Optimist
  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Editorials
    • Letters to the Editor
  • Features
    • Book Review
  • Multimedia
    • Photo Galleries
    • Videos
  • Police Log
  • Print Edition
  • Projects
  • Classifieds
  • About
    • Advertise
    • Policies
    • Staff Contacts
    • Jobs
You are here: Home / News / Mall of Abilene to celebrate 40 years in the Big Country
The Mall of Abilene 40th celebration sign near Sears

Mall of Abilene to celebrate 40 years in the Big Country

March 7, 2019 by Brian Sweet

The Mall of Abilene will celebrate 40 years in business with a celebration on March 14 in the Men’s Dillard’s Courtyard from 2-4 p.m.

There will be a ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by the Abilene Chamber of Commerce Redcoats. Food and refreshments will be provided, along with entertainment from the “Piano Man,” Mike Schuler.

Original tenants from when the mall first opened will be speaking at the celebration, including El Chico Cafe’s owner Cesar Rangel.

Various businesses will participate in raffles, offering prizes such as gift cards and gift certificates for those who enter the drawings. Others will be offering special coupons throughout the day.

The Mall opened its doors on March 14, 1979, with department stores like Wilson’s, Grissom’s, Dillard’s, JCPenney and more. Forty years later, many of those same stores are still open for business today.

Over 50,000 people attended the grand opening to see the biggest mall in the Big Country.

There have been two big upgrades to the mall recently. The first was the addition of the Abilene Public Library South Branch in 2016.

Steven Niles, General Manager of the Mall in Abilene, said the addition of the of the library hasn’t hurt business at the mall.

“The addition of the library really shook up our merchandise offering and has been nothing but a win-win for our community and our center,” Giles said.

The latest upgrade to the mall was in 2018 when the mall updated the movie theater’s name, seating and technology.

Lavone Crosby, Premiere Lux Cine 10 Director, said the upgrades were necessary to keep up with other movie theaters in Texas.

“Premiere and the mall recently teamed up to upgrade the facility, including the addition of new luxury seating and technology to better meet customer needs and exceed their expectations,” Crosby said. “Through the years of renovations and store openings, the theatre experienced its most extensive renovation to date in 2018.”

Niles said this event is for the Abilene community to recognize the impact the mall has had on Abilene.

“This event is just to celebrate and bring together both the retailers that are here and the public and community at large,” said Giles. “They can all come together and reminisce with us and celebrate the anniversary and the fact we’ve been here in the community.”

Filed Under: News

Other News:

  • The Bean hosts a teaching kitchen

  • SGA fall budget passes after 17 amendment proposals

  • Gallery: Women’s Soccer takes victory over Tarleton State

About Brian Sweet

You are here: Home / News / Mall of Abilene to celebrate 40 years in the Big Country

Other News:

  • The Bean hosts a teaching kitchen

  • SGA fall budget passes after 17 amendment proposals

  • Gallery: Women’s Soccer takes victory over Tarleton State

Follow us online

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Optimist on Twitter

Twitter feed is not available at the moment.

Optimist on Facebook

The Optimist

14 hours ago

The Optimist
Swing Cats took center stage with their annual event, Fall Stomp, on Friday. Held at the Elks Art Center, this event has become a tradition that brings the past into the present. For more media coverage of this event and others go to acuoptimist.com or click the link in our bio. ------------------------------------------------------------------#acu #abilenechristianuniversity #fallstomp #swingdancing #jazzbands ... See MoreSee Less

Photo

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

The Optimist

1 week ago

The Optimist
The student-run Hispanos Unidos club put together its annual Entra a La Plaza to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. Attendees were able to experience authentic Hispanic traditions like traditional Hispanic food, dancing with live music and offered selections from local businesses like Mary’s Paleteria. For more media coverage for this event and others visit acuoptimist.com or click the link in our bio.-------------------------------------------------------------#acu #acunews #HispanicHeritageMonth #hispanosunidos ... See MoreSee Less

Photo

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Videos

Optimist Newscast Feb. 22, 2023

Our top stories this week include the passing of Dr. Bob Hunter, a new endowment ... [Read More…]

  • Optimist Newscast Feb. 8, 2023
  • Optimist Newscast Feb. 1, 2023
  • Optimist Newscast Jan. 25, 2023

Latest Photos

  • Home
  • Podcasts

© 2023 ACU Optimist · All Rights Reserved