116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Michaels will open store at Cedar Rapid’s Westdale Town Centre in 2024
Deal comes as Westdale Mall redevelopment nears completion
CEDAR RAPIDS — Michaels, the North American arts and crafts chain, will soon open a location at the Westdale Town Centre as redevelopment of a former southwest Cedar Rapids mall property nears its culmination.
Frew Development Group — which is undertaking the $90 million redevelopment of Westdale Mall into an open-air, mixed-use development with housing, retail, hotels and other uses — announced Monday that Michaels has signed a long-term lease for 16,000 square feet of space. Opening is targeted for mid-2024.
“We are pleased to welcome Michaels to Westdale Town Centre,” said Todd Nelson, president and chief executive officer of Frew Development Group’s Midwest Division. “Michaels is a perfect fit with our other retail brands and will enhance the shopping experience and customer traffic at Westdale.”
As the redevelopment nears completion with only three restaurant and five retail locations remaining, Nelson said, Michaels’ decision is “another validation for the strength of Westdale Town Centre and the southwest Cedar Rapids submarket.” The transformation of the 1979-built mall, supported with city of Cedar Rapids tax incentives, has taken shape amid a retail apocalypse.
Michaels — North America’s largest provider of arts, crafts, framing, floral and wall décor based in Irving, Texas — has another location in the Cedar Rapids metro in Collins Road Square at 1470 Twixt Town Rd. in Marion. The Collins Road Square store opened in 1993, and closed for several months after sustaining significant damage in the 2020 derecho. The company also operates a store at 2515 Corridor Way in Coralville.
The former 900,000 square-foot Westdale Mall redevelopment has involved the demolition of more than 600,000 square feet of structure to create three stand-alone anchor buildings and 32 development pads. JCPenney is housed in the largest building. Other current tenants include:
- Major national retailers: Ross Dress for Less, Burlington Stores and PetSmart
- Hospitality: Tru by Hilton and Home2 Suites by Hilton
- Financial services: U.S. Bank, First Federal Credit Union, Veridian Credit Union and GreenState Credit Union
- Medical: U.S. Veteran’s Administration Medical Center and Physiotherapy Associates
- Restaurants: Crab Shack, Napoli’s, Chick-fil-A, Freddy’s Steakhouse, Domino’s Pizza, Caribou Coffee, Einstein Bros. Bagel and the recently opened Boulder Tap House
- Market-rate apartments: Parkway West Tower I
In 2024, construction is slated to start on an additional 148 market-rate apartments.
Comments: (319) 398-8494; marissa.payne@thegazette.com
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