Szymaszek talked about new stores, attractions and renovations coming to the Simon Property Group-owned mall.
“We always like to keep things fresh,” he said. “We always like to give the shopper a reason to come back.”
The mall opened Oct. 30, 1997, according to previous reporting.
What’s happening
Syzmaszek said the mall underwent interior renovations in 2016, and the food court renovation was completed in 2019.
Now, he said, the focus is on the exterior. Faded parking signs have been replaced, and exterior walls are being repainted, though that will take time due to the size of the mall. He added that landscaping improvements have been done near Saks Off 5th and Primark, a store opening in November.
Szymaszek mentioned the mall will create a new cut-through near the upcoming store Bubble Planet. The mall previously had a cut-through at Forever 21, which would allow shoppers a shortcut through the 1-mile-long destination.
He said the project will be finished by the Bubble Planet's projected opening in mid-October. A filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations shows the $125,000 cut-through project should be completed by Oct. 10.
Major takeaways
Szymaszek also talked about upcoming attractions and stores and gave more details about Bubble Planet.
Operated by Merlin Entertainment, this will be the company’s third location. Szymaszek said the anticipated draw for the immersive experience is between 250,000 people and 300,000 people in the first calendar year.
He said Dig World plans to open in March. Grapevine City Council approved the permit for the construction-theme park in August, according to previous reporting.
In addition to Primark, other upcoming stores are Pop Mart and Puffy Cotton Candy, Szymaszek said.
Primark has rented space across from Dickies and opened a hiring center location Sept. 2, according to the mall website. The Irish-based retailer sells clothes, home goods and more, according to previous reporting.
Puffy Cotton Candy has five locations and lists Grapevine as opening in the fall of 2025 on its website.
Pop Mart is doing a $450,000 renovation for a space in the mall, according to a filing with TDLR. Szymaszek said it will open next year.
According to the website, the store offers Labubus, plush toys, figurines and accessories. The are six Pop Marts in Texas and two in the Dallas-Fort Worth area: Frisco and Dallas.
Explained
During the question-and-answer portion of the luncheon, Szymaszek addressed vacancies near the mall and the mall entrance artwork.
He said the artwork, such as bluebonnets or a football, at each of the entrances is recognizable, but others are not. For example, he said he worked at the mall for four years before learning the artwork near the Round 1 arcade was a wine barrel.
“We’re trying to redo those,” he said. “We priced it out, and each entrance is about $1 million to redo. That’s going to take some time.”
Szymaszek was also asked about the vacant spots on the outer parcels not owned by the mall, including Chair King, Daylight Golf, Golden Corral and Pollo Regio, which opened May 10, 2024, in a former Steak 'n Shake spot that sat empty since 2019.
“We need to either look at buying some of those parcels back and redeveloping them or trying to figure it out,” he said. “Hopefully, with Dig World and Bubble Planet, with more visitation, that will energize those [empty] spots.”
One more thing
Grapevine Mills opens daily at 8 a.m., though most businesses do not open until later in the morning. However, Szymaszek said the mall is busy as soon as the door opens with walkers.
He said there is a group of 300 registered walkers to make the 1-mile trek each day. Szymaszek said it is one of the largest walking clubs in Texas.
