Orange Park Mall is turning 50 this year, celebrating with a nearly full roster of stores.
Operating today at 97% leasing capacity, according to mall management, it has bucked national indoor mall closure trends.
According to capitoloneshopping.com the number of malls declined 16.7% per year from 2017 to 2022.
The 950,000-square-foot Orange Park Mall on 77 acres has also weathered the 2020 global pandemic and competed with online shopping, all while facing perceptions it is unsafe.
Orange Park Mall, at 1910 Wells Road, is owned by Washington Prime Group Inc. in Columbus, Ohio.
The mall has more than 100 stores including AMC Theaters - Orange Park 24.
Orange Park Mall opened Sept. 24, 1975, to packed parking lots and thousands of shoppers.
Anchor department stores included Ivey’s, May-Cohens and Sears. Retail tenants included national chains Spencer’s Gifts, Zales, Radio Shack, Frederick’s of Hollywood, Stride-Rite, B. Dalton Bookseller and Body Shop.
Tinder Box, Yankee Peddler and Cannon Music were among the lesser-known brands.
Spencer’s and Zales remain in their original locations, while the rest closed long ago and have been replaced many times over.
Mall General Manager Randy Bowman said the mall’s customer base represents a “unique blend” that includes urban, rural and middle- to high-end income populations.
The 143,000 people living within 5 miles of the mall range from teenagers to wealthy retirees with different shopping capacity.
“We’re a melting pot. We’re a nice collective blend that just fits well,” Bowman said.
Several retailers signed on in 2024, including national tenants Popeyes, Chinese retailer and lifestyle brand Miniso, Fit2Run athletic shoe store and jeweler Pandora.
Locally owned stores include rolled ice cream shop Swirl Sweets and Printers Place, which is a business center and promotional item retailer.
The B-12 Store, a provider of vitamin injections and other products, became the mall’s newest tenant in March.
Adjusting the hours
In 2020, the mall’s operating hours changed, opening an hour later at 11 a.m. and closing an hour earlier at 8 p.m.
Bowman said the change is a product of economics.
“COVID-19 repositioned the retail industry to be smarter,” Bowman said.
“You didn’t have to go back to the old basics. You didn’t have to be open 24 hours. You didn’t have to be open from 7 a.m. to 10 o’clock.
“The same customer is coming to you whether you’re open from 11 to 8 or 7 to 10. All you’re doing is reducing your expenses and increasing your bottom line, so there’s more profit.”
Perceptions of safety were not a factor in the hourly shift, according to Bowman. The mall has made headlines with some violent incidents.
“We have about 36,000 to 40,000 visitors at the center on a weekly basis, and to have an incident once every six months is a quarter of a percent,” Bowman said.
“We’ve also done a lot behind the scenes to make people feel safe in the center.
“There are 90-plus cameras and 360-degree angles that are connected to certified chief security officers. At their watch center, they’re able to monitor us if needed.”
Bowman said the mall has license plate readers that can allow its certified security officers to track offenders to their homes if they aren’t caught in the act.
Staying current
Clay County Commissioner Jim Renninger, whose district includes Orange Park, said the mall’s survival can be attributed to Bowman.
“Indoor malls are a dying breed, but it is one of the largest employers and taxpayers in the county. It is one of the entities that made Orange Park grow and it made Orange Park where we are now,” he said.
Bowman said that for the mall to thrive, it must stay on top of trends and anticipate what’s next.
“We have to stay fresh in the market,” Bowman said. “We’re always looking for hot new trends that we can pull in. We’re always looking at our demographics. Our customer base is what we want to continue to draw in.”
He said it’s more about finding the right fit to fill empty storefronts than simply filling them quickly.
“To draw our customers in, we need to have the stores where they want to shop, not just fill a space.”
The mall will celebrate its anniversary Sept. 24 with a re-creation of the original opening, including a ribbon-cutting, a performance by the Orange Park High School marching band and other nods to the mall’s history.