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APACHE MALL: A MUCH-CELEBRATED SHOPPING TRADITION Written by Maura Keller | Images provided by Apache Mall
F or decades, a favorite past time of many Americans has been visiting their favorite shopping mall. From gleaming store facades with inviting window displays to favorite eateries teeming with goodies to entertainment options aplenty, shopping malls have been a “draw” for people of all ages. In fact, in was back in 1956 that the country’s very first indoor shopping mall, Southdale in Edina, Minnesota, opened. And not long after that, Rochester’s beloved Apache Mall made its entrance into the retail marketplace on October 16, 1969 with 55 stores by then-owner MEPC. Nearly three decades later, Apache Mall was bought by 1998 by Growth Properties, with the current owner, Brookfield Properties purchasing Growth Properties in late 2018. Since 1969, Apache Mall has been and remains a staple in the greater Rochester community and southeastern Minnesota.
Newspaper advertisements from mid-October of 1969 promoting the grand opening of the Apache Mall and bus routes to get there.
years. Most recently, the mall has added retailers such as Scheels, H&M, Serenity Couture, JCP Beauty, lululemon, Sephora, Cotton on Kids, Orange Theory and SPARK Children’s Museum. “We’ve continued to evolve to bring in new uses that people want from their local shopping centers,” Bradley says. “We are most proud of the connection we foster with our community and how we are a tradition in their families.”
“The original build of the mall was rather industrial in appearance with cement floors, little color and practically no light,” says Kim Bradley, general manager of Apache Mall. “Of course, in the years to follow, the concrete floors were replaced with tile, we improved the lighting with the addition of skylights and updated amenities throughout the center and food court.” Aside from the physical appearance improving throughout its more than 50-year history, Apache Mall’s retailer base has also evolved throughout the
Advantage Magazine | 5
November 2022
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