History
The Florence Mall opened in 1976 on a site along Interstate 71/75 just south of Kentucky Route 18. The two-story mall was constructed by Homart Development, a former real estate division of Sears, Roebuck and Company. Sears also served as one of the anchor stores, opening on March 10, 1976. The mall itself opened six months later, with Pogue's serving as the second anchor. Two more anchors — Shillito's and JCPenney — were added in 1977 and 1978, respectively. At the time of opening, the mall featured 87 stores. The mall's opening led to the development of several retail stores in Florence, and as a result, the city became a retail hub for northern Kentucky.
While JCPenney and Sears remained the same throughout the mall's history, the other two anchors would change repeatedly as chains were acquired and merged. The Shillito's chain was merged with Rike's, and all former Shillito's and Rike's stores briefly carried the dual branding of Shilllito-Rike's from 1982 until 1986, when the chain was merged into Lazarus. Pogue's was then converted to L.S. Ayres in 1983, which in turn sold its store to Hess's five years later. Also in the mid-1980s, the food court was renovated.
Hess's closed in 1993, and one year later, Lazarus moved its home goods into the former Hess's space. Throughout the 1990s, the mall underwent an $8 million renovation, including the addition of 64 new tenants. In 2003, the mall was sold to General Growth Properties of Chicago, Illinois, in association with the Teachers' Retirement System of Illinois, although General Growth had managed the property for several years prior. Both Lazarus stores were converted to Lazarus-Macy's in 2003, then to just Macy's in 2005. In addition, the mall's food court was renovated in 2004.
The mall comprises more than 130 tenants on two levels, and is the largest mall in northern Kentucky.
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