Uptown Meridian

Uptown Meridian is an enclosed shopping mall in Meridian, Mississippi, United States. The property opened on October 15, 1997, under the name Bonita Lakes Mall and was developed and initially owned by CBL & Associates Properties. It was established as a regional shopping destination serving Meridian and nearby communities in eastern Mississippi and the broader cross-border trade area. The mall combines department stores, specialty retail, restaurants, food-service venues, entertainment, and other customer-oriented services in a traditional enclosed-mall format. The center's principal business model is based on leasing space to a mix of anchor tenants, inline retailers, restaurants, entertainment operators, and service businesses. Its tenant mix has changed over time as department-store chains consolidated, individual stores closed, and newer local or regional concepts occupied space. At various points, the mall's anchors and major occupants included Belk, formerly McRae's, and Dillard's. Other identified occupants have included Fitness Depot, Golden Ticket Cinemas, and Woodstock Furniture Clearance Outlet. The surrounding open-air Bonita Lakes Crossing shopping center extends the broader retail destination with stores such as Ashley Furniture HomeStore, Cato Fashions, and Jo-Ann. Ownership changed in 2016, when Bonita Lakes Mall was sold by CBL & Associates Properties to RockStep Capital. The transaction placed the property within RockStep's portfolio of shopping centers and marked a change in the mall's ownership history, while the center continued operating as a retail and entertainment destination. The property also experienced the departure of major legacy department-store tenants. JCPenney closed its location in 2017, followed by Sears in 2018. Earlier or former occupants included Goody's, United Artists Theatres, and AllIn1 Adventures, which had previously operated under the Hype Indoor Adventures name. In 2020, the mall was renamed Uptown Meridian. The rebranding distinguished the property from the Bonita Lakes name used by the nearby shopping center and associated commercial area while retaining the site's role as a major retail venue in Meridian. The present identity therefore represents a continuation and repositioning of the former Bonita Lakes Mall rather than a newly built shopping center. Available reference material describes Uptown Meridian as an active enclosed mall with more than one hundred shopping and service venues located within or around the property, although the precise current tenant roster may change over time.

Uptown Meridian began operating as Bonita Lakes Mall on October 15, 1997, in Meridian, Mississippi. The enclosed shopping mall was owned by CBL & Associates Properties at opening and was intended to function as a regional retail center rather than a neighborhood convenience center. Its format brought together department stores, specialty shops, restaurants, food-service operators, entertainment, and other services under one enclosed complex. The mall also formed part of a larger commercial destination that included Bonita Lakes Crossing, an adjacent shopping center with additional open-air retail. The original tenant structure reflected the conventional regional-mall model of the late 1990s. Department stores served as major anchors, while smaller specialty shops and restaurants filled the interior and supported customer traffic. Belk, formerly McRae's, and Dillard's are identified among the mall's anchor tenants. Other listed occupants have included Fitness Depot, Golden Ticket Cinemas, and Woodstock Furniture Clearance Outlet. The property has also hosted entertainment concepts and cinemas under different operators, including United Artists Theatres and AllIn1 Adventures, formerly known as Hype Indoor Adventures. Like many established American malls, the property experienced tenant turnover as department-store retail changed. Goody's is identified as a former tenant. JCPenney closed its location in 2017, and Sears closed its location in 2018. These departures reduced the presence of traditional national department-store operators, but the mall continued to operate with a mixture of retail, dining, entertainment, furniture, fitness, and other uses. The adjacent Bonita Lakes Crossing contributed additional commercial activity through tenants such as Ashley Furniture HomeStore, Cato Fashions, and Jo-Ann. A significant ownership change took place in 2016, when Bonita Lakes Mall was sold to RockStep Capital. The sale ended the property's period under CBL & Associates Properties and placed it under a different private shopping-center owner. The available reference material does not provide transaction value, financing terms, or detailed redevelopment plans, so the change is best understood as an ownership transition rather than evidence of a specific capital program. In 2020, the mall was renamed Uptown Meridian. The name change created the property's current identity while preserving its function as an enclosed shopping and entertainment venue in Meridian. It also separated the mall's branding from the Bonita Lakes name associated with the adjacent shopping-center development. Under the Uptown Meridian name, the property remains a local and regional retail destination with more than one hundred shopping or service venues reported within or around the complex. Its current profile is therefore the result of continued operation, changing tenants, ownership turnover, and a later brand repositioning rather than a replacement by a new development.

• 2020

  Property renamed Uptown Meridian

  [1]Uptown Meridianen.wikipedia.org

  Bonita Lakes Mall adopted the Uptown Meridian name.

• 2018

  Sears closes

  [1]Uptown Meridianen.wikipedia.org

  Sears closed its mall location and became a former tenant.

• 2017

  JCPenney closes

  [1]Uptown Meridianen.wikipedia.org

  JCPenney departed the mall and was subsequently listed among its former tenants.

• 2016

  Ownership transfers to RockStep Capital

  [1]Uptown Meridianen.wikipedia.org

  Bonita Lakes Mall was sold by CBL & Associates Properties to RockStep Capital.

• 1997

  Bonita Lakes Mall opens

  [1]Uptown Meridianen.wikipedia.org

  The enclosed shopping mall opened in Meridian, Mississippi, on October 15, 1997, under ownership by CBL & Associates Properties.

A regional enclosed shopping and entertainment destination serving Meridian and the surrounding East Mississippi trade area, supported by department stores, specialty retailers, dining, entertainment, and adjacent open-air shopping.

• Retail property · 1997

  Enclosed shopping mall

  Uptown Meridian's core offering is an enclosed regional shopping environment containing department stores, specialty retailers, restaurants, food-service operators, entertainment venues, and customer services. The property is designed to serve both routine local shopping and broader regional visits.

• Anchored retail · 1997

  Department-store retail

  The mall has historically relied on department-store anchors, including Belk, formerly McRae's, and Dillard's. These stores provide broad merchandise assortments such as apparel, accessories, home goods, and seasonal products, although the tenant roster has changed over time.

• Food and beverage · 1997

  Dining and food service

  Restaurants, eateries, and other food-service businesses form part of the mall's customer offer. They support shopping visits and provide an additional reason for local and regional customers to use the property as a mixed retail and leisure destination.

• Entertainment

  Entertainment venues

  Entertainment has been represented by cinema and recreational operators. Golden Ticket Cinemas is identified among the mall's anchor tenants, while earlier entertainment occupants included United Artists Theatres and AllIn1 Adventures, formerly Hype Indoor Adventures.

• Adjacent shopping center

  Bonita Lakes Crossing

  Bonita Lakes Crossing is the open-air shopping center located outside the enclosed mall. Its listed tenants include Ashley Furniture HomeStore, Cato Fashions, and Jo-Ann, extending the overall retail destination beyond Uptown Meridian's interior mall space.

• 2020

  Adopt the Uptown Meridian identityStrategy

  Background

  The property had operated for more than two decades as Bonita Lakes Mall and was associated with a nearby shopping-center complex using the Bonita Lakes name.

  Action taken

  The mall changed its public name to Uptown Meridian.

  Aftermath

  The renamed property continued operating as an enclosed shopping and entertainment center in Meridian, while the Bonita Lakes name remained associated with the adjacent shopping-center development.

  Source

1. 1Uptown Meridianen.wikipedia.org