Discount retailer Five Below is coming to Southridge Mall, the mall’s owner says.
Travis Mansfield announced Tuesday, Oct. 14, that the 10,000-square-foot store on the mall’s north side will open by early February. The retailer of low-priced fashion and knick-knacks aimed at teens and tweens also has Des Moines metro stores at Merle Hay Mall and in West Des Moines.
Mansfield, who bought the long-struggling mall for $4 million in December from Santa Monica, California, real estate developer Macerich Co., said landing Five Below is a major score, with more yet to be announced.
“I’ve probably never worked as hard at almost anything as I have this last year,” said Mansfield, who took out a $4 million loan to repair the roof, refresh the parking lot paint and address other needs. “Getting Five Below in here was our first deal that got the other deals going.”
What is happening at Southridge Mall?
A $35 million renovation finished in 2018 transformed the former enclosed mall into an open-air shopping center with a courtyard and outdoor access to most stores. Des Moines Area Community College opened a 65,000-square-foot Center for Career and Professional Development where JCPenney once operated. Genesis Health Club built a $13.5 million gym in the mall’s former Sears store.
But shortly after Mansfield bought the mall, Foot Locker and Maurices closed on the north side of the mall, adding to woes that include a vacant AMC cinema and an under-used former Younkers department store on the south side.
Five Below will one of those holes and other storefronts on the north and east side will be gaining tenants, as well, said Mansfield. And in early October, the Iowa Bicycle Coalition and its partners, the Central Iowa Trail Association, the 80/35 BMX club and Skate DSM, announced plans to build a an indoor BMX track and skatepark at Southridge, likely in the former department store and vacant theater.
Under the best-case scenario, funds to build the BMX track and skatepark will be raised within five years, Iowa Bicycle Coalition Executive Director Luke Hoffman said Sept. 30.
Bringing an attraction other than shopping to Southridge will bolster its existing retailers, Mansfield said.
“We’re bringing heavy-traffic places,” he said. “I can’t wait to see it at Christmastime and see how full this parking lot is going to be.”
Philip Joens covers retail and real estate for the Des Moines Register. He can be reached at 515-284-8184 or pjoens@registermedia.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Discount retailer Five Below to open Southridge Mall store, owner announces
Reporting by Philip Joens, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
