RiverTown Crossings - WKTV Journal

By WKTV Staff

RiverTown Crossings guests can expect magical Santa events, holiday drives, special sweepstakes and more for the 2024 holiday season celebrating the mall’s 25th anniversary.

The holiday season began on Nov. 11 with ‘GrateFULL Plates,’ where guests came together to assist families in need. The event kicked off a sleigh full of other holiday fun at the center, including Santa events, a holiday toy drive, special sweepstakes and more in honor of the mall’s 25th anniversary.

“We’re thrilled to bring Grandville a memorable holiday season,” says Ed McHale, General Manager at RiverTown Crossings. “Our goal is to create a joyful space where families and friends can gather, celebrate and give back together.”

Holiday fun at RiverTown Crossings features various seasonal events and activities for the entire family, including:

Photos with Santa – Nov. 22 to Dec. 24

Step into a winter wonderland at RiverTown Crossings and create cherished memories during the enchanting Santa Photo Experience! Santa Claus is taking a break from a busy North Pole schedule to bring joy to the whole family with a professional photo. Dates to see the jolly old elf include:

Nov. 22: 2 – 7 p.m.
Nov. 23: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Nov. 24: noon – 6 p.m.
Nov. 25: 2 – 7 p.m.
Nov. 26: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Nov. 28: CLOSED
Nov. 29: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.

From Nov. 30 – Dec. 22:

Mondays – Saturdays: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Sundays: 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Dec. 23: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Dec. 24: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

*Santa does take a cookie break from 3-4 p.m. each day.

Magical Ride with Santa Sweepstakes – Nov. 23 at 11 a.m.

Jingle all the way to an unforgettable holiday experience at RiverTown Crossings! Lucky winners of the sweepstakes will get the chance to take a whimsical carousel ride alongside Santa and hot cocoa with cookies. The winner will enjoy their prize on Nov. 23 at 11 a.m.

How to enter:

No purchase necessary. Follow RiverTown Crossings on Instagram and Facebook for details on entering to win. Winners will be randomly selected on Monday, Nov. 18.

Sensory Santa Experience – Dec. 8 from 9:30-11:30 a.m.

A thoughtfully designed event tailored for children with sensory sensitivities and special needs. Every child deserves a magical holiday moment with Santa, and this event ensures a comfortable, stress-free environment for families to create cherished memories. The experience will include:

A calm environment with dimmed lighting and limited crowd size
Santa and photographers trained to interact with children with sensory sensitivities or special needs
Flexible photo options and extended time slots
Trained helpers to assist with families throughout the experience
Pre-registration is required to ensure a calm, uncrowded environment. Sign up for preferred time slots here.

The RiverTown Carousel (Courtesy, RiverTown Crossings)

Breakfast with Santa – Dec. 7 from 9:30-10:30 a.m.

Enjoy a delightful meal, holiday craft stations, letter writing to Santa and story time with Kris Kringle.

Our Santa photo provider will be on-site for optional professional photos immediately following at the photo set (additional cost).
All guests will receive one free 5×7 printed photo with the purchase of an A photo package.
Sign up for preferred time slots here.

Story Time with Santa – Dec. 3, 10 and 17 from 11-11:15 a.m.

Join Santa Claus himself as he takes a break from his busy Christmas preparations to share some of his favorite holiday tales with children of all ages. This heartwarming event promises to spark imagination, spread joy and create lasting memories for the whole family.

25 Cheers for 25 Years – Nov. 29 – Dec. 24

Join RiverTown to celebrate a quarter-century of memories, shopping and community. The “25 Cheers for 25 Years” holiday sweepstakes is saying thank you to the wonderful patrons who have made the center’s journey so special.

To mark this silver milestone, RiverTown is giving 25 lucky shoppers a chance to win big with this Anniversary holiday sweepstakes.

Prizes of the sweepstakes include:

25 lucky winners will each receive a favorite RiverTown Crossings retailer between $50 – $250 in value -that’s a total of $2,250 in shopping joy being given away!
Shoppers can enter by following RiverTown Crossing on Instagram and Facebook to like, follow and tag their way to win.

Toys for Tots Holiday Drive – Nov. 1 – Dec. 1

Join RiverTown Crossing in spreading holiday cheer to children in need through the Toys for Tots Holiday Drive! In partnership with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program, the center is calling on the generous community to make the season brighter for local families.

Participants can bring in new, unwrapped toys to any of the center’s designated collection bins and-or the RiverTown public safety office.
Gifts are welcome for all ages from infants to teens.
Popular and accepted items include board games, sports equipment, dolls, action figures, art supplies and electronics.
Not acceptable toys include second hand, used toys, realistic-looking weapons or food items.

For more information about holiday hours, deals and events at RiverTown Crossings, please visit www.rivertowncrossings.com.

Poag recently announced the acquisition of RiverTown Crossings, a 1,267,272-square-foot enclosed mall in Grandville (Courtesy, pxhere.com)

By WKTV Staff

deborah@wktv.org

Poag Development Group CEO, Josh Poag, recently announced the acquisition of RiverTown Crossings, a 1,267,272-square-foot enclosed mall in Grandville, MI.

“We always start with location, and in this case, we love the site in Grandville and its strong position within the greater Grand Rapids area,” said Poag, adding that he began looking at the mall as a potential acquisition upon the suggestion of a friend.

Poag is looking forward to use their redevelopment expertise to reimagine the RiverTown property (Courtesy, Joanne Bailey-Boorsma)

After visiting the Grand Rapids area last summer, Poag was impressed with the Grand Rapids MSA, Grandville in particular.

“This property has so much potential for redevelopment given its great location and proximity to rooftops,” said Poag. “We are energized about the opportunity to deploy our redevelopment expertise to reimagine the property, both inside and outside, and its role in the greater Kent County area.”

The Poag CEO was also impressed with Grandville’s passion for the area – and for the future.

“There is a lot of growth in the area, and we walked away very impressed and encouraged,” said Poag.

Revitalizing through creating experience

Though RiverTown Crossings boasts five anchors including Macy’s, Kohl’s, JCPenney, Celebration Cinemas and Dick’s Sporting Goods, the two-story enclosed super regional shopping mall has seen a decline in patronage over the last several years.

Poag believes the reason for the decline in mall patronage is twofold.

“Online shopping is certainly one cause over the past 15 years,” Poag said. “The operations of a mall are another. When a mall or any property is neglected, the customer sees that and feels the decline. They are less encouraged to come back.

“Our history is about creating experience. Our first mission is to take care of the property, from filling in potholes to trimming back overgrown landscaping to getting the carousel working again.”

Poag aims to revitalize the mall through redevelopment by adding new uses and activating underutilized parking fields, though the planning process is in early stages.

“While we know we want to add new uses and leverage underutilized real estate, we can’t yet say what that will look like just yet,” said Poag. “It could be multifamily, hotel or more retail.

“Until we take the necessary steps to understand what changes and additions the community would most like and what would be most viable, we can’t share anything definitive just yet.”

A team effort

The Memphis-based developer will work with JLL, its strategic management and leasing partner, to maximize the potential of the property.

Poag will also be consulting the Grandville community.

Poag actively engages local communities in the early planning process of redevelopment (Courtesy, pxhere.com)

“We believe it’s a team effort,” said Poag. “We know that we do not know the community better than the folks that live there. We are not the type of developer to come in and tell the community what they need.

“We actively involve local community leaders and members, city representatives and nearby business owners in the early planning process to get an understanding of what works and doesn’t work currently, what they feel is missing, and what folks think would resonate well in the local community.”

The retail developer adds RiverTown Crossings to its portfolio on the heels of its acquisition of Oak Court Mall, an 800,000-square-foot enclosed mall currently undergoing redevelopment planning in Memphis, TN.