By Emma Dill, posted Jan 13, 2026 on WilmingtonBiz.com
A Build-A-Bear Workshop kiosk, a new bagel shop and an 8,000-square-foot mini aquarium are all set to open at Wilmington’s Independence Mall in the coming months, while Mayfaire Town Center is set to welcome Ben &Jerry’s to its retail line-up.
Mayfaire officials announced plans for the new ice cream shop in a release on Tuesday. Ben & Jerry’s is set to open at 951 International Drive in Mayfaire Town Center, a storefront that previously housed a Cold Stone Creamery, this spring.
At Independence Mall, construction also began this week on a display from the N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher that offers visitors the chance to learn about fish and other marine animals while the aquarium is closed for a $75 million renovation and expansion project later this year. Permits were recently issued for the Build-A-Bear kiosk and Jeff’s Bagel Run upfits in a space at 3544 Oleander Drive.
Felix Reznick, principal with Independence Mall owner 4th Dimension Properties, said the mall has signed a lease for an inline space with coffee shop Hebrews 13 Coffee. He added that a burger joint would be coming to the mall’s food court, but Reznick said Monday he couldn’t disclose specifics.
Reznick also said his firm is “on the cusp” of negotiating leases for a few other spaces in and around the mall. One of the leases under negotiation would, he said, bring a “completely new use into the mall.” He’s also working on a deal for the sale of one of the mall’s outparcels.
Florida-based 4th Dimension Properties purchased Independence Mall from its former owner, Rouse Properties, a subsidiary of Brookfield Properties, in August. The purchase did not include anchor tenants Belk and Dillard’s, which own their buildings.
At the time of the acquisition, Reznick told the Business Journal tha the aimed to bring in new uses beyond traditional retail stores to draw a range of people into the mall. He said on Monday that the recent leases help work toward that goal.
“As far as bringing families and kids, I think the aquarium and the Build-A-Bear are going to be great,” Reznick added.
In a release, N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher officials said the “one-of-a-kind mall space” will feature ambassadoranimal encounters, marine life habitats, environmental education programs and an N.C. Aquarium Society giftshop. It will also include offices for staff, animal holding and care areas and life support systems behind the scenes.
The mini aquarium will be located in the mall’s JCPenney Wing, on the Independence Boulevard side of the mall, between Belk and JCPenney, the release stated.
Construction of the new mall location is expected to take eight weeks to complete. It will be followed by moving staff, habitats and life support systems into the mall, the release stated, which means the opening date could be several months away.
Reznick said he didn’t have a timeline on the opening of the Build-A-Bear kiosk, but he said Jeff’s Bagel Run is expected to open in the coming months. The bagel shop has locations nationwide, with North Carolina stores in the Charlotte and Triangle areas, according to its website.
So far, Reznick said, business has been good at Independence Mall since the firm’s purchase this summer.
“Sales are doing well, and we’ve renewed a bunch of tenants,” he said. “I think things are going pretty well.”