Three Rivers Mall

Three Rivers Mall
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 / 46.1401303; -122.901423Coordinates: 46°08′24″N 122°54′05″W / 46.1401303°N 122.901423°W / 46.1401303; -122.901423
Address 351 Three Rivers Drive
Opening date 1987
Developer The Hahn Company
Management Brookfield Properties Retail Group
Owner Brookfield Properties Retail Group
No. of floors 1
Website threeriversmall.com
[1]

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. The mall has three anchors: J. C. Penney, Sportsman's Warehouse, & Regal Cinemas. Its original main anchors were The Bon Marche (which became Macy's; closed 2017), J. C. Penney, Sears (closed 2013), and Emporium (closed 2001).

The Kelso Public Library moved its main branch to the mall in 2011.[2]

The mall also has several freestanding businesses: Safeway (originally TOP Food & Drug), Target (opened 1990), and Pier 1 Imports. There are also several freestanding restaurants: Red Lobster, Izzy's Pizza, and Fiesta Bonita Mexican Restaurant. Regal Cinemas operated a freestanding theater until January, 2015 when it relocated into the main mall.

History

While 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 K-B 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[3] that they would close their store in the mall in January 2013,[4] which further reduced foot traffic. Among the businesses that left after Sears closed were Big 5 Sporting Goods,[5] Fred Meyer Jewelers,[6] and Mr. Formal.[6] Chuck E. Cheese's also closed their location inside the mall.[7] Macy's announced in January, 2017 [8] that the Kelso location is one of 68 stores that would be closing. The store closed in March 2017. As of February, 2018, there are no tenants open in the food court.

Despite the recent struggles, some redevelopment has been occurring. Sportsman's Warehouse has remodeled the Emporium space and opened in July, 2014.[9] 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.[10] It was announced in September, 2014, that Planet Fitness will be moving into the former Chuck E. Cheese's site, plus some additional space.[11] Planet Fitness held its grand opening in January, 2015.[12] Panera Bread built a new, freestanding location which opened in December, 2017.[13]

An 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.[14] 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.[15]

References

  1. "Three Rivers Mall". Brookfield Properties Retail Group.
  2. Fischer, Amy M.E. "Kelso Public Library sets up shop at Three Rivers Mall". The Daily News (Longview).
  3. Fischer, Amy M.E. "Kelso's Sears store to close in January". The Daily News (Longview).
  4. Olson, Erik. "Sears closes its doors at Three Rivers Mall". The Daily News (Longview).
  5. Olson, Erik. "Big 5 Sporting Goods moving store to Triangle Center in Longview". The Daily News (Longview).
  6. 1 2 "Fred Meyer Jewelers, Mr. Formal leaving Three Rivers Mall". The Daily News (Longview).
  7. Fischer, Amy M.E. "Chuck E. Cheese's at Kelso's Three Rivers Mall to close Monday". The Daily News (Longview).
  8. "Kelso Macys to close". The Daily News (Longview).
  9. "Sportsman's Warehouse « Hometeam 1490 KLOG, ESPN Radio". klog.com.
  10. Luck, Marissa. "Regal ready to raise the curtain on new 12-screen theater in Kelso". The Daily News (Longview).
  11. "Three Rivers Mall manager confirms Planet Fitness to open this year". The Daily News (Longview).
  12. Moskowitz, Shira. "Opening of Planet Fitness means more visits home for former Rainier resident". The Daily News (Longview).
  13. Lundy, Rose. "New Panera Bread location brings healthy alternatives to Kelso". The Daily News (Longview).
  14. Olson, Erik. "Kelso 'Food Court Wars' episode to air March 30". The Daily News (Longview).
  15. Luck, Marissa. "'Food Court Wars' winner closes shop at Three Rivers Mall". The Daily News (Longview).
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