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Towne West Square

Towne West Square is an enclosed shopping mall located in Wichita, Kansas, United States. Opened on Friday, March 6, 1981,[1] it comprises more than 50 stores in 951,447 square feet (88,392.3 m2) of gross leasable area.[2] The mall's two anchor stores are Dillard's Clearance Center and JCPenney.

History

The original anchor stores in the mall were: Dillard's, Henry's, JCPenney, Montgomery Ward and Service Merchandise (formerly Wilson's Catalog Showroom). Henry's closed in 1988.[3] This area then housed an arcade and then was eventually closed off and made into a country dance hall. Sears opened in 1993, relocating from the Twin Lakes Shopping Center. Montgomery Ward closed on March 5, 2001, due to filing for bankruptcy, alongside the Wichita Mall store.[4] Sears closed in December 2014. Their anchor store structure was taken over by Convergys and converted to office space, which was no longer accessible from the interior of the mall. In 2017, Dillard's closed their women's store anchor on the mall's north side and converted their men's store (located in the former Montgomery Ward) into a Dillard's Clearance Center. Sears Hometown, operated in the old Henry's, but closed in 2019. Later, Convergys was renamed Concentrix. In 2021, the former Concentrix space was purchased and is now MCI.[1]

On July 31, 2020, JCPenney put 21 stores for sale as part of their bankruptcy, this location included.[5] The store was reaffirmed in 2021 and remains open and operating. Towne West contains a mix of local and national retailers.

Since 2023, the mall has been infamous for its repeated power disconnections by Evergy due to unpaid bills. The first power disconnection occurred on June 20,[6] the second time on September 8,[7] and the third time on November 6.[8] In all of those days, the mall's electric bill have been paid and power was restored. On April 10, 2024, the mall's water systems have been shut off.[9] The anchor stores JCPenney, Dillards Clearance Center, and Dicks Sporting Goods, have separate accounts, including power and water, and has not been affected by any of the service disconnections.

References

  1. ^ "Towne West Square opening made possible by hours of work". The Wichita Eagle. March 6, 1981. p. 24. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  2. ^ "Towne West Square". International Council of Shopping Centers. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved December 17, 2007.
  3. ^ Dyer, Ellen (July 26, 1988). "Henry's to leave west side". newspapers.com. p. 1. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  4. ^ "Montgomery Ward is gone". newspapers.com. March 5, 2001. p. 4. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  5. ^ "JCPENNEY DISPOSITION PORTFOLIO - PHASE 1|Surplus Stores for Sale" (PDF). jcpenneyportfolio.com. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  6. ^ "Towne West Mall facing disconnection, delinquent on energy bill since last November". KWCH.com. June 20, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  7. ^ "Towne West businesses speak out after power shut off". KSN.com. September 8, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  8. ^ "Towne West power restored after being turned off". KSN.com. November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  9. ^ Hernandez, Gabriela; Heilman, Matt (April 10, 2024). "Towne West tenants consider next steps after mall loses water service". KWCH.com. Retrieved April 11, 2024.

37°40′38″N 97°23′58″W / 37.67722°N 97.39944°W / 37.67722; -97.39944