Sawgrass Mills
Encyclopedia
Sawgrass Mills is a shopping mall
operated by the Simon Property Group
, in Sunrise, Florida
, a city in Broward County. With 2383906 square feet (221,472.1 m²) of retail selling space, it is the sixth largest mall in the United States, and the second largest in Florida. The mall opened in 1990 as the third mall developed by the now-defunct Mills Corporation
(now part of Simon Property Group
), and has been expanded three times since then, most recently in 2006. There are over 300 retail outlets and name brand discounters, with anchors including Off 5th
, J.C. Penney Outlet
, and Super Target
.
Because of its size, Sawgrass Mills is divided into three parts: the mall itself with four "Avenue" sections; the "Oasis", an outdoor component open since 1999 including Regal 23 Cinemas, Ron John Surf Shop, and Nordstrom Rack. The "Colonnade Outlets at Sawgrass" opened in 2006 as an upscale lifestyle area with shops and restaurants, anchored by Last Call! Neiman Marcus
. Additionally, there are numerous "outparcel" stores and plazas.
store at the western end of the mall. A second stage, dedicated November 15, 1990, extended the mall westward of the Books-A-Million store, past the second food court, the Market Food Court (next to The Sports Authority, previously the Sports Food Court) to the Marshalls
/Spiegel Outlet (now Neiman Marcus Last Call Clearance Center) wing. A Target Greatland was added to the East Wing of the mall, opening in March 1992. It was expanded into a SuperTarget-format store in mid-2006. Phar-Mor
was another early anchor to the mall.
A Phase II addition, known as Veranda Main Street, opened November 14, 1995. It ran parallel to the middle mall corridor and contained T.J. Maxx
, Service Merchandise
and the first location of Last Call From Neiman Marcus
. This section is currently anchored by American Signature Furniture
(in the old Service Merchandise
space). This expansion was followed by The Oasis extension, opened April 15, 1999. It brought the mall out from near Burlington Coat Factory to the then Cobb Cinemas Sawgrass. A parking garage was added in 2002 directly across the outside entrance to Burlington Coat Factory. The last addition was the extension from Wannado City
out to and including The Colonnade Outlet, which was completed by 2009.
Originally, the concourses had names and each turn was considered a rotunda or court and named for the style of stores it contained. The original mall concourses (running west to east) were Modern Main Street, Mediterannean Main Street, Art Deco Main Street and Caribbean Main Street. The courts were (running west to east) Entertainment Court, Cabana Court, Video Court, Rotunda Court and New Ideas Court. This proved harder to keep in effect as anchors and internal stores changed. Later, Mall Entrances were named after the parking lot areas, i.e., Yellow Toucan, Green Toad, Purple Parrot, White Seahorse, Red Snapper, Blue Dolphin, Pink Flamingo and New Ideas Court. In the mid 2000's, inspired by rival Dolphin Mall
in Miami
, the mall transitioned into the current "Avenues" sections.
There was a kid's animatronic display in the Cabana Court, between Books-A-Million and the Rainforest Cafe
, featuring singing flamingos and alligators welcoming the public to Sawgrass Mills. It was set up like a swamp
and allowed people to toss coins into the shallow water which were donated to local charities. It was later converted to a waiting area designed after a ship, still with alligators, and then into the current Cha Cha's playground.
Local retailer L. Luria & Sons was slated to open an anchor at Sawgrass Mills. A lawsuit ensued when catalog showroom chain Service Merchandise
opened instead, as the Luria company blamed Mills Corporation for choosing Service Merchandise instead.
On January 24, 2011, JCPenney announced it will close all 19 JCPenney outlets due to the outlet concept exit, including the Sawgrass Mills location, which is scheduled to close on July 2nd.
A few days before JCPenney Outlet was to close, the parent company announced that they will hold on to the space for the time being and keep the outlet store open. This followed an announcement by The Mills Corp. that Sawgrass Mills mall will expand with a new 40000 square feet (3,716.1 m²) addition to be built to the east of Il Vilagio restaurant and the previously shuttered Wannado City kids' amusement area will be converted into more stores.
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
operated by the Simon Property Group
Simon Property Group
Simon Property Group, Inc. is an American commercial real estate company, ranked #1 in the United States as the largest real estate investment trust. Simon is a fully integrated real estate company which operates from five retail real estate platforms: regional malls, Premium Outlet Centers, The...
, in Sunrise, Florida
Sunrise, Florida
-Overview:Sunrise is a city in southwestern Broward County, Florida, United States. It was incorporated in 1961 by Norman Johnson – a developer whose World Famous Upside-Down House attracted buyers to what was then a remote area...
, a city in Broward County. With 2383906 square feet (221,472.1 m²) of retail selling space, it is the sixth largest mall in the United States, and the second largest in Florida. The mall opened in 1990 as the third mall developed by the now-defunct Mills Corporation
Mills Corporation
The Mills Corporation was a publicly traded real estate investment trust headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, United States, acquired on April 3, 2007 by an investment group composed of Simon Property Group and Farallon Capital Management. The company developed, owned, and operated major...
(now part of Simon Property Group
Simon Property Group
Simon Property Group, Inc. is an American commercial real estate company, ranked #1 in the United States as the largest real estate investment trust. Simon is a fully integrated real estate company which operates from five retail real estate platforms: regional malls, Premium Outlet Centers, The...
), and has been expanded three times since then, most recently in 2006. There are over 300 retail outlets and name brand discounters, with anchors including Off 5th
Saks Fifth Avenue
Saks Fifth Avenue is a luxury American specialty store owned and operated by Saks Fifth Avenue Enterprises , a subsidiary of Saks Incorporated. It competes in the high-end specialty store market in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, i.e. 'the 3 B's' Bergdorf, Barneys, Bloomingdale's and Lord & Taylor...
, J.C. Penney Outlet
J.C. Penney
J. C. Penney Company, Inc. is a chain of American mid-range department stores based in Plano, Texas, a suburb north of Dallas. The company operates 1,107 department stores in all 50 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. JCPenney also operates catalog sales merchant offices nationwide in many...
, and Super Target
Target Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
.
Because of its size, Sawgrass Mills is divided into three parts: the mall itself with four "Avenue" sections; the "Oasis", an outdoor component open since 1999 including Regal 23 Cinemas, Ron John Surf Shop, and Nordstrom Rack. The "Colonnade Outlets at Sawgrass" opened in 2006 as an upscale lifestyle area with shops and restaurants, anchored by Last Call! Neiman Marcus
Neiman Marcus
Neiman Marcus, formerly Neiman-Marcus, is a luxury specialty retail department store operated by the Neiman Marcus Group in the United States. The company is headquartered in the One Marcus Square building in Downtown Dallas, Texas, and competes with other department stores such as Saks Fifth...
. Additionally, there are numerous "outparcel" stores and plazas.
History
The Phase I mall was dedicated in two stages. The first opened October 4, 1990 with the BrandsMart USA/Sears Outlet wing at the eastern end, extending past the Garden Food Court (next to Bealls, previously the Hurricane Food Court), to the Books-A-MillionBooks-A-Million
Books-A-Million, Inc., also known as BAM!, is a company that owns the second largest U.S. bookstore chain and is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. The company operates over 200 stores in the South, Midwest, Northeast...
store at the western end of the mall. A second stage, dedicated November 15, 1990, extended the mall westward of the Books-A-Million store, past the second food court, the Market Food Court (next to The Sports Authority, previously the Sports Food Court) to the Marshalls
Marshalls
Marshalls, Inc., is a chain of American department stores owned by TJX Companies. Marshalls has over 750 conventional stores, as well as larger stores named Marshalls Mega Store, covering 42 states and Puerto Rico. Marshalls expanded into Canada in March 2011...
/Spiegel Outlet (now Neiman Marcus Last Call Clearance Center) wing. A Target Greatland was added to the East Wing of the mall, opening in March 1992. It was expanded into a SuperTarget-format store in mid-2006. Phar-Mor
Phar-Mor
Phar-Mor was a United States chain of discount drug stores, based in Youngstown, Ohio, and founded by Michael "Mickey" Monus and David S. Shapira in 1982. Some of its stores used the names Pharmhouse and Rx Place...
was another early anchor to the mall.
A Phase II addition, known as Veranda Main Street, opened November 14, 1995. It ran parallel to the middle mall corridor and contained T.J. Maxx
T.J. Maxx
T.J. Maxx, sometimes referred to as TJ's or the Maxx, is an American department store chain owned by TJX Companies. With more than 900 stores T.J. Maxx is a major clothes retailer in the United States, whilst also operating stores in a number of other countries.-History:In 1976, T.J...
, Service Merchandise
Service Merchandise
Service Merchandise is an online retailer and former retailer chain of catalog showroom stores carrying fine jewelry, toys, sporting goods, and electronics that existed for 68 years...
and the first location of Last Call From Neiman Marcus
Neiman Marcus
Neiman Marcus, formerly Neiman-Marcus, is a luxury specialty retail department store operated by the Neiman Marcus Group in the United States. The company is headquartered in the One Marcus Square building in Downtown Dallas, Texas, and competes with other department stores such as Saks Fifth...
. This section is currently anchored by American Signature Furniture
American Signature
American Signature, Inc. is a privately owned furniture company based in Columbus, Ohio. It is the parent company of the retail brands Value City Furniture and American Signature Furniture, and the manufacturer brand American Signature.-History:...
(in the old Service Merchandise
Service Merchandise
Service Merchandise is an online retailer and former retailer chain of catalog showroom stores carrying fine jewelry, toys, sporting goods, and electronics that existed for 68 years...
space). This expansion was followed by The Oasis extension, opened April 15, 1999. It brought the mall out from near Burlington Coat Factory to the then Cobb Cinemas Sawgrass. A parking garage was added in 2002 directly across the outside entrance to Burlington Coat Factory. The last addition was the extension from Wannado City
Wannado City
Wannado City was an indoor role-playing amusement center at the Sawgrass Mills Mall in Sunrise, Florida, a suburb of Fort Lauderdale. It was a property of Grupo CIE. Billed as "where kids can do what they wanna do," it was a child-sized representation of a metropolis where children aged 2-14 could...
out to and including The Colonnade Outlet, which was completed by 2009.
Originally, the concourses had names and each turn was considered a rotunda or court and named for the style of stores it contained. The original mall concourses (running west to east) were Modern Main Street, Mediterannean Main Street, Art Deco Main Street and Caribbean Main Street. The courts were (running west to east) Entertainment Court, Cabana Court, Video Court, Rotunda Court and New Ideas Court. This proved harder to keep in effect as anchors and internal stores changed. Later, Mall Entrances were named after the parking lot areas, i.e., Yellow Toucan, Green Toad, Purple Parrot, White Seahorse, Red Snapper, Blue Dolphin, Pink Flamingo and New Ideas Court. In the mid 2000's, inspired by rival Dolphin Mall
Dolphin Mall
Dolphin Mall is a popular shopping mall just west of Doral proper in metropolitan Miami, Florida. There are over 240 retail outlets and name brand discounters as anchors.The Mall opened on March 1, 2001, the first of four Taubman Malls to open that year...
in Miami
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, the mall transitioned into the current "Avenues" sections.
There was a kid's animatronic display in the Cabana Court, between Books-A-Million and the Rainforest Cafe
Rainforest Cafe
Rainforest Cafe is a themed restaurant chain owned by Landry's Restaurants, Inc. of Houston, Texas. It was founded by entrepreneur Steven Schussler. The first location opened in the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota on February 3, 1994. In 1997, the chain consisted of only six restaurants,...
, featuring singing flamingos and alligators welcoming the public to Sawgrass Mills. It was set up like a swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
and allowed people to toss coins into the shallow water which were donated to local charities. It was later converted to a waiting area designed after a ship, still with alligators, and then into the current Cha Cha's playground.
Local retailer L. Luria & Sons was slated to open an anchor at Sawgrass Mills. A lawsuit ensued when catalog showroom chain Service Merchandise
Service Merchandise
Service Merchandise is an online retailer and former retailer chain of catalog showroom stores carrying fine jewelry, toys, sporting goods, and electronics that existed for 68 years...
opened instead, as the Luria company blamed Mills Corporation for choosing Service Merchandise instead.
On January 24, 2011, JCPenney announced it will close all 19 JCPenney outlets due to the outlet concept exit, including the Sawgrass Mills location, which is scheduled to close on July 2nd.
A few days before JCPenney Outlet was to close, the parent company announced that they will hold on to the space for the time being and keep the outlet store open. This followed an announcement by The Mills Corp. that Sawgrass Mills mall will expand with a new 40000 square feet (3,716.1 m²) addition to be built to the east of Il Vilagio restaurant and the previously shuttered Wannado City kids' amusement area will be converted into more stores.