Launch of West Park Mall Project
On March 18, 1979, Drury Development Corp. joined May Centers, Inc. to announce plans for a new enclosed shopping mall in Cape Girardeau.
The partnership combined local investment with outside capital to establish a property that could draw regional shoppers and reshape retail habits.
The mall opened its doors in March 1981 with Famous-Barr and JCPenney as anchors, and tenants Hallmark Cards, Foot Locker, Kay-Bee Toys, Claire's, Waldenbooks, GNC, Lerner New York, and Zales Jewelers filling the corridors.
The arrival of West Park Mall marked a clear shift in commercial real estate for Cape Girardeau.
Famous-Barr, later known as Macy's, brought the drawing power of a department store chain, while JCPenney anchored the opposite end.
Inline tenants such as Claire's, Waldenbooks, and Foot Locker offered a steady mix of fashion, books, and footwear.
Families often gravitated to Kay-Bee Toys, while everyday needs drew shoppers to GNC and Hallmark Cards.
The combination created a balanced retail core that was missing in the city before 1981.
The design emphasized accessibility.
Developers built a single-floor structure with extensive parking, making it easy for cars to circulate around the property.
Wide concourses and anchor placement kept shoppers moving between major retailers and specialty chains.
The project quickly attracted attention across Missouri and Kentucky.
Even today, when people search for things to do in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, the mall still finds its place in the listings.
Expansion with Venture Store
Three years after the mall first opened, the property expanded.
In 1984, an 80,000-square-foot Venture department store opened its doors, adding another reason for families to make the trip.
Venture carried discount apparel, toys, electronics, and home goods.
It gave West Park Mall a third anchor, joining JCPenney and Famous-Barr, and it shifted the balance of the mall from two-store traffic flow to a three-point draw.
Walking inside, the difference was immediate.
The corridors lined with Claire's, Foot Locker, and Waldenbooks are now connected to wide aisles of discount merchandise under the Venture sign.
For shoppers, it meant one trip could cover both department store fashion and lower-priced household needs.
For Drury Development Corp. and May Centers, Inc., it was proof that the center could attract and hold national chains willing to invest in Cape Girardeau.
The expansion kept the mall current during the mid-1980s, when malls in nearby states were adding anchors of their own.
Venture fits the local market, pulling in steady traffic and reinforcing the idea of the mall as a regional hub.
Westfield Control and Shopko Era
Ownership changed in 1993 when Westfield Group bought the property from CenterMark.
With that purchase, West Park Mall became part of a large portfolio managed from outside Missouri.
Westfield emphasized a national brand, and in 1998, the mall took on the name Westfield Shoppingtown West Park.
The new label appeared on signage and advertising, aligning Cape Girardeau's retail center with a broader identity.
That same year, Venture closed its location at the mall.
The large vacancy set off new planning, and in 1999, Shopko took over the 80,000-square-foot anchor spot.
The opening restored balance to the property and pushed occupancy to 100 percent for the first time in its history.
Anchors now included Famous-Barr, JCPenney, and Shopko, with inline stores like Kay-Bee Toys, Zales, and GNC operating between them.
For a brief period, the mall ran at full strength.
The addition of Shopko pulled in a new stream of discount shoppers, complementing the more traditional department store traffic.
But by 2001, Shopko shut down its Cape Girardeau store. What had been a quick fix to the Venture vacancy turned into another empty anchor box.
The closure highlighted how volatile retail development could be, even in a mall that had just reached peak occupancy.
New Anchors and Rebranding
By 2004, the property saw fresh investment when Old Navy opened its doors inside the mall.
The chain, known for affordable fashion, became a new draw for younger shoppers and added energy to the mix of department stores and specialty tenants.
A year later, in 2005, the former Venture and Shopko space found a new occupant in Steve & Barry's, a fast-growing retailer that filled large spaces across the country with low-priced apparel.
Ownership shifted again in 2006 when Westfield sold West Park Mall to Centro Watt.
Within a few years, Centro Watt rebranded as Brixmor Property Group, and one of its first moves was to restore the mall's original name, discarding the Shoppingtown label that Westfield had imposed.
Barnes & Noble joined around this time, taking over part of the remaining space and adding a bookstore that drew steady daily traffic.
The late 2000s were marked by turnover. Between 2008 and 2010, Steve & Barry's closed as the company liquidated nationwide.
Pacific Sunwear shut its store, Tilt arcade, originally called The Gold Mine, went dark, and a restaurant that had operated for 24 years served its final meal.
Despite these closures, by 2010 the property still reported 88 percent occupancy.
In 2012, management responsibility was passed to Madison Marquette, giving the mall another outside overseer.
Retail Shifts and Macy's Exit
Through the early 2010s, West Park Mall worked to keep national tenants in place while adjusting to vacancies.
Smaller chains continued to cycle in and out of the concourse, but larger changes came later in the decade.
In 2018, Ashley Furniture HomeStore moved into the former Venture anchor building, filling 80,700 square feet with furniture and home goods.
The arrival added a durable tenant where others had struggled to last.
In 2022, Simple Home moved into the former Ashley Furniture space in the Venture wing of West Park Mall, taking over the anchor that had opened only four years earlier.
The transition marked a shift from a single-brand showroom to a broader retail concept, with Simple Home offering furniture and mattresses from multiple manufacturers.
The most dramatic change came in January 2021 when Macy's announced it would close its store in Cape Girardeau.
The decision was part of a larger corporate downsizing that affected 46 locations across the United States.
The closure became official on March 21, 2021, ending four decades of history that began when the anchor first opened as Famous-Barr in 1981.
Smaller tenants kept operating along the concourse, but the absence of Macy's marked a turning point.
For a community used to two major department stores on either end, the balance of the mall was permanently altered.
Redevelopment and Investment Plans
In October 2024, the mall's owners laid out plans for a major redevelopment.
Six new national retailers were confirmed to open in the property: Sierra Trading Post, Carter's, Ross Dress for Less, Ulta Beauty, Michaels, and PetSmart.
Construction crews began clearing and refitting spaces before the end of the year, preparing for a series of openings across 2025.
The project was described as an over $100 million investment that would create more than 750 jobs.
Renovations included upgrades inside the concourse and large-scale changes to the exterior.
Some of the incoming tenants, including Ulta Beauty and PetSmart, were designed with their own entrances leading directly to the parking lot.
Landscaping, paving, and facade improvements were built into the plan, setting the stage for the first coordinated rollout of new stores in years.
Openings and Construction Progress
By February 2025, construction work was active on both interior and exterior spaces.
PetSmart and Ulta Beauty were in the process of building large stores with their own outside entrances.
At the same time, Carter's and Michaels were preparing for openings in the early summer.
Sierra Trading Post and Ross Dress for Less were targeted for later in the year, with contractors focused on structural work and interior design.
By late June, three of the new anchors were already trading.
Ulta Beauty, Carter's, and PetSmart welcomed customers while construction continued on the remaining stores.
Sierra Trading Post, Michaels, and Ross Dress for Less moved into later stages of their buildouts.