The Deal That Changed Ocala: How Paddock Mall Became a Retail Powerhouse
The land sat undeveloped, a stretch of scrub and sand off State Road 200. In 1973, local developers saw potential—Ocala was growing, and people needed a place to shop without driving to Gainesville or Orlando.
The idea of an enclosed mall sounded bold for a town known more for horses than high-end retail.
But they weren’t in the business of taking risks. They sold the land to the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation, a company that had already built dozens of malls across the country.
By 1978, construction was underway.
DeBartolo partnered with Arlen Realty and Development Corporation to build something Ocala had never seen before.
An indoor shopping center with air conditioning, department stores, and wide, polished walkways lined with storefronts.
They named it Paddock Mall—a nod to Ocala’s thoroughbred roots, but this wasn’t about horses.
It was about putting the city on the map, proving it could be more than backroads and barns.
When the doors opened in August 1980, the message was clear. Maas Brothers, Belk-Lindsey, and JCPenney stood at the helm, their signs rising over the parking lot like markers of a new era.
Inside, 58 stores filled the space—national chains mixed with local shops, each hoping to capitalize on the city’s growing appetite for shopping.
Morrison’s Cafeteria served up hot meals to retirees while younger crowds wandered from record stores to clothing boutiques.
The smell of fresh popcorn from Karmelkorn drifted through the corridors.
For many, this was more than a mall—it was where you spent weekends, where you met friends, where you bought your first pair of name-brand sneakers.
Paddock Mall changed how Ocala shopped. People didn’t have to drive out of town for department stores or brand-name fashion anymore.
The city finally had its retail hub, drawing in shoppers from across Marion County.
For the first time, Ocala was on the map for more than just horses—it had a mall that could compete with bigger cities.
Even today, for those looking for things to do in Ocala, Florida, Paddock Mall still holds a place in the conversation.
The Boom Years: Expansion, Crowds, and the Golden Age of Shopping
By the early 1990s, Paddock Mall was thriving. The crowds came early and stayed late, walking past storefronts lit with neon and pushing strollers over tile floors polished to a shine.
Department stores were still the backbone of American retail, and Paddock had three solid anchors—Belk-Lindsey, JCPenney, and Burdines, which had taken over Maas Brothers in 1991.
But the biggest addition that year wasn’t a name change. It was Sears.
With its arrival, the mall expanded. A new wing stretched out from the main corridor, bringing more space, more stores, and more reasons for shoppers to stay longer.
The holiday season that year saw packed parking lots, customers weaving through aisles stacked with boxed televisions and jewelry counters flashing with gold.
People trusted Sears—for appliances, for tools, for that yearly trip to buy back-to-school clothes.
Its presence gave the mall a final push into the big leagues.
By 1997, developers saw another opportunity. Fast food had long been scattered throughout the mall, but now it needed a dedicated space.
That year, the south end transformed into a food court, where shoppers grabbed trays and settled at round tables under fluorescent lights.
Chick-fil-A, Sbarro, and Kelly’s Cajun Grill took their spots. The smell of waffle fries and pizza dough filled the air, mingling with perfume samples spritzed inside department stores.
These were the years when Paddock Mall wasn’t just a place to shop—it was the weekend plan: a slow walk through the stores, a stop at the food court, and maybe a movie afterward at the theater down the road.
Parents dropped off teenagers with a few dollars, trusting that they’d be safe until pickup time.
Stores cycled in and out, but the foot traffic never slowed.
The Cracks Start to Show: Ownership Changes and the Retail Shift
Things started shifting in the late 2000s, though it wasn’t obvious at first.
In 2014, Washington Prime Group, a spin-off of Simon Property Group, took ownership of Paddock Mall.
The deal came through a merger with Glimcher Properties, folding the Ocala shopping center into a growing portfolio of mid-sized malls across the country, on paper, not much changed.
The storefronts stayed the same, the crowds still came, and the lights still flickered on every morning.
But behind the scenes, the industry was shifting.
Sears had been struggling for years, and in 2015, its parent company spun off hundreds of stores, including the one in Paddock Mall, into Seritage Growth Properties.
It was a financial maneuver that looked like an investment but worked more like a liquidation plan.
The store stayed open a little longer, shelves thinning out, and discounts stacking higher.
By 2018, the inevitable happened—Sears closed, and another department store was lost to time.
Without Sears, a giant hole sat at the end of the mall. The old playbook—find another department store, fill the space—didn’t work anymore.
Big retailers weren’t expanding. They were downsizing, moving online, and shifting away from sprawling storefronts inside traditional malls.
The question wasn’t just who would replace Sears. It was whether Paddock Mall itself could keep up.
The Reinvention Gamble: From Empty Anchors to a New Business Model
By 2022, the old Sears space had been vacant for four years. Seasonal shops moved in and out—Halloween stores, furniture liquidators—but nothing permanent.
The mall needed more than a new tenant. It needed a new plan.
The owners announced a redevelopment project on October 5, 2022. The Sears space wouldn’t be another department store.
Instead, it would become a mixed-use space, something different from the traditional mall model.
Instead of one giant retailer, the plan called for slicing the space into smaller units, making room for businesses that wouldn’t have fit the mall’s old model but now looked like the future.
By mid-2023, the vision sharpened. The project, officially named Paddock Market, would turn the 128,000-square-foot former Sears building into a marketplace with 107 small retail spaces.
BSD Capital, the investment firm behind the redevelopment, planned to target independent businesses—small retailers, local vendors, and entrepreneurs looking for lower rents than traditional storefronts.
The concept was a shift from how malls had operated for decades. Instead of banking on a few large retailers, Paddock Market would house dozens of small businesses under one roof.
The plan also included a food hall, which would fill the space with new dining options beyond the aging food court.
Tenants could lease as little as 350 square feet, paying around $500 per month—a model designed to attract vendors who might not afford a standalone store.
Adapting to Retail Trends: What’s Next for Paddock Mall?
The rest of the mall still operated, but it was clear the retail landscape had shifted.
JCPenney, Macy’s, and Belk remained as anchors, but department stores weren’t the draw they once were.
National chains had closed locations across the country, leaving malls like Paddock to figure out how to fill the gaps.
In 2023, new tenants started arriving. Blossom Juicy Bar opened, bringing fresh juices and smoothie bowls to shoppers looking for something beyond fast food.
MINISO, a Japanese lifestyle brand, set up shop, offering low-cost home goods and trendy accessories.
Florida Fishin’ Apparel took over space, catering to the region’s deep connection to outdoor life.
These stores weren’t replacing the old giants—but they were part of a new strategy: filling spaces with brands that fit a modern retail model.
In late 2024, the doors to Restaurant Depot opened, and next to it, construction crews worked on what would become Paddock Market.
Restaurant Depot isn’t for casual shoppers. It isn’t a traditional store—it is a supply hub for restaurants, caterers, and food businesses.
Bulk ingredients, commercial-grade kitchen equipment, and wholesale pricing.
The Ocala location, which opened on November 20, 2024, was an “Express” version of the brand’s massive warehouses designed for efficiency.
Local business owners no longer have to drive to Orlando or Tampa for supplies. Now, everything they need is right inside Paddock Mall.
Meanwhile, long-time stores disappeared. Champs Sports, a mall staple, shut down its Paddock Mall location in January 2025 as part of broader corporate downsizing.
Closures like this had become common in mid-sized malls across the country, and Ocala wasn’t an exception.
The challenge now was keeping foot traffic steady. Malls had once thrived on department store anchors, driving customers through the doors with sales and seasonal promotions.
That model had weakened. In its place, a new approach was taking shape—smaller retailers, local businesses, and mixed-use spaces like Paddock Market.
