Thornton Town Center (Denver, Westminster, Northglenn: Home Depot, employment, movie theater)

[Texan Guy]

I'm doing some research for Thornton Town Center but I'm running a little short. I've completely run through the information from the City of Thornton (http://www.cityofthornton.net/Business/03_town_center.asp - broken link) (but it was a great place to start) and placed what little information on my webpage.

This article sheds some more light that it would have a manufacturer's outlet area with dozens of stores and several anchor stores. No other anchor stores ever came and I don't know what happened to the outlet area. Old aerial images show that half of the mall was demolished for a Home Depot in 1995, but it probably didn't open into the mall. Do you know anymore information that could help me?

[Sulewskid]

I don't live around Thornton but the company I am with completed the renovation for the Thornton Town Center starting back around 2003. I am not familiar with the project but it appears from the pictures that they turned it into more of a strip mall. Some of the main stores there a few years ago (and probably now) are Gander Mountain, Gordmann's, Bally's, and a number of smaller stores.

[Texan Guy]

I do know that it closed in 2003 (completely), with bigg's being demolished for a WM Supercenter and so on. I think that the only parts that remained was the theaters and a portion of the building (gutted for a fitness center). I'm looking for information 1989-2003, when it was an enclosed mall (with bigg's)

[Sulewskid]

Didn't know that Google had this until now, but check this out, it's a "timeline" feature on google that lists articles about anything from oldest to newest. Looks like there are a number of articles on the town center.

[Texan Guy]

Already looked. I'm looking for first-hand experience, really.

[dragonlord9]

Hello, I lived in Thornton near (10101 Washington St., approx. 2 blocks away) the Thornton Town Center for several years. I was also employed there by Valor Security as a guard from 2003 until 2005. I will be happy to provide what information I can. While most of what you have posted on your site is accurate, there are a few points of inaccuracy.

As part of my orientation after being hired for the security job was a history of the mall to better understand the current environment of the mall, it's "residents" the stores that were there, and it's patrons. Following is what i remember of that history as well as personaly gathered information from my time there.


Yes the mall officaly opened in 1989 and Biggs was the primary anchor behind that opening as it was the major anchor store of the mall. Other more recognised stores were approached and several had shown interst in moving into the mall, most notably were J.C. Penny, Sears, and Maceys.
No other major anchor stores ever moved in however, bear in mind that this was a time that had seen the failure and closing of a number of malls not only in the Denver metro area but all across the country. Much of the space of the mall was used by smaller, more specialised stores that came and went on a fairly regular basis.

During the 1990's an area if the mall of apprximatly 450,000 square feet was used by several people/groups as variouse types of nightclubs/bars.
The last of these was a country/western themed club that was closed down by the city of Thornton.

The lack of major name anchor stores was the primary reason that Thornton Town Center never grew to it's potential.

By the time I began my employment there with Valor as a security guard most of the smaller stores were gone. What remained was Biggs', the theaters, the arcade, the carousel, Home Depot was there already, and no it did not open into the mall due to differences in operating times and fire code regulations.

Also there was a small (aprox. 150 person capacity) sports bar that I can't remember the name of off-hand. An internet cafe that catered to the younger, internet gaming crowd. A general goods store that I also do not remember the name of.

Biggs officialy closed in February of 2004 after part of the property had been sold to WalMart Stores Inc. Bally Fitness was moved from the southern end of the mall to what was then the northern entrance (originaly it was the 3rd of 5 entrances going from north to south).

Much of the building was razed for the construction of the WalMart store which resulted in the end of the contract with Valor Security and the end of my employment.

[Cyborgt800]

I remember it ...the club inside was the Cactus Moon...the mall never really had many stores...I also remember when the shopping center where Lowes is on 104th was the Northglenn Mall and on 84th was a one story mall that was the North Valley Mall then it went to two stories. On Wadsworth and Alameda that area used to be a mall as well, but I can't remember the name... Then there was Cinderella City on Hampden near Santa Fe.

[gmm_24]

I miss Bigg's I use to shop there all the time. Sam's Club was the death of it. Bigg's operated just fine even with the Super K-Mart right up the street and the old not very nice Wal-Mart across on 102nd. They were originally going to use the store Bigg's had occupied but then due to I forget what issues they tore it down and build the new Wal-Mart. I then started shopping at Kings

There was also a store in there called the 1/2 Price store which later became Gordman's. Blimpe's was also there. We went to the Arcade a few times. But the large retailers never came, I tend to think that even 45,000 square feet is on the small side for a mall to bring in too many large stores, the Westminster mall had those stores and North Valley Mall was already dying when I moved here in '95. Some stores also left CO ( Good bye Lord and Taylor ) all together or went under like Montgomery Ward.

The movie theater I never cared for and it was not well attended the times we did go, we either went to the one in Westminster since we all like stadium seating and it was cleaner or we went to the nearby theater that had movies after the big theaters did for $1, that went out of business as well I think the Thornton movie theater now is a Dinner and a Movie type place, idk I go to the Brighton one now, staduim seating and far less lines then Westminster.

That Home Depot tried to be a 24 hour store at one point I forget which year it was but it was when I lived in Thornton, so before 2002 and it failed and went back to it's regular hours.

The trend here seems to lean more toward outdoor type malls now, like the Orchard on 144th. That type of "mall" they are planning on building in place of the Westminster mall as well. I personally prefer indoor malls since wind, rain, cold and snow are not my thing to walk around in. So I go to Flatirons, it is a bit of a drive for me but my SUV has heat

[Texan Guy]

Oh...I managed to find and re-read the article, and the outlet area WAS the main mall. Whoops.

[Jimer1]

I remember the Biggs Hypermarket and how they tried to be the all in one store like Wal-mart is now. The novelty was bagging your own groceries. Went to the theater there several times, and also remember the arcade and a few of the specialty shops. The Cactus Moon I remember going to often as I had friends who were into the "Urban Cowboy" that seemed to flourish for a while. Seemed to mostly a meat market, if you know what I mean. It went downhill with the rest of the town center after a while, and remember reading of fights in the parking lots and issues with drunk drivers. Seems the cops would simply wait for patrons to leave and then follow them.

I remember when Bigg's began to deteriorate and large sections of the store began to empty and aisles were blocked off. One spokesperson said that they never seemed to make a profit.