Countryside Mall (formerly Westfield Countryside) is a

shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that is, the term was used to refe ...

in Clearwater, Florida. Situated near the coastline on the

Gulf Coast The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South, is the coast, coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The list of U.S. states and territories by coastline, coastal states that have a shor ...

, it serves over 9 million customers every year, and is home to five anchor stores, a 12-screen Cobb Theatres, numerous restaurants, and a full-size ice skating rink.

History

Countryside Mall opened on September 8, 1975. Opening anchors included

Maas Brothers Maas Brothers was a leading Tampa, Florida department store founded by Abe and Isaac Maas in 1886 that grew from a small store to a chain of 39 stores throughout the Gulf Coast of Florida. The Maas Brothers brand went defunct in 1991 when it wa ...

and

Sears Sears, Roebuck and Co. ( ), commonly known as Sears, is an American chain of department stores founded in 1892 by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck and reincorporated in 1906 by Richard Sears and Julius Rosenwald, with what began a ...

, with

JCPenney Penney OpCo LLC, doing business as JCPenney and often abbreviated JCP, is a midscale American department store chain operating 667 stores across 49 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. Departments inside JCPenney stores include Mens, Womens, Boys, Gir ...

and J. W. Robinson's opening a year later. Out of the four original anchors, only JCPenney currently remains. Sears shrunk for

Nordstrom Rack Nordstrom Rack is an American off-price department store chain founded in 1973. It is a sister brand to the luxury department store chain Nordstrom. As of 2021, Nordstrom Rack operates 352 stores in 41 U.S. states and three Canadian provinces ...

and

Whole Foods Market Whole Foods Market IP, Inc., a subsidiary of Amazon, is an upscale American multinational supermarket chain headquartered in Austin, Texas, which sells products free from hydrogenated fats and artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives. A US ...

and closed in 2018, Maas Brothers is now a

Macy's Macy's (originally R. H. Macy & Co.) is an American chain of high-end department stores founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. It became a division of the Cincinnati-based Federated Department Stores in 1994, through which it is affiliated wi ...

(formerly

Burdines Burdines (} ) was an American chain of department stores operating in the state of Florida, headquartered in Miami. The original store opened in Bartow, Florida in 1896 as a carriage-trade shop. Over its nearly 110-year history, Burdines grew ...

), and J. W. Robinson's is now a Dillard's (formerly Maison Blanche). A six-screen movie theater was built next to the mall across from JCPenney. However, declining attendance led it to close in 2000. It has since become a Crunch Fitness center. In 2002, as part of their expansion into the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Westfield Group Westfield Group was an Australian shopping centre company that existed from 1960 to 2014, when it split into two independent companies: Scentre Group, which owns and operates the Australian and New Zealand Westfield shopping centre portfolio ...

acquired ''Countryside Mall'' in a $4.8 billion deal that involved 13 other

shopping centers A shopping center (American English) or shopping centre (Commonwealth English), also called a shopping complex, shopping arcade, shopping plaza or galleria, is a group of shops built together, sometimes under one roof. The first known collec ...

. The mall was renamed "Westfield Countryside" by the new owners, dropping the "Shoppingtown" name in June 2005. In April 2009, work for a $12 million renovation project began. The mall's interior look was completely updated with new relocated escalators, new flooring and ceilings, additional skylights, an expanded children's play area, and a completely redesigned food court. Dozens of planters and fake columns were removed, and an entourage of new stores were brought to the mall. The renovations were completed in November 2009. In December 2011, Countryside Cobb-12 Cinema was added to the 2nd level of the mall. In 2012, Westfield Countryside also added Bar Louie, BJ's Brewhouse & Restaurant, Grimaldi's Coal Fired Pizzeria, and Red Robin Gourmet Burgers. In 2013, PF Chang's China Bistro was added to finish out "Restaurant Row". Pinellas County's first and only

opened in September 2014 on the first floor's western portion of the Sears space. In 2015,

Sears Holdings Sears Holdings Corporation was an American holding company headquartered in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. It was the parent company of the chain stores Kmart and Sears and was founded after the former purchased the latter in 2005. It was the 20th- ...

spun off 235 of its properties, including the Sears at Westfield Countryside, into Seritage Growth Properties. In late 2015,

opened their first and only Pinellas County location at Westfield Countryside in the former Sears Auto Center. On April 23, 2018, Sears announced that its store would be closing as part of a plan to close 42 stores nationwide. The store closed on July 15, 2018.

Anchors

Current anchors

* Dillard's (225,000 sq ft.), opened 1976 as J.W. Robinsons, sold to Maison Blanche in 1987, and to Dillard's in 1991 *

(166,000 sq ft.), opened 1976 *

(215,000 sq ft.), opened 1975 as Maas Brothers, then Burdines in 1991, and Macy's in 2005 *

(38,080 sq ft.), opened 2015 in former Sears Auto Center *

(37,594 sq ft.), opened 2014 in part of Sears space

Former anchors

* Maison Blanche *

J.W. Robinson's J. W. Robinson Co., ''Robinson's'', was a chain of department stores operating in the Southern California and Arizona area, previously with headquarters in Los Angeles, California. History Joseph Winchester Robinson was a merchant from Waltham, ...

(147,510 sq ft.), opened 1975, formerly 223,184 sq ft., and shrunk in 2013 to make way for Whole Foods Market in 2014 - closed July 15, 2018

Restaurants

* BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse *

Charleys Philly Steaks Charleys Philly Steaks is an American restaurant chain of Philly cheesesteak stores headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Formerly known as Charley's Steakery and Charley's Grilled Subs, the franchise was established in 1986 on the campus of Ohio ...

The Cheesecake Factory The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated is an American restaurant company and distributor of cheesecakes based in the United States. The company operates 219 full-service restaurants: 206 under The Cheesecake Factory brand and 13 under the Grand Lux C ...

* P.F. Chang's *

Red Robin Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc., more commonly known as Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews or simply Red Robin, is an American chain of casual dining restaurants founded in September 1969 in Seattle, Washington. In 1979, the first franchised ...

Sarku Japan Sarku Japan is an American quick serve restaurant chain focusing on Japanese cuisine. Founded in 1987, the chain has grown to include over 180 locations in 32 states across the country, as of September 2021. The vast majority of the chain's res ...

* Chic-fil-A

References

External links

* {{Tampa Bay Area malls Shopping malls in Florida Tourist attractions in Pinellas County, Florida Buildings and structures in Clearwater, Florida Shopping malls established in 1975 1975 establishments in Florida