Once-popular shopping mall that thrived in the 90s before famous brands ditched it in droves is finally shutting down after $135m sale... and it's set to be completely transformed

Published: 12:21, 1 August 2026 | Updated: 12:28, 1 August 2026 A once-bustling Florida mall that welcomed generations of shoppers faces the wrecking ball after losing its best-known anchor stores one by one. Local investment firm Third Lake Partners bought WestShore Plaza, Tampa's oldest mall, for $135 million after years of declining foot traffic and shuttered storefronts, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Third Lake plans to demolish the enclosed mall and pursue a sprawling mixed-use redevelopment, although the company has not made its final blueprint public. The framework approved by Tampa officials allows the developer to transform the 54-acre property with apartments, offices, restaurants, stores, medical facilities and entertainment venues. But the sale has left staff at the mall's remaining shops in limbo as they await news of when it will close.  Merchants told Spectrum Bay News 9 that confusion surrounding the redevelopment has forced them to remind customers that they are still open. Erik Swope-Wise, who had worked at the Urban Native Store inside the mall for six years, said the loss of major anchor stores had already hurt foot fall. A rendering showed the mixed-use vision previously approved for WestShore Plaza, although its new owner had not released final redevelopment plans WestShore Plaza opened in 1967 as the Tampa Bay area’s first fully enclosed, air-conditioned shopping mall 'The story is we're closed, and we're not,' Swope-Wise said, adding that Third Lake had made no announcements to merchants about what would happen next. Swope-Wise said he had reminded customers that Urban Native remained at its WestShore location, including those awaiting custom pieces, and hoped to join whatever eventually replaced the mall. 'In the meantime, small businesses got to keep going,' Swope-Wise said. Westshore Alliance executive director Michael Maurino said the only public blueprint remained the plan approved in 2024, which he described as 'boxes on a map,' with no tenants or firm development targets identified. Maurino said possible public amenities could include green space, a movie theater and a concert venue, while the Westshore Alliance hoped the project would also include convention space. Third Lake did not respond to Spectrum Bay News 9's request for details about the demolition or final redevelopment plans. the developer has not announced a demolition schedule or construction timeline. The Daily Mail contacted Third Lake Partners, WestShore Plaza general manager Larry Scollo and Tampa City councilman Alan Clendenin for comment. Third Lake purchased the property from Ohio-based Washington Prime Group and plans to redevelop it alongside St Petersburg real estate company Echelon, which joined the project as co-developer, according to the Tampa Bay Business Journal. The aging Tampa mall lost major anchors Sears, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Macy’s as foot traffic declined WestShore Plaza remained open after its $135 million sale, while tenants waited to learn when they would have to leave The rezoning approved by Tampa City Council in 2024 has allowed up to 1,765 apartments alongside retail space, professional and medical offices, restaurants, a hotel, recreational facilities and a transit station. The approval paved the way for the developer to demolish the existing enclosed mall rather than merely renovate it, but it did not guarantee that every permitted element would ultimately be built. 'WestShore Plaza represents a unique opportunity to reimagine a well-known property into a destination that reflects how people want to live today,' Third Lake founder Robert Forsythe told the Tampa Bay Times. The planned transformation would mark the end of an era for a mall that opened in 1967 as the region's first fully enclosed, air-conditioned shopping center before expanding as its popularity grew. WestShore entered the 1990s with a major renovation before Saks Fifth Avenue arrived in 1998, an opening that signaled Tampa Bay was ready for upscale department stores, according to a 2013 Tampa Bay Times report. The mall's fortunes faded after International Plaza opened nearby in 2001 and lured away shoppers and major retailers. Dillard's left WestShore, Sears took over its space and then closed in 2019. Saks shut its doors in 2013, Dick's Sporting Goods replaced it the following year and then moved to International Plaza in 2024. Macy's delivered another blow when it closed in early 2025.