Bellis Fair Mall
| Location | Bellingham, Washington |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 48°47′09″N 122°29′26″W / 48.78580°N 122.49067°WCoordinates: 48°47′09″N 122°29′26″W / 48.78580°N 122.49067°W |
| Address | 1 Bellis Fair Parkway |
| Opening date | August 1988 |
| Developer | General Growth Properties |
| Owner | General Growth Properties |
| No. of anchor tenants | 5 |
| Total retail floor area | 773,000 square feet (72,000 m2)[1] |
| No. of floors | 1 |
| Website | www.bellisfair.com |
Bellis Fair is an enclosed shopping mall in Bellingham, Washington. Opened in 1988, it features JCPenney, Kohl's, Macy's, Dick's Sporting Goods, DSW, H&M, Forever 21, and Target. It is managed by General Growth Properties. The mall is located along Interstate 5 at its interchange with State Route 539 (Guide Meridian Road) north of downtown Bellingham.
History
Bellis Fair opened in August 1988, at the site of a former USDA Soil Conservation Service plant materials center.[2] The mall attracted several retailers from downtown Bellingham, including Sears, JCPenney and The Bon Marché, who had tried and failed to build a mall in downtown Bellingham in the early 1980s.[3] 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.[4] The mall was popular with shoppers from nearby Vancouver, Canada in the early 1990s,[5] but sales waned as the Canadian dollar declined in value against the American dollar by 1995.[6]
In 1990, a Nordstrom Place Two store was added, having also relocated from downtown Bellingham.[7] The Nordstrom Place Two store was later converted to Nordstrom Rack in 1994, before closing in 1999[8] and becoming an auxiliary store for The Bon Marché. Also in 1999, Old Navy was added.[9]
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.[10] Sears closed in January 2013 and became Sports Authority the same year.[11] However, Sports Authority closed in 2016 but became a Dick's Sporting Goods in 2017.
References
- ↑ "Bellis Fair". General Growth Properties. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
- ↑ Ebner, David (September 27, 2008). "Debt: All borrowed out". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
- ↑ Gallagher, Dave (November 26, 2006). "Failed downtown mall plan paved way for Bellis Fair; Many retailers left downtown for Meridian St.". The Bellingham Herald. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
- ↑ 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. Retrieved November 17, 2013.