Olympia's Capital Mall

Oly's second fully-enclosed retail center was built on a site situated 1.3 miles northwest of the Washington State State House. In its original incarnation, CAPITAL MALL housed over ninety stores and services.

Graphic from Ernest W. Hahn, Incorporated

The first interior mall in -or around- Olympia was developed on a site located 3 miles northeast of Washington's capitol. SOUTH SOUND CENTER, which held its grand opening in October 1966, contained fifty stores under its roof.

Graphic from Blume Realty 

Jet City-based The Bon Marche anchored the original CAPITAL MALL. The store opened, in July 1978, as the shopping hub's first operational tenant. 

Photo from http://www.angelfire.com / "BonOlympia"

J.C. Penney held its CAPITAL MALL grand opening in November 1978.

Photo from www.showcase.com

"Another Capital Idea." CAPITAL MALL started out -in 1978- with two anchors; The Bon Marche and J.C. Penney. Frederick & Nelson and Lamonts (dark gray) joined the fold in 1980. With their completion, the shopping hub covered approximately 545,300 leasable square feet, with free parking for 3,300 autos.

In 1992, CAPITAL MALL is essentially the same as in the 1980 plan. No additional square footage has been added...nor any taken away. The most visible difference is that the F & N store has been replaced by a Mervyn's. At this time, the complex houses over 100 stores and services.

Federated Stores' "Project Hyphen" rebannered the retail hub's The Bon Marche, as a Bon-Macy's, in 2003. "Project Star" completed the process in 2005, with the store becoming a full-fledged Macy's.

Photo from www.showcase.com

By 2007, the mall has become a Westfield property; this transaction occurring in November 1998. In the ensuing years, several changes were made. A Food Court was installed in reconstructed space in 2003 and Best Buy set up shop in a vacant Lamonts. A freestanding cluster center, THE PROMENADE AT WESTFIELD CAPITAL, opened in 2006. In 2007, an in-mall-Century megaplex was also dedicated.

WESTFIELD CAPITAL was sold to an East Coast investment group in late 2013. Following this transaction, the complex assumed its original name...CAPITAL MALL. A few things have changed since 2007. Mervyn's has been divided into inline stores and a Dick's Sporting Goods built. Forever 21, in a portion of the old Mervyn's, was shuttered in September 2018. The store was divided between Sephora and Shoe Department Encore.

CAPITAL MALL TENANTS 2022:

BEST BUY / DICK'S SPORTING GOODS / J.C. PENNEY (with Optical Department, Portrait Studio and Styling Salon) / MACY'S / 7 Imports / A Story Place: Ceramic & Bronze Art Exhibit / American Eagle Outfitters / Applebee's (outparcel) / AT&T Mobility / Banter By Piercing Pagona (kiosk) / Bath & Body Works cosmetics / Ben Bridge Jewelery / Bijou Noirs / BoxLunch / Braganza Pearl Tea / Broadway Olympia Productions Rehearsal Studio / Brow Art 23 / Capital Mall Deal / Cascadian Company / Century Theatres Olympia 14 / Champs Sports / Charleys Philly Steaks / Charlie’s Jewelry & Watch Repair / Chipotle Mexican Grill / Chuck E Cheese / Cinnabon (kiosk) / Claire's Boutique / Custom T-Shirts (kiosk) / Design Customs / Earthbound Trading Company / Eddie Bauer / Family Lounge / Five Star Workwear / Fuego / Fujyama Japanese Steakhouse (outparcel) / Gamestop  Go! Calendars, Toys & Games / Go! Calendars, Toys & Games / H&M apparel / Happy Riders (kiosk) / Hawley’s Gelato - Fudge  - Coffee / Hollister Company apparel / Homeport Foot Massage / Hot Topic apparel / Journeys shoes / Kay Jewelers / Lane Bryant ladies' wear / Laura's Alterations / Lavelier cosmetics / Lids hats / Livit Mobile / MAC Cosmetics / MasterCuts / Maurices / Menchie's Frozen Yogurt / MiSo restaurant / Noy Designer, Incorporated / Olive Garden restaurant (outparcel) / Panda Express / Pearle Vision Center / Phone Repair Center (kiosk) / Pink accessories / Play Nation / Pop It Toys (kiosk) / Pro Image Sports / Red Robin Gourmet Burgers (outparcel) / REI / Rising Tide Karate / Royal B (kiosk) / Seattle Team Shop / Sephora / Shoe Department Encore / SSP Sound Studios / Spencer Gifts / Sprint / Stack 571 Burger & Whiskey Bar / Subway Sunglass Hut - Watch Station / T-Mobile Store / Teriyaki Japan / Terra Firma Cosmetics / The Buckle shoes / The Children's Place / Thurston County Public Health (Covid 19 Vaccination Clinic) / Tokyo Anime / Torrid apparel / Total Wine & More / Vans skates & accessories / Verizon Wireless Store / Victoria's Secret / Timberland Regional Library / Wetzel's Pretzels (kiosk) / Zumiez sports wear

THE PROMENADE:

OLD NAVY apparel / T.J. MAXX apparel / Bed, Bath & Beyond / Chico's ladies' wear / Cost Plus World Market / I. Talia Pizzeria / Loft ladies' wear / Massage Envy / My Salon Suite / Party City / The Artists Gallery 

In the 2020s, the mall proper covers approximately 779,300 leasable square feet, with ninety-five store spaces, eleven kiosks and four outparcels. 

Photo from https://capitalmallolympia.com

CAPITAL MALL
Black Lake Boulevard, Southwest and Capitol Mall Drive, Southwest
Olympia, Washington

The first mall-type shopping hub in -or around- Olympia was dedicated on October 12, 1966. SOUTH SOUND CENTER was built on a plot located 3.3 miles southwest of  Washington's capitol building. At the time, the shopping complex was in a section of unincorporated Thurston County. It was eventually annexed into the City of Lacey.

Plans for a second Greater Olympia shopping mall were envisaged by noted mall architect John Graham, Junior in the early 1970s. He acquired a 130-acre plot, lying 1.3 miles northwest of the Capitol. Problems arose when Graham was unable to secure department stores to anchor a future OLYMPIA HIGHLANDS MALL. Further delays were caused by litigation with the developer of another prospective shopping hub.

Eventually, Graham threw in the towel and sold 65 acres of his mall site to El Segundo, California's Ernest W. Hahn. Hahn established a joint venture with New York City's JCP (J.C. Penney) Realty and Sacramento's James J. Cordano Associates. In May 1977, the name of the prospective West Side retail complex was changed to CAPITAL MALL. Construction commenced in August.

A 1-level (81,000 square foot), Seattle-based The Bon Marche became the first operational store on July 29, 1978. A mall-wide dedication was held on October 5th. Forty-five stores (out of an eventual ninety-six) commenced operation. Opening day stores included Maurices, Hickory Farms of Ohio, The Great Hot Dog, Regis Hair Stylists, The Snooty Cow and in-mall, Moyer Theaters Capital Mall Cinemas.

Dedication festivities for the 46 million dollar mall included a skydiving exhibition and cutting of a 38-foot ribbon of 5 dollar bills. In attendance were Ernest W. Hahn, James J. Cordano, a J.C. Penney representative and several local officials. 

CAPITAL MALL stores continued to open over the next few years. A 1-level (96,800 square foot) J.C. Penney opened its doors on November 15, 1978. A 2-level (104,000 square foot), Seattle-based Frederick & Nelson welcomed first shoppers on March 1, 1980. The final charter anchor, a 1-level (54,000 square foot), Bellevue-based Lamonts, commenced operation on April 17, 1980. CAPITAL MALL now encompassed approximately 703,000 leasable square feet. 

Mall ownership changed in 1980, when Toronto's Trizec Corporation acquired the real estate holdings of the Hahn company. The merged entities were known, henceforth, as the TrizecHahn Corporation. Frederick & Nelson was shuttered on September 22, 1991. Hayward, California's Mervyn's chain opened in the store space on July 19, 1992. The next anchor store rebranding followed the closing of Lamonts, in June 2000. This store was renovated by Richfield, Minnesota-based Best Buy, who opened for business on August 22, 2003.

Meanwhile, in November 1998, ownership of CAPITAL MALL had changed again. Sydney, Australia's Westfield acquired the center and renamed it WESTFIELD SHOPPINGTOWN CAPITAL. In a few years, Westfield embarked on the mall's first renovation. The interior was given a 12 million dollar face lift. This included the installation of barrel-vaulted ceilings and an 8-bay Food Court. The new food facility included Subway, Teriyaki Japan, Thaiway Express, Villa Pizza and Panda Express. The mall was officially re-dedicated on October 24, 2003.

The most recent anchor rebranding involved The Bon March. As a result of Federated Stores' "Project Hyphen", all stores in The Bon Marche chain became Bon-Macy's on August 1, 2003. As a facet of "Project Star," Macy's nameplates were installed on March 6, 2005. The official name of the mall was truncated to WESTFIELD CAPITAL in June 2005. 

In July 2005, construction commenced on a 13.4 acre plot northeast of the existing mall. A (140,000 square foot) cluster complex was built. Known as PROMENADE AT WESTFIELD CAPITAL, it was dedicated on August 18, 2006. The primary tenants were a (33,500 square foot) Borders Books and (50,000 square foot) Bed, Bath & Beyond. The tenant list included J. Jill, Ann Taylor Loft, Chico's, Coldwater Creek, Eddie Bauer, Talbots, Message Envy and the Tuscan Aveda SalonSpa.

The grand opening of THE PROMENADE was followed by an expansion of the mall proper, that was built on its north side. This was anchored by the Century Olympia 14 multiplex and included 10,000 square feet of new retail space. The new cinema showed first features on May 25, 2007, replacing the mall's original 4-plex (which had closed in August 2005). With all renovations completed, WESTFIELD CAPITAL -not including THE PROMENADE- housed approximately 748,200 leasable square feet and contained ninety-nine stores and services.

Mervyn's had shuttered their WESTFIELD CAPITAL store on December 31, 2006. The space was leased to temporary tenants, such as Spirit Halloween and a mini-golf course. On August 13, 2010, a 1-level (16,000 square foot) Forever 21 opened in a portion of the store. This was followed by a 2-level (25,000 square foot) REI (Recreational Equipment Incorporated), which opened for business on May 31, 2011. The remaining first floor space was leased as a 1-level (21,300 square foot) Total Wine & More. This store began business on July 18, 2013.

Westfield had sold the CAPITAL complex in June 2013. The new owner was Starwood Retail Partners, an affiliate of Greenwich, Connecticut's Starwood Capital Group. The official name of the shopping center reverted back to CAPITAL MALL soon after the transaction closed. A new anchor store was added later in the decade. A 1-level (51,100 square foot) Dick's Sporting Goods opened on October 28, 2016. CAPITAL MALL now enveloped approximately 799,300 leasable square feet, with a retail roster of over 100 stores and services.

In September 2020, Starwood Retail Partners defaulted on loans for seven retail complexes, with one of these being CAPITAL MALL. A bidding war ensued, with six entities vying for control of the Starwood mall portfolio. A joint venture of El Segundo, California's Pacific Retail Capital Partners and New York City's Golden East Investors submitted the winning bid. They assumed control of the properties in October 2020.

Sources:

The Olympian (Olympia, Washington)
The Daily Olympian (Olympia, Washington)
http://www.westfield.com (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
West Olympia Access Study Background Report
Thurston County, Washington property tax assessor website
https://www.cinematreasures.org

https://www.bizjournals.com

https://capitalmallolympia.com

https://labusinessjournal.com

https://www.mallscenters.com

"Westfield Capital" article on Wikipedia

Greater Seattle's Alderwood Mall

A rendering of the prospective Jet City shopping center. As it turned out, the completed complex was a bit different than what is depicted here. Two additional anchor stores would be attached to the north side and The Bon Marche would not be built with a recessed (basement level) parking area.
Drawing from http://www.historylink.org / University of Washington Special Collections

In 1980, the DeBartolo-developed ALDERWOOD MALL encompassed approximately 965,000 leasable square feet and contained 136 stores and services under its roof. There was free parking for  6,000 autos.

Zooming through time to the year 1999, we come to an expanded ALDERWOOD MALL. A Southwest Wing (medium gray) was built in 1995. It added a Food Court and increased the gross leasable area of the shopping hub to approximately 1,051,000 square feet. The retail roster now lists 155 stores and services. 

ALDERWOOD MALL TENANTS 1999:

J.C. PENNEY (with Beauty Salon and Portrait Studio) / LAMONTS / NORDSTROM (with Cafe Nordstrom and  Espresso Bar & Grill) / SEARS (with Garden Center and attached Auto Center) / THE BON MARCHE / Abercrombie & Fitch apparel / Aldo Shoes / American Eagle Outfitters / Andrew's Hallmark Shop / Ann Taylor ladies' wear / Anna's Linens / Athletes Foot shoes / Auntie Anne's Pretzels (kiosk) / Aveda cosmetics / Avon cosmetics (kiosk) / BC Surf & Sports apparel / B. Dalton Bookseller / Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream / Banana Republic apparel / Bath & Body Works cosmetics / Ben Bridge Jewelers / Biagio Luggage & Gifts / Camelot Music / Carlene Research / Carlton Cards / Cathy Jean Shoes / Century 21 realty (kiosk) / Champs Sports shoes & apparel / Cristian Supply / Claire's Boutique accessories / Deck The Walls home accessories / Expressly Portraits / Eddie Bauer apparel / Electronics Boutique / Express ladies' wear / Flickering Images home accessories / FootAction USA / Foot Locker shoes / Fredericks of Hollywood / Fred Meyer Jewelers / Fun & Games / GNC / Games Workshop / Garden Botanika cosmetics / Gap Kids children's wear / Gene Juarez Salon & Spa / Godiva Chocolatier (kiosk) / Gordon's Jewelers / Gymboree children's wear / House Of Cutlery / Hot Topic apparel / Imaginarium children's wear / Inprints home accessories / Jay Jacobs apparel / Journeys Shoes / Juxtapose ladies' wear / Kay-Bee Toys / Kay Jewelers / Kennelly Keys Music / Kenneth Behm Galleries / Kitchen & Company / Kits Camera & 1-Hour Photo / Lady Foot Locker shoes / Lane Bryant ladies' wear / Lids hats / Lucca's Pasta Bar / Made In Washington gifts / Mariposa ladies' wear / Miller's Outpost apparel / Mrs. Field's Cookies / Mister Rags men's wear / Motherhood Maternity / Mulberry Lane home furnishings / Natural Wonders children's wear / Nine West shoes / Northern Reflections / Northwest Eye Associates / Pacific Sunwear apparel / Papyrus stationers / Pearle Vision Center / Piercing Pagoda (kiosk) / Rags 2 children's wear / Regaldo D' Oro jewelers / Regis Hairstylists / Sam Goody Music / Sanrio / Select Comfort / Simply Seattle gifts / Software Etcetera / Spencer Gifts / Starbucks Coffee / Store of Knowledge / Structure men's wear / Suncoast Motion Picture Company / Sunglass Hut (kiosk) / Sunshade Optique / Surprises children's wear / Sweet Factory / Tall's AirTouch Cellular (kiosk) / Tall's Camera & Video / The Bombay Company home furnishings / The Bon Trim-A-Home / The Disney Store / The Gap apparel / The Limited ladies' wear / Things Remembered (kiosk) / Tiny Computers / Totally Wireless (kiosk) / Track 'n Trail shoes / Trade Secret cosmetics / Victoria's Secret Beauty / Victoria's Secret lingerie / Waldenbooks / Watches, Watches, Watches (kiosk) / Watch World International (kiosk) / Wet Seal ladies' wear / Whitehall Company Jewelers / Wilsons The Leather Experts / Winters Formal Wear / Yankee Candle Company / Zales Jewelers / Zumiez apparel 

FOOD COURT:

Acropolis Gyros / Auntie Anne's Pretzels / Cajun & Grill / Cinnabon / Ivar's / Kidd Valley / Kojo of Japan / Orange Julius / Panda Express / Pizzeria Uno and Chicago Bar & Grill / Quizno's Subs / Sbarro the Italian Eatery / Steak Escape / Taco Time 

By the early 2000s, ALDERWOOD MALL was ready for another expansion and makeover. Above is a GGP-generated rendering of a proposed The Village lifestyle component.

Drawing from www.ggp.com / General Growth Properties

Among other things, the 2002-2004 renovation brought a new (and substantially larger) Nordstrom. It replaced a vacant Lamonts and opened for business in September 2003.
Photo from www.ggp.com / General Growth Properties

The open-air The Village concourse was constructed on the north side of the existing mall. This addition was dedicated in November 2004 and included tony establishments, such as Red Mango, Lucky Brand Jeans and Blue C. Sushi.
Photo from Wikipedia / "Marcusaxavier77"

A rendering of The Terraces, a second lifestyle component added to the southwest corner of the ALDERWOOD complex. It was also dedicated in November 2004 and included Ruby's Diner, Japan Cafe, Starbucks and Jamba Juice.
Drawing from www.ggp.com / General Growth Properties
 

The freestanding Loews Alderwood Mall 16 showed first features in March 2005. It was rebranded by AMC Entertainment in 2006. An IMAX auditorium was installed in 2009.
Photo from Snohomish County, Washington

A circa-2005 layout includes the 200,000+ square feet of additions built between 2002 and 2004 (medium gray). The adjusted gross leasable area of the shopping hub, now known as simply ALDERWOOD, is 1,325,300 square feet, with a roster of 166 stores and services.

The demise of Sears, in March 2017, provided the impetus for a daring renovation. The abandoned store was bulldozed. At first, it was going to be replaced by a simple outdoor collection of retailers. This plan was amended to include two 5-level apartment buildings, which would cover ground floor stores and restaurants.

Drawing from https://www.brookfieldproperties.com / Brookfield Property Partners

A circa-2022 layout shows the new Avalon Alderwood Place section. It houses 77,000 leasable square feet, six stores and services, and 350 residential units. The gross leasable area of the mall, which -pre-renovation- stood at 1,325,300 square feet, has been adjusted to 1,234,300. There are now around 171 stores and services.  

ALDERWOOD MALL
Alderwood Mall Parkway and 184th Street Southwest
Snohomish County (Lynnwood), Washington

One of the final shopping centers designed by master mall architect John Graham, Junior was also one of two built on America's "left coast" by Youngstown, Ohio's Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation. This mall's story began in 1966, when New York City-based Allied Stores acquired a 77-acre site located 15.5 miles northeast of center city Seattle. 

At the time, the land parcel was in an unincorporated section of Snohomish ["snuh-hoe-mish"] County known as Alderwood Manor. Plans for a fully-enclosed mall were announced. However, implementation of the shopping hub was postponed by a sluggish local and national economy. Eventually, Allied sold the plot to DeBartolo, who initiated construction in 1977.

Located directly west of the junction of Interstates 5 and 405, ALDERWOOD MALL was officially dedicated on October 4, 1979. Seventy stores opened for business. The grand opening was attended by Edward J. DeBartolo and M.J. Hrdlicka (Mayor of Lynnwood). The complex consisted of a single level of retail and approximately 965,000 leasable square feet. 

Original anchors were a 2-level (221,000 square foot), Seattle-based The Bon Marche, 2-level (178,000 square foot) Sears, 2-level (101,000 square foot), Seattle-based Nordstrom and 1-level (60,000 square foot), Bellevue-based Lamonts.

A 2-level (159,000 square foot) J.C. Penney opened its doors on March 12, 1980. By June, the full compliment of 136 tenants were in business. These included Musicland, GNC, The Gap, Weisfield's Jewelers, Lane Bryant, Motherhood Maternity, Orange Julius, Spencer Gifts, The Limited and Waldenbooks. There was also an 18-bay Food Court in the mall's northwest corner 

The bulk of the Alderwood Manor community, including ALDERWOOD MALL, was annexed into the City of Lynnwood in 1984. A cinematic venue, the first in -or around- the shopping complex, was built on a pad located .2 mile northwest. The Luxury Theatres Alderwood 7 opened for business on June 13, 1986.

Major retail centers in the northern environs of Seattle included NORTHGATE MALL (1950) {8.6 miles southwest, in Seattle}, EVERETT MALL (1974) {5.9 miles northeast, in Everett}, BELLEVUE SQUARE (1946) {15.7 miles southeast, in Bellevue} and REDMOND TOWN CENTER (1997) {13.4 miles southeast, in Redmond}.

By the mid-1990s, ALDERWOOD MALL was due for an update. A 68,000 square foot Southwest Wing was built, which housed nineteen stores including a 10-bay Food Court. The 11 million dollar expansion, which had commenced in January 1995, was completed in November. ALDERWOOD MALL now encompassed approximately 1,051,000 leasable square feet.

Chicago-based General Growth Properties, who had been managing the ALDERWOOD property since 1997, established full ownership in May 1999. Financially-strapped Lamonts sold their ALDERWOOD store in February 1996 and ended up shuttering it in July 2000. The vacant store was razed in the autumn of 2001.

In May 2002, a second mall renovation got underway. The existing structure was given an indoor-outdoor makeover, assuming a "contemporary northwest" look. New flooring, seating, skylights and fireplaces were installed. Mall entrances were also refurbished, with a new Southeast Entry created.

A 2-level (151,000 square foot) Nordstrom and attached parking garage were built, replacing the old Lamonts. The new Nordstrom was dedicated on September 19, 2003. The old Nordstrom was demolished and replaced by a single-level (187,000 square foot) lifestyle addition known as THE VILLAGE. This new wing housed tony tenants, such as Pottery Barn, Borders Books, Williams-Sonoma, REI, Coldwater Creek and Gene Juarez Salon & Spa.

A second open-air addition, known as THE TERRACES, was built in front of the Southwest Wing. It encompassed 24,000 leasable square feet and included Claim Jumper and McGrath's Fish House casual dining restaurants. A second parking structure was also constructed.

The new mall space was officially dedicated on November 4, 2004. The complex, now officially known as ALDERWOOD, enveloped around 1,270,000 leasable square feet and contained over 200 stores and services. 

A freestanding movie house, the Loews Cineplex Alderwood Mall 16, was added to THE TERRACES and showed first features on April 1, 2005. The theater was rebranded as an American Multi-Cinema venue in early 2006. Meanwhile, The Bon Marche had been rebranded as a Bon-Macy's on August 1, 2003 and became a full-fledged Macy's on March 6, 2005.

Sears, a charter mall tenant, was shuttered on March 26, 2017, as one of forty-two decommissioned Sears locations across the nation. The vacant store prompted a fourth renovation of the shopping facility. The building was demolished in August 2019. It was going to be replaced by an Entertainment Food Village. 

This open-air lifestyle wing would have consisted of five structures and been anchored by a 2-level (85,000 square foot) Dick's Sporting Goods and 1-level (40,000 square foot) Dave & Buster's Grand Sports Cafe.

Brookfield Property Partners, based in Hamilton, Bermuda, acquired a share of General Growth Properties in 2016. In August 2018, Brookfield established 100 percent ownership of the corporation. Hence, the ALDERWOOD mall became part of the Brookfield retail center portfolio.

Brookfield rethought the mall refurbishment. They formed a joint venture with Seritage Growth Properties and Avalon Bay Communities, Incorporated. An altered plan for Avalon Alderwood Place was drawn up. This complex would feature ground floor retail and restaurant components in two 5-level apartment buildings. A Dick's Sporting Goods store would not be included.

When fully-realized, the new section housed six store and restaurant spaces and 350 one, two and three bedroom apartments. A (40,000 square foot) Dave & Buster's Grand Sports Cafe welcomed first customers on August 29, 2022. Adjacent tenants included Paris Baguette and a Fogo De Chao upscale restaurant.

Sources:

The Seattle Times

The Bellingham Herald (Bellingham, Washington)
http://www.historylink.com
http://www.allbusiness.com
https://www.heraldnet.com
http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com
https://www.snohomishcountywa.gov / Snohomish County, Washington 
https://mynorthwest.com

https://www.brookfieldproperties.com

http://mallmanac.blogspot.com

https://www.alderwoodmall.com

"Alderwood Mall" article on Wikipedia 

Greater Portland's Vancouver Mall

A Big Timber-Native American motif was used for VANCOUVER MALL. This aesthetic carried over to the design of the original logo.
Graphic from May Centers / Newman Properties 

 

In its original state, the Phase I shopping facility encompassed around 467,900 leasable square feet. It contained ninety-three tenant spaces on 2 levels. 

VANCOUVER MALL TENANTS 1977:

MEIER & FRANK (with The Homestead restaurant) / SEARS (with Coffee House and attached Auto Center) / NORDSTROM / Action Alley / Aladdin's Castle video arcade / Alley Cat Pet Center / Athlete's Foot / B. Dalton Bookseller / Baskin-Robbins 31 Flavors Ice Cream / Binyon Optical / Bob's Old-Fashioned Ice Cream / Candlelight & Wine / Captain Scott's Fish & Chips / Carousel Snack Bar / Casual Corner ladies' wear / Charlie's / Chess King men's wear / Clothes Circuit / Creative Crafts / Earresistable Stores / Fabric House / Fashion Conspiracy ladies' wear / Florsheim Shoes / Foot Locker / Foxmoor Casuals ladies' wear / Frederick's of Hollywood / Friday's Girl ladies' wear / Gallenkamp Shoes / GNC / J.K. Jill / Gingiss Formalwear / Gordon's Jewelers / J. Herbert Hall / Hanover Shoes / Hatch's Cards & Gifts / Hickory Farms of Ohio / High & Mighty / Hot Dog on a Stick / In Shops, Incorporated / International House of Pancakes / Jeans West / JJ Jeans / J. K. Jill / John Helmer, Incorporated / Justin's Film Service / K-G men's wear / Kinney Shoes / King John / Kris Hallmark / Kinderphoto / Learning World / Leed's Qualicraft Shoes / Lerner Shops ladies' wear / Life Uniform / Lyons ladies' wear / Malings Shoes / McDonald's Hamburgers / Morrow's Nut House / Motherhood Maternity ladies' wear / Mr. Rags / Musicland records / Nadeau's Children's Village / Orange Julius / Parker's apparel / Pizza Haven / Prager's / Radio Shack / Roda Lee / Sandwich House Gourmet / See's Candies / Shepherd of the Hills Ozark Kountry Store / Snappy's Organ Center / Spencer Gifts / Squire Shop / Stereo Wizzard / The County Seat / The Gap / The Golden Onion restaurant / The Jean Machine / Thom McAn Shoes / Tiffany's Bakery / Topps & Trowzers / Toychest / T-Shirts / Women's World Shop ladies' wear / Zales Jewelers / Zell Brothers Jewelry & Gifts 

Sears anchored the south side of the Phase I "VanMall." The store, which incorporated 125,100 square feet, was in operation for over 41 years.
Photo from Clark County, Washington

Portland's Meier & Frank chain anchored the west end of VANMALL for over 29 years. The original store encompassed 118,300 square feet.
Photo from http://www.angelfire.com / "MandFVancouver"

Here we see Meier & Frank's Upper Level mallway entrance.
Photo from www.labelscar.com / "Prange Way"

That iconic Seattle-centric retailer anchored the north side of VANCOUVER MALL for over thirty-seven years. The 72,000 square foot unit was the chain's smallest store for several years.
Photo from Clark County, Washington

The Phase II mall (medium gray) was built between 1979 and 1980. It added J.C. Penney, Mervyn's and forty-five inline stores. The complex now enveloped around 793,900 leasable square feet and housed nearly 140 stores and services. Free parking was provided for 5,200 autos.

Anchoring the east end of the complex was a 144,100 square foot J.C. Penney. It was the largest store in the shopping center for several years.
Photo from Clark County, Washington

The fifth VanMall anchor was originally planned to be a Portland-based Lipmans. However, in August 1981, Mervyn's opened an 82,000 square foot store.  It was the chain's first Evergreen State location.
Photo from Clark County, Washington

The shopping hub was renovated and expanded between 1993 and '98. During the remodeling, it was sold to Australia's Westfield. In November 1998, they bequeathed a new name; WESTFIELD SHOPPINGTOWN VANCOUVER. Naturally, locals ignored this name change and continued to refer to the shopping hub as VANCOUVER MALL or VanMall.