The Mall That’s Still Waiting
Orlando Fashion Square was never the biggest or newest mall in Florida. For over fifty years, though, it had a spot in the city where people went to shop.
When it opened, the main stores were Sears, Burdines, and JCPenney. For a period, those anchor stores brought in steady traffic from Orlando residents.
Today, the site on East Colonial Drive takes up 45 acres.
Some businesses are still operating, but most have left. The ownership is split between a few different groups.
There have been talks about changing the property for more than ten years, but not much has happened.
The mall isn’t fully open, but it’s not entirely closed either. As of the middle of 2025, the property is on the market.
Real estate agents describe it as having potential for mixed-use or urban development.
For now, it looks about the same as it has for a while – a mall that keeps losing stores and shoppers.
From Open Land to Anchor-Driven Retail (1963–1975)
The first major business on the property was a Sears store.
It opened on October 30, 1963, as a standalone building with 173,000 square feet, sitting on what was then open land along Colonial Drive.
The rest of the shopping center was built later.
In 1971, there were plans for a regional mall to be developed around that Sears by Leonard L. Farber.
His plan was simple: link up with the Sears store, bring in Burdines as a second anchor, and set up a layout that worked for both parking and foot traffic.
Orlando Fashion Square opened on July 30, 1973, with Burdines in place.
On October 29 of the same year, Robinson’s of Florida became the third main store.
That chain, which had started in St. Petersburg, picked Orlando as its next spot.
Two years later, a standalone movie theater opened on one of the outparcels, adding to the mix.
By that point, Orlando Fashion Square had what was needed: department stores, a movie theater, highway access, and a setup that made weekend trips straightforward.
The escalators in Sears went right to the appliance section. Burdines featured an atrium that let in natural light.
The food court hadn’t opened yet, but shoppers were already showing up in good numbers.
Department Store Shakeups and Renovation Loops (1976–2005)
Change started early at the mall. By 1988, Robinson’s had sold its Florida stores to Maison Blanche.
Two years later, that company put up a new location just past the original one and used the old building to expand the hallway.
When Maison Blanche became Gayfer’s in 1992, the mall adjusted along with it.
In 1998, Dillard’s took over Gayfer’s and ended up with a space that had thick carpet, mirrored columns, and two floors in use.
In another part of Orlando Fashion Square, the fourth anchor spot was filled in 1993 when JCPenney came in.
That store had left Winter Park and was looking for a more modern building.
Inside, the style of the floor tiles changed. Pastel benches were added. By 2002, the entire interior had been remodeled.
The layout didn’t change, but new surfaces were added, lights were dimmer, signs looked the same throughout, and there was carpeting all the way to Macy’s.
Entertainment was brought indoors when Premiere Cinemas opened in 2004.
The original stand-alone theater from 1975 had already closed in 1989. Burdines switched over to Macy’s in 2005.
By then, all four major stores were open, and people could walk from Dillard’s to JCPenney to Macy’s without going outside.
The hallways were wide, clean, and had steady foot traffic.
Ownership Shakeups and Tenant Losses (2013–2020)
The mall changed owners in 2013, when PREIT sold it to UP Development, Inc. for $35 million.
At that point, the new owners said they would bring new life to the place.
The next year, a bowling alley opened inside, and the movie theater was completely redone.
Sears wasn’t included in the mall sale. That property was transferred to Seritage Growth Properties in 2015, along with more than 200 other locations.
The company announced on August 9, 2016, that Sears would close, and the shutdown happened right away.
By April 2017, the old Sears building was demolished.
But inside the mall, the number of stores went down. The layout of Orlando Fashion Square didn’t change.
The Dillard’s sign stayed in place. The ventilation near where Victoria’s Secret used to be kept ran, even when those spaces were empty.
But the anchors didn’t hold like they used to. In 2014, Dillard’s closed off its second floor and turned the rest into a clearance center.
Around the same time, Bath & Body Works left. So did Victoria’s Secret. The Limited followed soon after.
The foundation that once held refrigerators and rows of Levi’s was cleared for Floor & Decor and Orchard Supply Hardware.
Restaurants went up nearby. LongHorn Steakhouse, Olive Garden, and Mission BBQ all opened on the outparcels.
Department Store Closures and Shrinking Traffic (2020–2023)
The list got shorter after 2020.
On June 4 of that year, JCPenney announced it would close its Orlando Fashion Square location as part of a 154-store downsizing across the country.
The last day was October 18. That left three anchors by square footage, but only two in regular use.
Macy’s remained open. Dillard’s stayed open as a clearance center, with the upstairs closed.
The former JCPenney space was empty. More stores left the inside of the mall.
The main walkways, once lined with chain stores, went dark as more spaces closed.
A few stayed. Hot Topic and Spencer’s kept their doors open, even as fewer shoppers came in.
Orlando Fashion Square still used the phrase “over 30 stores” in its marketing, but that number didn’t match what was inside.
Some parts of the mall were already dim by the middle of the day. Other sections were mostly empty, even though music was playing.
Floor & Decor attracted shoppers, but most entered from the lot and never walked into the central corridor.
A few Planet Fitness members still passed through the mall to reach the gym entrance.
The rest left their cars by the glass and never looked at the fountain.
2024–2025 Sale Listing, Ownership Gridlock, and Unknown Future
The property went up for sale in October 2024.
Edge Commercial, a Dallas broker, sent out a marketing packet describing about 625,000 square feet of retail space on almost 45 acres.
The listing focused on possible redevelopment and included zoning and investment details, but the main problem was how the ownership was divided.
A new appraisal in late 2024 put the value at over $15 million, so Bancorp stayed involved, and any quick sale was delayed.
Bancorp Inc. owns the buildings, but the land is leased from Unicorp until 2071.
Disagreements about the lease became public and added to the complications.
In January 2025, the Orlando Business Journal called the property one to watch that year.
City officials talked about redeveloping the property in the long term, but nothing official has been proposed yet.
As of now, the listing is still online, Orlando Fashion Square is still open, and the sign by Colonial Drive hasn’t changed.
🌻
I spent the majority of my career as a hairstylist @ Regis. I witnessed a big chunk of what is discribed in the article (highs & lows) about The Orlando Fashion Square Mall. Hopefully, the mall can be salvaged!
Thank you for sharing your firsthand experience at Orlando Fashion Square. I appreciate your hopeful tone about the future of the mall. It’s a sentiment that many in the community likely share.