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Plaza Carolina
Plaza Carolina is an enclosed shopping mall located in Carolina, Puerto Rico. Anchored by JCPenney, TJ Maxx, Forever 21, Caribbean Cinemas, Burlington, Chili's Grill & Bar, and Supermercados Econo, it features 161 stores, making it the second largest mall in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. The mall has a food court in its second floor and several offices in its third floor.
Plaza Carolina recently housed a Forever 21 store which closed in 2025.
Starting development as early as 1972 and being scheduled for completion by 1976, it was estimated to generate at least $75 million in retail sales annually during its first 3 years of operation and over $100 million thereafter. The mall was developed and was owned at the time by Plaza Carolina Associates, a coordinated project between General Growth Properties and IBEC. Eduardo Molinari was the architect for the project.
On September 27, 1978, JCPenney would officially inaugurate its store at the mall. The JCPenney store, whose physical extension covered 270,000 square feet (25,000 m2), was the first store to open its doors in Plaza Carolina, and according to a spokesperson, it was the largest store in sales volume that the chain had ever opened in its entire history. It would create more than 400 new jobs in the area.
First having a soft opening with its anchors on the 9th, the mall finally opened on October 11, 1978. It opened with more than 100 stores, including 3 anchor stores, and parking for 5,000 cars. Its three main anchor stores at the time were, Sears, JCPenney, and a 88,000-square-foot (8,200 m2) González Padín. It also opened with a 2-level, 37,000 ft2 (3,400 m2) Woolworth store, which would additionally open with a "Harvest House" restaurant. Later, a 26,379 ft2 (2,450.7 m2) Tiendas Capri was added.
On September 28, 1979, a 2-level, 65,000-square-foot (6,000 m2) Velasco department store opened at the mall. It was supposed to be a high point for the chain, but it proved unsuccessful. The store was located in an area of families with modest means, and its high prices were not compatible with the economic situation of the time, which caused low sales. The store announced its closure on August 26, 1981. It was liquidated and closed by August 29, 1981. The first level of the store was turned into what is now known as "La Plazoleta", the food court in the mall, and the second level of the former store was turned into office space. One of the first spaces to open at La Plazoleta was a Tex Critter's Pizza Jamboree restaurant, the first for the chain outside the United States.
In October 1981, Plaza Carolina celebrated its third anniversary with a special appearance by Sophia Loren on October 24. Recent additions to the center and upcoming new stores were showcased by the assistant manager Norman Meléndez. He highlighted Marki-II, a new children's store in operation in the second level of the mall offering children's clothing, and various children's items and accessories. Preciosa, which specialized in cosmetics and perfumes, had also opened its second store, located on the lower level, just east of the sun sculpture in the center of the mall. Land of Oz, an electronic games room had just finished its third expansion. Another new store was El Criollito, located in the "La Plazoleta" food court, specializing in Creole foods for Puerto Rican tastes. Several other stores were also under construction including: Radio Shack, Fashion Warehouse, Value Slacks, and the Sandwich Marker, an addition to La Plazoleta. These eventually opened to the public. Part of the space formerly occupied by Velasco would be remodeled to accommodate several small commercial spaces. At the same time, the attached food court would be expanded to offer a restaurant area.
In August 1982, in sales per square foot, it was among the highest 10 percent of mall-type shopping centers in the entire United States. It had never gone through any economic problems since it had opened its doors; at this point, it had always increased sales, year-on-year.
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Plaza Carolina
Plaza Carolina is an enclosed shopping mall located in Carolina, Puerto Rico. Anchored by JCPenney, TJ Maxx, Forever 21, Caribbean Cinemas, Burlington, Chili's Grill & Bar, and Supermercados Econo, it features 161 stores, making it the second largest mall in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. The mall has a food court in its second floor and several offices in its third floor.
Plaza Carolina recently housed a Forever 21 store which closed in 2025.
Starting development as early as 1972 and being scheduled for completion by 1976, it was estimated to generate at least $75 million in retail sales annually during its first 3 years of operation and over $100 million thereafter. The mall was developed and was owned at the time by Plaza Carolina Associates, a coordinated project between General Growth Properties and IBEC. Eduardo Molinari was the architect for the project.
On September 27, 1978, JCPenney would officially inaugurate its store at the mall. The JCPenney store, whose physical extension covered 270,000 square feet (25,000 m2), was the first store to open its doors in Plaza Carolina, and according to a spokesperson, it was the largest store in sales volume that the chain had ever opened in its entire history. It would create more than 400 new jobs in the area.
First having a soft opening with its anchors on the 9th, the mall finally opened on October 11, 1978. It opened with more than 100 stores, including 3 anchor stores, and parking for 5,000 cars. Its three main anchor stores at the time were, Sears, JCPenney, and a 88,000-square-foot (8,200 m2) González Padín. It also opened with a 2-level, 37,000 ft2 (3,400 m2) Woolworth store, which would additionally open with a "Harvest House" restaurant. Later, a 26,379 ft2 (2,450.7 m2) Tiendas Capri was added.
On September 28, 1979, a 2-level, 65,000-square-foot (6,000 m2) Velasco department store opened at the mall. It was supposed to be a high point for the chain, but it proved unsuccessful. The store was located in an area of families with modest means, and its high prices were not compatible with the economic situation of the time, which caused low sales. The store announced its closure on August 26, 1981. It was liquidated and closed by August 29, 1981. The first level of the store was turned into what is now known as "La Plazoleta", the food court in the mall, and the second level of the former store was turned into office space. One of the first spaces to open at La Plazoleta was a Tex Critter's Pizza Jamboree restaurant, the first for the chain outside the United States.
In October 1981, Plaza Carolina celebrated its third anniversary with a special appearance by Sophia Loren on October 24. Recent additions to the center and upcoming new stores were showcased by the assistant manager Norman Meléndez. He highlighted Marki-II, a new children's store in operation in the second level of the mall offering children's clothing, and various children's items and accessories. Preciosa, which specialized in cosmetics and perfumes, had also opened its second store, located on the lower level, just east of the sun sculpture in the center of the mall. Land of Oz, an electronic games room had just finished its third expansion. Another new store was El Criollito, located in the "La Plazoleta" food court, specializing in Creole foods for Puerto Rican tastes. Several other stores were also under construction including: Radio Shack, Fashion Warehouse, Value Slacks, and the Sandwich Marker, an addition to La Plazoleta. These eventually opened to the public. Part of the space formerly occupied by Velasco would be remodeled to accommodate several small commercial spaces. At the same time, the attached food court would be expanded to offer a restaurant area.
In August 1982, in sales per square foot, it was among the highest 10 percent of mall-type shopping centers in the entire United States. It had never gone through any economic problems since it had opened its doors; at this point, it had always increased sales, year-on-year.