Rivergate Mall is a super-regional shopping mall located in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, United States, just outside of Nashville, the state capital of Tennessee. Opened in October 1971, the mall features of gross leasable area. It once held up to 80 stores and restaurants, as well as a food court. Rivergate Mall has two anchor stores: Dillard's and JCPenney, with two vacant anchor stores that were formerly Macy's and Sears. Its original Anchor tenant were Cain-Sloan, Castner Knott, and JCPenney. The mall sits in the core of a shopping district that is shared by the city of Goodlettsville and the Nashville neighborhood of Madison. This area is colloquially referred to by locals as "Rivergate," after the mall. Rivergate Mall is managed by Hendon Properties.
History
1970s to 1980s
Rivergate Mall was built by Retail Planning Corporation, an
Atlanta-based mall developer, just outside the state capital of Nashville, Tennessee within Goodletsville along Two Mile Pike.
The mall officially opened on October 6, 1971.
Upon its opening, Rivergate Mall became the largest mall in
Tennessee, a title it would hold until the opening of Hickory Hollow Mall in 1978. The mall originally included three anchor stores:
Cain-Sloan,
Castner Knott, and
JCPenney.
Other major tenants at opening included
Jo-Ann Stores,
McCrory Stores, and
Walgreens.
The mall's first expansion phase opened in November 1978, with a new parking area and of retail space, which included 22 stores and 74 supporting shops.
Journeys opened their first location in the mall in December 1986.
Cain-Sloan sold its store to Dillard's in 1987, as a part of deal which included the sale of three Nashville-area locations.
A wing featuring
Sears, dozens of new parcels, and a food court was added in 1989.
1990s to 2000s
During a tornado outbreak on May 18, 1995, part of the Rivergate Mall's roof collapsed, injuring more than a dozen people.
The mall was sold to
CBL Properties for $247 million in June 1998.
In August of that year, Proffitt's purchased five Nashville-area Castner Knott's from Dillard's. Dillard's had acquired Castner Knott's through their purchase of the parent company Mercantile Stores Company.
With the threat of competition from nearby
Opry Mills, CBL renovated the mall in 1999, adding new carpeting and a new entranceway.
Proffitt's sold its store to Hecht's in March 2001 as part of a deal to sell off nine locations.
Linens 'n Things opened a store at the mall in 2003.
In 2006, Macy's replaced Hecht's after Federated Department Stores, now Macy's Inc, purchased Hecht's parent company May Department Stores.
By 2008, the Streets of Indian Lake was nearing completion in nearby Hendersonville, attracting many upscale retailers, causing a decline in shoppers at the mall.
Incredible Dave's, a restaurant and entertainment center, replaced a mall wing in 2012, but closed in 2014.
2010s to 2020s
In 2013, CBL sold three of their malls, including the Rivergate Mall, to Atlanta-based Hendon Properties in a partnership with an offshore investor for $176 million.
An 11,695-square-foot
Guitar Center opened in the mall in the spring of 2017, while existing tenant, teen apparel retailer rue21, opened a larger store with an additional in the summer of 2017. Another existing tenant, shoe retailer
Foot Locker, added a new store with an additional in the fall of 2017.
Sears closed its store at the mall in March 2019 as part of a plan to close 80 locations nationwide.
Following the closure of Macy's in 2020,
the anchor store's space was sold to Urban Story Ventures for $4 million.
Rivergate Mall was listed for sale for an undisclosed price in March 2024.
In January 2025, Cincinnati-based real estate company Merus (formerly known as Al. Neyer) submitted plans to redevelop the entire Mall site, including the Macy's anchor building.
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