Towne West Square is an enclosed shopping mall located in Wichita, Kansas, United States. Opened on Friday, March 6, 1981,[1] it comprises more than 50 stores in 951,447 square feet (88,392.3 m2) of gross leasable area.[2] The mall's three anchor stores are Dick's Sporting Goods, Dillard's Clearance Center and JCPenney.
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| Address | 4600 West Kellogg Drive Wichita, Kansas 67209 |
|---|---|
| Opening date | March 6, 1981 |
| Developer | Melvin Simon & Associates |
| No. of stores and services | 37 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 5 (3 open, 3 closed) |
| Total retail floor area | 951,447 sq ft (88,392.3 m2) |
| No. of floors | 1 (2 in JCPenney) |
| Parking | Parking lot |
| Public transit access |  Wichita Transit |
| Website | Official website |
History
editThe original anchor stores in the mall were: Dillard's, Henry's, JCPenney, Montgomery Ward and Service Merchandise (formerly Wilson's Catalog Showroom). Henry's closed in 1988.[3] This area then housed an arcade and then was eventually closed off and made into a country dance hall. Sears opened in 1993, relocating from the Twin Lakes Shopping Center. Montgomery Ward closed on March 5, 2001, due to filing for bankruptcy, alongside the Wichita Mall store.[4] Sears closed in December 2014. Their anchor store structure was taken over by Convergys and converted to office space, which was no longer accessible from the interior of the mall. In 2017, Dillard's closed their women's store anchor on the mall's north side and converted their men's store (located in the former Montgomery Ward) into a Dillard's Clearance Center. Sears Hometown, operated in the old Henry's, but closed in 2019. Later, Convergys was renamed Concentrix. In 2021, the former Concentrix space was purchased and is now MCI.[1]
On July 31, 2020, JCPenney put 21 stores for sale as part of their bankruptcy, this location included.[5] The store was reaffirmed in 2021 and remains open and operating. Towne West contains a mix of local and national retailers.
Since 2023, the mall has been infamous for its repeated power disconnections by Evergy due to unpaid bills. The first power disconnection occurred on June 20th,[6] the second time on September 8th,[7] and the third time on November 6th.[8] In all of those days, the mall's electric bill have been paid and power was restored. On April 10, 2024, the mall's water systems have been shut off.[9] The anchor stores JCPenney, Dillards Clearance Center, and Dicks Sporting Goods, have separate accounts, including power and water, and has not been affected by any of the service disconnections.
References
edit- ^ "Towne West Square opening made possible by hours of work". The Wichita Eagle. 6 March 1981. p. 24. Retrieved 2014-06-19.
- ^ "Towne West Square". International Council of Shopping Centers. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved 2007-12-17.
- ^ Dyer, Ellen (1988-07-26). "Henry's to leave west side". newspapers.com. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
- ^ "Montgomery Ward is gone". newspapers.com. 2001-03-05. p. 4. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
- ^ "JCPENNEY DISPOSITION PORTFOLIO - PHASE 1|Surplus Stores for Sale" (PDF). jcpenneyportfolio.com. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
- ^ "Towne West Mall facing disconnection, delinquent on energy bill since last November". KWCH.com. 2023-06-20. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
- ^ "Towne West businesses speak out after power shut off". KSN.com. 2023-09-08. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
- ^ "Towne West power restored after being turned off". KSN.com. 2023-11-06. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
- ^ Hernandez, Gabriela; Heilman, Matt (2024-04-10). "Towne West tenants consider next steps after mall loses water service". KWCH.com. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
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External links
edit37°40′38″N 97°23′58″W / 37.67722°N 97.39944°W
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