Concord Mills


Concord Mills is a nearly 1.4-million-square-foot shopping mall located in Concord, North Carolina. The mall is in Cabarrus County, just a few hundred feet from the Mecklenburg County border and Charlotte city limits, and about from Uptown Charlotte. It is one of two malls in Concord, the other being Carolina Mall. Formerly operated by the Mills Corporation, it is now owned by Simon Property Group. It is North Carolina's largest single-site tourist attraction, attracting 17.6 million visitors in 2005. The mall is located about a mile from Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Major stores

Like many of the Mills Corporation's other shopping malls, Concord Mills is composed mainly of outlet stores, big box stores, and entertainment venues. Anchor stores include AMC Theatres, Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World, Bed Bath & Beyond, Best Buy, Books-A-Million, Burlington Coat Factory, Dave & Buster's, Forever 21, Camille La Vie, H&M, Off Broadway Shoe Warehouse, Sea Life Charlotte-Concord Aquarium, Sun & Ski Sports, The Children's Place, and VF Outlet.
Other stores include Nike Factory Store, The LEGO Store, American Eagle Outfitters, Finish Line, Inc., Old Navy Outlet, Express, F.Y.E., T.J. Maxx, Hot Topic, and The Disney Store Outlet.
It also includes a motion simulator and a food court which included the first Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen in the Charlotte metropolitan area.

Surrounding area

Originally a wooded area west of Interstate 85 prior to the mall's opening in 1999, the Concord Mills retail district has rapidly expanded. Bruton Smith Boulevard, the main road that runs near the mall, is lined with dozens of restaurants, stores, hotels, and car dealerships, with many new establishments opening each year. Other major attractions around the mall include the Great Wolf Lodge of Concord, which also attracts many out-of-town tourists. The Charlotte Motor Speedway and zMax Dragway are about a mile away. The mall is notoriously known for bad traffic, especially on weekends, Black Friday, and the holiday season. During these times, traffic can back up as far as to the exit ramp on Interstate 85 to Concord Mills Boulevard.

Incidences

On August 21, 2000 on a construction site near Concord Mills, a natural gas pipeline ruptured sending flames to heights of about. As a result of the explosion, law enforcement officials closed local roads around the mall and Interstate 85 around rush hour ; the roads were reopened one hour later after the situation was contained. The event received national network television coverage and news helicopters provided much of the video shown on national television.
In March 2019, a man was shot by an 18 year old inside the AMC theater after a dispute over seating. This incident lead to yet another panic which resulted in a total evacuation. The suspect was arrested the following day and charged with assault with a deadly weapon and intent to kill.
In December 2019, a 13 year old girl was struck and killed by a stray bullet after she attempted to escape a fight between a group of teenage males. Two other teenagers were also shot but did not receive life threatening injuries. In an unrelated case, the girl's cousin was himself murdered earlier the same hour. One of the suspects in the shooting was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and felony riot on the Wednesday morning following the attack. Two days later, Police announced they had arrested another suspect. This was the first instance of murder on mall property.