We actually had a destination in mind when we pulled into the lot at Independence Mall, which felt like a small victory. Mrs. K. was on a mission for a few things from Bath & Body Works, and after navigating the lumpy terrain of a Wilmington cemetery earlier, she was ready for some smooth, level walking. Having a purpose gave the visit a bit more shape, and that was welcome. Independence Mall has been around since 1979, opening in the heyday of American mall culture with Belk-Beery, JCPenney, and Sears as its original anchors. A fourth wing came along in 2001 to make room for Dillard's, and the place has seen a fair bit of redesign since then. These days, it leans more open and airy, with nods to Wilmington's coastal vibe. We weren't in a hurry, so we mostly wandered just taking it in. We ducked into a couple of shops, browsed a bit, and yes, came away with the Bath & Body Works haul we'd hoped for. All in all, a relaxed and satisfying stop. [Review 1352 of 2025 - 4471 in North Carolina - 24904 overall] read more

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Awesome little spot next to Studio Seven! Great coffee, fun Pokémon items, and snacks like popcorn and pretzels. Super friendly service and great value--prices are fair and even negotiable on some items. Definitely worth visiting! read more

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The mall was large & clean with very festive decorations. I was able to go to stores I rarely see and visit like Earthbound, BELK, Five Below, and Claire's. The only difficulty I encountered was finding Five Below. Finding clothes I wanted and loved in Earthbound and the Estée Lauder Blockbuster gift in BELK were the best 2024 shopping highlights ever. read more

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The mall is clean, lots of lighting, and easy to navigate. My teens described it as boring. It is smaller than most malls by interior appearance. Quite a few stores surround the mall but have to be accessed through the parking lot and not from the inside of the mall. A variety of stores available for all ages. The train museum and the train is a nice bonus for visitors. There is a small toddler play area and a small arcade is inside for entertainment. A good security presence around the mall. Limited seating available. read more

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Standard national chains but getting to some of the stores is tricky. You have to go out to them even though the directory leads you to believe they're inside the actual mall itself. It's clean and quiet. No frills but nice to be indoors read more

Independence Mall - Shopping Centers Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

It's an odd mall but at least it's trying. Layout is unusual as many stores are outdoor only and others are L-shaped and have entrances in two wings. It's starting to decline and some spots are barren, very noticeable when there are only about 60 stores accessible from the main entrance. But it is much cleaner than most malls nowadays and has a surprisingly nice (though small) food court. read more

The mall itself was clean . The furniture on the other hand definitely could use a good scrubbing. There was so many visible stains I didn't even want to sit down. The store selection was great. I had a good time walking through all the halls looking into windows searching for items I liked. I also enjoyed having the Christmas decorations out and in use. Fmy kids loved the interactive car and the giant lamps near the massive beautiful tree. read more

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The Mall is kind of small, but certain parts are modernized (Around the food court and other areas past that toward the Dicks Sporting goods and JC Penney. DO NOT GO TO THE DILLARD'S AREA. That part of the mall is old and has a bunch of sweaty people wrestling at an MMA Place near Dillard's for all to see. The mall is quite dead, and if I'm being honest, I think the walls once held MJ himself within them. I feel like this mall could use some more renovation, and also a switch up of stores. I mean, come on y'all, Rainbow? Really? if the DMV could somehow sell clothing in 2010, it would somehow look like the Rainbow inside of Independence mall. Service at the mall is kinda dead, but the people in Express were nice. Nothing much of value inside the stores or food court. The only good thing in the food court is Chick-Fil-A, the rest is Chinese or Japanese food. CFA does have some average prices though. I will comment on how this mall decided to include a BELK of all things instead of a MACY'S. I guess they ran out of budget, because if a Belk is in a mall, you should turn around and leave. You'll have better luck finding things you like at Chipotle than this store. read more

First time in a mall post-COVID so I may have enjoyed it more than I usually would have. Medium sized mall with 3 anchor stores, plenty of parking. There are some open store fronts in there, but nothing blighted, and they seemed to have a good traffic for a Thursday. Food court had a chick-fil-A and sushi, and some other options, but did not see any sit down options at the mall. Overall, if you need a break from the beach to do some air conditioned shopping, it's worth the trip to Wilmington. read more

This was a really nice mall where we went shoe shopping during our beach vacation. It reminded us of malls we've visited in VA and TN because of the photo booths, claw machines, and food court selection. The furniture and charging stations are very nice. There are also a couple of local coffee and beverage places. We would have loved to shop longer but had to get to the aquarium. BONUS on WEDNESDAY and SATURDAY - You must check out the Cape Fear Model Train Society!! (See pics attached) read more

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Is this the best mall out there, no, but in this day and age, malls all over are going down. This one does however, have a good amount of stores left, and some cool attractions like the train and train "museum" within it. This makes it really nice to take my daughter when I have to run errands, by errands I mean go to Yankee Candle and smell their newest scents, and her being in a good mood. They also have a pretty good food court. It has a Chick-Fil-A, a full Sushi place, Chinese restaurants, Phillys, and so much more. Overall, I really like this mall and the surrounding area. read more

Independence Mall - Food court - Shopping Centers Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

I'm here for few months so I'm not from here. This mall is not bad. For the last 2 years I been to a lot of state. Theres been so many store closed due to the Covid and after the Covid they just didn't survive. So this mall has more stores ope than most places. Its not small either it plenty big enough. I went to Dillard and actually seen designer bag like Gucci, LV so that's a plus. There's is a security guy standing by so don't get any Idea. It Has my favorite stores. American eagle, Aeropostale, JC penny, and so on and many more real good store. Lots of vender too in the middle of the mall so that surprising. It's a good thing! Food court need more place to eat it was very limited. Prob need a pizza place, Mexican or so on. Otherwise I enjoying shopping here. read more

This mall is stuck in the 80s! Praying the renovations come soon because the only decent shops are forever 21 and Victoria's Secret. Everything from the decor, to the type of shops are outdated. You are better off driving a mile to the Myrtle Beach outlets. read more

I go here almost every month. Paws4people trains here. Amazing with accessibility with my service dog, you'll see the occasional fake service dog but that's not the businesses fault. read more

Nothing against the mall in general rates the mid range rating. However as I was leaving the food court I was basically called out by 4 young males selling some kind of shoe cleaner. I informed that that I was not interested in the product at the time and one continued to follow me saying " come on dog, just let me show you " I again politely declined at which time this young man basically began to panhandle asking me for a donation due to only working commission. Not only was I uneasy as a customer but I could tell by the near by patrons and the looks on their faces , that they were more than annoyed by the way this company conducts their business. Shoe magic should practice their namesake and disappear read more

What an amazing mall, Belk is a wonderful store.. I love the outside decor above Belk store!!! read more

Independence Mall - Shopping Centers Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

The mall has gone wayyyy down hill over the years. Stores are pulling out left and right, the customer base has degraded, and I'm careful about going alone (since it seems like fights are going to break out at any given moment). The place does have a few saving graces to keep it from falling completely off the map: Belks in the mall is definitely superior to the one in Mayfaire, as is Victoria's Secret. Sephora could be much better, but at least there is one. Besides these few stores - MAC, Clinique, and Dillard's have kept my business this far. I prefer to do my shopping at Mayfaire and I'd suggest the same to others. However, don't write the mall off totally - they do still have certain things you can't find anywhere else. read more

This mall is okay but most mall are just going down hill anyways. This mall is convenient and still has a decent amount of stores open. I rarely come here but when I do I always find what I'm looking for plus great sales. It's not the nicest but it will do. The surrounding area is always packed and the location isn't the best for the traffic. They have buggies for kids but they are disgusting and pretty beat up so if you have kids bring your own stroller. This mall is also a bit confusing since it goes in like 6 different directions. read more

Pacsun sucks ! They never welcome you when you come into the store . Poor customer service! They are too busy talking to each other !

I don't understand why people don't LOVE this mall so much, it is so fun and they have so many options, this mall is the best place to go around this area. read more

I had the best experience ever shopping with the team of ladies who work at the Independence Center. They were very helpful, and went over and above for me. I want to thank. Lyla, Allison and Kilbie You guys were AMAZING! read more

Can't believe this place is still open. Barely any stores left and very desolate. Will definitely not be going back to this mall anytime soon. read more

Great place to get a massage, at the beauty school, inside the mall. The beauty side gives free chair massages, too. Lots of great stores, plus a train ride for kids. read more

Nice mall. Clean and spacious. Decent selection of stores. Nothing super high end but still the basics plus some. Food court needs a little help. Security is everywhere which I like. Decent to go walk around for exercise too. read more

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Avoid this.I should have sued.Seeking clothes for a funeral a staff member deliberately bumped/knocked into me.I had been looking for sometime with no offer of help. read more

Average at best. Thank goodness for Belks...otherwise the mall would fold. Some stores are definitely nicer than others. Would recommend the shops at Mayfaire. read more

Independence Mall has always been a go to.. in recent years with incline of "online shopping" it has suffered a lot of business and a lot of stores have closed; as with many indoor malls i am noticing;; it's still a great place if you're in need of particular items & LOADS of family activities; arcade; indoor golf; jumpzone; baby play areas; TRAIN!! And it's all CLEAN for the most part; there's a walk group meeting in the am; the mall is definitely geared to the female shopper; all the major departments stores are here & great women's shopping; f21; express; loft; American eagle; Charlotte Russe; Victoria's Secret (their staff is wonderful) several shoe stores & fabulous children stores & bath & body works to name a few! Still a great place to bring your kids for fun & a cookie! It's not the stellar place it used to be when we were children but mall culture is a thing of the past unfortunately! But they still upkeep a great standard and it's still a nice place to shop read more

Food court is good and the shoe department shoe store is a good added bonus when they're actually trying to help you. Many of the stores don't last long here unless they're big names that have been there forever. I wish they'd add more stores because most of the ones they have now aren't worth going to. The kiddie train that rides around is annoying because the mall isn't spacious enough for that and the customers. read more

The Mall itself is nothing extraordinary but is a decent collection of stores for a seaside town. Stay away from the Kiosks by the food court and don't buy anything at any Kiosk that says they have no return or exchange allowances. I bought a $65 necklace that completely fell apart in 15 minutes and the vendor wouldn't offer to repair or exchange it. If you can't expect some level of inherent quality, just stay away or go to Mayfaire. They extra money may well be worth it. read more