A Shopping Mall for a New Century
The doors swung open on August 11, 2000. Outside, a crowd pressed forward, eager to step into the latest retail destination in Broomfield, Colorado.
The air was thick with the smell of fresh paint, new carpeting, and anticipation. FlatIron Crossing wasn’t just another mall—it promised something different. Shoppers weren’t walking into a typical enclosed shopping center.
Instead, they found themselves in a space that blended an indoor mall with an open-air lifestyle village, an uncommon design at the time.
The development had been years in the making. Strategically placed between Denver and Boulder, the land was a prime target for commercial expansion.
By 2000, FlatIron Crossing was ready to make its mark. Dillard’s, Foley’s, Lord & Taylor, Nordstrom, and Galyan’s filled the anchor spots, drawing crowds with the promise of upscale shopping.
Inside, high-end retailers lined polished walkways. Outside, the village offered something different—boutiques, cafes, and a slower pace designed to feel more like Boulder than a traditional mall.
A shuttle system funded by the Flatiron Improvement District started rolling in 2001.
It wasn’t just for convenience—it was a move toward making the area more pedestrian-friendly.
The propane-powered buses looped between FlatIron Crossing, the nearby Flatiron Marketplace, and MainStreet at Flatiron, stopping at 14 locations along a 2.6-mile route.
The idea was to create a seamless shopping experience, allowing customers to hop between retail centers without needing a car. By all accounts, FlatIron Crossing opened strong.
Retailers reported high foot traffic, and for a time, the outdoor village buzzed with independent boutiques, restaurants, and a soon-to-arrive AMC Theatres location.
Expansion, Hiccups, and Reinvention
The early years were promising. Shoppers came in droves, drawn by a mix of big-name retailers and smaller specialty stores.
FlatIron Crossing was one of the top-performing malls in the region, raking in strong sales.
But even in the first few years, problems began to surface—some expected, others less so.
The outdoor village, designed to bring a Pearl Street-style shopping experience to Broomfield, faced setbacks almost immediately.
AMC Theatres, meant to be the main attraction, opened more than a year behind schedule.
That delay left boutique retailers struggling without the expected foot traffic.
By the time the theater was ready, many of the independent shops had already closed their doors.
Then came the structural issues. Shifting soil beneath the village forced more tenants out. By the late 2000s, parts of the village stood vacant, and demolition crews moved in.
Inside the main mall, anchor stores were changing hands. Galyan’s rebranded as Dick’s Sporting Goods in 2004 following a buyout.
Foley’s transformed into Macy’s in 2006 after its parent company, May Department Stores, merged with Federated Department Stores.
Some closures hit harder. Lord & Taylor, a founding anchor, shuttered in 2005 as part of a corporate downsizing.
In its place, developers carved the space into three separate stores: The Container Store, Forever 21, and Ultimate Electronics.
The latter didn’t last long—by 2011, Ultimate Electronics was gone, part of a wave of closures that left gaps in malls across the country.
FlatIron Crossing held its ground. Even in 2017, it ranked among the nation’s top malls by sales per square foot.
But the landscape was shifting—online shopping surged, department stores thinned out, and the industry braced for what came next.
The Fall of Department Stores
For decades, department stores ruled the American mall. They occupied the largest spaces, drew the biggest crowds, and served as the backbone of shopping centers.
But by the late 2010s, their dominance was slipping. FlatIron Crossing felt the impact firsthand.
Borders, once a staple in the village, closed in 2011 when the entire bookstore chain collapsed.
That same year, Ultimate Electronics went under, leaving another hole in the mall’s retail mix.
For a while, other tenants filled the gaps, but the trend was clear—large-format retailers were struggling.
The biggest blow came in May 2020, when Nordstrom announced it was leaving. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the company’s store closures, and Broomfield’s location was on the chopping block.
Malls across the country faced similar challenges. While department stores had once been the reason shoppers flocked to retail centers, consumer habits were changing.
People no longer needed a single store that carried everything when they could browse online and have products delivered.
FlatIron Crossing, which had spent years adjusting to minor tenant shifts, now faced a deeper question: What happens when the traditional mall format starts to break down?
The answer came in the form of a redevelopment plan. Instead of finding another department store to replace Nordstrom, Macerich, the mall’s owner, decided to transform the space.
A $400 Million Reinvention
By 2022, FlatIron Crossing was no longer just a mall—it was a work in progress. With department stores fading, its owners moved fast.
The vision? Replace empty parking lots and vacant storefronts with a walkable district packed with retail, dining, offices, and housing.
Macerich rolled out a $400 million plan to reshape FlatIron Crossing into a walkable district with dining, apartments, and offices.
Parts of the outdoor village were set for demolition, making room for residential buildings, public spaces, and a hotel.
Nordstrom’s former site, instead of being filled with another department store, would be repurposed into office space—part of a broader shift in how malls generate revenue.
Construction kicked off in mid-2024.
Crews began clearing land for HiFi, a 25-acre project designed to transform the space that once served only shoppers into a mix of living, dining, and entertainment options.
The indoor mall would remain, but its role was evolving. Shopping was no longer the main draw—it was becoming part of a broader experience.
The shift mirrored what was happening across the country. Developers were betting on the idea that people wanted more than just stores in a single location.
Malls that survived were turned into destinations—places where people could work, eat, live, and socialize.
FlatIron Crossing was following that model, repositioning itself for a future where retail alone wasn’t enough to keep a property thriving.
Pindustry and HiFi: The Future of FlatIron Crossing
By early 2024, new tenants were settling in FlatIron Crossing. Windsor, Lovisa, Cotton On, JD Sports, and Tempur-Pedic joined staples like Macy’s, Dillard’s, and Dick’s Sporting Goods.
Inside, the mall held firm, but outside—that’s where the real transformation was unfolding.
The sound of bowling pins crashing and live music spilling into the night—this is what FlatIron Crossing’s next chapter looks like.
In March 2025, Pindustry, a Greenwood Village-based entertainment venue, was announced as the first anchor tenant of HiFi, the 25-acre redevelopment project that is reshaping the shopping center’s future.
Once a mall defined by department stores, FlatIron Crossing is now betting on experiences. Pindustry isn’t just another bowling alley.
When it opens, the 34,000-square-foot space will feature two levels of duckpin and traditional bowling, a lineup of classic arcade games, billiards, and a sprawling rooftop patio.
The SkyDeck, designed for up to 500 guests, will offer views of the Flatirons, while a stage below will host live music every weekend.
During warmer months, concerts will spill into HiFi’s outdoor event space, making entertainment a central feature of the reimagined development.
But Pindustry is just one piece of the puzzle. Crescent Communities is bringing NOVEL FlatIron Crossing, a five-story, 345-unit luxury residential complex, to the site.
The apartments will wrap around 2.5 acres of public event space, creating a walkable environment where shopping, dining, and entertainment blend into daily life.
Farmers markets, festivals, and fitness classes will fill the green space, shifting the mall’s role from a retail destination to a multi-use hub.
Construction on HiFi started in the summer of 2024, and phased openings will begin in 2027.
FlatIron Crossing, once a traditional shopping center, is leaning toward a future where people come for more than stores.
A new kind of mall is taking shape—one built around experiences, not just transactions.