The mall was opened in September 1979 with anchor storesSears, A.W. Lucas & Co., and White Mart. The mall served for many years as an alternative to the larger Kirkwood Mall, originally featuring a three-screen movie theater and food court to complement the three anchor stores and several in-line tenants. Desmond's operated a 7,000-square-foot store from 1980 through 1986. Thrifty White began closing its White Mart operations in the late 1980s; the store at Gateway Mall was taken by Menards, a Wisconsin-based home improvement chain. Menards have re-located outside the mall, and a portion of the location was turned into a "Medical Mall" housing clinics managed by the PrimeCare Health Network, while the remainder of the former White Mart/Menards was converted to Hancock Fabrics. The middle anchor of the original three was A.W. Lucas. Their closure made way for Herberger's, which closed in 1994. The space, which later became Jacob's, then World's Greatest Deals, was later taken over by Conlin's Furniture. Other stores in the 1990s included teen fashion merchant, Deb, Payless Shoes, Juniques, House of Sund pet store. Weight Watchers held meeting at the mall during the late 80s/90s. For a brief period in the early 2000s, Gateway Mall was home to a second Bath and Body Works location as well as Prairie Peddler, a home and gift store. The mall's theaters were expanded to the "Midco 8", and at the time of expansion, the complex was the largest theater in the city. The theater remains today, competing with the nearby Grand 15 Theaters. The theater is now owned by Carmike Cinemas. For many years, the Gateway to Science Center had a location inside the center of the mall. This hands-on museum allowed visitors to try science-related activities and experiments. The Gateway to Science Center has moved to a new location outside the mall. The mall saw the loss of many tenants over the years, including the majority of the food court tenants. Currently, Subway and Gelato d'Italia, an Italian ice cream shop, are the only tenants in the food court. In 2006, Osco Drug, an original tenant, was converted to CVS/Pharmacy. On July 23, 2016, Antiques on Main, a local antique store, opened a second store inside the mall and had its grand opening, filling the space of the former Gateway to Science Center. Some customers complained, however, of high prices and a degration in customer service. In spring 2017, Not Too Shabby, an 8,000 square foot antiques and vintage merchandise/furniture store started having an inventory reduction sale. The sale slowly grew from 20% off storewide to 75% off storewide until it was announced the store would close its doors on July 31, 2017. The reason being the owner said she was "retiring". Some customers speculate, however, that they essentially priced themselves out of business. On August 12, 2017, all remaining inventory that did not sell or was not put out in the showroom was sold at auction. The empty space was quickly filled by BismanGuns and Bret Ruff Auctions, a firearm store and auction service. In mid-late 2017, Classic Design, a vintage merchandise/furniture store, announced it would be closing after over 20 years in business in Bismarck, and started inventory reduction sales, hoping to be closed for good by January 2018. The reason is said to be the owners retiring. By September 2018, however, the store had not yet closed.
Gateway Mall today
Since January, 2003, the mall has been sold three times. On May 10, 2006 it was announced that the center was purchased by Raymond Arjmand, of Encino, California at a purchase price of $13.25 million. It celebrated a re-opening on November 18, 2006, and is now known as "Gateway Fashion Mall". Arjmand has completed a $10 million renovation to the mall. Macy's was mentioned as an additional anchor store in 2006, but never came to fruition. A two-story addition including a vaulted atrium and space for up to six new stores was planned, but also never came to fruition. Under the new ownership the mall is leased at 85% of its capacity.
Major tenants vacate
In 2008, CVS/pharmacy announced they were leaving Gateway Mall upon constructing their own freestanding store. On June 26, 2009, Conlin's Furniture and Joy's Hallmark announced intentions to vacate the mall. This marks the fourth anchor store to depart from the space occupied by Conlin's Furniture in the mall's thirty-year existence. Joy's Hallmark had been a tenant at the mall for over twenty years. On July 27, 2016, Hancock Fabrics closed after filing Chapter 11 Bankruptcy which left Sears as the only anchor left. On January 4, 2018, it was announced that Sears would be closing as part of a plan to close 103 stores nationwide. The store closed in April 2018. The closure of Sears left the mall with no anchors left. In February 2018, Planet Fitness announced it was planning to move into the former Hancock Fabrics space.
