Sunland Park Mall, years in making, opened to 40,000 shoppers, 16,000 balloons: Trish Long
It was announced recently that Enoch Kimmelman, owner of Starr Western Wear stores in El Paso, had purchased Sunland Park Mall, El Paso’s second largest shopping center. The mall will be renamed The Shoppes at Solana.
Sunland Park Mall started as an idea for West Side shoppers in 1975, when the developer of Cielo Vista Mall proposed a “higher class” version of Cielo Vista Mall at Interstate 10, Sunland Park and Mesa Hills drives.
A July 10, 1979, El Paso Times article broke the news that shoppers would have to wait a year longer than anticipated to enjoy the shopping center.
The completion date for the new mall, an 80-acre project, had been moved back a year. Originally slated for a grand opening in 1981, groundbreaking for the project was moved back and the new completion date was scheduled for “late 1981 or early 1982.”
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Mall finally breaks ground
As it turned out, work on the mall was delayed several more times and groundbreaking didn’t occur until 1986.
Aug. 5, 1986, El Paso Times
Work at the Sunland Park Mall finally has begun.
After years of delays, construction crews last week began moving dirt on the southeast corner of Interstate 10 and Sunland Park.
Melvin Simon & Associates, which built and manages Cielo Vista Mall, announced it would build the Sunland Park Mall on El Paso’s West Side in 1975. The company blamed the ensuing delays on the peso collapse and its effect on the El Paso economy.
But armed with contracts with The Popular, Dillard’s and Mervyn’s, Simon & Associates has started work on the mall.
Richard Alvarado, The Popular’s comptroller, said The Popular will own its store, the land it’s on and the land it needs for parking spaces.
The mall plans to open with three anchor stores – the three department stores. Lorraine Phillips, a public relations assistant for Simon & Associates, said the mall hopes to have between 80 and 120 smaller stores as well, but the company has signed no contracts with any stores for that space.
“Generally, those fall into place after the anchors have signed,” Phillips said.
A sign on the property says the mall will open in 1987. But Phillips said the mall really will open in March 1988.
40,000 help open new mall
The grand opening of the Sunland Park Mall happened at 7 p.m. on Aug. 31, 1988.
Sep. 1, 1988, El Paso Times
More than 40,000 people jammed, jostled and shopped their way through Sunland Park Mall’s grand opening Wednesday night.
They oohed and ahhed over the pastel architecture, admired 16,000 falling balloons and one artificial sunrise and spent an uncounted – but impressive – amount of money.
And the West Side mall, on the drawing board since 1975, opened to good reviews from shoppers.
A beautiful mall
“I think they’ve got a beautiful mall,” said John McMinn, who lives near Lee Trevino on the East Side.
From East El Paso to Las Cruces, competing merchants were expecting a short-term drop in business as thousands flock to the area’s newest shopping mecca, at least for a first look. Few competitors expect long-term damage to their sales.
Stores at the mall were supposed to open at 7:45 p.m., but most opened at 6 p.m., when customers began showing up.
Larry Titus, owner of the Gadzooks chain – sellers of skateboards and clothing – was surprised that a large part of the opening night crowd was spending money.
“I’ve been to a lot of grand openings,” he said. “Most of them are full of people looking.
“This is phenomenal. The cash register hasn’t stopped ringing.”
Larry Autry, an Ysleta High School student, went to The Popular to finish his back-to-school shopping. Autry, who lives in Socorro, said he’ll be back.
Like most El Pasoans, Autry had been shopping at Cielo Vista Mall and Bassett Center. But he said he’ll return to Sunland Park Mall.
One store didn’t make the opening. Jerry’s Perfect Pet Shop ran into construction problems it couldn’t overcome.
“I don’t see them opening until Saturday,” said Russell Newcomer, manager of the Jerry’s at Cielo Vista.
But that was apparently the only blot on opening night.
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Other malls worry
Dillard’s kicked off the day’s festivities at 9 a.m., with its grand opening and ribbon-cutting. William Dillard, chairman of the Arkansas-based chain, said his stores along the U.S.-Mexico border are doing better than any others.
Dillard’s, with 60 stores in Texas, now has three in El Paso and one at Mesilla Valley Mall in Las Cruces.
But other Mesilla Valley stores are worried about losing customers – at least for a while. Curiosity will lead many Las Crucens to the new mall.
“I’m afraid for Saturday,” said Greg Tyra, manager of the Miller’s Outpost store at Mesilla Valley.
Bassett Center also is bracing for a short-term drop in sales. Bill Meyer, manager of the Mervyn’s store in Bassett Center, said he expects to lose customers for two or three weeks.
Cars jammed the Sunland Park parking lot. Interstate 10 traffic at the Sunland Park Drive exit was heavy and cars were backed up on the highway for about a quarter mile.
Alex Moreno wasn’t worried about the traffic. He lives just five blocks from the mall.
Moreno said he used to shop across town at Cielo Vista, but given the convenience of Sunland Park, he said, “I probably won’t go back” to Cielo Vista.
Mall officials estimated the opening-night crowd at more than 40,000. People jammed every nook and cranny there.
Trish Long may be reached at tlong@elpasotimes.com or 915-546-6179.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Sunland Park Mall, 13 years in the making, opened to 40,000 shoppers
