Bellis Fair is an enclosed shopping mall in Bellingham, Washington, United States. Opened on August 4, 1988, it features JCPenney, Kohl's, Macy's, Macy's Home Store, Dick's Sporting Goods, DSW, H&M, Forever 21, Ashley Furniture, and Target. The mall is located along Interstate 5 at its interchange with State Route 539 (Guide Meridian Road) north of downtown Bellingham.
 | |
| Coordinates | 48°47′09″N 122°29′26″W |
|---|---|
| Address | 1 Bellis Fair Parkway Bellingham, Washington 98226 |
| Opening date | August 1988 |
| Developer | General Growth |
| Management | 4th Dimension Properties |
| Owner | 4th Dimension Properties |
| No. of anchor tenants | 6 |
| Total retail floor area | 773,000 square feet (72,000 m2)[1] |
| No. of floors | 1 (staff mezzanine in Target) |
| Website | bellisfair |
History
Bellis Fair opened in August 1988, at the site of a former USDA Soil Conservation Service plant-materials center.[2] Plans to build a regional shopping center north of Bellingham were announced in 1980 by the Trillium Corporation, who had acquired 1,200 acres (490 ha) for retail and office development.[3] The mall attracted several retailers from downtown Bellingham, including Sears, Cineplex Odeon, JCPenney and The Bon Marché, who had failed to build a mall in downtown Bellingham in the early 1980s.[4] Mervyn's and Target also anchored the mall initially, with the latter as part of the first wave of Target stores in the Pacific Northwest.[5] The mall was popular with shoppers from nearby Vancouver, Canada in the early 1990s,[6] but sales waned as the Canadian dollar declined in value against the American dollar by 1995.[7]
In 1990, a Nordstrom Place Two store was added, having also relocated from downtown Bellingham.[8] The Nordstrom Place Two store was later converted to Nordstrom Rack in 1994, before closing in 1999[9] and becoming an auxiliary store for The Bon Marché. Also in 1999, Old Navy was added.[10]
Bellis Fair Mall is the last place North Carolina student Leah Roberts was seen in March 2000 before she disappeared. She bought a ticket to watch the movie American Beauty at the mall and she ate at a café there. Her crashed car was later discovered nearby but no trace of her has ever been found.
Both Bon Marché stores became Bon-Macy's in 2003 and Macy's in 2005. After Mervyn's closed its stores in the Pacific Northwest in 2006, many of the locations were sold to Kohl's, including the Bellis Fair store.[11] Sears closed in January 2013 and became Sports Authority the same year.[12] The cinema closed in 2014, replaced with many restaurants.
Portions of the mall were renovated in 2015 including the common area, food court and entryways.[13] Sports Authority closed in 2016 and was replaced with a Dick's Sporting Goods in 2017. Ashley Furniture opened in the remainder of the former Sears in 2018.[14]
In February 2022, Brookfield Property Partners defaulted on its $77 million loan and the mall was put up for auction. Brookfield's original note on the property had been taken out a decade prior for $93 million when the mall was valued at $145 million.[15]
In December 2022, 4th Dimension Properties acquired the mall at auction for $44 million. The developer stated an intent to improve the mall's nearly 80% occupancy rate by attracting nontraditional tenants.[16]
A branch of the Bellingham Public Library opened in the mall on April 26, 2023.[17]
References
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