Crystal River Mall
28°54′38″N 82°36′12″W / 28.910531°N 82.603295°W
 | |
| Address | 1801 US-19 |
|---|---|
| Opening date | 1990 |
| Developer | Edward J. DeBartolo, Sr. |
| Owner | Kohan |
| No. of anchor tenants | 2 |
| Total retail floor area | 429,265 square feet[1] |
| No. of floors | 1 |
Crystal River Mall is an enclosed shopping mall in Crystal River, Florida. Opened in 1990, it is anchored by Kmart and Rural King.
History
Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation proposed Crystal River Mall in 1988, with an announced opening date of mid-1990.[2] The mall opened on October 17, 1990, with guest appearances from Phyllis Diller, Jack Jones, and The Lettermen. Upon opening, it included three anchor stores: Belk-Lindsey, Sears, and Kmart, with approximately 85 percent of the inline retail space occupied. The mall's floor plan was described by a DeBartolo spokesperson as "a giant wheel with spokes", with a food court occupying the center.[3] It also featured a 65-foot-high fabric roof, which required an exception from city council.[4] J. Byrons had originally been proposed as the fourth anchor.[5] Instead, the fourth anchor site was sold to J. C. Penney, which opened on September 30, 1992.[6] Regal Entertainment Group added a movie theater to the mall in 1998.[7]
In the 2000s, the mall became increasingly vacant due in part to its location: while it was built to the north side of Crystal River, most of the city's retail development occurred to the south instead. By 2011, it was at 77 percent vacancy, making it one of the least-tenanted malls owned by Simon Property Group, which bought the DeBartolo corporation. Simon had also closed the mall office and neglected to maintain the building, which by 2011 had a leaking roof. The mall entered foreclosure in 2011 and was sold to Boxer Properties of Dallas, Texas.[8] Sears closed its store in 2012,[9] followed by J. C. Penney in 2013.[10] On August 2nd, 2013, it was announced Belk would be closing sometime mid-January 2014.[11] Rural King took over the vacated Sears in 2014.[12]
References
- ^ "Crystal River Mall" (PDF). Boxer Retail. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
- ^ Morelli, Keith (19 August 1988). "Developers forge ahead with Crystal Rier mall". Ocala Star-Banner. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
- ^ Munn, Julianne (9 July 1990). "Crystal River Mall prepares to open". Ocala Star-Banner. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
- ^ Dougherty, Ken (10 August 1989). "Crystal River council accepts mall plan". Ocala Star-Banner. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
- ^ Munn, Julianne (13 September 1990). "JCPenney likely for Crystal River Mall". Ocala Star-Banner. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
- ^ "Riverland Neighbors". Ocala Star-Banner. 30 September 1992. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
- ^ Ross, Jim (9 October 2000). "Mall finds niche, still growing". Hernando Times. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
- ^ "Crystal River Mall in foreclosure". Citrus County Chronicle. 15 May 2011. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
- ^ Wiles, Shermir (30 December 2011). "Sears store to close". Citrus County Chronicle. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
- ^ Dangerfield, Dalia (20 March 2013). "J.C. Penney to close at Crystal River Mall". Bay News 9. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
- ^ "Belk closing at Crystal River Mall". Citrus County Chronicle. 3 August 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
- ^ "Rural King to move into Crystal River Mall". Bay News 9. 1 April 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2015.