Original Outlet Mall

The mall was sold for $17 million to Clearview Investments Ltd of Arlington, Texas in January 1998, who immediately announced plans to remodel the mall in order to attract new tenants.[2] The mall was sold again in 2000 to Jaeger & Jaeger of Deerfield, Illinois; at this time, the mall was at 80% occupancy.[3] By 2001, occupancy had improved to 85%, but was still behind newer outlets nearby such as the Johnson Creek Outlet Mall in Johnson Creek, Wisconsin with 97% occupancy, and the Prime Retail Outlets in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin with 95% occupancy.[4] By late 2003, occupancy had slipped to 61%, and in January 2004 lenders GMAC Commercial Mortgage Corp and LaSalle National Bank moved to sue the owners, claiming the owners had defaulted on a $20 million loan, and demanded the mall be sold at sheriff's auction.[5] The property was handed back to the lenders in February that year, who announced they were looking to sell the mall within the year.[6] The mall was later acquired in December 2004 by American Realty Advisors, in a joint venture with the Tucker Development Corporation. Plans called to continue operating the site as an outlet mall in the near future, but to later redevelop the property into a 300,000 square foot community shopping center.[7]

By January 2006, demolition had commenced on northern portion of the mall, with the small number of remaining tenants condensed into the southern wing of the mall, on short-term leases.[8] By August, demolition of the mall had been finished, with construction of an Ashley HomeStore on the grounds already in progress.[9] Also planned for the site were three 8,000 square foot commercial sites, a 121-room hotel on the site, and four additional lots left for future expansion.[10]

42°33′45″N 87°57′16″W