Sooner Mall

Sooner Mall is a regional shopping mall and retail trade area in Norman, Oklahoma, serving the city, the University of Oklahoma community, and surrounding parts of central Oklahoma. The property opened in 1976 under the name Sooner Fashion Mall and was developed by Monumental Properties. Its format has centered on department-store anchors, specialty retail, food and services, and other family-oriented entertainment uses. The mall has approximately 512,000 square feet of gross leasable area and about 73 tenants, according to the cited Wikipedia reference. Its principal traditional anchors are JCPenney and Dillard's. The property also includes junior-anchor users such as Old Navy and Get Air Trampoline Park. A former Sears department-store space represents an important redevelopment opportunity within the center. In 2018, Sears announced that its Sooner Mall store would close as part of a nationwide reduction of its store base. The Sears property had previously been separated from Sears Holdings' operating portfolio through the 2015 creation of Seritage Growth Properties, which received interests in 235 Sears properties. Sooner Mall has undergone several significant changes during its history. In 1988, Dillard's moved into a new store at the mall, while JCPenney relocated into Dillard's former space. In 1996, General Growth Properties acquired the mall. The center adopted its current name, Sooner Mall, on November 20, 1999. The mall is also described as a major employment venue for students at the University of Oklahoma, making it more than a conventional retail destination within Norman's local economy. Its trade-area role combines department-store shopping, apparel and specialty retail, entertainment, and everyday consumer services. A June 2026 report described plans for Dick's Sporting Goods to place a large-format Dick's House of Sport concept in the former Sears anchor space. Because that development is described as planned rather than completed, the status of the conversion should be verified before being treated as an operating tenant or completed redevelopment.

Sooner Mall opened in Norman, Oklahoma, in 1976 as Sooner Fashion Mall. Monumental Properties developed the center as a regional retail destination built around department-store anchors and a broad selection of specialty tenants. Its location in Norman gave it a trade-area role extending beyond the immediate city, while its proximity to the University of Oklahoma helped make the mall a particularly important source of employment for university students. The first major documented physical and tenant reconfiguration occurred in 1988. Dillard's moved into a newly built store within the mall, and JCPenney, which already operated at the center, shifted into the space formerly occupied by Dillard's. The change strengthened the mall's department-store offering and altered the distribution of its anchor spaces without changing its basic regional-mall format. General Growth Properties acquired Sooner Fashion Mall in 1996. Three years later, on November 20, 1999, the property was renamed Sooner Mall, the name it uses today. Under the Sooner Mall identity, the center continued to combine department stores, apparel and specialty retailers, services, and family-oriented uses. The cited reference describes the property as having approximately 512,000 square feet of gross leasable area and 73 tenants. The mall's ownership and real-estate structure became more complex during the restructuring of Sears Holdings. In 2015, Sears Holdings separated 235 of its properties into Seritage Growth Properties, and the Sears location at Sooner Mall was among the properties included in that transaction. Sears later announced on October 15, 2018, that its Sooner Mall store would close as part of a nationwide plan involving 142 store closures. The departure left a substantial anchor space available for future reuse. The center's documented junior anchors include Old Navy and Get Air Trampoline Park, complementing its remaining department-store anchors, JCPenney and Dillard's. These uses illustrate the mall's adaptation beyond traditional department-store retail, with entertainment and value-oriented apparel helping diversify the tenant mix. In June 2026, Dick's Sporting Goods was reported to be planning a large-format Dick's House of Sport concept store in the former Sears space. The proposed use would likely occupy the entire anchor area and would represent a redevelopment of the vacant department-store box rather than a simple replacement of the former Sears operating model. The proposal was described as part of Dick's national expansion of House of Sport locations. Since the available material identifies it as planned, the opening date, final size, and operating status are not established here. Today, Sooner Mall remains an active regional shopping center in Norman. Its role is defined by its established trade area, department-store anchors, specialty and apparel tenants, entertainment offerings, and continued efforts to reuse large-format retail space. Its history reflects broader changes in American enclosed malls: department-store relocations, ownership restructuring, the contraction of Sears, and attempts to introduce experiential or large-format specialty concepts into former anchor boxes.

• 2026

  Dick's House of Sport redevelopment reported

  [1]Sooner Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Plans were reported for a Dick's House of Sport store in the former Sears anchor space; the development was described as planned and requires status verification.

• 2018

  Sears closure announced

  [1]Sooner Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Sears announced that its Sooner Mall store would close as part of a nationwide plan to close 142 stores.

• 2015

  Sears property transferred to Seritage

  [1]Sooner Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The Sears Holdings store at the mall was included among 235 properties spun off into Seritage Growth Properties.

• 1999

  Property renamed Sooner Mall

  [1]Sooner Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The shopping center adopted the Sooner Mall name on November 20, 1999.

• 1996

  General Growth Properties acquires the mall

  [1]Sooner Mallen.wikipedia.org

  General Growth Properties purchased the shopping center.

• 1988

  Department-store configuration changes

  [1]Sooner Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Dillard's moved into a new store at the mall, while JCPenney relocated into Dillard's former space.

• 1976

  Mall opens as Sooner Fashion Mall

  [1]Sooner Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Monumental Properties developed and opened the regional shopping center in Norman, Oklahoma, under the Sooner Fashion Mall name.

A regional, department-store-anchored shopping center serving Norman, the University of Oklahoma community, and the surrounding Oklahoma trade area.

• Department store

  JCPenney

  JCPenney is one of Sooner Mall's principal department-store anchors. Its presence provides apparel, footwear, home-related merchandise, beauty products, and other general merchandise within the center's regional shopping format. The store moved into the space formerly occupied by Dillard's during the mall's 1988 reconfiguration.

• Department store · 1988

  Dillard's

  Dillard's is a principal anchor at Sooner Mall. The retailer moved into a new store at the property in 1988, strengthening the center's department-store offer and changing the placement of its existing anchors. Its merchandise mix typically covers fashion, accessories, beauty, home goods, and related department-store categories.

• Apparel retailer

  Old Navy

  Old Navy is identified as a junior anchor at Sooner Mall. The apparel retailer broadens the center's tenant mix with family clothing, casualwear, accessories, and related value-oriented fashion merchandise.

• Family entertainment

  Get Air Trampoline Park

  Get Air Trampoline Park is identified as a junior anchor at Sooner Mall. Its presence adds an entertainment and recreation component to the property, helping diversify the mall beyond shopping and supporting family-oriented visits.

• Sporting-goods retail and experiential entertainment · 2026

  Dick's House of Sport

  Dick's House of Sport is a planned large-format sporting-goods concept proposed for the former Sears anchor space. The reported plan would likely use the entire anchor box and would bring a combination of sporting-goods retail and experiential elements to the mall. The available reference does not establish an opening date or confirm completion.

• 2026

  Plan a Dick's House of Sport conversionM&A

  Background

  The former Sears anchor created an opportunity for a large-format replacement, while Dick's Sporting Goods was expanding its House of Sport concept in the United States.

  Action taken

  Dick's Sporting Goods was reported to be planning a Dick's House of Sport store in the former Sears space.

  Aftermath

  If completed, the project would reuse the entire anchor area and add a large sporting-goods and experiential retail tenant. Completion and final operating details remain unverified.

  Source

• 2018

  Close the Sears anchorStrategy

  Background

  Sears announced a nationwide program to close 142 stores, including its location at Sooner Mall.

  Action taken

  Sears planned to close its Sooner Mall store.

  Aftermath

  The mall was left with a large former department-store space that later became the subject of redevelopment planning.

  Source

• 1999

  Adopt the Sooner Mall nameStrategy

  Background

  The property had operated since 1976 as Sooner Fashion Mall and had been acquired by General Growth Properties in 1996.

  Action taken

  The center was renamed Sooner Mall on November 20, 1999.

  Aftermath

  The property continued under the shorter Sooner Mall identity.

  Source

• 1988

  Reconfigure department-store anchor spacesStrategy

  Background

  Dillard's moved to a new store within the mall, creating a former anchor space that could be used by the existing JCPenney operation.

  Action taken

  JCPenney relocated into Dillard's original location while Dillard's occupied its new store.

  Aftermath

  The change refreshed the mall's anchor configuration and preserved two major department-store users.

  Source

1. 1Sooner Mallen.wikipedia.org