Bellis Fair Mall

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.

Bellis Fair
Coordinates48°47′09″N 122°29′26″W
Address1 Bellis Fair Parkway
Bellingham, Washington
98226
Opening dateAugust 1988 (1988-08)
DeveloperGeneral Growth
Management4th Dimension Properties
Owner4th Dimension Properties
No. of anchor tenants6
Total retail floor area773,000 square feet (72,000 m2)[1]
No. of floors1 (staff mezzanine in Target)
Websitebellisfair.com

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
  1. "Bellis Fair". Brookfield Properties.
  2. Ebner, David (September 27, 2008). "Debt: All borrowed out". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
  3. Connell, Joan (March 16, 1980). "Shopping mall considered on Guide". The Bellingham Herald. p. A1. Retrieved February 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. Gallagher, Dave (November 26, 2006). "Failed downtown mall plan paved way for Bellis Fair; Many retailers left downtown for Meridian St". The Bellingham Herald. p. A8. Retrieved February 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Updike, Robin (April 25, 1988). "On Target: Retailing giant aims at Northwest". The Seattle Times. p. D1.
  6. Gupta, Himanee (December 23, 1990). "Run for the border: 'Buying American'". The Seattle Times. p. D1.
  7. Lim, Paul J. (February 5, 1995). "Border blues: Shoppers are deserting U.S. stores as Canada's currency keeps sinking". The Seattle Times. p. F1. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
  8. "Nordstrom To Open Store At Bellis Fair". The Seattle Times. February 6, 1990. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
  9. "Reunion scheduled for former Nordstrom employees". The Bellingham Herald. January 22, 2009. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
  10. "Gap widens to make room for kids' clothes". The Bellingham Herald. November 12, 1999. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
  11. "Kohl's buys Mervyns site, advertises for employees". The Bellingham Herald. April 20, 2006. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
  12. Gallagher, Dave (July 27, 2013). "Sports Authority gets ready for Aug. 2 opening at Bellis Fair". The Bellingham Herald. Archived from the original on November 17, 2013. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
  13. KTGY Architecture + Planning Renovation Specs
  14. Gallagher, Dave (April 6, 2018). "The makeover of the former Sears space at Bellis Fair will soon include this retailer". The Bellingham Herald. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  15. Schwartz, Ralph (March 25, 2022). "Bellis Fair defaults on $77 million loan". Cascadia Daily. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  16. Catalano, Frank (February 8, 2023). "Bellis Fair's future focuses on foot traffic under new owner". Cascadia Daily. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  17. Walsh, Nina (April 26, 2023). "Library branch opens in Bellis Fair mall". Cascadia Daily. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
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