History
The mall was opened in September 1979 with anchor stores Sears, A.W. Lucas & Co., and White Mart. The mall served for many years as an alternative to the larger Kirkwood Mall, originally featuring a three-screen movie theater and food court to complement the three anchor stores and several in-line tenants.
Thrifty White began closing its White Mart operations in the late 1980s; the store at Gateway Mall was taken by Menards, a Wisconsin-based home improvement chain. Menards have re-located outside the mall, and a portion of the location was turned into a "Medical Mall" housing clinics managed by the PrimeCare Health Network, while the remainder of the former White Mart/Menards was converted to Hancock Fabrics.
The middle anchor of the original three was A.W. Lucas. Their closure made way for Herberger's, which closed in 1994. The space, which later became Jacob's, then World's Greatest Deals, has been taken over by Conlin's Furniture.
The mall's theaters were expanded to the "Midco 8", and at the time of expansion, the complex was the largest theater in the city. The theater remains today, competing with the nearby Grand 15 Theaters. The theater is now owned by Carmike Cinemas.
For many years, the Gateway to Science Center had a location inside the center of the mall. This store allowed visitors to try science-related activities and experiments. The Gateway to Science Center has moved to a new location outside the mall.
The mall saw the loss of many tenants over the years, including the majority of the food court tenants. Currently, Subway and Gelato d'Italia, an Italian ice cream shop, are the only tenants in the food court.
In 2006, Osco Drug, an original tenant, was converted to CVS/Pharmacy.
Read more about this topic: Gateway Fashion Mall
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