RiverTown Crossings is a two-story enclosed super-regional shopping mall in Grandville, Michigan. It has six anchors: Macy's, Kohl's, JCPenney, Dick's Sporting Goods, Celebration Cinema, and Soar N Bounce. It has one vacant anchor store last occupied by Sears, and one half vacant anchor store last occupied by Younkers. The mall has a capacity for 128 tenants and has an 88% occupancy rate, higher than most shopping malls.
History[]
Design and development[]
The idea for a commercial development in Grandville began in 1981 when developer General Growth Properties purchased 99 acres of land on Rivertown Parkway. In 1990, Homart Development Company, a subsidiary of Sears, had begun eyeing a development of a new mall near the intersection of 44th Street and Ivanrest and met with the city for approval. In November 1990, Homart Development Co. originally proposed a 1 million square foot, 120-store indoor mall on 94 acres of land near the intersection, seeking for the land to be rezoned from high-tech industrial to commercial. However, the City of Grandville turned down the plans in January 1991, stating that a 99-acre lot on Rivertown Parkway, which was adjacent to the property sought by Homart, was already zoned for commercial usage and was owned by General Growth. Homart's plan for a mall was then put on hold after its director, Roy Vice, left the company and Homart Development Company was put up for sale in 1994, later being sold to General Growth in 1995.
In October 1994 after waiting for the economy to strengthen, General Growth vice president John Bergstrom proposed a 150-store mall with 4 anchor stores, stating that the project could be completed by Spring 1997. This plan was also declined on October 12, 1994, with Grandville Mayor James Buck stating that more commercial was not needed in the city. General Growth then made a deal to acquire more land adjacent to the site in August 1996, with a new proposed mall site totaling 138 acres.
Younkers And Cinemark <2007
General Growth and the City of Grandville then made a deal in October 1996 after General Growth promised in August that the mall would only remain in Grandville and not span into Wyoming, with Grandville Mayor James Buck stating, "The construction of this mall has been anticipated for years. Our goal will be to provide the finest shopping mall in Michigan". A revised plan for the mall was later developed in May 1997 which reduced the size of the mall to just over 130 stores. Construction for the mall broke ground on December 6, 1997 with a total construction cost of about $160 million.
Hudson's (Now Macy's) <2001
Grand Opening[]
Sears And Dick's Sporting Goods <2017
RiverTown Crossings opened on November 3, 1999, just prior to the holiday season with five original anchor stores: Sears, Hudson's, Kohl's, Younkers and JCPenney with Barnes & Noble and Pottery Barn featured as junior anchors. A 40-rider carousel was a central feature located at the center of the second floor, costing $1 for a two-minute ride. Surrounding the carousel was a food court with six restaurants operating during the opening and the seating capacity for 1,000 diners. South of the food court was a 20 screen Cinemark movie theater. Kahunaville, a tropical themed restaurant, was also located in the mall and one of the only restaurants being able to serve alcohol.
In the morning, shoppers waited in lines up to about two hours prior to entering the mall, queuing outdoors in temperatures hovering near 35 °F (2 °C) and a wind chill between 15 °F (−9 °C) and 25 °F (−4 °C) accompanied by some snow flurries. Local news station WZZM was present, interviewing visitors throughout the day. Tens of thousands of shoppers visited during the grand opening of RiverTown Crossings and in the subsequent week, over 200,000 shoppers were projected to visit RiverTown. Around 345,000 people visited the mall in its first five days, beating GGP's projections by large margins. At the time of RiverTown Crossings' opening in the holiday season of 1999, local malls were using promotions to attract shoppers in an effort to counteract growing competition from online retailers.
The mall was one of the first developments in the area and following its construction, many other restaurants and stores opened around it. Now the area is well developed and a major shopping district for the West Side of Grand Rapids including the Holland Area.
2000s[]
By late 2000, the restaurant Tumbleweed, a Disney Store, the sporting goods store Galyan's and clothing retailer Old Navy opened, with Old Navy becoming another junior anchor and Galyan's becoming the mall's sixth anchor tenant. At its grand opening on October 6, 2000, Galyan's, with an area of 90,000 sq ft (8,400 m2), hosted various sports celebrities and Olympians to sign autographs and featured a 45 ft (14 m) tall rock climbing wall. A NASCAR Silicon Motor Speedway racing center was present at the mall shortly after its opening. In June 2000, Rivertown Crossings became the first mall in Michigan to promote online shopping and coupons for shoppers, using the Mallibu.com website.
In 2001, Hudson's was renamed Marshall Field's. That year, NASCAR Silicon Motor Speedway Racing Center was closed after Silicon Entertainment, Inc., its creator, ceased operations. In August 2001, American Eagle Outfitters opened its 24th Michigan store in the mall.
On March 26, 2002, a Meijer store opened adjacent to the mall. By 2004, Kahunaville closed and a replacement was being sought out. Also, in 2004, Galyan's was renamed after being acquired by Dick's Sporting Goods. In September of 2005, UBU Home Furnishings replaced Kahunaville. Marshall Field's was renamed Macy's in 2006. The Cinemark theater was acquired by local movie theater company Celebration Cinema in 2007.
2010s[]
The Meijer East next to the mall <2007
Duluth Trading Company opened on the mall's property on November 16, 2017.
In 2018, original developer General Growth Properties was acquired by the Brookfield Property Partners and ownership of RiverTown Crossings was transferred. During Brookfield's ownership, the mall experienced a lack of investment, with maintenance and structural quality deteriorating, affecting the satisfaction of visitors with the space. On April 18, 2018, it was announced that Younkers would be closing its doors due to its parent company, The Bon-Ton Stores, being unable to find a buyer forcing the chain to go out of business. The store closed on August 29, 2018.
2020s[]
On November 9, 2020, it was announced that Sears would also be closing as part of a plan to close 7 stores nationwide. The store closed on January 24, 2021.
Northeast Entrance to RiverTown Crossings <2017
In 2022, Underground Building purchased the vacant Younkers space from Brookfield Properties and renovated the building. In early 2024, the second level was leased to Soar N Bounce and they started construction in spring the same year.
In the fall of 2023 and 2024, Spirit Halloween operated a seasonal location in the northern part of the lower level in the former Sears space.
In 2024, multiple developments occurred with the mall. In early 2024, Soar N Bounce Trampoline and Adventure Park signed a 10 year lease for the upper floor of the vacant Younkers space. Local investors sought to purchase RiverTown Crossings, though they withdrew their offer of $80 million after Poag Development Group shared their interest in purchasing the mall. On August 30, 2024, Poag Development Group bought Rivertown Crossings from Brookfield Properties for an undisclosed price and shared a plan to work with Jones Lang LaSalle to revitalize and to keep the mall up to date. Poag shared visions of bringing a hotel, more adjacent retail space and even residential properties. On December 2, 2024, TGI Friday's permanently closed due to "unforeseen circumstances" after they filed for bankruptcy. Soar N Bounce opened on December 14, 2024, and became the first location of the franchise as well as the largest trampoline park in West Michigan by square footage.
On January 13, 2025, it was announced that the parking deck, which was closed off for some time, would be demolished. Future plans are to replace it with surface parking and two new parcels for future tenants. In late March of 2025, Celebration Cinema announced that they would renovate their RiverTown location. It was the last remaining location in the Grand Rapids area to be renovated. Phase one of the renovation was completed in early July of 2025 and phase two is to be completed around fall. In October 2025, the Grandville City Planning Commission approved plans to replace the Sears Auto Center with Raising Cane's. Construction is expected to start in February 2026, and be completed by October 2026. In November 2025, Inspire Marketplace opened in the former Harrison's West Design + Furniture location.
Current Features and Attractions[]
The mall has a capacity for 130 tenants with about 1,249,697 square feet (116,100.7 m2) of retail space available. Outside are more than 6,000 parking spaces. Several food and beverage merchants are located throughout the mall. On the second floor, there is a food court with 8 quick service restaurants and a carousel in the center.
North of the food court, there is a newly renovated 20-screen Celebration Cinema movie theater. It serves as one of the mall's anchor tenants and is one of the most popular cinemas in Michigan, consecutively performing as one of the top 3 theaters in the state.
Across from Dick's Sporting Goods on the second floor, there is a Soar N Bounce Trampoline and Adventure Park, which was the first location of the franchise and currently the largest trampoline park in West Michigan.
The mall features murals painted by Chicago-based artist Thomas Melvin in 1999, when the mall first opened. As part of a minor renovation in 2017, the murals in the center court were covered up, with only those above the anchor stores and the end of the two wings remaining.
Kohl's
The mall's slogan was Mix it up when General Growth Properties owned the mall. This was one of few major slogans that General Growth Properties used with some of their malls.
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JCPenney <2023
Current Anchors[]
- JCPenney - Opened in 1999.
- Kohl's - Opened in 1999.
- Dick's Sporting Goods - Opened as Galyan's in 2000/became Dick's Sporting Goods in 2004.
- Macy's - Opened as Hudson's in 1999/became Marshall Field's in 2001/renamed Macy's in 2006.
- Celebration Cinema - Opened as Cinemark in 2000/became Celebration Cinema in 2007.
- Soar N Bounce - Opened in 2024 in the vacant Younkers upper floor.
Current Junior Anchors[]
- Barnes & Noble
- H&M
- Inspire Marketplace
- Old Navy
- Shoe Dept. Encore
Current Dining Options[]
- Bubble House
- China Experience
- Charley's Cheesesteaks
- Dairy Queen/Orange Julius
- Eternal Boba Tea
- Fry Nation
- Pho Luu
- Robinsons Popcorn
- Starbucks (Barnes & Noble)
- Surf City Squeeze
- Sushi GoGo
- Villa Fresh Italian Kitchen
- Wetzel's Pretzels
- Wetzel's Pretzels (Kiosk)
- Yihi Japan
- Zason Latino
Former Anchors[]
- Hudson's - Renamed as Marshall Field's in 2001.
- Galyan's - Acquired by Dick's Sporting Goods in 2004.
- Marshall Field's - Acquired by Macy's in 2006.
- Cinemark - Became Celebration Cinema in 2007.
- Younkers - Closed in 2018 due to The Bon Ton's bankruptcy.
- Sears - Closed in 2021 due to Sears bankruptcy.
Former Dining Options[]
- Auntie Anne's - Currently Vacant
- A&W - Currently Fry Nation
- Biggby Coffee (Kiosk) - Currently Wetzel's Pretzels (Kiosk)
- Cajun Cafe - Later The Caribbean Bite, currently Vacant
- Chili's - Currently Vacant
- Dough Life - Currently Fragrance House
- Gloria Jean's Coffee - Currently Robinsons Popcorn
- GR Subs - Currently Bubble House
- Kahunaville - Later UBU Home Furnishings, then Harrison's West Design + Furniture, currently Inspire Marketplace
- Little Tokyo - Currently Yihi Japan
- Matt's Gyros - Currently Pho Luu
- Olga's Kitchen - Currently Vacant
- Panera Bread - Later Matt's Gyros, currently Pho Luu
- Subway - Later GR Subs, currently Bubble House
- Taco Bell - Currently Zason Latino
- Teavana - Later Dough Life, currently Fragrance House
- TGI Fridays - Currently Vacant
- The Caribbean Bite - Currently Vacant
- Tumbleweed - Later Chili's, currently Vacant
Map[]
Gallery[]
Videos[]
External Links[]
Rivertown Crossings Mall's Official Website