Fort Worth mall embarks on a new voyage

“Ridgmar…has always had a good regional location, and that’s not something to give up on,” Weitzman broker Bob Young told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.



A fixture in the central Texas city since the 1970s, Ridgmar Mall is is replacing shuttered Neiman Marcus and Macy anchors with a SeaQuest Aquarium in an attempt to escape the fate of two other malls that have closed in Tarrant County: North Hills Mall in North Richland Hills and Six Flags Mall in Arlington.



The Star-Telegram reported that nearly 40% of Ridgmar’s storefronts were empty (19 of 50 stores on the second floor). Dillard’s remains, but it has closed its first floor and converted its second floor into a space for clearance-only racks.



Ridgmar owner GK Dev elopement hopes that SeaQuest — which lets visitors don wetsuits and get in the tanks with sharks and stingrays — will prove a steady traffic draw at the location. The company has also invested some $3 million to renovate the Cinemark Ridgmar 13 and XD. One hopeful sign: H&M opened its third Tarrant Count store there recently.



At Ridgmar Mall we’re just part of phase one,” said SeaQuest spokesperson Alui Hernandez. “Ridgmar Mall in a couple of years is going to be a really cool place to go.”



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