Retail Debut and Early Tenant Turnover (1980–1993)
In 1980, Layton Hills Mall opened on North Hill Field Road in Layton, Utah. Built by Homco Development, the enclosed two-story center marked the first large-scale retail development in Davis County.
It launched with four anchor stores: Mervyn’s, Castletons, ZCMI (Zions Cooperative Mercantile Institution), and Auerbach’s.
At the time, there weren’t many things to do in Layton, Utah, and the mall offered shopping, dining, and indoor walking space under one roof.
Auerbach’s didn’t last long. Within a year, the Salt Lake City-based department store closed its location at the mall.
Its space was picked up by The Bon Marché, a Seattle chain expanding into Utah markets.
The new store helped fill the gap, but only temporarily. That building would change hands again.
By 1987, another early tenant was gone. Castletons, a local brand based in Murray, shut down operations at Layton Hills Mall.
The mall repurposed the space into Herman’s World of Sporting Goods. That retailer gave way to Gart Sports, which later became The Sports Authority—a chain that eventually moved out in the early 2010s.
ZCMI, Utah’s oldest department store chain, held on longer. Its anchored property for over two decades. But in 2001, ZCMI was sold to Meier & Frank.
Mervyn’s stayed in place longer than its neighbors, weathering the initial years of turnover.
It kept its location through the 1990s and early 2000s, holding a steady draw in the mall.
But like others, it wouldn’t remain untouched by the retail shifts that followed.
Through it all, foot traffic kept flowing. New stores came in to fill the gaps left behind. Some lasted, others didn’t.
But by the early ’90s, Layton Hills Mall had already cycled through five major anchor identities—something few malls pulled off without losing steam.
Department Store Conversions and Anchor Realignment (1993–2011)
In 1993, JCPenney made a move. The retailer left its longtime standalone building in Bountiful and took over the former Bon Marché space inside Layton Hills Mall.
That shift gave the mall a national name with staying power—one that would help stabilize its anchor lineup after years of change.
ZCMI remained a fixture into the early 2000s. However, in 2001, it was acquired by Meier & Frank, a Portland-based chain owned by May Department Stores.
The store changed signs but kept its two-story layout and layout. Then, in 2006, Macy’s bought out May, and the Layton Hills Mall location was rebranded again.
The switch to Macy’s aligned the mall with national retail trends, even if the interior barely changed.
That same year, the mall added 28 new shops. Some were independent. Others were chains like Hollister, Aeropostale, and Kay Jewelers—familiar names in mid-2000s retail buildouts.
The expansion helped boost square footage and fill gaps in the main corridors, especially on the upper level.
Mervyn’s, one of the last original anchors still standing, closed in 2008 after the chain went bankrupt.
For a while, the old Mervyn’s space sat dark, shuttered behind temporary walls and signage.
Then, in 2011, the property owner began renovations. They split the building. The lower floor went to Dick’s Sporting Goods.
The upper floor was carved into smaller retail spaces tied into the mall’s interior flow.
The Sports Authority, which had evolved from earlier uses of the Castletons space, left the property around the same time.
That exit ended a long stretch of revolving sporting goods stores on that side of the building.
By the end of 2011, the mall’s anchor footprint looked different—leaner, more national, and tailored to current trends. The era of local department stores was over.
Repositioning Assets and Refreshing Foot Traffic (2011–2017)
Starting in 2011, Layton Hills Mall leaned into tenant repositioning. Dick’s Sporting Goods opened in the old Mervyn’s lower level, drawing a mix of outdoor and team sport shoppers.
The upper corridor became more food-heavy. The mall introduced its Food Gallery around this time, marketing it as a centralized dining zone.
Chick-fil-A moved in early. So did Dairy Queen, Subway, and Hot Dog on a Stick. Each storefront shared seating space with overhead lighting and tile floors that reflected mid-2010s mall design.
Downstairs, the footprint changed again. In the old lower-level sporting goods space, SeaQuest Interactive Aquarium opened its first Utah location.
It wasn’t a store. It was a walkthrough attraction with stingrays, reptiles, and hands-on tanks. The aquarium’s model was simple: pay a day fee, touch a few things, and post it on Instagram.
SeaQuest didn’t just drive revenue—it drove visits, too.
In 2017, Macy’s left. The chain had announced a round of store closures, and Layton Hills Mall made the cut.
But the vacancy didn’t last. By the fall of that year, Dillard’s opened in the same space. Its launch followed renovations and a shift in the inventory mix.
The store focused on mid-tier fashion and cosmetics—some crossover with Macy’s and some new lines altogether.
JCPenney stayed open during this period, though in 2017 and 2018, national news about its financial health kept shoppers guessing. In Utah, though, the Layton Hills Mall location held steady.
Ownership Transfers and Capital Restructuring (2017–2024)
In 2017, CBL Properties still owned the mall at that point. The Tennessee-based company had held the property since 2005 and was navigating pressure across its portfolio.
Nationally, department store closures and rising vacancies were forcing changes in retail strategy.
In Layton Hills Mall, though, anchor turnover slowed after Dillard’s came in.
Between 2020 and 2023, mall leasing stayed steady but cautious. COVID lockdowns briefly emptied the food court. SeaQuest paused some attractions.
But most tenants returned. Local operators like City Cake Company and US Nails resumed service alongside chains like Spencer’s and Tillys.
In August 2024, ownership shifted. Second Horizon Capital, a Florida investment firm, purchased the mall from CBL for $37 million.
The deal included the full two-level structure and surrounding parking lots. The new owner announced plans for upgrades—new signage, tenant incentives, and expanded entertainment zones.
They said they’d invest in infrastructure, update retail offerings, and use events to bring more people through the doors—whether or not they were there to shop.
The sale price reflected current market values for Class B malls with stable anchors.
JCPenney, Dillard’s, and Dick’s Sporting Goods were still active. So was the SeaQuest Aquarium.
For Second Horizon, the asset offered potential through repositioning. For Layton, it meant new money behind an old building.