The Gardens Mall is an upscale shopping, entertainment and dining locale in Palm Beach Gardens
The Gardens Mall is a luxury shopping, dining and entertainment complex in Palm Beach Gardens, which is in northern Palm Beach County.
The mall went on lockdown Wednesday, Feb. 14, following reports of a shooting on its premises.
Located at 3101 PGA Boulevard, the main avenue in Palm Beach Gardens, The Gardens Mall and its stores on Wednesday afternoon were touting a number of Valentine's Day features when the shooting took place.
The lockdown and reports of employees and patrons being sheltered in place, and some in safe rooms, put the popular location in a different spotlight.
Here are five things to know about the Gardens Mall:
What is The Gardens Mall?
The mall is anchored by Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s. But it's better known for its variety of luxury stores, such as Brooks Brothers, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Chanel and Tiffany & Co.
What dining options exist at The Gardens Mall?
The dining offerings include a myriad of cuisine choices including Tommy Bahama Marlin Bar, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, Brio Tuscan Grille and Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant. More casual options include Shake Shack and California Pizza Kitchen plus the “Gardens Cafes” food court.
The Gardens Mall is an upscale hit while others struggled
The Gardens Mall is just a mile east of Interstate 95 on PGA Boulevard. It opened in 1988 and boasts 1.4 million square feet of retail space featuring over 150 fine specialty shops.
While other malls in Palm Beach County have struggled and declined, the upscale Gardens Mall has flourished in recent years.
"The popular thought is that malls are dying, but they're not. The good ones are morphing along with retailers, driven by retail 'disruptors' seeking a physical presence," said Al Ferris, leasing manager at The Gardens Mall in 2019.
The Gardens Mall was the scene of a pitched legal battle
In recent years, The Gardens Mall was the focus of a legal and contentious dispute over a proposal to sublease space at the retail center. It involved Dick's Sporting Goods, which wanted to lease space at The Gardens Mall from Sears. Dick's ultimately dropped plans to lease space from Sears, but not before filing a federal lawsuit against the mall.
What else is near the Gardens Mall?
Just west of the mall is Downtown Palm Beach Gardens, a retail, office and dining complex that opened in 2005. It is in the middle of a multiyear, multimillion-dollar redevelopment project that includes adding new buildings while removing others, and adding a possible hotel and apartments.
Across PGA Boulevard is Legacy Place, an outdoor, sprawling retail and dining complex.
Who owns The Gardens Mall?
The Forbes Company, LLC is the owner of the mall. The mall's general manager is Sarah Kudisch.
Antonio Fins is a politics and business editor at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at afins@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: What is Gardens Mall? What to know about Palm Beach Gardens mecca.
