West Park Mall
An enclosed shopping mall in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, opened in 1981 and anchored by a changing mix of department stores, off-price retailers, specialty stores, and service-oriented tenants.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
West Park Mall is an enclosed shopping mall in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, serving the city and the wider Southeast Missouri trade area. The property opened in 1981 through a partnership between St. Louis-based May Centers, Inc. and Cape Girardeau-based Drury Development Corp., the company associated with the Drury hotel business. Its initial department-store anchors were Famous-Barr and JCPenney, with a conventional enclosed-mall tenant mix that included Hallmark Cards, Foot Locker, Kay-Bee Toys, Claire's, Zales Jewelers, GNC, Waldenbooks, and Lerner New York. The mall expanded its anchor base in 1984 when an approximately 80,000-square-foot Venture department store was added. Ownership changed in 1993, when Westfield Group acquired the property from CenterMark. Westfield later renamed it Westfield Shoppingtown West Park in 1998, reflecting a naming convention used across parts of Westfield's portfolio at the time. The Venture store closed that year, and the owners proposed adding another anchor. The former Venture space was converted to Shopko in 1999, helping the property reach full occupancy, although Shopko itself closed in 2001. West Park Mall continued to refresh its tenant mix during the 2000s. Old Navy opened in 2004, while the former Venture and Shopko premises later became a Steve & Barry's store in 2005. Westfield sold the mall to Centro Watt in 2006, after which the property returned to the West Park Mall name. Barnes & Noble was added during this period. Centro Watt subsequently rebranded as Brixmor Property Group in 2011, placing the mall within Brixmor's open-air and enclosed retail-property portfolio. Madison Marquette was hired to manage the mall in 2012. The property faced tenant closures during the retail-sector difficulties of the late 2000s and early 2010s. Steve & Barry's, Pacific Sunwear, the Tilt video arcade, and a long-running restaurant all departed between 2008 and 2010. Even with those vacancies, the mall was reported to be 88 percent occupied in 2010, and several original or long-established stores remained. The former Venture/Shopko building was later reused by Ashley Furniture, which opened in 2018. The mall's department-store profile changed substantially in the 2020s. Macy's announced in January 2021 that its West Park Mall store would close as part of a nationwide reduction, and the location shut on March 21, 2021. The vacated Macy's building subsequently became the focus of a multimillion-dollar renovation and subdivision program. Ashley Furniture was later rebranded as Simple Home, while Ochs Powersports expressed interest in and ultimately became associated with space created through the redevelopment. Sierra Trading Post, Carter's, and Ross Dress for Less opened as part of the repositioning, and PetSmart, Michaels, and Ulta Beauty were among retailers reported to have opened or relocated within the property. The mall's current identity is therefore less dependent on traditional department stores than its original format. Its tenant base combines JCPenney, off-price and value-oriented retailers, home furnishings, sporting and powersports products, pet supplies, books, beauty, crafts, apparel, and family-oriented specialty shopping. West Park Mall remains an active regional retail destination, although its precise current occupancy, ownership arrangements, and tenant roster may change as leasing and redevelopment continue.
History
West Park Mall was developed in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, by a partnership of May Centers, Inc. and Drury Development Corp. and opened in 1981. The enclosed center began with Famous-Barr and JCPenney as anchors. Its early specialty-retail roster reflected the standard regional-mall model of the period, combining apparel, cards and gifts, footwear, toys, jewelry, health products, books, and accessories. The center added an approximately 80,000-square-foot Venture department store in 1984. Westfield Group acquired the property from CenterMark in 1993 and renamed it Westfield Shoppingtown West Park in 1998. Venture closed in 1998, and its building was converted to Shopko in 1999. Shopko closed in 2001, leaving the mall to seek another use for the large anchor space. Old Navy joined the tenant mix in 2004, and Steve & Barry's occupied the former Venture/Shopko premises in 2005. Westfield sold the property to Centro Watt in 2006. The mall reverted to its original West Park Mall name, and Barnes & Noble was added during the subsequent ownership period. Centro Watt's retail-property business became Brixmor Property Group in 2011. Brixmor hired Madison Marquette to manage the center in 2012. Between 2008 and 2010, the mall lost several tenants, including Steve & Barry's, Pacific Sunwear, Tilt, and a restaurant that had operated at the center for 24 years. The departures reflected broader pressures on enclosed shopping malls and specialty retail. Nevertheless, the mall was reported to be 88 percent occupied in 2010, and a number of original or long-standing stores continued operating. The former anchor building received another major reuse when Ashley Furniture opened there in 2018. Macy's later announced that its West Park Mall location would close as part of a national store-reduction program. The store shut on March 21, 2021. In the 2020s, the property pursued a broader repositioning of the former Macy's area and other mall spaces. Ashley Furniture was subsequently rebranded as Simple Home, while Ochs Powersports became associated with newly subdivided space. Sierra Trading Post, Carter's, and Ross Dress for Less were added, and PetSmart, Michaels, and Ulta Beauty were reported as new or relocating tenants. These changes have shifted West Park Mall from a classic department-store-led mall toward a more diversified regional shopping destination. Its current offer blends JCPenney with value apparel, home furnishings, off-price retail, pet products, beauty, books, crafts, children's merchandise, and powersports. The mall remains active, but its composition continues to evolve through leasing, anchor replacement, and redevelopment.
- 2021
Macy's closes
[1]Macy's closes its West Park Mall location on March 21 after announcing the closure in January.
- 2018
Ashley Furniture opens
[1]Ashley Furniture occupies the former Venture and Shopko building.
- 2012
Madison Marquette appointed manager
[1]Brixmor hires Madison Marquette to manage the mall.
- 2011
Centro Watt becomes Brixmor Property Group
[1]The property's ownership platform adopts the Brixmor Property Group name.
- 2006
Centro Watt acquisition
[1]Centro Watt purchases the property from Westfield and restores the West Park Mall name.
- 2004
Old Navy opens
[1]Old Navy joins the mall's apparel tenant mix.
- 2001
Shopko closes
[1]Shopko leaves the mall after roughly two years of operation.
- 1999
Shopko opens
[1]Shopko takes over the former Venture space.
- 1998
Westfield Shoppingtown name adopted
[1]The property is renamed Westfield Shoppingtown West Park; Venture also closes.
- 1993
Westfield acquisition
[1]Westfield Group acquires the mall from CenterMark.
Products and positioning
A regional enclosed shopping center focused on accessible department-store, off-price, home, apparel, family, and service retail for Cape Girardeau and Southeast Missouri.
Shopping mall · 1981
Enclosed regional shopping center
West Park Mall provides an enclosed retail environment combining department stores, apparel, home furnishings, books, beauty, pet supplies, children's products, specialty merchandise, and services. Its role has evolved from a traditional department-store-led mall toward a more diversified regional center with value-oriented and off-price tenants.
Department stores and large-format retail · 1981
Anchor and junior-anchor retail
The property has hosted a succession of large-format anchors, including Famous-Barr, Macy's, Venture, Shopko, Steve & Barry's, Ashley Furniture, Simple Home, and JCPenney. More recent anchor replacement has emphasized home, off-price, apparel, powersports, and specialty retail.
Brand decisions
2021
Macy's closure and anchor-space repositioningStrategyBackground
Macy's included the West Park Mall store in a nationwide closure plan announced in January 2021.
Action taken
The store closed on March 21, 2021, after which the former department-store space was renovated and divided for multiple retailers.
Aftermath
The redevelopment brought in Sierra Trading Post, Carter's, and Ross Dress for Less and supported a more diversified tenant mix.
2006
Transfer from Westfield to Centro WattM&ABackground
Westfield Group had owned and operated the mall since acquiring it in 1993.
Action taken
Westfield sold West Park Mall to Centro Watt, and the property returned to its original name.
Aftermath
Centro Watt later became Brixmor Property Group, while the mall continued operating as West Park Mall.
Sources1 sources
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