freestanding theater, as well as the Triangle Cinemas in nearby Longview. The new theater opened in January 2015.[12] The mall's management announced in September 2014 that Planet Fitness will be moving into the former Chuck E. Cheese's site with additional space.[13] Planet Fitness held its grand opening in January 2015.[14] Panera Bread built a new, freestanding location which opened in December 2017.[15] A local business called The Coffee Court opened in the mall's food court in March 2020. This is the first food court tenant in over two years.[16]
List of anchor stores
edit| Name | Year opened |
Year closed |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chuck E. Cheese's | 2004 | 2014 | |
| Emporium | 1987 | 2001 | |
| JCPenney | 1987 | — | |
| Macy's | 2005 | 2017 | Replaced The Bon Marche |
| Planet Fitness | 2015 | — | Replaced Chuck E. Cheese's |
| Regal Cinemas | 2015 | — | Replaced Sears |
| Sears | 1987 | 2013 | Building was demolished to make way for Regal Cinemas. |
| Sportsman's Warehouse | 2014 | — | Replaced Emporium |
| The Bon Marche | 1987 | 2005 | Continued operating until 2017 as Macy's. |
In popular culture
editAn episode of the Food Network show Food Court Wars was filmed in the mall. The episode titled "Gaufre Gourmet vs. Pressed" originally aired on March 30, 2014.[17] The winner of the contest received one year of free rent in the food court, and Gaufre Gourmet opened for business in April 2014. However, citing a lack of foot traffic, Gaufre Gourmet closed in September 2014, and the owners have since opened a restaurant in Portland, Oregon.[18]
References
edit- ^ "Three Rivers Mall". Brookfield Properties Retail Group.
- ^ Gruben, Mallory (July 18, 2019). "Three Rivers Mall gets new owners". The Daily News. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
- ^ Fischer, Amy M.E. (January 15, 2011). "Kelso Public Library sets up shop at Three Rivers Mall". The Daily News.
- ^ "Izzy's Pizza & Buffet on Facebook". Facebook. Archived from the original on 2022-04-30.[user-generated source]
- ^ Fischer, Amy M.E. (October 17, 2012). "Kelso's Sears store to close in January". The Daily News.
- ^ Olson, Erik (January 20, 2013). "Sears closes its doors at Three Rivers Mall". The Daily News.
- ^ Olson, Erik (September 6, 2013). "Big 5 Sporting Goods moving store to Triangle Center in Longview". The Daily News.
- ^ "Fred Meyer Jewelers, Mr. Formal leaving Three Rivers Mall". The Daily News. January 2, 2014.
- ^ Fischer, Amy M.E. (April 4, 2014). "Chuck E. Cheese's at Kelso's Three Rivers Mall to close Monday". The Daily News.
- ^ "Kelso Macys to close". The Daily News. January 4, 2017.
- ^ "Sportsman's Warehouse ready for grand opening at Three Rivers Mall". The Daily News. July 31, 2014. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
- ^ Luck, Marissa (January 8, 2015). "Regal ready to raise the curtain on new 12-screen theater in Kelso". The Daily News.
- ^ "Three Rivers Mall manager confirms Planet Fitness to open this year". The Daily News. September 2, 2014.
- ^ Moskowitz, Shira (January 3, 2015). "Opening of Planet Fitness means more visits home for former Rainier resident". The Daily News.
- ^ Lundy, Rose (December 12, 2017). "New Panera Bread location brings healthy alternatives to Kelso". The Daily News.
- ^ Fairbanks, Katie (March 10, 2020). "The Coffee Court brings food back to Kelso mall". The Daily News.
- ^ Olson, Erik (February 20, 2014). "Kelso 'Food Court Wars' episode to air March 30". The Daily News.
- ^ Luck, Marissa (January 14, 2015). "'Food Court Wars' winner closes shop at Three Rivers Mall". The Daily News.