A Shopping Mall in a Changing City
The food court smells like fried chicken and cinnamon rolls. A few tables are full, but others sit empty. Belk is still here, standing at one end like a time capsule.
On the other, a former Sears store—now divided into Lidl, Five Below, and Dick’s Sporting Goods—draws in a different kind of shopper.
Independence Mall, Wilmington’s only enclosed shopping center, has changed before.
When it opened in August 1979, Independence Mall was a new kind of shopping experience for Wilmington.
Strouse, Greenberg & Co., and The Oleander Co. saw an opportunity on Oleander Drive, where traffic was growing and commercial development was booming.
The mall launched with three major department stores—Belk-Beery, JCPenney, and Sears—anchoring a mix of 75 retailers.
Air conditioning, a covered roof, and rows of storefronts packed with national brands made it an instant hit.
It wasn’t easy getting there. Early resistance came from residents of Lincoln Forest, the neighborhood bordering the property.
They worried about traffic, parking congestion, and drainage problems. But commercial growth in Wilmington wasn’t slowing down.
Developers pushed forward, and by the time the doors opened, shoppers were ready.
Miss North Carolina and Spiderman made appearances at the grand opening. The Charlotte Summer Pops Orchestra played live music. People lined up to see the new stores and eat at Orange Julius.
Inside, the mall had its own character.
Local banker and artist Samuel D. Bissette designed mosaic murals depicting Wilmington’s landmarks—scenes of the Cape Fear River, the downtown skyline, and the beaches.
They’re still here, hidden in plain sight above the store entrances. Over the years, retailers have come and gone, but these murals have seen it all.
The early years were busy. In the ’80s and ’90s, Independence Mall was the first stop for holiday shopping and weekend outings.
Belk expanded, and the movie theater stayed full. At one point, a carousel was spinning in the center court.
Families met for lunch. Teenagers wandered between stores. But malls don’t stay the same forever.
Even then, the retail landscape was shifting. Big-box stores were rising, and new shopping centers were competing for customers.
The mall had a head start, but change was already on the horizon.
Growth, Rebranding, and the First Warning Signs
By the late ’90s, Independence Mall was getting crowded. Wilmington had grown, and shoppers wanted more. In 1997, Westfield America, Inc. bought the mall and started planning an expansion.
The name changed to Westfield Shoppingtown Independence in 1998—a name that never really stuck.
People still called it Independence Mall.
The biggest change came in 2001. The old three-screen Independence Mall Cinemas, a staple since opening day, was demolished to make room for a new wing.
The mall gained a fourth anchor—Dillard’s—along with a 400-seat food court. More national retailers signed leases, and it felt like a new chapter.
For a while, it worked. Wilmington’s retail scene was shifting, but the mall stayed busy. Families shopped for back-to-school clothes at JCPenney.
Teens lined up for pretzels at Auntie Anne’s. Belk expanded its footprint, reinforcing its status as a local favorite.
But signs of trouble were already there. Malls across the country were struggling. Online shopping was growing.
New big-box retailers like Target and Best Buy were pulling shoppers away. Independence Mall wasn’t immune.
By 2005, Westfield dropped “Shoppingtown” from the name. The mall still had its anchors, but foot traffic wasn’t the same.
Management changed again in 2006 when Centro Properties Group took over. In 2012, the carousel in the food court—a draw for families—was removed.
Some shoppers barely noticed. Others saw it as another sign that the mall was losing its edge.
Foreclosure, Decline, and the Plan to Start Over
In 2014, the mall hit a wall. A $110 million loan had gone into default. The lender set a foreclosure auction date for July 2016, but it kept getting pushed back.
The property wasn’t worthless, but it wasn’t worth what it once was. By the end of 2015, a new appraisal valued the mall at just $61 million—barely half of its debt.
For two years, uncertainty loomed. Stores still opened and closed, and sales were uneven. Then, in 2017, Rouse Properties, later acquired by Brookfield Properties, bought the mall for $45 million.
They had a plan.
The enclosed mall model was fading. The new owners wanted to shift toward an open-air shopping center. That meant gutting parts of the existing structure and redesigning it with street-facing stores.
The name was set to change too—The Collection at Independence—but that never fully took hold.
In 2018, Sears closed, taking a major anchor with it. Its wing was walled off and then demolished, and tenants inside were relocated to other parts of the mall.
Redevelopment plans were finalized in 2019. The Sears site would become a mix of retail, dining, and entertainment.
The mall wasn’t dead, but it wasn’t the same. What had been a single, enclosed space for decades was being reshaped into something different.
And in an era where retail was more unpredictable than ever, even the best plans had risks.
Reinvention in a Changing Retail Landscape
By 2020, Independence Mall no longer looked the way it had for decades. The Sears wing was gone. The enclosed layout that once felt modern was being stripped away and replaced with open-air storefronts.
New businesses were moving in, but the space was still in transition.
The plan was clear—less of a traditional mall, more of a shopping district. Five Below opened in October 2020, followed by Dick’s Sporting Goods a few weeks later.
Both took over parts of the former Sears footprint.
Lidl, the German discount grocery chain, officially opened inside Independence Mall on November 18, 2020.
It wasn’t just another store; it was a shift in how the mall functioned.
Instead of drawing shoppers with clothing racks and department store displays, the mall now offered fresh produce, bakery items, and private-label groceries.
In 2021, Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux, a Louisiana-based sports bar, opened in the front outparcel, adding a sit-down dining option. It didn’t last, closing in 2024.
Developers pitched the changes as a way to compete with newer retail centers. Shoppers were spending less time inside malls and more time in open-air plazas.
Independence Mall needed to reflect that. The redesign focused on exterior-facing stores, a model that had worked for places like Mayfaire Town Center across town.
At the same time, national retail was shifting again. Big-box stores had survived the e-commerce boom, but mid-tier chains were still struggling.
JCPenney, one of the mall’s oldest tenants, filed for bankruptcy in 2020, though its Wilmington location remained open.
Other national brands cut back store counts, making it harder to fill every available space.
Food and entertainment were part of the new strategy. In 2022, Dave’s Hot Chicken opened right next to the mall, joining the growing number of fast-casual spots around the property.
Independence Mall’s Recent Developments
As Independence Mall in Wilmington, North Carolina, celebrated its 45th anniversary in 2024, it continued to evolve, reflecting broader trends in retail and community engagement.
TreeFest 2025: In January 2025, the 27th annual TreeFest took place at Independence Mall, offering free tree saplings to the public.
This event, held on January 17 and 18, aimed to restore the local tree canopy and promote environmental awareness.
WWAY Health Fair: On February 8, 2025, the mall hosted the WWAY Health Fair, which provided health screenings, educational resources, and wellness activities to attendees.
Law Enforcement Training: On February 4, 2024, local law enforcement, EMS, and fire departments conducted critical incident training at the mall, underscoring its importance as a community resource.