The Shops at Westshore

The Shops at Westshore is an open-air shopping center in Holland, Michigan, United States. It opened in 1988 as Westshore Mall and was developed by Bramalea. The original center was a conventional enclosed mall anchored by JCPenney, Sears, Prange's, and Steketee's. Prange's converted to Younkers in 1992, while the final Steketee's store closed in 2003 and was replaced by Dunham's Sports. Sears closed in 2004; its former space was later occupied by Steve & Barry's from 2007 until 2008 and subsequently became the site of Burlington. The mall experienced increasing vacancy during the 2000s as larger regional shopping centers, including Rivertown Crossings and The Lakes Mall, expanded the competitive retail market around Holland and West Michigan. An original restaurant tenant, JJ Finnegan's, left the property in 2009. The owners subsequently pursued legal action against the restaurant's operators over alleged unpaid rent. Around the same period, more than 30 percent of the mall's space was reported vacant. A bank acquired the property in 2010 for $7.8 million, according to the cited historical account. In 2014, a local developer announced plans to convert the enclosed complex into an outdoor-oriented shopping center, a process commonly described as de-malling. Construction began in 2015, and the property adopted the name The Shops at Westshore. Several retailers, including JCPenney, Younkers, Dunham's Sports, Buckle, and GNC, remained open during the reconstruction. The redevelopment was intended to reposition the property as a more flexible, open-air retail destination rather than preserve the original enclosed-mall format. The repositioning brought several new or relocated occupants. In 2016, Burlington was announced for the former Sears space, while FedEx Office was to relocate from across U.S. Route 31. Disc Traders and T-Mobile were also announced as tenants. Subsequent anchor changes included the closure of JCPenney in July 2017 as part of the retailer's nationwide store-reduction program and the closure of Younkers in 2018. In 2019, Urban Air Trampoline Park was announced for the center, and Grand Rapids Community College was reported to be establishing classrooms in the former JCPenney premises. The center's tenant mix therefore evolved from a traditional department-store mall toward a combination of discount retail, specialty stores, services, entertainment, and educational use.

The property opened in 1988 in Holland, Michigan, as Westshore Mall. Bramalea developed the center, which began operation as a traditional enclosed shopping mall with JCPenney, Sears, Prange's, and Steketee's as its principal anchors. Prange's was converted to Younkers in 1992. Steketee's, the final remaining store in that chain, closed in 2003, and its space was converted for use by Dunham's Sports. Sears left the property in 2004. Its former premises later housed Steve & Barry's between February 2007 and December 2008 and were ultimately associated with Burlington. The center's performance weakened during the 2000s. Competition increased after the development of larger nearby regional shopping centers, particularly Rivertown Crossings and The Lakes Mall. JJ Finnegan's, an original restaurant tenant, closed its mall location in 2009. The property owners later took the restaurant operators to court in a dispute concerning alleged rent nonpayment. At that point, the mall was reported to be more than 30 percent vacant. A bank purchased the mall in 2010 for $7.8 million, as reported in the cited account. A major physical and strategic transformation was announced in November 2014. A local developer proposed converting the enclosed mall into an outdoor shopping complex, a redevelopment approach known as de-malling. Construction began in mid-2015, and the property was renamed The Shops at Westshore. JCPenney, Younkers, Dunham's Sports, Buckle, and GNC were among the stores reported to remain open throughout the work. The project changed the center's physical format and sought to adapt it to a less department-store-dependent retail environment. Tenant announcements during 2016 illustrated the new direction. Burlington was planned for the former Sears location. FedEx Office was to move to the center from a location across U.S. Route 31, while Disc Traders and T-Mobile were also announced as occupants. The redevelopment did not prevent further anchor departures. JCPenney announced in March 2017 that the store would close under a national plan affecting 138 locations, and the location closed on July 31 of that year. Younkers closed in 2018. The center continued to diversify after the department-store exits. In 2019, Urban Air Trampoline Park was announced as a tenant, adding a family-entertainment use. Grand Rapids Community College was also reported to be opening classrooms in the former JCPenney space, extending the property's role beyond conventional shopping. The available historical material identifies current or later anchor uses as including Burlington, Grand Rapids Community College, Dunham's Sports, and the Holland Charter Township Community Center. The Shops at Westshore consequently represents the transition of a conventional regional mall into a smaller, open-air, mixed-use community retail complex.

• 2019

  Entertainment and educational uses announced

  [1]The Shops at Westshoreen.wikipedia.org

  Urban Air Trampoline Park and Grand Rapids Community College classroom facilities are announced for the center.

• 2018

  Younkers closes

  [1]The Shops at Westshoreen.wikipedia.org

  Younkers leaves the center, ending another anchor-store tenancy.

• 2017

  JCPenney closes

  [1]The Shops at Westshoreen.wikipedia.org

  JCPenney closes its store on July 31 after announcing the location as part of a national closure program.

• 2015

  De-malling work begins

  [1]The Shops at Westshoreen.wikipedia.org

  Construction begins on the open-air conversion, and the property is renamed The Shops at Westshore.

• 2014

  Outdoor redevelopment announced

  [1]The Shops at Westshoreen.wikipedia.org

  A local developer announces plans to convert the enclosed complex into an outdoor shopping center.

• 2010

  Bank acquires the mall

  [1]The Shops at Westshoreen.wikipedia.org

  A bank purchases the property for a reported $7.8 million.

• 2004

  Sears closes

  [1]The Shops at Westshoreen.wikipedia.org

  Sears leaves the mall; the space later hosts Steve & Barry's and is subsequently associated with Burlington.

• 2003

  Steketee's closes and Dunham's Sports takes the space

  [1]The Shops at Westshoreen.wikipedia.org

  The last Steketee's store closes, and its former premises are converted for Dunham's Sports.

• 1992

  Prange's becomes Younkers

  [1]The Shops at Westshoreen.wikipedia.org

  The Prange's anchor is converted to a Younkers store.

• 1988

  Westshore Mall opens

  [1]The Shops at Westshoreen.wikipedia.org

  Bramalea opens the shopping mall in Holland, Michigan, with JCPenney, Sears, Prange's, and Steketee's as original anchors.

An open-air, community-oriented shopping center serving Holland and surrounding West Michigan communities, with a tenant mix spanning discount retail, sporting goods, specialty stores, services, entertainment, and education.

• Shopping center services · 1988

  Retail shopping

  The center provides a collection of retail storefronts rather than a single branded product line. Its historical and later tenant mix has included department-store, discount, sporting-goods, apparel, footwear, specialty, telecommunications, and convenience-oriented retailers.

• Sporting goods retail · 2003

  Dunham's Sports

  Dunham's Sports occupies space formerly used by Steketee's and represents one of the center's continuing major retail uses. The chain sells sporting goods, athletic apparel, footwear, and outdoor equipment.

• Off-price retail · 2016

  Burlington

  Burlington was announced for the former Sears premises during the open-air redevelopment. Its off-price department-store format provides apparel, home goods, accessories, and related merchandise.

• Family entertainment · 2019

  Urban Air Trampoline Park

  Urban Air was announced as an entertainment tenant in 2019, adding trampoline-based recreation and other family-oriented activities to the center's post-redevelopment mix.

• Educational facilities · 2019

  Grand Rapids Community College classrooms

  Grand Rapids Community College was reported to be opening classroom facilities in the former JCPenney space. This use illustrates the property's shift toward mixed retail, community, entertainment, and educational occupancy.

• 2019

  Diversify former department-store spaceStrategy

  Background

  The closure of JCPenney and Younkers left substantial former anchor space available.

  Action taken

  Urban Air Trampoline Park and Grand Rapids Community College classroom facilities were announced for the center, including the former JCPenney area.

  Aftermath

  The property expanded its role as a mixed-use community destination rather than relying solely on traditional department-store retail.

  Source

• 2016

  Add Burlington and other redevelopment-era tenantsProduct launch

  Background

  The former Sears space and other parts of the redeveloped center required new occupants.

  Action taken

  Burlington, FedEx Office, Disc Traders, and T-Mobile were announced as new or relocated tenants.

  Aftermath

  The announcements reinforced the center's repositioning away from an anchor-dependent enclosed mall.

  Source

• 2014

  Convert the enclosed mall into an open-air centerStrategy

  Background

  The mall faced significant vacancy and stronger competition from larger nearby shopping centers.

  Action taken

  A local developer announced a de-malling project, with construction beginning in 2015 and the property renamed The Shops at Westshore.

  Aftermath

  The project changed the property's physical format and supported a broader tenant mix that included retail, services, entertainment, and education.

  Source

1. 1The Shops at Westshoreen.wikipedia.org