Shopping malls in Niagara Falls

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Niagara Falls, New York has two major shopping malls, Fashion Outlets of Niagara Falls USA and The Summit.^[1] A third mall, Rainbow Centre Factory Outlet, closed in 2000.

1 The Summit
2 Fashion Outlets at Niagara Falls USA
3 Rainbow Centre Factory Outlet
4 References
5 External links

[edit] The Summit

Mall facts and statistics
The Summit

Location	Wheatfield, New York
Opening date	1972
Owner	Jim Anthony
No. of stores and services	50
No. of anchor tenants	3
No. of floors	1
Website	http://www.summitniagara.com/

The Summit (formally the Summit Park Mall) is a 800,000 square foot shopping mall located in Wheatfield, New York, about seven miles from the Falls and from Canada. The mall opened with great fanfare in 1972 and then expanded in 1979, with 5 large anchor tenants: Sears, AM&A's, later purchased by Bon Ton, Hens & Kelly, a 30,000 square foot Child World, later purchased by Toys R US, and Jenns. The mall did extremely well through the 70s, 80s, and early 90s. But in the early 90's the regional department store Hens & Kelly's closed, the value of the Canadian dollar began to drop, all at the same time as the advent of power centers, category killer big box stores, and Wal Mart's expansion, all conspired to slaughter the malls of the 70's and 80's. In 1998 regional depatments store Jenss left the mall and the space remained vacant until 2005.

But in 2005 the mall got a new image and the name changed to The Summit. The interiors are now extensively skylit with open ceilings and new lighting. The exteriors have been upgraded with new improved access and canopied entries, along with new landscaping and lighting. Also in 2005 a new anchor came to the mall; Steve and Barry's University Sportswear, which opened in the former Jenss. In early 2006 anchor Toys R Us decided it would leave the mall, but there are negotiations now to backfill that space with strong retailers.

Mall redeveloper Jim Anthony, of Anthony & Co. ONCOR International in Raleigh, NC is hoping to retenant the property with local and regional tenants, while creating "Niagara's Indoor Downtown." Anthony's plan includes creating premiere "micro-retailing" experiences such as the Niagara Emporium and Van Winkles Crafts, where local crafts and gift makers can sell their often handmade wares in a co-op environment. The Food Court has come back with a deli, Subway, Leon's Pizza & Wings, a Chinese restaurant and a Snack Shack.

Entertainment and events are now a major part of the redevelopment strategy as well. For example, during the summer months, the Summit hosts a farmer's market weekly as well as the region's largest Cruise Night with 3000 or more people in attendance regularly. Karaoke, concerts, plays, dances, trade shows, parties, and events of all kinds frequent the mall's three large courts: Fashion Court, Center Court and North Court.

Now that the Canadian dollar is nearing par against the US dollar, shoppers are coming back across the border. There is also a huge theme park project proposed for the large property immediately south of the Summit. The project is conceived as a "Land of Oz," built around the Wizard of Oz books and targeting families and global tourists that number in the 20 million range yearly at the Falls. It will be a largely indoor year round theme park with high tech experiences unlike any available today in other theme parks.

Current Anchors:

Sears - Opened 1972
Bon Ton - 88,100 sq.ft. Opened 1995
Steve and Barry's - Opened 2005
Niagara Emporium
Krow's Nest Family Fun Center

Former Anchors

AM&A's - 88,100 sq.ft. Opened 1979, (bought by Bon Ton)
Hens & Kelly - closed in the early 1990s
Jenss - Opened 1972, Closed 1998
Child World - Opened 1974, bought by Toys R Us
Toys R Us - 30,000 sq.ft. Opened 1992, Closed 2006

[edit] Fashion Outlets at Niagara Falls USA

Mall facts and statistics
Fashion Outlets of Niagara Falls USA

Location	Niagara Falls, New York
Opening date	1974
No. of stores and services	154
No. of anchor tenants	2
No. of floors	1
Website	http://www.fashionoutletsniagara.com/

Fashion Outlets at Niagara Falls USA is a super-regional outlet mall on Military Road in the Town of Niagara. The mall opened in 1971 as the Niagara Factory Outlet. The mall did very well until 1982 when the Rainbow Mall opened in downtown Niagara Falls. In 1996 Prime Outlets bought the mall and did very well until 2005 when Prime Outlets filed for Chapter 11 and the mall was sold to Talisman Companies. In 2006 the mall will get five more outlets and two restaurants in its food court. Also in 2006 the mall will get a major renovation on its exterior.

Some outlets include: Off 5th Avenue (Saks), Coach, Burberry, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Brooks Brothers, Guess, Tommy Hilfiger, Old Navy, Adidas, Payless ShoeSource, KB Toys, Sketchers Outlet, and Eddie Bauer Outlet. Some of the eateries in the food court are Subway, Wimpy's, Pita Gourmet, Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream, Panda Express, Steak Escape, Dunkin' Donuts, Teriyaki Delight, and La Rosa's Pizza. The mall continues to do very well.

Names

Niagara Factory Outlet 1971-1996
Prime Outlets Niagara falls USA 1996-2006
The Outlets at Niagara Falls USA 2006
Fashion Outlets at Niagara Falls USA 2006-present

[edit] Rainbow Centre Factory Outlet

Rainbow Centre Factory Outlet was a shopping mall located in downtown Niagara Falls. The mall opened in 1982 as a two floor shopping center to help revive downtown Niagara Falls. The mall also had one major anchor, Burlington Coat Factory. The mall attracted shoppers from Canada, and did well through the 80s and early 90s, but in 1996 Niagara Factory Outlet (which was the mall's biggest competitor at the time) became Prime Outlets Niagara Falls USA. All of the mall's outlets moved to the new outlet mall. Rainbow Centre Mall finally closed in September, 2000.

The funding and running of this mall was controversial throughout its life.^[2]

Former Anchors: