Ontario Mills

Occasionally, a town or city will build a shopping mall on such a huge scale that it will draw in shoppers not just from the city and its surrounding environs but also from other states, provinces and countries. This has happened to the West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton and the Eaton Center in Toronto. Event catering was recently hired for the grand extravaganza opening of another enormous shopping mall, this one in Ontario, California. Its name is Ontario Mills, and if you're planning on living in the city it's a fair bet you'll be a regular. Keep reading to learn what you can expect from such a mall.

In recent years with more and more people trying to get the best deal for their money, outlet shopping malls like Ontario Mills have increased in popularity. Outlet Malls contain the same brands as regular shopping malls but sell their wares at reduced rates because it has gone out of season, contains small defects, or was overstocked. The principle behind such establishments is why pay full price when you can get a discount on the same spa package? Massachusetts and Maine have also caught onto this trend, and sport many outlet malls per capita.

Ontario Mills was developed by the Mills Corporation, a real estate investment company based in Maryland that is well-known for building huge malls with 'Mills' in the title all over the continental United States. Located across the street from the Ontario Motor Speedway, it was designed by F+A Architects in the layout of a racetrack so that patrons can visit Home Health Services and then loop around to the movie theater without getting lost in offshoots and side corridors along the way. It first opened in November 1996 and since 2007 it has been owned by the Simon Property Group.

Ontario Mills is one of the largest shopping malls in all of North America. It contains over 200 stores and services from laser hair removal to women's clothing. Some of the more popular companies with locations in Ontario Mills include: Fossil, the Disney Store, The Gap, Guess, Hot Topic, Kenneth Cole, Nike, Old Navy, Saks Fifth Avenue, Zoo York, Abercrombie, Marshalls, Nordstrom, Ralph Lauren, Oshkosh B'Gosh, Tommy Hilfiger, Build-a-Bear, Bed Bath & Beyond, Burlington Coat Factory, American Eagle, Calvin Klein, Banana Republic, Hollister, Levi's, Oakley, Quicksilver, Victoria's Secret, and LEGO.

The mall at Ontario Mills is at no loss for food publicity, either. It has a 1,000 seat food court with the usual compliment of fast food retailers like Burger King, Cinnabon, Starbucks, Panda Express, and Sbarro where shoppers can refuel quickly in mid-spree. There are also numerous sit-down restaurants like the Rainforest Cafe (which features live birds, real trees and plants, and three aquariums) Market Broiler, and the Improv Comedy Club for people who have more time. There is also an AMC 30 cinemas within the mall.

The mall is open 10am to 9pm Monday to Saturday and 11am to 8pm on Sunday. Make sure to pay attention to the Where Did You Park signs on the light poles and the audio announcements that remind you which door you used, because the parking lots are massive.