Virginia's Potomac Mills

The logo of the very first Mills mall. The land that the "superregional specialty center" was built on previously housed an apple processing plant or mill. This probably explains the apple tree motif of the logo and the origin of the Mills mall trademark.
Graphic from http://www.millscorp.com (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)

A circa-1985 rendering of POTOMAC MILLS. When its Phase II stage was completed, in July 1986, the complex stretched for 9 tenths of a mile from end-to-end.
Drawing from the Western Development Corporation

A vintage view of the newly-opened Waccamaw Pottery store at POTOMAC MILLS.

Photo from "Potomac Mills"

Another circa-1985 image shows the original appearance of the mall's Main Entrance. It provides access to the Food Court area.

Photo from "Potomac Mills" 

The Phase I mall (in black) had cost 97 million dollars. Completed in September 1985, it was extended with a Phase II section (in gray). With its completion in 1986, the cost of the shopping center had increased to 225 million dollars. The facility enveloped approximately 1,210,000 leasable square feet, with free parking for 5,500 autos.

In 1993, POTOMAC MILLS completed its Phase III expansion (in gray). The complex now encompassed approximately 1,610,000 leasable square feet and contained 220 shops and services. 

Seattle-based Nordstrom Rack was a Phase II addition to the meandering outlet mall. The store, encompassing 41,000 square feet, opened for business in July 1986.
Photo from https://stores.nordstromrack.com

A circa-2003 directory map shows the shopping center's original nine Neighborhood, east-to-west, configuration. 
Drawing from www.millscorp.com (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)

A directory map from 2006 shows the post-2005 Neighborhood reorganization. Five mall districts now progress from west-to-east. The Neighborhood 1 section of the mall was eventually renamed "Fashion District At Potomac Mills."
Drawing from www.millscorp.com (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)

The Food Court, always in Neighborhood 4, houses sixteen eateries. 
Photo from Wikipedia / "NotReallyHere"

The American Multi-Cinema Potomac Mills 18 is located in today's Neighborhood 1. It replaced an earlier 15-screen multiplex in another section of the mall. The new movie venue opened for business in 2004. An IMAX auditorium was added in 2008.
Photo from www.simon.com / Simon Property Group

The very first Bloomingdale's-The Outlet opened at POTOMAC MILLS in August 2010. The 25,000 square foot store is located in Neighborhood 1.
Photo from www.simon.comn / Simon Property Group

Farther down the West Wing, still within Neighborhood 1, are the Banana Republic Factory Store and Nordstrom Rack mallway entrance.
Photo from www.simon.com / Simon Property Group

An exterior snapshot showing the mall's Main Entrance. It was rebuilt as part of a 2005 face lift renovation...and was remodeled again in 2012.
Photo from www.simon.com / Simon Property Group

In a circa-2011 physical layout, the old Ikea and Waccamaw Pottery stores have been either totally or partially demolished. A new Costco and AMC megaplex have been built. The mall would loose a major tenant when the J.C. Penney Outlet shut down, in July 2011. However, said store eventually re-opened as a conventional J.C. Penney.

POTOMAC MILLS TENANTS 2011:

2b bebe / 5-7-9 Outlet / Abercrombie & Fitch Outlet / Aeropostale / Against All Odds / Akoo - Social Music Television / American Eagle Outfitters / Ann Taylor Factory Store / Art Plus / As Seen On TV / A T & T / A T & T Mobility / Auntie Anne's Pretzels 1 / Auntie Anne's Pretzels 2 / Bailey, Banks & Biddle Jewelers / Bakers Shoes / Banana Republic Factory Store / Bath & Body Works / BCBG Maxazria Factory Outlet / Bello / Blooming Beauty Supply & Salon / Bloomingdale's-The Outlet / Body Central / Books-A-Million / Bose electronics / Brooks Brothers Factory Store / Bubbles / Build-A-Bear Workshop / Burger King / Burlington Coat Factory / Burlington Shoes / Calvin Klein / Carter's / Catherine's Plus Sizes / Charlotte Russe Outlet / Christine's Bistro / Cinnabon / Claire's Boutique accessories / Clarks Bostonian Outlet / Coach Factory / Cole Haan Clearance Store / Corning Corelle Revere Factory Outlet / Cosmetics Company Store / CR Jewelers Diamond Outlet  / Crazy 8 / Crocs Shoes / Deep Sea Cosmetics / Designer Fragrance & Cosmetics Company - Lancome / Designer Suit Factory / Diamond Concepts / Disney Store Outlet / DKNY Company Store / Dress Barn Outlet / Earrings World / Easy Spirit Outlet / Ecko Unlimited / Esprit / Eyebrow Designer 21 / F & M Furniture / Factory Brand Shoes / Fancy Q / Fashion Time (kiosk) / Finish Line / Five Below / Foot Locker / Footaction USA / Foreign Currency Exchange (kiosk) / Fossil Company Store / Fragrance Outlet / GameStop / Gap Outlet  / Glamour Nails / GNC / Gold & Silver / Group USA The Clothing Company  / Guess? Factory Store / Gymboree Outlet / H & M apparel / Healthwise / Helzberg Diamonds / Hollister Outlet / Hot Topic / Hour Eyes / Ikea (outparcel) / J. Crew - Crewcuts Factory / J.C. Penney Outlet / Jasmine Bubble Tea / Jockey Outlet  / Johnston & Murphy Factory Store / Jones New York Outlet / Journeys Shoes / Juicy Couture / Justice / Kasper / Kenneth Cole / Kenneth Cole Outlet Store / Kids' Land / Kirkland's Outlet / Kitchen Collection / Lacoste Outlet / Lane Bryant Outlet / Last Call Neiman Marcus / L'eggs Hanes Bali Playtex Factory Outlet / Lego Outlet / LensCrafters / Levi's Outlet Store / Lids For Less / Lotus Express / Luggage Center / Luggage Center Express / Maidenform Outlet / Marshalls - HomeGoods / MasterCuts / Maxstudio.com Outlet / Michael Kors  / Modell's Sporting Goods / Motherhood Maternity Outlet / Movado Company Store / Nail Trix / Naturalizer Outlet / Nautica Factory Store / Nike Factory Store / Nine West Outlet / Nordstrom Rack / Oakley Vault / Off Broadway Shoe Warehouse / Old Navy Outlet / OPT Massage / Orange Julius / OshKosh B'Gosh Outlet / Pacific Sunwear Outlet / Papaya / Payless ShoeSource / PCC Wireless / Pegasus Computer Center / Perfumania / Perry Ellis Outlet / Piercing Pagoda 1 (kiosk) / Piercing Pagoda 2 (kiosk) / Polo Ralph Lauren Factory Store / Potomac Custom Tailoring / Potomac Mills 18 & IMAX / Premier Fine Jewelry Direct / ProActiv cosmetics / Poma / Quiksilver / Rack Room Shoes / Radio Shack / Rita's Ice / Robert Wayne Footwear / Rockport Outlet / Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory / Ross - Simons Jewelry Outlet / Saks OFF 5TH Avenue Outlet / Samsonite Factory Outlet / Sears Appliance Outlet / Simply Spa'Riffik / Skechers Outlet / Sky Jewelry / Sleep Number by Select Comfort / Spencer Gifts / Spirit Halloween / Stride Rite - Keds - Sperry Outlet  / Subway / Sunglass Hut / Talbots / The Children's Place Outlet / The Jewel Box / The Pro Image Outlet / Things Remembered / Tilly's / Timberland Outlet / T.J. Maxx / Tommy Bahama's / Tommy Hilfiger Company Store  / Top of The Line Cosmetics & Fragrances (kiosk) / Torrid Plus Size / Toys 'A' Million / True Religion / Tumi / Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt / Ultra Diamonds & Gold Outlet / Under Armour Factory House / Uniform City / Vans Outlet / Verizon Fios / Victoria's Secret lingerie / Villa Fresh Italian Kitchen / Vitamin World / Vonage / Washington Redskins Official Store / We Buy Gold / Wilsons Leather Outlet / Wireless World / World Accents / XXI Forever apparel / Yankee Candle Company / Yogen Fruz / Your Cell Verizon Wireless / Zales The Diamond Store Outlet / Zumiez apparel

FOOD COURT:

Baja Bistro / Candy World / Cajun Street Cafe & Grille / Haagen Dazs - NY Pretzel / Ice Tea Union of USA / Jerry's Subs & Pizza / McDonald's hamburgers / Mrs. Fields Cookies - TCBY frozen yogurt / Nori Japan / Petra Mediterranean Grill / Quizno's Classic Subs / Sbarro the Italian Eatery / Starbucks Coffee / Steak & Chicken Compero / Texas BBQ Factory 

Mills Malls

Sawgrass Mills

Gurnee Mills

Arundel Mills

St. Louis Mills

These Mills malls followed the POTOMAC property. In order of their completion, these malls were SAWGRASS MILLS {west of Fort Lauderdale}, GURNEE MILLS {in the northern hinterlands of Chicago}, ARUNDEL MILLS {on the southern outskirts of Baltimore} and ST. LOUIS MILLS {northwest of  the Gateway City}. Note: ST. LOUIS MILLS, an unsuccessful venture, was sold out of the Mills portfolio in 2012.
Photo 1 from www.simon.com / Simon Property Group
Photo 2 from www.simon.com / Simon Property Group
Photo 3 from www.simon.com / Simon Property Group
Photo 4 from Wikipedia / "Dwaynep2011"

Graphic from the Simon Property Group

Scroll forward to see a list of past and present Mills-brand Malls. These shopping hubs were completed between the fall of 1985 and fall of 2009. Two Canadian properties are included.

MILLS MALLS (2022):

1. POTOMAC MILLS -September 1985 / 1,610,000 leasable square feet / 225 stores / Prince William County, VA

2. FRANKLIN MILLS -May 1989, PHILADELPHIA MILLS -September 2014 / 1,776,000 leasable square feet / 140 stores /  Philadelphia, PA

3. SAWGRASS MILLS -October 1990 / 3,062,000 leasable square feet / 350 stores / Sunrise, FL

4. GURNEE MILLS -August 1991 / 1,936,000 leasable square feet / 205 stores / Gurnee, IL

5. ONTARIO MILLS -November 1996 / 1,367,000 leasable square feet / 207 stores / Ontario, CA

6. GRAPEVINE MILLS -October 1997 / 1,781,000 leasable square feet / 201 stores / Grapevine, TX

7. ARIZONA MILLS -November 1997 / 1,238,000 leasable square feet / 200 stores / Tempe, AZ

8. CONCORD MILLS -September 1999 / 1,345,000 leasable square feet / 203 stores / Concord, NC

9. KATY MILLS -October 1999 / 1,790,000 leasable square feet / 179 stores / Katy, TX

10. OPRY MILLS -May 2000 / 1,154,000 leasable square feet / 210 stores / Nashville, TN

11. ARUNDEL MILLS -November 2000 / 1,556,000 leasable square feet / 225 stores / Anne Arundel County, MD

12. DISCOVER MILLS -November 2001, SUGARLOAF MILLS -October 2012 / 1,200,000 leasable square feet / 200 stores / Gwinnett County, GA

13. COLORADO MILLS -November 2002 / 1,411,000 leasable square feet / 91 stores / Jefferson County, CO

14. ST. LOUIS MILLS -November 2003, ST. LOUIS OUTLET MALL -October 2012,  POWERPlex STL -September 2020 / 1,911,600 leasable square feet / 200 stores  / St. Louis County, MO $

15. FOREST FAIR MALL -July 1988, CINCINNATI MILLS -August 2004, CINCINNATI MALL -March 2009, FOREST FAIR VILLAGE -March 2012 / 1,436,000 leasable square feet / 3 stores  / Forest Park and Fairfield, OH #

16. VAUGHAN MILLS -November 2004 / 1,274,000 leasable square feet / 245 stores / Vaughan, ON [Canada] *

17. THE GALLERIA AT PITTSBURGH MILLS -July 2005 / 2,100,000 leasable square feet / 155 stores / Allegheny County, PA +

18. CROSSIRON MILLS -August 2009 / 1,178,000 leasable square feet / 206 stores / Rocky View County, AL [Canada] *


* Sold to Ivanhoe Cambridge, August 2006
+ Sold to Zamias Services, Incorporated in December 2006
# Sold to Whichard Realty in December 2008
$ Sold to The Woodmont Company in October 2012

Remainder sold to Simon Property Group / Farallon Capital Management in April 2007


Note: The list above does not include two Mills-owned outlet malls in California; THE BLOCK AT ORANGE (1998) and GREAT MALL (acquired in 2003). Although Mills-owned, these complexes have never operated under the (quote-unquote) "Mills" moniker. 

Properties in blue have articles on THE SHOPPING MALL MUSEUM SITE.

The latest thing in 2016 is the Sophisticated Courtyard that has been built on the mall's south side. This area features four sit-down restaurants. Over on the east end, Saks Off Fifth has moved to a new location beside Costco. Its old store, in the Northeast Wing, was supposed to have re-opened as a Christmas Tree Shops. Instead, a prototype store known as and That was installed in the space.



POTOMAC MILLS
Opitz Boulevard and Potomac Mills Road
Prince William County, Virginia

Washington, D.C.'s Western Development Corporation was formed in 1967. In 1984, they entered into a joint venture with the German KanAm Grunderbesitz GmbH and built POTOMAC MILLS, the first of an eventual eighteen Mills-brand shopping centers.

The original "superregional specialty center" was constructed on 143 acres, which was previously occupied by an apple processing plant. The site was situated 22 miles southwest of the United States Capitol, in an unincorporated section of suburban Prince William County, Virginia.

POTOMAC MILLS was designed by Michigan's Wah Yee Associates. The Phase I structure encompassed 650,000 leasable square feet, with its first operational stores opening on September 12, 1985. These included Linens 'n Things, Lamp Factory Outlet, Just For Kids Outlet, Hamrick's and a 1-level (150,000 square foot), Myrtle Beach-based Waccamaw Pottery.

An official dedication, held on September 19, 1985, brought additional stores and services, such as Benetton Outlet, Books-A-Million, Park Street Cafeteria, Waxie Maxie's Records, Record World, Sears Outlet, Raleigh's Outlet, the Elvis Presley Museum and a 14-bay Food Court.

The single-level center was built in a spartan -or minimalist- fashion. Ceilings over shopping concourses had exposed steel beams, heating and cooling ductwork and lighting fixtures. Storefronts in the warehouse-like interior were painted in muted pastel shades. 

Eight overhead "Mills TV" screens broadcast commercials for the various mall stores and services. There was also a state-of-the-art -for 1985- network of nine touch-screen terminals. These featured 3-D computer-generated graphics which guided shoppers through the meandering mall.

The Mills mall concept, novel in the mid-1980s, dispensed with traditional mid-to-upper tier department store anchors in favor of a blending of factory-owned and operated discount outlets, specialty retailers and service-type shops. 

Phase II at POTOMAC MILLS consisted of 550,000 leasable square feet and was officially dedicated on July 21, 1986. The addition encompassed a single level and brought the mall's gross leasable area up to 1,210,000 square feet. 170 stores and services were in operation, and the mall stretched for .9 of a mile from end-to-end.

A 1-level (150,000 square foot) Ikea became the first operational Phase II store, on April 17, 1986. It was followed by a Cohoes Specialty Store, Elm Tree Hallmark, Friendly Restaurant, Kemp Mill Records, a (41,000 square foot) Nordstrom Rack and American Multi-Cinema Potomac Mills 10. The original mall was divided into nine numbered "Neighborhoods", beginning with Neighborhood 1 on the east and ending with Neighborhood 9 on the west.

In the vicinity of POTOMAC MILLS were SPRINGFIELD MALL (1975) {14.2 miles northwest, in Fairfax County}, SPOTSYLVANIA MALL (1980) {27 miles southwest, in Spotsylvania County} and MANASSAS MALL (1996) {14.2 miles northwest, also in Prince William County}.

A Phase III  expansion of POTOMAC MILLS had been announced in September 1990, which was to add 700,000 square feet. However, the owners, Western Development and KanAm, were embroiled in a legal battle over control of the Mills mall portfolio, which now consisted of three properties. Moreover, there was difficulty in securing financing for the addition.

Problems were eventually worked out and ground was broken on March 25, 1993. The size of the single-level expansion had been scaled down to 400,000 square feet. It was to add a (112,600 square foot) J.C. Penney Outlet Store, (61,700 square foot) Marshalls Superstore, (38,200 square foot) Saks Off Fifth Avenue Outlet and (32,300 square foot) Spiegel Outlet. A fourth junior anchor, originally planned as a Phar-Mor Drug, opened as an (80,300 square foot) Burlington Coat Factory.

A gala grand opening was held September 30, 1993. The Flying Elvises (featured in the "Honeymoon In Vegas" motion picture) parachuted into the mall parking lot. Among the fifty stores dedicated that day were A Touch of Cashmere, Corning Revere Factory Outlet and The Virginia Peddler.

Western Development converted into a publicly-owned Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) in 1994, with the official name of the concern becoming the Mills Corporation. Also in 1994, the multiplex at POTOMAC MILLS was expanded with five auditoriums. The Cohoes store had been shuttered in May 1988. It re-opened as a Woodward & Lothrop ["low-thrup"] Clearance Center. This closed in late 1995.

Ikea relocated out of the mall proper, into a 1-level (300,000 square foot) freestanding store, on November 28, 2001. Mall tenants at this time included T.J. Maxx, Sports Authority and an L.L. Bean Factory Store. The east anchor, by now operating as a Waccamaw's HomePlace, was shuttered in June 2001. 62,000 square feet of its space became a Van's Skatepark, which was promoted as the largest such facility in the world.

Half of the old Ikea space was demolished in early 2003. A new cinematic venue, the American Multi-Cinema Potomac Mills 18, was built. It showed its first features in 2004 (an IMAX auditorium was added in July 2008). The remaining Ikea area was sectioned into two stores; Off Broadway Shoe Warehouse and Last Call From Neiman Marcus; the latter opening on March 6, 2009.

Meanwhile, Toronto's Brookfield Asset Management had submitted an offer to buy the Mills property portfolio in January 2007. The Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group and San Francisco-based Farallon Capital Management formed a joint venture and submitted a larger bid in February. The Simon-Farallon offer was accepted, with the sale concluding in April 2007.

The Waccamaw's-Van's Skatepark at POTOMAC MILLS was knocked down in mid-2006 and replaced by a 1-level (152,000 square foot) Costco, which made its debut in May 2007. The nation's first Bloomingdale's-The Outlet opened, at POTOMAC MILLS, on August 20, 2010.

A fifth expansion of POTOMAC MILLS had been announced in May 2008. It was to add 50,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space that would extend eastward from the vicinity of the Last Call Neiman Marcus and AMC megaplex. The project was delayed by The Great Recession, but plans resurfaced in January 2011.
 
The expansion got underway in May 2012. This would entail a complete renovation of the mall's exterior, using a river stone and decorative wood motif. Four sit-down restaurants would eventually be built in a so-called "Sophisticated Courtyard." This area would be adjacent to the main mall entrance, on the south-facing front of the complex.

The Cheesecake Factory became the first bistro to open, on November 7, 2012, followed by Bahama Breeze, on January 23, 2013. The dedication of Bobby's Burger Palace followed soon after. The last of the new Sophisticated Courtyard restaurants, Matchbox American Kitchen, welcomed first diners on January 28, 2016. 

The 2010s POTOMAC MILLS renovation included the relocation of the Saks Off Fifth Avenue Outlet, a mall tenant since 1993. The Costco wing was also gutted, with a new (30,000 square foot) Saks store created. It opened for business on October 3, 2013. 

The previous Saks location, at the northeast corner of the mall, was originally going to be retenanted by Christmas Tree Shops. This plan was abandoned in favor of a prototype outlet store called and That (a new operative of Bed, Bath & Beyond-Christmas Tree Shops). This store began business in the spring of 2014. With its dedication, POTOMAC MILLS encompassed approximately 1,610,000 leasable square feet and housed 225 stores and services.

Sources:

The Washington Post
The Free Lance-Star (Fredericksburg, Virginia)

The Daily Press (Newport News, Virginia)

http://www.mills.com (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)

Prince William County tax assessor website
http://www.westdev.com / Western Development Corporation
http://www.simon.com / Simon Property Group

"Potomac Mills" article on Wikipedia